''I can't live without basketball, it is my whole life'' says China's Li Yueru
BEIJING (China) - Li Yueru's variation of nicknames already tells a lot about what to expect from her. While she is fondly referred to as "Xiaobao" for her sweet appearance, the 2.00M (6ft 7in) center is also known as the "Female O'Neal" by Chinese basketball fans in comparison to the legendary Shaquille O'Neal.
It is a moniker that he been well-earned by Li for her on-court performances throughout her career, even in its early stages.
It started when she took the FIBA U16 Women's Asian Championship 2015 by storm, averaging 22.1 points and 16.1 rebounds per game to win China yet another title at the event. It then took her only two years to make it to the senior national team, making her Women's Asia Cup debut in 2017 at just 18 years old. Even at such a young age, she continued to put up big numbers in 17.2 points and 9.3 boards per contest.
She might not have shown it at the time, but her first time playing for China at the senior level made her more nervous than it seemed.
"I felt very honored," Li said about the opportunity at the Women's Asia Cup 2017. "I really appreciated that coach Xu [Limin] boldly named me to the national team and gave me a lot of chances to play on the court."
"I still remember the first basket I made, an inside shot. I didn't remember where was I and what did I was doing at that time. I felt very confused at the moment I was shooting the ball and the only thing I knew was that I need to shot and then go back on defense."
"But I couldn't recall where was I and who was defending me. The only thing I felt was nervous. My brain was blank and my body was a little stiff. I shot just based on the feeling of normal training."
Li has only continued to climb up towards the top in the recent years since, playing in the Women's Basketball World Cup and Olympic Qualifying Tournament in hopes of locking up a spot on the Tokyo Olympics roster.
With such a busy schedule filled with basketball in these past 4-5 years, it comes to no surprise that this recent pause has left quite a void in her heart.
"For basketball, the thing I am missing the most in the game," said Li. "These days without games are pretty boring. Although we have daily training and team confrontation, it is just not as fun. I really hope I can back to the court soon and play the game with all my fans, teammates, and all staff on the spot."
Basketball has always been a big part of Li's life, just as most of the players in China's national team system. She might not have started playing immediately because of the love for the game, but it's the reason why she's still here on the hardwood.
"I started playing basketball in 2010 because of my height," she said. "Then I fell in love with this game. I think basketball means a lot to me. I can't live without basketball, it is my whole life."
Therefore, Li is highly anticipating the moment when basketball fully resumes action, especially since she is a key part of the young core of China's future. High expectations are already set in place for this group which also includes Han Xu, Li Yuan, and Chen Mingling along with Li Yueru.
"People often say that the basic skills of our generation are far away from our predecessors but we will try our best to pursue them. We will prove to those people that even though we are young, we will try our best to go in the direction of our predecessors and strive to surpass them."
"We will achieve the highest level we can reach."
For all the success she has achieved at such an early age, Li remains humble. As she mentioned, she knows there is still plenty of room for her to improve to become a better player - especially when there are so many young girls looking up to her and her teammates as role models.
"I really appreciate that these girls trust us, but I think what we do is not good enough."
"We will try our best to keep going and have better performances in the future."
FIBA