She scored 20 points in China's 100-88 Group D loss to Team USA at the FIBA Women's World Cup in Spain last September.

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Li provides a different style for Team China and potentially Atlanta as her size－6-foot-7, 227 pounds－and shooting ability represent untapped potential to bang in the paint with the WNBA's best.

Li, who plays for Guangdong and was named MVP of the WCBA finals this season, said ahead of the draft she would not compete in the WNBA any time soon, focusing instead on honing her game in the domestic league while helping China qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

According to a Tencent report on Thursday, the four-time WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx offered a contract to Chinese forward Li Meng, a member of WCBA runner-up Bayi, following a tryout camp.

Xu Limin, head coach of the national team, encourages the younger generation to dream big and work hard to trigger another Chinese surge in the WNBA.