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Zhang Ziyu, Basketball’s 7-Foot-3 Giant, Steals the Show as China Faces US at World Cup
Zhang Ziyu made the kind of debut that basketball fans will not forget. The 19-year-old Chinese center towered over the United States at 7-foot-3, creating a social-media sensation even as the defending champions cruised to victory.
The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup opened in Berlin with the United States defeating China 94-61, but the scoreboard was hardly the only story.
Standing 7-foot-3 (2.21 meters), China’s Zhang Ziyu instantly became the tournament’s biggest attraction. Her extraordinary height forced the four-time defending champions to confront a matchup unlike almost anything they had encountered before.
Zhang finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, while converting nine of 10 free throws, as her towering presence repeatedly drew attention inside the paint.
Zhang Ziyu Makes America Look Small
The physical mismatch was impossible to miss.
U.S. centers Aliyah Boston and Kiki Iriafen, both listed at 6-foot-3 (1.91m), appeared dramatically smaller next to Zhang. The Chinese teenager is even taller than basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal and stands only about an inch shorter than San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama.
Boston spent part of the opening quarter battling Zhang and helped keep her scoreless during that period. The Americans then adjusted defensively, trying to prevent China from feeding Zhang easy passes close to the basket.
U.S. coach Kara Lawson admitted that stopping Zhang near the rim was extremely difficult.
The solution was less about overpowering her and more about preventing her from receiving the ball in dangerous positions.
Caitlin Clark Admits It Was Different
Even Caitlin Clark acknowledged the unusual challenge.
The Indiana Fever star said she had never faced a woman of Zhang’s size and described the game as unlike anything she had previously experienced.
Caitlin Clark still delivered a major performance, finishing with 14 points and 11 assists. Her assist total was the highest by a U.S. player in a Women’s World Cup game since Dawn Staley recorded 12 in 1998.
Paige Bueckers also scored 14 as the Americans used their speed, perimeter shooting and transition game to pull away.
The U.S. ultimately had too much depth and athleticism for China to overcome.
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Why Zhang Is Suddenly the Tournament’s Biggest Name
The attention surrounding Zhang Ziyu isn’t simply about her height.
At 19, she is only beginning her senior international career. She made her senior debut at the Women’s Asia Cup in 2025, averaging 14.8 points and 5.5 rebounds and helping China finish with a bronze medal.
The World Cup represents a dramatically bigger stage.
China coach Gong Luming acknowledged that Zhang was still learning how to handle the intensity and physical demands of elite international basketball.
But the potential is obvious.
Her ability to receive the ball close to the basket creates a problem few teams can solve using conventional defensive matchups.
China Has Another Tower
Zhang isn’t China’s only giant.
The team also has Han Xu, a 6-foot-10 (2.09m) center familiar to American basketball fans through her WNBA experience with the New York Liberty.
Han contributed 11 points, including a three-pointer, against the United States and has taken on a leadership role around Zhang.
China could have had an even more intimidating frontcourt. Dallas Wings center Li Yueru, listed at 6-foot-7 (2.01m), was unable to participate after reporting that her passport was lost in the mail.
That left China without another major interior option.
Zhang Has Her Own Training Routine
Zhang’s unusual physical dimensions require an unusual preparation strategy.
Before the U.S. game, she went through an individualized workout with a personal trainer while the rest of China’s players followed their normal team warmup.
Gong explained that Zhang cannot simply follow every conventional warmup exercise because of her size and physical requirements.
Her training programme is therefore customized to ensure she is physically prepared while managing the demands placed on her body.
That careful approach may become increasingly important as the tournament progresses.
The U.S. Still Looks Like the Team to Beat
For all the Zhang Ziyu hype, the Americans made one thing clear: they remain the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup’s benchmark.
The 94-61 victory puts the U.S. in an early strong position in Group D, while China will now turn its attention to the Czech Republic.
China is not widely expected to surpass its 2022 World Cup performance, when it reached the final before losing to the United States.
But this Chinese team now has something it didn’t have four years ago.
A 7-foot-3 teenager capable of changing the geometry of the court.
Zhang may not have stopped the American machine on her FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup debut. But she certainly made the entire basketball world look up.
