Team China ace Li dials in to Mystics mission

Sharpshooting forward keen to prove she belongs in WNBA with Washington

Two weeks into her WNBA adventure, Li Meng feels she has blended in smoothly with the Washington Mystics as the star Chinese forward bids to make her presence felt with the championship-chasing franchise.

Led by new coach Eric Thibault and with the likes of three-time All-Star guard Kristi Toliver acquired in the offseason, the Mystics are on a serious mission to win another championship to add to their maiden title in 2019.

League rookie Li is determined to become a valuable piece of that puzzle.

"I am really excited to be here and everyone has treated me really well, making me feel really welcome in this big family," Li said of her arrival in DC during a media day on Monday.

"The first two weeks are mainly about recovery and conditioning, but I've learned some of the team's plays already.

"I still need some time to get used to all the practice routines in the training camp, but I believe I can be a natural fit, with my game complementing the team's style of play," added Li, who joined the Mystics last month after helping Sichuan claim the province's maiden domestic league title in March.

As a prolific scorer on Team China's silver medal-winning squad at last year's FIBA Women's World Cup, Li's international marketability was considered a factor in her recruitment by the Mystics, who are aiming to boost their global profile with four players on the training camp roster developed out of the United States.

Li, though, is confident her ability on the court is the biggest asset that she offers the team.

"I think the Mystics signed me for a reason after watching me for a while. I will do whatever the coach needs me to do on the court to the best of my ability," said the 28-year-old sharpshooting forward.

"My goal for the season is, first and foremost, to stay healthy and to always let my game do the talking, wherever I play.

"Of course it will be a big challenge physically, because everyone in this league is pretty much the best of the best in the world.

"As a rookie at this level I will work as hard as I can to play to my strengths and carry on the spirit of Chinese women's basketball," she added.

Standing 1.82 meters tall, Li is deceptively agile for her size, and is renowned for creating her own shots off the dribble and relentlessly attacking the rim. At the World Cup in Australia, she contributed a fourth-best tournament average of 16 points and 2.5 assists per game to help Team China finish runner-up at the tournament, 28 years after the nation did it for the first time.

During the best-of-three WCBA Finals in March, Li averaged 21.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and a team-high 8.7 assists to help Sichuan defeat Inner Mongolia 2-1.

Although signed by the Mystics to a training camp contract, Li confirmed on Monday that she has been guaranteed a spot on the 2023 regular-season roster.

The Mystics will open their campaign at the New York Liberty on May 19, when Li could potentially come up against her national teammate Han Xu in a highly anticipated "Chinese derby".

"I am really looking forward to the game and hopefully we both can play well," said Li.

Dubbed "Li-Bron" by fans for her similar style of play to her idol LeBron James, Li said she expected to meet the NBA superstar in person now that she's obtained the services of Klutch Sports Group, the agency founded by James' business partner Rich Paul.

"I think it's inevitable that our paths will cross soon, but the focus for me is to work on my game and try to improve as much as I can. The better I become, the closer I get to his (James') level," said Li.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn