2021 Class of FIBA Hall of Fame: Haixia Zheng

MIES (Switzerland) – Trailblazer Haixia Zheng is being inducted into the  FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2021 in recognition of her achievements on the court during a landmark career.

Zheng is being inducted in the Class of 2021 along with legendary players Hana Horakova (Czech Republic), Panagiotis Giannakis (Greece), Stanislav Kropilak (Slovakia), Oscar Moglia (Uruguay – posthumously), Detlef Schrempf (Germany), Penka Stoyanova (Bulgaria – posthumously), Sergey Tarakanov (Russia) and  Mathieu Faye (Senegal) and coaching greats Chuck Daly (USA – posthumously), Tom Maher (Australia) and Ettore Messina (Italy).

The center was just 15-years-old when she burst onto the global scene at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in 1983, helping propel China to a bronze medal and that was one of four appearances in the competition. She eventually went on to play the 1994 Final in arguably her finest hour, where she was crowned MVP of the tournament after averaging a phenomenal 26 points and 13 rebounds per game. 

Having already made an impact as a rising star, Zheng went on to become a four-time Olympian, picking up a bronze medal in 1984 when still a teenager. Eight years later in Barcelona, she catapulted China to a historic first-ever Final and claimed a silver medal. She also collected an Asian Games winners’ medal in 1986.

Zheng then made the world of basketball sit up and take notice even more in 1997 when she quit the Chinese national team to pursue a WNBA career. After being the second pick drafted, she stepped out with the Los Angeles Sparks to become the first Chinese national to play professionally in the States – including in the NBA.

source：FIBA