Chinese basketball center Han Xu joined the U.S. Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) when she was selected by New York Liberty on April 11.

The 19-year-old Han, a member of the Chinese national basketball team, is the second Chinese to be drafted directly to the world's top-level women's basketball league after Zheng Haixia was selected by Los Angeles Sparks in 1997.

From 2016 to 2017, Han competed in the International Basketball Federation's youth events. She was part of the Chinese team that won the gold medal at the Jakarta Asian Games in 2018.

Three other Chinese players—Sui Feifei, Miao Lijie and Chen Nan, all retired, previously played in the WNBA.