China's 7-foot-3 teen basketball star towers over her competitors in viral video

Zhang Ziyu, a 7-foot-3 teenage basketball player from China, drew comparisons to Yao Ming this week as she made her international tournament debut.

HONG KONG — In China, she’s being called the “female Yao Ming.”

In a video that quickly went viral this week, Zhang Ziyu, a 7-foot-3 basketball player from Shandong province, towers over her competitors on the court during the FIBA Under-18 Women’s Asia Cup in Shenzhen, China, where she made her international tournament debut.

Zhang, a 17-year-old center, stands head and shoulders above her opponents, demonstrating her superior size and reach as she effortlessly intercepts passes and shots.

She is also a scoring machine, casually reaching up to drop the ball into the net. In China’s opening game against Indonesia on Monday, Zhang shot a perfect 9-for-9 from the field for 19 points in just 13 minutes, adding seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks to help China win 109-50.

She followed up Tuesday with 36 points against New Zealand while pulling down 13 rebounds and rejecting four shots at the defensive end. China won 90-68 and will next play Japan on Wednesday.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-7-foot-3-teen-basketball-star-viral-video-rcna158973

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