Wang is 216 cm (7'1") tall. Wang's father Wang Weijun (196 cm) and mother Ren Huanzhen (186 cm) were both basketball players. Wang is married with one son.

In China, Wang is sometimes affectionally called "Da Zhi" or "Big Zhi". In the NBA, Wang's nickname "Dodger" is a transliteration of the word.

China
Wang joined the Army club in 1994, who conveniently changed his date of birth from 1977 to 1979, a common practice within China's sports system. When the Chinese Basketball Association started in 1995, Wang was one of the youngest players in the league. Nevertheless, he soon became a starter in the star-studded army team Bayi Rockets. From 1995 to his departure for the NBA after the 2001 Finals, the import-less Bayi Rockets won all CBA Finals and National Games of the PRC. The Bayi dynasty was upended by Yao Ming and the Shanghai Sharks as soon as Wang left for the NBA.

[edit]International
In the 1995 FIBA World Championship for Juniors (Under-19 players), Wang led China to a 9th place finish with a 4-4 record. He averaged 22.3 points, making 60% of his field goals and 86% of his free throws. He also averaged 11.1 rebounds per game and led the tournament in shots blocked. As a result, Wang was named to the All-Tournament team.

In 1996, Wang became the first Asian player invited to play for the international squad against the best USA high school players in the prestigious Nike Hoop Summit Game. He started and scored 6 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. He was offered a basketball scholarship from John Thompson of Georgetown University.

Wang Zhizhi became an Olympian in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where he started and averaged 11.1 points and 5.6 rebounds, helping China to finish at 8th place.

In the 1997 Asia Basketball Championship, a fever Wang had was partially responsible for a semifinal loss to Korea, which prevented China from qualifying for the 1998 World Basketball Championship.

In 1998, China regained its supremacy in the Bangkok Asian Games.

After leading the Chinese national squad to the 1999 Asia Championship title, Wang again starred for China in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, averaging 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. He also made 54% of his field goals and 90% of his free throws as China placed 10th.

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