Doug Feinberg
AP Basketball Writer
New York Liberty center Han Xu faces China during the first half of the WNBA basketball exhibition game on Thursday, May 9, 2019 in New York. At 6-foot-10, Han wants to emulate Yao Ming’s influence — including his influence on the sport in China. She wants to be a beacon for women in basketball in her hometown. (AP Photo/Mary Altafer)
NEW YORK (AP) — Han Xu understandably admired Yao Ming since he was a child, fascinated by the huge shadow the 7-foot-6 Hall of Famer casts every time he steps on an NBA court.
Han, who is 6 to 10 years old, wants to emulate Yao Ming’s influence — including his influence on the sport in China. The New York Liberty big man hopes to be a beacon for women’s basketball in her hometown.
Han Zheng is on his way. Fans can’t seem to get enough of the 22-year-old rising star.
“Han and Li (Yue Ru) have been creating hype both online and offline. Many girls have been inspired by Han and Li, and we have data that more and more girls are starting to play basketball at all levels,” China Basketball Analyst and Team Fountain founder Michael Yuan said. “We can also clearly see more news stories and other types of user-generated content on Chinese social media platforms.”
Han’s highlights have garnered millions of views on Chinese streaming platforms.
Global social media platform Kuaishou recently hosted a livestreamed session with her, which garnered about 1.6 million views.
Han and the Chicago Sky’s 6-foot-7 Li are the six most recent Chinese players to spend in the WNBA. The first to make an impact in the league was Zheng Haixia, who averaged 8.9 points in two seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks in 1997 and 1998 — her first year starting 21 games.
“The success of homegrown players like Han Xu and Li Yueru at the highest level has sparked the interest of China’s passionate basketball fans and inspired Chinese youth to take part in the sport,” said NBA China senior vice president Jonathan Li.
Chinese fans became aware of Han and Li Yueru during their time on the Olympic team that finished fifth in Tokyo. But since the pair were drafted in 2019, their fan bases have grown — Han in the second round and Lee in the third.
“I am honored to be here in 2019 to realize my dream,” Han said through an interpreter. “At that moment, I just wanted to grow up and learn from the veterans who played in the highest level of basketball in the world.
“And I also want to be able to promote the sport in China with my influence here.”
Like her childhood hero: 7-6 Yao Ming.
“He had a very successful career in the NBA, and he also promoted the culture of the sport in China, making more Chinese people like to watch basketball now,” Han said. “I hope I can also have some influence in the WNBA, and then pass my influence back to my country, so that more fans can see the performance of Chinese players.”
Neither Han nor March’s 23-year-old 6-foot-7 Lee were born when Zheng was doing the WNBA in Los Angeles, nor do they have Yao Ming’s skills — they’ll probably never be that good, not a lot.
The Houston Rockets selected Yao Ming with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft. He has become an ambassador for the sport in China and is currently a Chinese basketball executive.
While Han and Li are still honing their skills, the players’ popularity in China is on the rise.
Han played 18 minutes per game against the Liberty, averaging 9.2 points and shooting nearly 54 percent from the field. Lee was less successful, averaging just 2 points per game in Chicago.
When they played in New York last month, several Chinese media were present. Interviews with players have attracted millions of views in China.
“Chinese basketball has a huge audience,” Li said through an interpreter.
“Chinese fans will learn more about WNBA players and WNBA teams while watching Han Xu’s highlights. I think this is something that can benefit me and Han Xu, as well as the WNBA.”
Both Han and Li performed well in the offseason Chinese Basketball League, which featured WNBA players such as Maya Moore and Sylvia Falls.
“There were a lot of WNBA players that I looked up to when I was growing up,” Lee said. “I think there are a lot of WNBA players, no matter what aspect of life or career, I think they’ve done well in all of them. They’re excellent.”
Han has shown she could be a dominant force in the WNBA. She scored a career-high 24 points against Las Vegas earlier this month.
“I think it’s a great honor for domestic fans to watch WNBA games on Chinese TV,” Han said. “I think when Chinese fans watch my games in the league, they can better understand the development of the sport overseas.”
