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Aspiring female Yao: 6-10 Han Xu making mark in WNBA, China

FILE - New York Liberty center Han Xu (21) drives against Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart, left, during the second half of a WNBA basketball game, Sunday, June 19, 2022, in New York. Standing 6-10, Han would like to emulate Yao Ming's impact — including his influence on the sport in China. She wants to be a female beacon of basketball in her native land. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

FILE - China's Han Xu (15) shoots over Serbia's Tina Krajisnik during a women's basketball quarterfinal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Aug. 4, 2021, in Saitama, Japan. Chinese fans became aware of Han and Li Yueru during their stints with the Olympic team that finished fifth in Tokyo. But their fan base has grown since both were drafted in 2019 — Han in the second round, Li in the third. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

FILE - China center Li Yueru, front, vies for position against New York Liberty center Han Xu during a free throw in the first half of a WNBA exhibition basketball game Thursday, May 9, 2019, in New York. Han and Li are the latest of a half dozen Chinese players to have spent time in the WNBA. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

FILE - New York Liberty center Han Xu is shown during the first half of a WNBA exhibition basketball game against China, Thursday, May 9, 2019, in New York. Standing 6-10, Han would like to emulate Yao Ming's impact — including his influence on the sport in China. She wants to be a female beacon of basketball in her native land. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

Aspiring female Yao: 6-10 Han Xu making mark in WNBA, China