Who is Wang Zhelin? Let's take a look at the center whose draft rights were acquired by the LA Lakers

Wang Zhelin was part of a deal that saw Marc Gasol be traded away from the LA Lakers to his former team Memphis Grizzlies. The move means the Lakers have traded veteran Gasol and a 2024 second-round pick for draft rights of the Chinese center. He will, however, not be a confirmed entry into the LA Lakers roster. In this article, we bring to you detailed information about Wang Zhelin.

The Lakers have agreed to trade Marc Gasol, a 2024 second-round pick and cash to the Grizzlies for the draft rights to Wang Zhelin, sources tell ESPN. Deal saves Lakers $10M. Gasol and Grizzlies will work together on waiver and release to allow him to remain in Spain w/ family.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 10, 2021

#5 Wang Zhelin's early days in basketball

Wang Zhelin first came into the limelight when he was selected into China's preliminary squad for the 2012 Olympics. Although he did not make the final squad selection there was a big boost for him. Wang Zhelin was then selected to play at the Nike Hoops Summit in 2012.

He impressed everyone by recording a split of 19 points, eight rebounds and two blocks against the US men's junior select team. After various brilliant performances in the junior circuits, Wang received his first professional contract with the Fujian Sturgeons

#4 Wang Zhelin's selection into the NBA

Wang Zhelin entered the NBA Draft after a few low lying performances in the CBA. Despite that, he was selected 57th overall by Memphis Grizzlies in 2016. Fellow countryman Zhou Qi was also selected 43rd overall in the same draft class.

Wang decided to stay in China and work on his game to transcend into a better player when he makes his entry into the NBA. The move paid off really well, as he had a stellar season in 2019. The Chinese Center averaged 25.7 PPG and 13.8 RPG to be announced as the regular season MVP.

#3 Wang Zhelin's stint with the national team

Basketball - Olympics: Day 1

Wang Zhelin played for the national team at the 2015 FIBA Championships.He came off the bench and helped the team get to the gold and book their place in the Rio Olympics. He was also part of the Chinese team that played in the 2018 NBA Summer League.

Cant wait for 6 months from now when BR tweets “Wang Zhelin was EVERYWHERE tonight🔥lakers next young star?👀” after he puts up 4 points and two rebounds with a dunk https://t.co/38FSaKkGXk

— hates it here (@cookeedouh) September 10, 2021

Wang Zhelin was also part of the Chinese team that won the Asian Games in 2018.

#2 Wang Zhelin's career performances in the CBA

Year	PPG	RPG	APG
2012-13	20.3	12.9	1.3
2013-14	22.8	11.4	1.1
2014-15	21.6	11.5	1.7
2015-16	11.3	6.0	1.1
2016-17	21.8	11.1	2.2
2017-18	20.2	11.2	1.9
2018-19	24.6	13.7	2.4
2019-20	26.1	11.6	2.2
2020-21	18.6	10.7	2.1

#1 Wang Zhelin's current situation with the LA Lakers

Wang Zhelin is currently playing for the Fujian Sturgeons in CBA. His draft rights are currently owned by the LA Lakers. According to the rules, anytime that Wang decides to play in the NBA he can only negotiate for a contract with the Lakers. He will only be moved to another franchise if the Lakers agree to let him go.