Atlanta Dream picks Shanxi female basketball center

A poster for Chinese basketball center Li Yueru [Photo/Shanxi Daily] 

Chinese star center player Li Yueru, 20, was selected in the United States by the Atlanta Dream professional basketball team into the WNBA draft 2019 on April 11 -- becoming only the third Chinese player to be drafted directly into the world's top women's basketball league.

The WNBA, or the Women's National Basketball Association, is the professional basketball league in the United States. The Atlanta Dream team is based in the city of Atlantic, in the US state of Georgia. 

Atlanta Dream picked the 6-foot-7 girl from Changzhi city in North China's Shanxi province in the third round of the draft for her untapped potential shooting ability. 

Li once helped the China National Team to a first-place finish in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. She also played for Guangdong and was named MVP, or most valued player, of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association finals this season.

According to Li, she will not however compete in the WNBA this season, preferring to focus instead on honing her game in the domestic league while helping China qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.