Wings center Li Yueru can’t play with China in World Cup due to lost passport

Dallas Wings center Li Yueru won’t represent China in the FIBA World Cup, which tips off Friday in Berlin. Li posted on her social media Wednesday that her passport was lost in the mail.

Despite every effort to find a workaround, her agent confirmed to The Athletic that she will not be permitted to travel outside of the United States, thus preventing her from competing.

Fans online had noticed Li’s absence from the FIBA World Cup social media content featuring China, and the tournament’s official account had yet to post an official Chinese roster. China’s first game is against Team USA on Friday, followed by Czechia on Sunday and Italy on Monday.

“The national team has always made me feel valued and wanted, and it has always been a tremendous honor to represent China,” Li wrote. “I was incredibly excited and looking forward to joining the national team again.

“Sometimes, disappointment is simply a part of life,” she added. “I’m sad that I won’t be able to be there this time, but I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported me and continues to support Chinese women’s basketball.”

Li has been one of the top performers on the Chinese national team in recent years. She was the team’s leading scorer (17.7 points per game) and sixth overall at the Paris Olympics. She also led that competition in rebounds per game (11).

China still has a sizable frontcourt in her absence with 6-foot-11 Han Xu, who plays for the New York Liberty, and 7-3 Zhang Ziyu. However, Zhang is 19 years old and much less experienced than Li on this stage.

Li is now forced to shift her focus to the remainder of the WNBA season. Dallas has already qualified for the postseason and is now fighting for playoff seeding. As a backup big, Li is averaging 3.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game.