![\"Zhang](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/zhang-ziyu-china-7-foot-3-womens-basketball-player-kamilla-cardoso-wnba-kalani-brown.jpg\")
Getty Image<\/p>\nGetty Image<\/p>\n
Zhang Ziyu is the tallest player in women\u2019s basketball history at 7-foot-3. She is only 18 years old.<\/p>\n
Her first season as a professional has been as dominant as you might expect.<\/p>\n
Although the level of competition in China may not be on par with the WNBA<\/a>, there are multiple players in the league who were stars in the United States. Ziyu held her own against them!<\/p>\n Who is Zhang Ziyu?<\/p>\n Zhang is one inch taller than the tallest player in WNBA history at 238 pounds. Margo Dydek, from Poland, was the No. 1 overall pick in 1998 and played 11 years in the league at 7-foot-2. She was drafted at age 24.<\/p>\n Zhang Ziyu is six years younger.<\/p>\n As a native of Jinan, Shadong, the Chinese basketball phenom first became a viral sensation at 14<\/a>. The women\u2019s basketball community had its eye on her for the last four years. Her dominance at the U18 Asia Cup back in June<\/a> made her an international sensation. Zhang played against girls who were more than two feet shorter<\/a> than she, which was perhaps the most unfair mismatch I have ever seen.<\/p>\n China ultimately finished second at the U18 Asia Cup but Zhang was named as the MVP. She averaged 35 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. That\u2019s crazy.<\/p>\n How will she fare in the WNBA?<\/p>\n As good as Zhang played against girls 18 years old or younger in Asia, there are questions about her ability to compete against more legitimate competition. Height does not always translate.<\/p>\n The expectation is that Zhang Ziyu will transition to the WNBA as early as 2027.<\/p>\n In the meantime, she is currently two weeks into her professional basketball career with the Shandong Six Stars of the Women\u2019s Chinese Basketball Association. It has been a great success thus far.<\/p>\n Zhang Ziyu (18, 7’5″) getting ready for her #WCBA<\/a> debut tomorrow pic.twitter.com\/mIN2vh6mQy<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Chinese Women’s Hoop Show (@CWHoopShow) January 3, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Zhang finished with 15 points and six rebounds in 13 minutes during her debut.<\/p>\n 7’5″ Zhang Ziyu dropped 15 PTS in her pro debut. <\/p>\n She\u2019s the tallest female hooper in the world at 18 years old \ud83d\ude33 (via WCBA) pic.twitter.com\/XQIL4z0K7f<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Overtime (@overtime) January 4, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n That was a good start but her two most recent performances are the most impressive.<\/p>\n Zhang first went head-to-head with Kamilla Cardoso<\/a>. Cardoso was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky after an All-American career at South Carolina.<\/p>\n pic.twitter.com\/dmLVDN1G4z<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 @balapattyszn (@balapattyvids) April 6, 2024<\/a> <\/p>\n Zhang finished with 10 points, two rebounds and three blocks in 14 minutes.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\udfc0 7’5″ Zhang Ziyu delivered in limited minutes in the win over defending champions Guangdong: <\/p>\n \u23f1\ufe0f 14 MIN 18-year-old matched up against #WNBA<\/a> @chicagosky<\/a> center @Kamillascsilva<\/a> during the game.#basketball<\/a> #WCBA<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Xk52vyDjIz<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 CGTN Sports Scene (@CGTNSportsScene) January 13, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n And then she went against Kalani Brown<\/a>. Brown was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft after an All-American career at Baylor.<\/p>\n Zhang finished with seven points, one rebound and one block in 13 minutes.<\/p>\n Zhang Ziyu (18, 7’5”) vs. Kalani Brown in her second professional game:<\/p>\n 13 MIN \u2013 7 PTS \u2013 1 REB \u2013 1 BLK \u2013 3\/4 FG<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcf9: \u95f9\u4ed6#WCBA<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/epYF5DBNWP<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Chinese Women’s Hoop Show (@CWHoopShow) January 7, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Brown is one of the best defensive players in the WNBA. Cardoso is a bully in the paint. Zhang Ziyu held her own against both of them.<\/p>\n This was the first test for the 7-foot-3 18-year-old. It proved she can hang!<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udd25 10 PTS
\ud83d\udcaa 2 REB
\ud83d\udeab 3 BLK
\ud83c\udfaf 4\/6 FG<\/p>\n