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

[Beijingwalker]

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

Zhang Ziyu, a 17-year-old center, scored 55 points in two games in her international tournament debut, drawing comparisons to former Houston Rockets player Yao Ming.

June 26, 2024, 7:26 PM GMT+8

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.

On Chinese social media, Zhang’s incredible height has drawn wonder and comparisons to Yao, the former Houston Rockets star.

“How do you want to attack when there is a tower under the rim?” read a comment on YouTube.

“She’s still 17 and tall, but I wonder if she’ll keep growing? It must be hard to find clothes for her,” said a user on X.



Zhang, whose parents both played professional basketball in China, was 5 feet, 2 inches tall in the first grade, according to Chinese state media. By sixth grade, she had reached 6-foot-9.


At her current height of 7-foot-3, she is 3 inches shorter than Yao, 43, who was one of the tallest players in the history of the NBA.

Players in the Women’s National Basketball Association average about 6 feet.

“There are some things we can’t control. I regard it as a gift to me,” Zhang was quoted as saying about her height in an article published Wednesday by the International Basketball Federation, or FIBA.

Zhang, who previously gained attention in 2021 when she helped her team win China’s U15 National Basketball League, said she doesn’t think too much about the future and is focused on improving her skills.

“I can easily reach the basket. But basketball is definitely more than that,” she said. “I have to learn a lot.”

 

[Beijingwalker]

Her official height is 2.28 meters tall, 17 years old

 

[Menthol]

OMG!

She reminds me with Yaoming.

I wonder how can Chinese person can be so tall???

 

[Beijingwalker]

OMG!

She reminds me with Yaoming.

I wonder how can Chinese person can be so tall???

Young Chinese people's height is growing rapidly

 

[Menthol]

Young Chinese people's height is growing rapidly

I heard many young Chinese people are growing very tall.

It reminds me with Taiwanese too in the past.

The father is 165cm, but his sons are 180cm.

I wonder what food do you guys eat to become so tall???

Many young people in third world countries eats a lot too, but instead of getting taller, they are getting fatter.

 

[Beijingwalker]

I heard many young Chinese people are growing very tall.

It reminds me with Taiwanese too in the past.

The father is 165cm, but his sons are 180cm.

I wonder what food do you guys eat to become so tall???

Many young people in third world countries eats a lot too, but instead of getting taller, they are getting fatter.

Young Chinese people's average height grows rapidly in recent decades, which brings a big headache for the parents dealing with their early teens children.

 

[Yellow is Okay]

I heard many young Chinese people are growing very tall.

It reminds me with Taiwanese too in the past.

The father is 165cm, but his sons are 180cm.

I wonder what food do you guys eat to become so tall???

Many young people in third world countries eats a lot too, but instead of getting taller, they are getting fatter.

Proper nutrition plays a role in supporting height increase, but genetics primarily determine one's height. Southeast Asians, for example, have inherent height limitations so it's not realistic to expect to reach the same heights as East Asians. Similarly, there are height variations within Chinese populations, with Northern Chinese typically taller than Southern Chinese. And simply eating a lot doesn't always equate to having a proper and balanced diet, it's the intake of calcium, vitamin D, and protein that contribute to height growth. If you consume foods like pork belly, which are high in fat, then you won't significantly increase in height, instead, you're just gaining weight.

 

[Indos]

OMG!

She reminds me with Yaoming.

I wonder how can Chinese person can be so tall???

Both of her parent are Chinese basketball player with dady at 2 meter high and mama at around 190 cm heigh

 

[Beijingwalker]

A true little giant.

 

[retaxis]

too tall causes too many injuries. Yao ming would have been so much better without his foot injuries over the years.