The Chinese women's basketball team is a source of pride for our nation, having fought bravely for our country and won numerous honors and awards. Time flies, and now the five golden flowers of the women's basketball team have embarked on their own paths. Han Xu has set off alone to the United States, while two others have chosen to go to Australia.
The directions taken by Wang Siyu and Li Meng were unexpected... As the pillar of the Chinese women's basketball team's frontcourt, Han Xu's journey in the WNBA has been highly anticipated. Upon entering the WNBA, Han Xu faced many challenges.
During her rookie season, she spent most of her time on the bench. However, she did not lose heart. She made use of her limited playing time to carefully observe her opponents, learn from her teammates' skills, and strive to improve herself.
In 2023, in a game against the Las Vegas Aces, she scored 24 points with an impressive 11 out of 12 shots, setting a new career high in the WNBA and becoming the key to the team's victory.
This season, Han Xu has firmly established herself as an important rotational player for the team. Her three-point shooting percentage reached 44.4%, with a very high offensive efficiency, making her an indispensable part of the team. While competing in the WNBA, Han Xu also had to balance her national team duties.
However, she skillfully integrated the experiences from both sides, bringing back advanced tactical concepts from the WNBA to China, and bringing the resilience honed in the national team to the American court.
As she herself said, "I hope to establish myself as a starting player in the WNBA, gradually approaching the world's top level, and ultimately help the national team achieve good results."
Han Xu has proven with her abilities that Chinese women's basketball players are capable of making a name for themselves in the world's highest-level women's basketball league. In addition to Han Xu pursuing her dreams in the United States, two other golden flowers of women's basketball have embarked on a journey to Australia, namely Li Yueru and Wang Siyu.
Li Yueru, known as "Xiaobao," has always been the backbone of the Chinese women's basketball team's frontcourt.
In 2019, she was selected by a WNBA team and began her overseas journey. Last season, while playing for the Chicago Sky, she arrived late and struggled to integrate, resulting in performance below expectations.
However, she turned this experience into nourishment for growth and shone brightly in the subsequent Women's Basketball World Cup. This season in the WCBA, her team, Inner Mongolia Women's Basketball, failed to win the championship, and she also suffered a leg injury, fortunately without serious consequences.
This trip to Australia serves two purposes: one is for recovery to allow her body to quickly heal; the other is for special training to refine her skills. With its high basketball standards and scientific training system, Australia can help her improve her key skills such as physical strength and low-post footwork.
After completing the special training, she will return to the WNBA court to once again showcase the toughness of Chinese women's basketball frontcourt to the world. Wang Siyu's overseas journey has been somewhat bumpy. This guard, known for her "big heart" on the court, has repeatedly hit crucial shots in international competitions, helping the Chinese women's basketball team overcome obstacles.
In the semi-finals of the 2022 Women's Basketball World Cup, she made a free throw to clinch the victory over Australia, which is considered a classic moment. Originally, she was close to signing with the WNBA Lynx, but unfortunately missed the opportunity.
To make matters worse, long-term high-intensity competition caused severe shoulder injuries. To fully recover and better serve the national team in the future, she chose to go to Australia.
There, she received professional rehabilitation therapy, combined with physical training and basketball-specific training, gradually improving her physical condition and competitive level.
Although her WNBA dream has been temporarily frustrated, Wang Siyu has never given up. She looks forward to returning at full strength and continuing to write the glory of the Chinese women's basketball team. Li Yueru and Wang Siyu's trips to Australia are not only for the continuation of their personal careers but also to reserve energy for the Chinese women's basketball team.
They set out with injuries and regrets, but they will surely return with growth and glory. In the future, on the national team's court, they will still be the two brightest highlights.
Wang Siyu, who has made remarkable achievements on the guard line of the Chinese women's basketball team, is now lost in the disappointment of her shattered overseas dream. Once, she was so close to the WNBA court, yet she missed the opportunity due to injuries and circumstances, which is enough to make people sigh with regret.
Looking back at Wang Siyu's national team career, it is a chapter filled with passion and glory. In the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, she helped the Chinese women's basketball team win the championship when she was just starting out, with a determined look on her youthful face.
In the semi-finals of the 2022 Women's Basketball World Cup, facing the powerful Australian team, the game became intense, with the scores closely tied. It was Wang Siyu who stood out at the critical moment. She calmly stepped up to the free-throw line, made both shots, and completed the game-winning shot in the calmest way possible, helping the team advance to the final. That scene is still fondly remembered by fans today.
However, injuries followed her like a shadow. Long-term high-intensity competition made her shoulders unable to bear the burden, which became the biggest obstacle to her signing with the WNBA Lynx.
Despite this, Wang Siyu was not defeated. She went to Australia and actively engaged in rehabilitation training, giving her all in every therapy session and strength training.
During her days in Australia, Wang Siyu did not forget to refine her skills. She moved between various training venues, honing her skills with local experts, learning advanced ball-handling techniques and tactical cooperation.
Although her WNBA dream has been temporarily put on hold, she knows deep down that only by becoming stronger can she shine again on the court in the future.
Compared to the other golden flowers of women's basketball, Li Meng's current situation seems somewhat lonely and almost "quietly disappeared." Once, she was a sharp blade on the front line of the Chinese women's basketball team, known for her comprehensive skills and tenacious fighting spirit.
In the 2022 Women's Basketball World Cup, she scored the highest points for the team with 21 points against the strong opponent, the United States, fearlessly breaking through their formidable defense and scoring accurately with her sharp breakthroughs and precise shooting, earning respect for the Chinese women's basketball team;
In the quarterfinals against France, she once again became the backbone of the team, scoring the highest points with 23 points, helping the team advance to the semifinals.
However, the turmoil off the court plunged her into a whirlpool of public opinion. After her romantic entanglement with former women's basketball team leader Zhang Long was exposed, a wave of criticism came pouring in, commercial endorsements withdrew one after another, and she bore immense pressure. After that, Li Meng's activities with the national team and the WNBA became increasingly rare, as if she had vanished from sight.
But those who know Li Meng understand that there is an indomitable spirit within her. The current silence may be her silently accumulating strength, waiting for the opportunity to prove herself again. Away from the limelight, she must be training hard, refining her skills, and healing the wounds in her heart.
Judging from past experiences, injuries have never defeated her. She has made a strong comeback twice after two serious knee injuries, returning to the peak of her career. This turmoil may not be able to completely knock her down either.
Believe that in the near future, when she adjusts her state, the Li Meng who wreaked havoc on the court will return as a champion, once again wearing the national team uniform, continuing to write the glory of the Chinese women's basketball team, and responding to all doubts with her strength.