Li Yueru (Chinese: 李月汝; born 28 March 1999) is a Chinese basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Bodrum Basketbol of the Women's Basketball Super League (WBSL) and the Chinese national team.[1] Li was drafted in the third round of the 2019 WNBA draft by the Atlanta Dream.[2]
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| No. 28 – Bodrum Basketbol | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Center | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Women's Basketball Super League | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 28 March 1999 Changzhi, Shanxi, China | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WNBA draft | 2019: 3rd round, 35th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Atlanta Dream | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2015–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2020 | Guangdong Dolphins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2023 | Inner Mongolia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Chicago Sky | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Beşiktaş | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024–present | Los Angeles Sparks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024–present | Bodrum Basketbol | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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| Li Yueru | |||
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| Simplified Chinese | 李月汝 | ||
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Professional career
editWNBA
editChicago Sky (2022)
editLi was originally drafted with the 35th pick by the Atlanta Dream in the 2019 WNBA draft. However, she continued playing in China and never joined the Dream. On February 5, 2022, her rights were traded to the Los Angeles Sparks along with Chennedy Carter in exchange for Erica Wheeler, a 2023 WNBA draft first-round pick and a 2022 WNBA draft second-round pick.[3] Li was subsequently traded on March 30, 2022, to the Chicago Sky in exchange for Lexie Brown.[4] Li joined the team late, as she was waiting for permission from the Chinese Basketball Association,[5] and did not see a lot of playing time during the season. She left the Sky at the end of July to join her national team in preparation for the 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup.[6]
Li missed the 2023 WNBA season due to an injury suffered during overseas play.[7]
Los Angeles Sparks (2024)
editOn February 21, 2024, Li was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks along with Julie Allemand and a 2025 WNBA draft third-round pick in exchange for a 2024 WNBA draft first-round pick.[8]
National Team career
editLi participated at the 2017 FIBA Women's Asia Cup.[9]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
WCBA
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Guangdong Dolphins | 20 | 9 | 7.6 | .488 | .000 | .667 | 1.9 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 2.7 |
| 2016–17 | Guangdong Dolphins | 18 | 15 | 12.7 | .489 | 1.000 | .698 | 4.2 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 6.6 |
| 2017–18 | Guangdong Dolphins | 25 | 25 | 29.0 | .534 | .250 | .732 | 10.5 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 3.5 | 18.2 |
| 2018–19 | Guangdong Dolphins | 33 | 33 | 25.9 | .601 | .167 | .690 | 10.3 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 18.5 |
| Career | 96 | 82 | 20.4 | .565 | .211 | .707 | 7.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 13.1 | |
Source: WCBA[10]
WNBA
editRegular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Did not appear in WNBA | ||||||||||||
| 2020 | |||||||||||||
| 2021 | |||||||||||||
| 2022 | Chicago | 16 | 0 | 5.1 | .444 | — | 1.000 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 1.8 |
| 2023 | Did not appear in WNBA | ||||||||||||
| 2024 | Los Angeles | 38 | 2 | 14.4 | .463 | .267 | .898 | 3.7 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 5.1 |
| Career | 2 years, 2 teams | 54 | 2 | 11.6 | .461 | .267 | .915 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 4.1 |
References
edit- ^ FIBA profile
- ^ Hopkins, Christine M. (2019-04-19). "2019 WNBA Draft Analysis: Atlanta Dream leans on established experience heading into new season". Swish Appeal. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
- ^ "Dream Acquire Erica Wheeler, 2023 First Round Pick and 2022 Second Round Pick in Trade with Sparks". dream.wnba.com. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
- ^ "Sky acquire center Li Yueru in sign-and-trade sending Lexie Brown to Sparks". Chicago Sun-Times. 2022-03-30. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
- ^ Hruby, Emma (2022-05-24). "Chicago Sky activate China's Li Yueru, release Anneli Maley". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
- ^ Kay, James (2022-08-17). "Three things you need to know heading into Chicago Sky's first-round matchup against the New York Liberty". The Next. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
- ^ "AAPI Heritage Month: Spotlighting Players in the Past and Present - WNBA". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
- ^ "Sparks Acquire Julie Allemand and Li Yueru". Los Angeles Sparks. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
- ^ 2017 FIBA Women's Asia Cup profile
- ^ "中国女子篮球联赛". 3w.cba.net.cn. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
- ^ "Li Yueru WNBA Stats". Basketball Reference.
