‘Adults playing against children’: China’s Zhang Ziyu is a towering presence on World Cup debut

Sep 5, 2026

China’s teenage centre Zhang Ziyu sparked a social media frenzy after making her Fiba Women’s Basketball World Cup debut against the United States in Berlin on Friday. Viral images and clips of the 2.2-metre (7-foot-3) 19-year-old towering over WNBA superstars dominated online commentary, drawing praise from US stars while exposing deep tactical divisions among Chinese fans. In her 18 minutes off the bench, Zhang presented an unprecedented physical presence, recording a team-high 13 points, six...

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