Basketball
Who is Zhang Ziyu? 7-foot-3 teen is a Chinese basketball phenom
One of FIBA’s U18 players has taken the court — and internet — by storm.
Zhang Ziyu, the 7-foot-3 Chinese center who is just 17, has been an unstoppable force during the U18 Women’s Asia Cup.
Ziyu’s dominance has powered the Chinese team to the semifinals of the event, scheduled for Saturday in Shenzhen, China.
Across only 62 minutes played, Ziyu has scored an unbelievable 99 points, making 90.9 percent of her field goals with almost all of the damage being done down low.
Ziyu has unsurprisingly dominated on the glass, racking up 34 rebounds in three games.
Ziyu’s 33 points per game has made her the tournament’s leading scorer by a wide margin.
In its three group phase contests against Japan, New Zealand and Japan, China won every game by at least 16 points.
Ziyu notched a tournament record 44 points against Japan.
The teen has become an overnight star, her performance even warranting a graphic made by Bleacher Report — something typically reserved for the night’s best in the NBA.
Likewise, multiple posts displaying Ziyu have received over 75,000 likes on X.
As one highlight video displays, Ziyu can be double- or triple-teamed in the post and still corral the ball, laying it in effortlessly.
It’s hard not to see similarities in style between Ziyu and former Purdue two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey, who was selected with the ninth overall pick in the first round of Wednesday’s NBA Draft.
Both players impose their sheer will based on frame, rarely shooting more than five feet from the basket but converting at a high clip.
At 7-foot-3, Ziyu would already be the tallest player in the WNBA by a wide margin, surpassing the New York Liberty’s 6-foot-11 center Han Xu.
It is unknown whether the teenager has received any offers to play collegiate basketball, but based on her stature and talent, it would appear that coaches will be calling in short order.
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