BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Shao Ting will leave for the United States to join Minnesota Lynx on Monday, the Chinese guard announced Sunday here when she said goodbye to her coaches and fans.
Shao, 29, signed a one-year contract with the WNBA team early this month, and will be the second Chinese to play in WNBA this season after Han Xu was drafted by New York Liberty on April 10.
The Chinese national team skipper led Beijing Shougang to three domestic league title in a row between 2015-2018 and lost in the semifinals of the 2018-19 Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA).
"We want to thank my coaches from the college to the national team. Without their supports, I don't know where I am now. This is a dream-come-true moment of my life. I cannot wait to show the world who I am and what the Chinese women's basketball is," Shao said.
Shao played the pre-season with the Lynx in 2017 but did not get a contract at that time. She and Han Xu are the only Chinese player in WNBA in ten years after Chen Nan played for Chicago Sky in 2009.
"I know physically I have no advantage to the possible opponents in WNBA, but mentally I'm so ready for the best women's basketball league in the world," Shao added.
"And I'm looking forward to a Chinese derby between me and Han Xu on the WNBA court," she joked.
