Zheng Haixia (1967—)

Chinese basketball player. Born on March 7, 1967, in central Henan Province, China.

Four-time Olympian, won a bronze medal in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles (1984), and a silver medal in Barcelona (1992); member of WNBA Los Angeles Sparks for two seasons.

China's Zheng Haixia stood 5′10" at age 12. She began playing basketball with a local sports academy and at age 13 was drafted by the Wuban Army club team. In 1982, she played with the Chinese youth team which won the Asian championship and the following year joined the Chinese national team. "She was eager to learn and made great strides in her first year," said Yang Boyong, her initial coach.

In 1984, Zheng became the youngest (17) and the tallest (6′7") Chinese woman to play in the Los Angeles Olympics, where the Chinese won a bronze medal with their first Olympic team. Zheng went on to play in three more Olympics and four World championship competitions. Her very presence on the court made the Chinese a formidable force. At the 1992 Games in Barcelona, however, where China won the silver medal, Zheng was so bothered by a back injury that she could barely manage ten minutes on the court.

She returned home and underwent medical treatment while training for the Sydney World championships in 1994. She also lost 30 pounds, which improved her game considerably. Zheng not only assisted the Chinese National Team to a silver medal in Australia (where she was dubbed "The Great Wall of China" by Australian coach Robyn Maher), but also led the National Team to first place at that year's Asian championship. In 1995, Zheng led China to a gold medal at the 16th Asian championships, scoring 19.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Surprisingly, the Chinese team made a poor showing in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, finishing in ninth place, its worst record in Chinese Olympic history.

In 1997, Zheng turned professional, joining the WNBA Los Angeles Sparks for the inaugural season and fulfilling a long-time dream. "I'm excited to play for the new professional league, which many of the best players from around the world have joined," she said. "I am confident that I will show that players from China are qualified." Zhong Tianfa, vice president of the Chinese Basketball Association, while sorry to lose such a valuable player, felt that the move was good for Chinese basketball as well as for Zheng's personal development.

Zheng won the WNBA Sportsmanship Award for the 1997 season, and totaled a game high of 21 points in an 88–77 win over the Sacramento Monarchs in August. But she played only six games in 1998, before succumbing to a knee injury that required surgery. She did not return to Los Angeles for a third season, remaining instead in her native China.