Chinese star basketball player Yang Shuyu set to shine in Sydney stint

"Yang, she's so selfless, and we definitely want to help her on her journey as she keeps going," Garlepp said.

"I also look forward to her teaching us about Chinese culture and how we can adapt to that."

Yue Liwen, counselor-rank consul for cultural affairs at the Chinese Consulate-General in Sydney, said Yang's popularity at home means she can also help her huge fan base learn more about the Sydney Flames and the Australian basketball scene. He compared it to how superstar Yao Ming generated strong interest in the National Basketball Association when he played for the Houston Rockets in his nearly decade-long stint with the team in the United States.

"With Yang joining the team, it'll be more popular here and in China as well," he said.

Mark Thompson, CEO of the Hoops Capital group, which owns the Sydney Flames, said the "wonderful thing about sport" is that there is no language barrier.

"Our first home game is on Sunday, Oct 18. We're expecting a big crowd, lots of yelling, lots of excitement," he said.

"We're really excited to have Yang in the league … that the competition is drawing international talent," said WNBL co-owner and director Victoria Denholm, adding that the focus is also on bringing in new audiences to the league.

"We've been the best-kept secret in Australian professional sport for too long," she said. "We want everyone to have as much fun as we do watching the game and seeing these incredible women play basketball."