220cm Chinese teenager taking the basketball world by storm
A Chinese teenager has become the talk of the basketball world after vision of her dominating her opponents quickly went viral.
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A new basketball phenom has emerged and she’s sending fans around the world wild.
17-year-old Chinese player Zhang Ziyu has burst onto the scene at the ongoing FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup and is being widely tipped to become the next big dominant force in the game.
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Zhang stands at a towering 220cm tall and has made light work of her opponents during China’s games in the tournament with a semi-final contest coming on Saturday (AEST).
Footage on social media shows her standing head and shoulders above her rivals in scenes akin to a family gathering when you take on your nieces and nephews.
Defenders stand helpless as her teammates toss the ball up high as Zhang positions herself in the post. Chances of blocking her shot are near on impossible as the teen gets open looks around the basket.
Through their opening three games in Group B, China are undefeated with Zhang dominating the court.
In their opening contest against Indonesia, she came off the bench and in only 13 minutes of playing time registered 19 points, 7 rebounds and three blocks.
Her minutes jumped in the second contest against New Zealand as she played just under 23 minutes and tore the Kiwis apart with 36 points on 16/20 shooting while pulling down 13 rebounds and finishing with 4 blocks.
Then came the game against Japan.
Zhang was an unstoppable force as she shattered the tournament’s all-time scoring record as she finished with 44 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists.
The towering teen finished the contest shooting 20/22 from the field as China booked their place in the semi-final stages as well as booking their ticket to the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup next year.
According to a profile done on her in 2021 by the Global Times, she was listed as being 157cm tall in first grade before a growth spurt had her at 205cm in sixth grade.
Highlights of her dominance quickly spread across social media with basketball fans left in awe over her sheer size.
NBA Central wrote: “Zhang Ziyu is unguardable.”
College Basketball Report wrote: “She’s a cheat code.”
News Corps’ Michael Randall wrote: “No, this is not AI - this is China’s 220cm 17-year-old Zhang Ziyu. Going to be a handful in medal rounds for the Aussie Gems.”
One user wrote: “Generational dominance.”
A second added: “She’s got a good touch around the rim. Most tall people just chuck the ball at it, hoping it goes in, but she has good form and knows what she’s doing.”
While Zhang is dominating the FIBA scene, she isn’t eligible for the WNBA until she turns 20 meaning she won’t be playing in America until at least 2027.
The teen phenom likely won’t be appearing at the Paris Olympics after missing out on selection in the 17-player roster.
Originally published as 220cm Chinese teenager taking the basketball world by storm
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