Taller than Shaq: China’s teenage 223cm basketball player ‘just a little girl’

BEIJING – Chinese teenage basketball player Zhang Ziyu stands at 2.23m and towers over opponents at the Women’s World Cup, but off the court she is “just a little girl”.

That was the assessment of the giant 19-year-old by teammate Han Xu after China’s 74-70 overtime win over the Czech Republic on Sept 6 in Germany.

The teenage centre scored three points in just over 10 minutes on court against a physical Czech side, having been more of a threat against reigning champions, the US, in a 94-61 loss to start the tournament.

After that defeat, American superstar Caitlin Clark had warm words for Zhang, saying: “I’ve never played against a woman of that size, and she obviously presented some challenges for us.

“I think she’s a wonderful player, and you see how young she is. You can tell she’s still growing and learning how to play and how to leverage her advantage, which is her size.

“There’s not much you can do to stop her when she gets it really close to the basket.”

Zhang’s height is listed as 223cm on the website of world governing body FIBA, making her taller than NBA great Shaquille O’Neal. And even in a sport where height matters, she stands out in women’s basketball.

Zhang might be destined for the WNBA, but Clark and Han warned against placing too many expectations on the teenager.

“In life, she’s just a little girl,” said Han, the top scorer for China with 22 points against the Czechs. “I always want to give her good energy. She can finish to the rim and protect the paint.

“I think she is a great player, and we just keep thinking (about) how to use her better and hope she can be more aggressive.”

The official website for the Women’s Basketball World Cup describes Zhang as “epically tall”, noting that she came to international prominence when she was crowned Most Valuable Player at the U-18 Women’s Asia Cup two years ago.

Footage and images of Zhang looming over her opponents have gone viral online, but Clark said there is more to her than just that.

“She’s still a very young player, but to be this young and to be in a World Cup and to go up against the top players is only going to help her continue to grow,” said Clark. “So I think if she continues to develop, then there’s definitely a place for her.” AFP