When you stand 7 feet 3 inches tall, basketball can make you famous before you even have a chance to figure out who you are as a player. For China’s center, Zhang Ziyu, despite her performance, the attention that followed has not been entirely positive. And with criticism spreading online, one of her former coaches has now stepped forward with a statement urging people to give the kid some grace.

“What most people on the internet couldn’t begin to understand is what she has to navigate every single day simply being a 7’3” young woman,” April Sykes, a former WNBA coach, shared on her social media. “The physical demands on her body, the attention that comes with her stature, and the amount of work she has to put in just to maintain her body and prepare herself to perform at this level is something most people will never experience.”

The 19-year-old made her senior FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup debut against Team USA, and despite China suffering a 94-61 defeat, Zhang arguably delivered an intriguing individual performance. She finished with 13 points, six rebounds and two blocks in just 18 minutes, forcing the Americans to constantly account for her enormous presence inside.

“I had the pleasure of working with Jiale, and seeing her development from then to now has been incredible,” Skykes further wrote on her Instagram page.

Of course, it is easy to forget that Zhang Ziyu is only 19 when you watch her tower over almost everyone on a basketball court. And just like the former coach pointed out, she was actually playing at the U18 level very recently. 

“…Kid just was playing U18 last year, and this was her first professional season competing against the best in the world! …People create expectations for athletes and then attack them for not meeting a standard they never asked for… Basketball doesn’t work like that. Height doesn’t eliminate development. Size doesn’t replace experience. And potential doesn’t mean a finished product. She’s still developing… Give the kid some grace and let her DEVELOP,” she added.

In June 2024, she made her massive international tournament debut at the FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup in Shenzhen, China. And at 17 years old at the time, she actually dominated the tournament, famously scoring a record-breaking 44 points against Japan and averaging 35 points and 12.8 rebounds per game.

Her performances even earned her the tournament MVP award and catapulted her into global internet stardom.

Her transition to the senior Chinese national team happened incredibly fast right after that breakthrough. And so, it is quite expected that she would still be lacking in experience and still have plenty to learn at the senior level. But even at that, Zhang Ziyu delivered quite a performance against Team USA.

In fact, even if what she produced was not considered enough by some, she was actually playing against a Team USA that is miles ahead of almost every other team in the tournament in terms of quality, experience, pedigree, history, and whatever metric anyone wants to use.

Regardless of the criticism, Team China has bounced back from the defeat in their next game, defeating the Czech Republic in an overtime thriller that ended 74-70. They will face Italy in their next game, and definitely, the team will once again be counting on teenage sensation Zhang Ziyu to make her presence felt as they look to continue their World Cup campaign.

Zhang Ziyu’s Career Journey So Far

Zhang Ziyu was born in Shandong, China, to former professional basketball players, with her father standing at 7’0″ and her mother, Yu Ying, a former Chinese national team center, standing at 6’6″.

Of course, the genetics translated and were reflected from a very young age. Zhang stood an unbelievable 5-foot-2 in the first grade and sprouted to 6-foot-9 by the sixth grade. And as expected, she went the basketball way as well.

In 2019, Zhang Ziyu moved to Jinan and joined the elite basketball program at Shandong Experimental High School. And by age 14, she led her provincial team to the National U15 Basketball League Championship, famously scoring 42 points and grabbing 25 rebounds in the final game.

Zhang Ziyu continued in the youth setup, consistently out-stretching and out-scoring opponents across China’s National Youth Games and remaining virtually unstoppable in the paint. All that ultimately led up to her breakthrough at the U18 level in 2024, where she won the tournament MVP, and now to the FIBA 2026 Women’s Basketball World Cup.

In fact, recognizing her unique impact, China fast-tracked her straight past the U20 level into the senior women’s national team. She wasted no time rewarding that decision, logging 34 points and 14 rebounds in her first appearances.

It’s safe to say she’s continuing on that trajectory, being a major weapon for Team China and a cause for concern for opposing teams in this World Cup.