Standing at 7-foot-3, China's Zhang Ziyu erupts for 44 points, leads U18 team past Japan

After making a notable impression in her FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup, Chinese center Zhang Ziyu, who is 7-foot-3 at 17 years old, followed with a record-breaking performance against Japan. She first came off the bench against Indonesia, dropping 19 points with seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks to contribute to China's demolishing 109-50 win in only 13 minutes on Monday.

Her second matchup in the competition saw her drop 36 points while grabbing 13 rebounds and blocking four shots against New Zealand.

On Wednesday, Ziyu once again went off and dominated Japan, scoring 44 points, shooting 20-for-22 and grabbing 14 rebounds. This performance broke the single-game scoring record in the U18 Asia Cup, with Ziyu working at the post to give her team a comfortable 97-81 win.

China leads Group B of the competition with six points. Japan follows with five points while New Zealand has four and Indonesia three.

Basketball game featuring Zhang Ziyu sparks viral frenzy: "WNBA’s Yao Ming otw"

Zhang Ziyu's performances have drawn a lot of attention from fans, who haven't hesitated to hype her up after her incredible performances. Some have called her the Yao Ming or Wilt Chamberlain of the WNBA given her height and the way she dominates rivals.

"WNBA’s Yao Ming otw," one fan wrote.

"WNBA about to get the own version of Yao Ming," another fan wrote.

"shes going to drop Wilt numbers in the WNBA," a third fan posted.

One fan joked about Ziyu stopping Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese in the future.

"this is gonna be Caitlyn Clark and Angel Reese’s career killer in the next few seasons," this person commented.

Somebody noted that even WNBA giant Brittney Griner isn't taller than Ziyu, which makes this prospect even scary.

Another one joked about NBA teams drafting her on Wednesday night instead of a WNBA franchise.

Yao Ming finished his NBA career as a beloved legend and also a big what-if' He put on a show during his best years, but injuries were ruthless with his body, forcing him to retire after nine years.

Zhang Ziyu is already showing interesting stuff at 17. She may be a couple of years away from entering the WNBA or any league that pays her a lot of money to showcase her talents. If she can have a similar impact to Ming's, it will be a total success.