Who is Zhang Ziyu? All you need to know about 7-feet tall Chinese basketball player

The 7-feet-tall Zhang Ziyu basketball sensation is breaking records in China.

If you’ve seen a video of a 7-foot-tall girl dominating a basketball court with effortless scoring, that’s Zhang Ziyu. Even if you haven’t, her story is worth knowing. At just 17, she broke the internet last year with her unbelievable skills.

Born on May 1, 2007, in Jinan, Shandong Province, Zhang Ziyu comes from a basketball family. Her father, Zhang Lei, played in the Chinese Basketball Association’s Jinan Military Region team and stands 2.13m (7 feet). Her mother, Yu Ying, a former Chinese national team player and center for Shandong, is 1.98m (6’5”).

Drawing from her parents’ genes, Zhang Ziyu has grown to between 2.20m (7’4”) and 2.26m (7’5”). But her story is more than just her height—it’s about her journey.

Why does Zhang Ziyu stand out from others?

Ziyu is the tallest currently active female basketball player. By first grade, she was 5’2” tall, and by sixth grade, she was 6’9”.

At 14, she stunned audiences in the 2022 National U15 Championship by scoring 68 points and 24 rebounds. The following year, she led Shandong in the U17 Championship with 30 points and 21 rebounds in just 26 minutes.

In 2024, she was selected as China’s center for the FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup. On her international debut against Indonesia, she scored 19 points on a perfect 9-for-9 shooting with 7 rebounds and 3 blocks in only 13 minutes. She followed this with 36 points and 14 rebounds against New Zealand.

Her biggest moment came against Japan, where she broke the tournament’s scoring record with 44 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists. Despite losing the final to Australia, she contributed 42 points and 14 rebounds, earning the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

What’s Zhang Ziyu’s playing style & skills?

The world saw in the viral video how, without breaking a sweat and jumping around, Zhang Ziyu managed to score, but ever wondered what could be her driving factor?

It’s her playing tactics. She has worked on and developed her soft touch skills on short-range shots. Now she is working on her hooks, put-backs, and better finishes at the rim.

Another thing she has worked on is her post moves, creating space for her shots and finding the turnaround, which plays a vital role in the game. These qualities also reflect her basketball IQ, understanding of strategy, and court awareness.

How Zhang Ziyu became female Yao Ming, Cheat Code, Moving the Great Wall?

After the FIBA tournament video aired, fans couldn’t resist taking a dig at the moment, where nobody was able to block Zhang Ziyu, but she could do the same meticulously.

She earned nicknames from fans like Female Yao Ming, referring to her as the Chinese NBA star who also has a center position, and he stands 7’6” tall. While others draw comparison with the Cheat Code in the video game, where she will be acting as one for the team’s success with less effort.

The Moving Great Wall name is once again associated with Yao Ming and now with the 17-year-old for her defensive mechanism.

Future potential and challenges

There are possibilities that Zhang Ziyu could join the WNBA in 2027, but it won’t be wrong to say that she might not be on everybody’s radar to have her on the team officially. According to WNBA norms and eligibility in 2027, she will turn 20 and only then will she be able to join.

Although in current times, the rising star seems to be less concerned about her future and rather enjoys her exceptional talent, as she said in the press release during the 2024 FIBA tournament, “I don’t think too much about the future, because I need to experience every step by myself. I should be better first.”

Zhang Ziyu further said, “Life is a wonderful journey. There are some things we can’t control. I regard it as a gift to me,” she said about her height. “It’s OK. Everyone is different.”

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