Since the start of the Women's Basketball World Cup, there is a Chinese women's basketball girl who has countless fans, excellent physical fitness, strong confrontation ability, can be inside and outside can suddenly shoot, inside can kill the opponent's basket hinterland as if into no man's land, outside can be super far 3 points to start the knife fall, the fierce ball style and high value, a handsome hero is about to come out. She is the 27-year-old Chinese women's basketball forward, with the title of "LeBron Dream" Shenyang girl Li Meng.
In the quarter-finals of the 2022 Women's Basketball World Cup held in Sydney on September 29, China defeated France 85-71, reaching the final four of the tournament for the second time in 28 years. Although the final point difference was in double digits, the Chinese team did not play easily in the face of the high-pressure defense of the European powerhouse France, and Li Meng once again played a central role in the game, contributing a decisive force to the final victory of the Chinese team. In this game, Li Meng played 31 minutes in the whole game, 8 of 16 shooting in sports battles, 4 of 8 three-pointers, 3 of 4 free throws, and once again scored a game-high 23 points, plus 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal, which is comprehensive. Among them, in the first quarter of the stalemate, Li Meng shot 3 three-pointers, played a 2+1, and contributed 12 points in a single quarter, laying the foundation for the Chinese team to suppress the opponent in the entire game.
Why is she scoring the highest score of the show again? It is because from the group stage, in addition to the need to play against Puerto Rico for military training, the individual highest scorer winner of the Chinese women's basketball team in every game is Li Meng, although her playing time is not the highest in the whole team. Whether it is to slash the weak team in South Korea or against the powerful women's basketball overlord American team, Li Meng is the bravest one who charges forward and goes forward.
In the last crucial game of the group stage against Belgium for second place in the group, although Li Meng encountered strict defense and his shooting percentage was reduced, he still dared to fight and win the team's highest 16 points by virtue of his physical fitness that could not compete with European players without falling behind. In the game against the United States, there was a scene that excited the fans and surprised the audience in front of the TV set: Li Meng received a pass from his teammate, greeted the opponent's open arm, and did not hesitate to throw a long-range three-pointer, and the ball was scored without dragging the mud, and the kind of coherence and accuracy were rare even on the high-level men's basketball court.
The Chinese women's basketball team has not seen such a strong and talented front-line player for many years, with a soft feel and a ability to go inside and out. Some fans compare Li Meng with Song Xiaobo, the senior of the women's basketball team more than thirty years ago, and some fans affectionately call Li Meng "LeBron Dream" because Li Meng personally likes the MLB superstar LeBron James, who also has superhuman-like physical fitness.
In short, with the deepening of the Women's Basketball World Cup, with the continuous victory of the Chinese women's basketball team, with Li Meng's high-level play one after another, this beautiful large-bodied girl has become an idol in the hearts of many fans, and the Chinese audience in Australia has also continued to shout "MVP" to her over and over again on the spot.
Li Meng entered basketball at the age of 5 and competed in the WCBA at the age of 17. Over the past decade, she has made appearances in eight WCBA All-Star Games, winning the WCBA Best Newcomer Award (2012-13) and two WCBA regular season MVPs. Li Meng represented the Chinese team in 1 Asian Championship (2013), 1 Asian Games (2018), 1 Asian Cup (2021), 1 World Championship (2014), 2 World Cup (2018, 2022), 1 Olympic Games (2020), Asian Champions, Runners-up, and Military have all won, this time, she will and her teammates impact higher goals and bloom on the stage of the World Cup.
Li Meng's ability and performance are undoubtedly world-class, in fact, her level has long been recognized by the international basketball world, and she has long received invitations from WNBA teams, but she has declined for various reasons. On the one hand, Li Meng concentrated on serving the country, on the other hand, Li Meng also had a sad side, her mother was suffering from cancer, her father was also seriously ill, and the filial Li Meng was unwilling to leave his parents who raised and cultivated and guided themselves to the road of basketball. This is an inspirational growth story of a sports star, and I hope that Li Meng's performance and efforts can inspire more girls to engage in basketball and enter the arena. I also hope that Li Meng can have the opportunity to play at WNBA and embark on a bigger and broader stage.
Text/Beiqing Sports Liu Ailin