Han, Li make history as WNBA draft picks

"Having two players drafted by the league in one year is an honor for us and a testament to their individual efforts and collectively the improvement of Chinese women," Xu said on Thursday.

"For Han there for sure will be a lot of challenges, physically and culture-wise, to adapt to the WNBA ... but I have strong faith in her potential. I believe she can survive in the league and be a standout."

Bolstered by a young core that included Han and Li Yueru, Team China finished sixth at the World Cup last year, tying its best result since 1994, when it was runner-up at the world championships.

Cheryl Reeve, head coach of the Lynx who was an assistant for the 2018 US team, was impressed with Han and other Chinese players.

"I think the talent level of Chinese players is increasing," she told Associated Press. "They're very young with some serious upside, and again, just having seen them on the national team, the WNBA is a league that I think they could be comfortable in if they get the opportunity."