Giant 17-year-old Chinese basketball player is leaving people blown away

Regular watchers of the NBA will know that the vast majority of players need to be somewhat tall to be successful.

Of course, there are some exceptions to this - but that point does stand true to a lot of basketball.

The sport is loved across the US, from the grassroots level all the way up to the pinnacle of the sport at NBA and WNBA level.

And there is one basketball star that is taking social media by storm right now, with some thinking she may one day make it to the WNBA - the women's professional basketball league.

While there's no doubt Zhang Ziyu is pretty good at basketball, the main reason as to why she's making the headlines is because of her height.

At seven-foot-three, Ziyu has quickly earned the nickname 'Female Yao Ming', which of course draws parallels to the former Houston Rockets star.

A video of Ziyu playing basketball went viral earlier this week, a game the teen was making her FIBA Under-18 Women’s Asia Cup debut.

Taking place in Shenzhen, China, the basketball player from the Shandong province region towered over her competitors on the court in a now viral video.

The center is evidentially head and shoulders above all of her competitors, demonstrating her height as she bossed the court.

Zhang Ziyu keeps 𝐃𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 the court 😱

The Chinese young sensation puts up 36 PTS, 13 REB, 4 BLK and 44 EFF against New Zealand 🔥#U18AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/AEkPYv4L5l

— FIBA (@FIBA) June 25, 2024

NextGen Hoops, a popular basketball page, dubbed Ziyu a 'cheat code' - and others on social media seem to have a similar point of view.

"The most important thing as she grows and progresses into playing with adults in the next few years will be to stay healthy," one person said on YouTube.

A second added: "She's still 17 and tall, but I wonder if she'll keep growing?."

And a third remarked: "She will be a big trouble for US women basketball team in next 10 years."

The teenager is a goalscoring machine, something evident in the viral video with her massive scoring.

In an article published by the International Basketball Federation, Ziyu spoke about her extraordinary height.

She said: "There are some things we can’t control. I regard it as a gift to me."

While many are expecting the basketball star to reach the top in the sport, Ziyu isn't too focused on the future right now and instead working on improving her skills.

"I can easily reach the basket. But basketball is definitely more than that," she added.