Ziyu Zhang: A unique player on a unique trajectory

The epically tall Zhang is one of the rising stars to watch at the showpiece tournament as she continues her basketball journey - one that's seen her catapulted to prominence in double-quick time.

The debut

Zhang first landed onto the basketball radar when she was crowned MVP at the FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup just two years ago.

Clips of her size and dominance went viral, while fans who followed the event were left to reflect on some jaw-dropping numbers. Zhang finished with an eye-popping average performance efficiency valuation of 42.8 after harvesting 35.0 points and 12.8 rebounds per game.

The dunk

She then captured even more attention when she became the first Chinese player to throw down a dunk in an official game.

The Asia Cup

Promoted instantly to senior team action, any cynics who insisted that she would be unable to contribute for China were made to eat their words. Zhang played debuted at FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2025 and netted more than 15 points per game.

She then impressed in a big way at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournaments back in March. Stepping out and shining, much to the delight of the home crowd in Wuhan.

The girl behind the player

If you have not yet watched this documentary produced by FIBA Media about her and released just before the Women’s World Cup, these will be the best-spent 10 minutes of your week.

This awakened even more people to her potential and attracted even more curious fans - not only within basketball circles, but way beyond and into the mainstream.

Zhang's youth was also reflected in the words of Xu Han, a fellow senior teammate who would know a thing or two about being a young, tall Chinese prodigy.

"She's a young girl," said Han in the press conference after China's exciting overtime win over Czechia. "In life, she's just a little girl, and this is her first national team game [at the World Cup level].

"For her, it's very special and difficult and we all know that. She always plays her best.

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I feel like if me and her both go to the court together, I always want to give her good energy.

The World Cup

That trend reached a peak when she landed in Berlin and made her first FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup appearance in a matchup against USA.

As fans tuned in to watch USA's exciting new generation of Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese, those previously unaware of Zhang found themselves watching the most unique player that the women's game has ever seen.

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I think she's a wonderful player and, and you see how young she is. You can tell she's still growing and learning.

While her sheer height is what understandably captivates most people, Zhang also has talent and can play. Her soft touch under the basket and growing IQ is helping her find her place in the international game as she tests herself at the highest level.

She started off in the German capital with an excellent 13 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks against USA.

The praise

And, Caitlin Clark was quick to praise Zhang after the opening game and perhaps most importantly of all, reminded everyone that she is still young and developing.

"This was a different type of basketball game than I've probably ever played in in my entire life," said Clark.

"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, 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. And, I thought she was really efficient from the free throw line as well.

"I think there's a lot of upsides with her," added Clark.

"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 gonna help her continue to grow. So, I think if she continues to develop, then there's definitely a place for her."

FIBA