The Internet Is In Disbelief Over Viral Photo Of Caitlin Clark & China’s 7’3″ Giant
Caitlin Clark had no business challenging that girl.
Caitlin Clark stands 6 feet tall, which usually looks big on a basketball court. Next to China’s Zhang Ziyu on Friday night, that height suddenly looked small.
Team USA opened the FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin with a 94-61 win over China. The final score never became the main story from the game. A photo of Clark standing near the 7-foot-3 center did that work instead.
Clark Report posted the frame, and it moved immediately. Clark stands a few feet from Zhang and looks up at her. The 19-year-old Chinese center is listed at 7-foot-3. That gap is what made the picture travel.
Caitlin Clark Said She Had Never Seen That Size
Caitlin Clark (Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images)
Clark came off the bench and still controlled large stretches of the opener. She scored 14 points and handed out 11 assists without a turnover. Those 25 minutes gave Team USA a clean, historic assist line.
Then she talked about Zhang after the win.
“This was a different type of basketball game that I probably ever played in my entire life,” Clark said. “I’ve never played against a woman of that size.”
She still credited the American posts for handling the matchup. Zhang created problems around the rim that most WNBA centers never create. Team USA still won the game by 33 points.
Paige Bueckers is also 6 feet and got the same treatment in photos. Angel Reese is 6-foot-3 and still had to fight for every inch. That Reese size battle clip spread almost as fast as Clark’s still.
Zhang stands about 10 inches taller than Aliyah Boston, Team USA’s tallest regular big. That kind of gap almost never shows up in women’s basketball. It showed on every possession near the basket.
Why Caitlin Clark Became the Face of the Photo
Caitlin Clark (Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images)
Kara Lawson started veterans and brought Clark off the bench in the opener. Clark still led the team in assists and hit a deep three. She pushed the pace before China could get set on defense.
That is the same look fans already saw in the Clark Reese Team USA clips before the tournament started. The viral photo just dropped a giant into the background of that story.
Clark also made World Cup history in her debut. No Team USA player had posted that many assists in a World Cup game without a turnover.
Zhang did not take over the box score, but she took over the pictures. One frame of Clark standing next to her did more work than any stat line.
Who is Team USA facing after this? Italy is next, and Czechia follows in group play. The height mismatch will not follow Team USA every night. The viral still of Caitlin Clark looking up at Zhang will.
