Li Yueru Bio
Li Yueru (Chinese: 李月汝; born 28 March 1999) is a Chinese basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for the Mist of Unrivaled. She also represents the Chinese national team. Standing at 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m), she plays the center position and is widely regarded as one of the top interior players from China.
Li began her professional career in 2015 and has competed across leagues in China, Turkey, and the United States. A former Atlanta Dream draft pick, she has built a résumé that includes multiple league championships in the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) and selection to several All-Star rosters.
Early Life and Background
Li Yueru was born on 28 March 1999 in Changzhi, Shanxi, China. Her height and physical build from an early age pointed her toward basketball, and she entered organized youth development programs within China’s competitive sporting system.
Rising quickly through regional ranks, she joined the Guangdong Dolphins of the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association in 2015, beginning her senior career as a teenager. The early move into a top-flight professional team shaped her development as a center.
Path to Basketball
Li’s path to elite basketball began in the WCBA with the Guangdong Dolphins, where she played from 2015 to 2020. She won the WCBA Rookie of the Year award in 2018 and quickly became a dominant presence on the boards, leading the league in rebounding that same season.
Her combination of size, footwork, and post scoring earned her selection by the Atlanta Dream with the 35th overall pick in the third round of the 2019 WNBA draft. Although she did not join the Dream roster, the selection marked her arrival on the international stage and set the stage for her later WNBA career.
Li Yueru Career
Early Career (2015–2020)
Li spent her first five professional seasons with the Guangdong Dolphins, winning the WCBA Rookie of the Year in 2018 and becoming a three-time rebounding leader across 2018, 2019, and 2023. She was also named a four-time WCBA All-Star (2018, 2019, 2021, 2023) and earned the WCBA scoring leader title in 2019.
In the 2019 season, Li helped Guangdong win a WCBA championship and was named WCBA Finals MVP. Her dominant rebounding and interior scoring established her as one of the top young centers in Chinese women’s basketball during this period.
Inner Mongolia Era (2020–2023)
In 2020, Li transferred to Inner Mongolia Nongxin of the WCBA, where she continued to thrive. She added two more WCBA championships in 2021 and 2022, further building her trophy collection and strengthening her case as one of the best centers in the league.
During her time with Inner Mongolia, she also represented China at the 2017 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in Bangalore and helped the national team win the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup in Jordan. Her performances for both club and country elevated her profile heading into the 2022 WNBA cycle.
WNBA Debut and Chicago Sky (2022)
Li’s WNBA rights were traded from the Atlanta Dream to the Los Angeles Sparks in February 2022, and then to the Chicago Sky on 30 March 2022. She joined the Sky late in the season after receiving permission from the Chinese Basketball Association.
Her rookie WNBA campaign was shortened as she left the Sky at the end of July 2022 to join the Chinese national team for the 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Australia. She missed the 2023 WNBA season due to an injury suffered during overseas play.
Turkish League Years (2023–2025)
Li played for Beşiktaş of the Women’s Basketball Super League during the 2023–2024 season, then briefly joined Bodrum Basketbol for the start of the 2024–2025 campaign. On 21 November 2024, she signed with Galatasaray, continuing her development in one of Europe’s top women’s basketball leagues.
Seattle Storm and Dallas Wings Era (2025–Present)
On 1 February 2025, the Seattle Storm acquired the reserve rights to Li in a three-team trade and signed her to a contract. On 14 June 2025, she was traded to the Dallas Wings in exchange for draft picks, marking her return to a WNBA rotation.
Li made an immediate impact with the Wings, averaging 7.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in her first four games. She recorded 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in a 68–55 win over the Atlanta Dream on June 24, providing crucial interior production while Teaira McCowan and Luisa Geiselsöder were away on national team duty. However, on August 19, the team announced that Li would miss the remainder of the 2025 season following an ACL sprain in her left knee, sustained on August 15. She concluded her third WNBA season with averages of 7.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and is expected to make a full recovery.
Driving Style and Strengths
Li is a traditional back-to-the-basket center who excels at interior scoring, rebounding on both ends, and finishing around the rim. Her 6 ft 7 in frame allows her to protect the paint, and her footwork in the post makes her a reliable scorer in half-court sets.
Notable Events and Milestones
Li led China in points, rebounds, efficiency, and field goal percentage at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, reinforcing her status as the team’s most valuable interior player. Her career-high 15-rebound performance with the Dallas Wings in June 2025 stands as a milestone moment in her WNBA career.
Li Yueru Career Wins
Li has accumulated an impressive collection of titles across club and country. She is a three-time WCBA champion (2019, 2021, 2022), a four-time WCBA All-Star (2018, 2019, 2021, 2023), and a Unrivaled champion in 2026 with Mist BC.
WCBA Highlights
Li won her first WCBA championship in 2019 with the Guangdong Dolphins, earning Finals MVP honors in the process. She added two more titles with Inner Mongolia Nongxin in 2021 and 2022, and was named WCBA scoring leader in 2019 and rebounding leader in 2018, 2019, and 2023.
Other Wins & Performances
Li helped China win gold at the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup in Jordan and the 2017 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in Bangalore. She also contributed to a strong showing at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where the Chinese team competed for a podium finish.
Li Yueru Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Details about Li Yueru’s immediate family and parents are not publicly verified in available sources.
Personal Life
Li Yueru maintains an active presence on social media, sharing updates about her basketball career with followers. Further details about her marital status, spouse, or children are not publicly confirmed.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 WNBA season marked a turning point for Li Yueru. After being acquired by the Seattle Storm in February and traded to the Dallas Wings in June, she quickly became a focal point of the Wings’ frontcourt rotation.
Her averages of 7.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game through the end of the 2025 season reflected a productive, if abbreviated, third WNBA campaign. The ACL sprain suffered in August cut short her momentum, but her early-season production offered a glimpse of her long-term potential in the league.
Looking ahead, Li is expected to make a full recovery and return to the court in 2026, where she is also set to compete in the Unrivaled season with Mist BC. Her combination of size, skill, and international experience makes her a player to watch as the Wings continue to build around her interior presence.
