Basketball World Cup: Zhang Ziyu, the female version of Yao Ming, "a young girl" measuring 2.23 m

Published on: 09/09/2026 - 07:40

4 min Reading time

The center, whose height is just shy of Victor Wembanyama's, is one of the attractions of the World Championship in Berlin. At just 19 years old, she is participating in her first major international event at the senior level, having previously stunned at the U18 Asian Championship two years ago with an average of 35 points and 12 rebounds per game, where she was named the tournament's MVP.

Hailing from Shandong in eastern China, Zhang Ziyu, whose parents were both professional basketball players, made her World Cup debut in 2026 with an impressive performance against the United States and its WNBA stars, scoring 13 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in 18 minutes of play.

This did not prevent the Americans from winning (94-61), but after the game, American superstar Caitlin Clark praised Zhang. “I’ve never faced a player of her size, and she clearly caused us problems,” she said. “I think she’s an exceptional player, and you can see how young she is. It’s clear she’s still learning, figuring out how to play and leverage her main asset, which is her height. It’s hard to stop her when she’s near the basket.”

Unique Profile

Already compared to Yao Ming, the iconic Chinese basketball player who stands at 2.29 meters, the young center is used sparingly by her coaches who want to protect her, as many opposing defenders play very aggressively against her. She played only 11 minutes against the tough Czech Republic, scoring 3 points, and just 8 minutes against Italy (8 points).

Given the young woman's unique profile, the Chinese national team staff has enlisted a physical trainer, doctors, and nutritionists specifically for her.

“Beyond her height, she needs to quickly improve her mobility and technique if she wants to remain competitive in modern basketball,” explains Chinese head coach Luming Gong in a documentary produced by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). “The transitions are becoming faster, so our priority is to enhance her running performance. She needs to score on offense, but also be able to get back quickly on defense. ”

Her national team teammate Han Xu also doesn’t want to put too much pressure on Zhang Ziyu: “In life, she’s just a little girl. She’s a talented player, and we’re thinking about the best way to use her, and we hope she becomes more aggressive. ”

“Keep Evolving ”

“She’s still a very young player, but being so young, participating in a World Cup, and facing the best players can only help her continue to grow,” said Caitlin Clark.

“This World Cup is a big challenge for me; I will face new opponents, and I need to work hard to learn ”, Zhang Ziyu agrees.

Off the court, the young woman passionately engages in crochet and enjoys spending time with her friends.

“To many people, I just look very tall, and they probably think I’m a tough person. But honestly, I’m just a young girl. I can still be very childish at times ”, she smiles. “I know that young people my age go out and have fun, but it doesn’t bother me because I really love basketball. ”

After a loss to the USA and two victories against the Czech Republic and Italy, the Chinese team is preparing for a playoff against Puerto Rico on Wednesday. If successful, they will face France on Thursday in the quarter-finals.