- Los Angeles Sparks sign Chinese women’s basketball guard Yang Liwei
- 2023-02-20 11:26:31.0 Source: Xinhuanet
Authors: Cao Yibo, Su Bin
The Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced on the 20th that they have officially signed a contract with Chinese women’s basketball guard Yang Liwei.
After Han Xu renewed his contract with the New York Liberty on the 18th, Yang Liwei became the second Chinese female basketball player who will join the WNBA team in the new season.
Yang Liwei, who was born in 1995, is 1.76 meters tall and serves as a point guard on the court. He is currently playing for the Inner Mongolia Rural Credit Women’s Basketball Team for his tenth WCBA season. Yang Liwei has rich game experience and excellent field control ability. In the 2022 Women’s Basketball World Cup, as the captain of the Chinese women’s basketball team, she averaged 9.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, helping the team win the runner-up.
The Los Angeles Sparks are one of the earliest eight WNBA teams. They have won the championship three times in team history (2001, 2002, 2016). The Chinese women’s basketball star Zheng Haixia once played for the team.
Last season, the Sparks had a poor record, with 13 wins and 23 losses in the regular season and finally ranked 11th and missed the playoffs. The Sparks lacking a guard took a fancy to Yang Liwei, who has a mature style of play.
Yang Liwei said on social media: “I am very glad to have the opportunity to join the WNBA Los Angeles Sparks. I would like to thank everyone for their efforts and support to help me realize my dream all the time. Los Angeles is a city with a strong basketball culture and a long history of basketball. There, I can get the opportunity to learn from more outstanding players, and carry out better personal preparations for the Chinese women’s basketball team in the future Asian Games and Olympic games.”