Conversation Erupts Over 6-Foot-11 Center's WNBA Disappearance
This season has already delivered its share of compelling storylines, from the long‑awaited WNBA debut of Paige Bueckers to Angel Reese asserting her dominance on the glass and Caitlin Clark flashing her star power for the Indiana Fever while battling multiple injuries.
Surprise surges from the Washington Mystics and the Golden State Valkyries have upended early expectations, even as once‑favored teams like the Chicago Sky and the Connecticut Sun have stumbled.
Amid all this excitement and unpredictability, another question has quietly taken hold: Where is Han Xu?
Fans' curiosity reached a fever pitch on Tuesday, when a Reddit thread lamented the absence of the towering 6‑foot‑11 center from the 2025 WNBA season.
Han Xu's Early Rise and WNBA Breakthrough
Xu was selected 14th overall in the second round of the 2019 WNBA Draft by the New York Liberty, becoming the first Chinese player taken in over two decades and the youngest in her class at 19 years old.
Standing as the tallest player in the league that year (and second‑tallest ever behind Margo Dydek), she carried Yao Ming–style expectations into New York.
In her 18-game rookie campaign, Xu averaged 3.0 points and 0.8 rebounds in 7.9 minutes, showcasing flashes of her polished post moves and 3‑point touch (50% on 0.6 attempts per game).
After sitting out 2020 due to pandemic travel restrictions, Xu returned to log a breakout 2022 season (8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 16.8 minutes across 32 games), including a 44.4% mark from beyond the arc and 49.3% on all field goals.
Where is Han Xu Now?
Rather than extend her WNBA tenure, Xu has alternated between the Liberty and the Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA).
She has also represented the Chinese national team on several occasions, recently appearing alongside the towering 7-foot-4 18-year-old Zhang Ziyu.
Since 2021, Xu has suited up for Sichuan Yuanda Meile, earning back‑to‑back WCBA MVP honors in 2021 and 2022 and back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024.
Her Liberty contract expired after 2023 under "suspended status" (the WNBA's mechanism for players fulfilling overseas or national team commitments) and she did not re‑sign ahead of the 2024 season.
Now 25 years old and likely in her athletic prime, Xu remains a dominant force abroad and is listed as a free agent in the WNBA.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
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