Amplifying Asian American players and their achievements across the league’s wide range of diversity. 

The diverse styles, identities, and heritages of the WNBA players speak magnitudes to the league’s equally diverse fanbase. With the month of May recognized as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the WNBA, and the overall NBA family, have introduced new programming that highlights their achievements. The New York Liberty recently hosted the inaugural AAPI Heritage Night on Friday, May 13, which signals that the Asian American presence across professional women’s basketball is evolving with powerful momentum.

Watching the 2023 season and the 2022 season, stand-out Asian players like Han Xu are becoming more recognizable on a mainstream, off-court scale. While Han Xu’s reputation is bolstered by her impressive presence on China’s team in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, these conversations are also supported by recent social movements that uplift Asian voices. Widening our scope, Han Xu is joined by another Chinese player, Li Meng, this season– together, these players represent more than a new chapter, as they’re also continuing an ongoing story around the Asian American presence in the WNBA. 

Counting current players, there’s been 12 players of Asian descent, each with unique backgrounds and achievements. Starting with Han Xu, who joined the New York Liberty in 2019, she was the youngest in her draft class at 19 while standing at an intimidating height that commands attention. This year, Han Xu will face Li Meng, a Chinese shooting guard who was recently signed to the Washington Mystics after receiving a training camp contract. While Li Meng played a pivotal role in China’s team at the 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, the two players have previously been teammates on the Chinese women’s national team. Their reunion in the league is a potential catalyst for increased attention to women’s basketball on an international scale. 

Other notable Asian presences in this season include Natalie Nakase, the lead assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces. She’s the first Asian American coach to win a WNBA title, but she’s also had an important career as an all-conference point guard at UCLA and working for the Los Angeles Clippers. An honorable mention to this season also goes to Yang Liwei, another Chinese-born player, who was signed, then waived by the Los Angeles Sparks. Last year, Li Yueru played for the Chicago Sky, but she’s also been suspended this season for a Non-WNBA Injury. Other players in the 2022 season also include Los Angeles Sparks player Kianna Smith, who’s proudly spoken about her America-South Korean heritage. 

The 2022 season also included a brief stint from Rui Machida, a Japanese player who joined the Washington Mystics. Rising above the potential challenges of cultural and language barriers, Machida played 36 games in the league before refocusing her energy on the Women’s Japan Basketball League. Looking back to 2021, Ji-su Park has played for the Las Vegas Aces and the Washington Mystics and was the first Korean player to enter the WNBA in 15 years. Noted as a Seattle Storm fan favorite, Japan-born player Ramu Tokashiki played in 2015, 2016, and 2017. 

Finally, we can move to the inaugural 1997 season of the WNBA, which featured the Chinese player, Zhang Haixia, and the Japanese player, Mikiko Hagiwara. Zhang Haixia is often recognized for leading the Chinese women’s basketball team to achieve silver medals in the 1988 Games, and for receiving the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award in 1997 for becoming the first Asian woman as well as an international player to win any award in the WNBA. Documentation around the 1997 season is spotty– while Zhang Haixia has a memorable 6′ 8″ height, there are only 2 photos of Mikiko Hagiwara that can be found online. 

After reading this list, fans may be surprised that the AAPI presence in the WNBA has roots as long as the league itself. In the hopes of reaching a future with more diverse and equitable coverage around the WNBA, this article was created to recognize these players and ensure that their names are never forgotten. 

WNBA reporter Kirsten Chen writes a lifestyle & fashion column on WNBA.com throughout the season and can be reached on Twitter through @hotgothwriter. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.