Who is Zhang Ziyu? Meet China's 7'3" basketball sensation who crushed Japan with 44 points

On Wednesday, Zhang Ziyu left the basketball community around the world in awe with a 44-point performance against Japan in the FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup.

Along with her 44 points, Zhang Ziyu also pulled down 14 rebounds in the record-setting performance that broke Hsiao Yu Wen's 2022 record of 39. After three dominant performances, many are asking, who is Zhang Ziyu?

The 17-year-old star is the daughter of two professional basketball players, which may be part of the reason why she has been dominating on the court. Given that not much is known about her, and she doesn't have an Instagram account, many fans may not have been familiar with her until recently.

According to a 2021 report from the Global Times, she was already 5'2" (1.5 meters) in first grade. By the time she entered sixth grade, she stood at 6'9" (2.0 meters). Given that she is just 17 years old, she won't be eligible to join the WNBA until the 2027 season.

This week, however, she put the world on notice in her first international women's game for China. On Monday, in a match against Indonesia, she dropped a remarkably efficient 19 points, seven rebounds, two steals and three blocks in just 13 minutes off the bench.

Her play helped fuel the team to a 109-50 win, kicking off the country's 2024 FIBA Under-18 Women's Asia Cup campaign. Shortly after, highlights from the game began to circulate on social media, with fans blown away by her dominance.

While it put Zhang Ziyu on the map, it's been her increasingly dominant play since that has some fans calling her the future of the WNBA.

Looking at Zhang Ziyu's 36 and 44-point performances

Following her remarkable debut in Monday's win over Indonesia, she then left fans stunned with her play against New Zealand the following day. This time, over 23 minutes played, Zhang Ziyu logged 36 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks, helping fuel China to a dominant win 90-68 win.

At this point, highlights from her 36-point outing began to circulate around the basketball community online. Fans from around the world were put on notice leading up to Wednesday's game against Japan as talk of her potential became a major topic for discussion.

While fans were eager to see her compete at the WNBA level, she will have another three years to develop before being eligible. On Wednesday, she then elevated her play once more, logging 44 points and 14 rebounds on 20-22 from the field to give China their third straight win.

Considering the average height for a WNBA center is around 6'5", and the fact that Ziyu could still potentially be growing, it's no wonder there's interest around her. As she transitions to a professional level in FIBA over the years to come, fans will likely continue to follow her journey towards the WNBA.