Black Pearl Annie Lee: A talent that can be seen with the naked eye! At the age of 14, he has become the core of the U16 National Girls Basketball Team

> Bench press 60 kg, squat 160 kg - this is the daily training data of a 14-year-old girl. While his peers were still worried about the final exam, the mixed-race young player Li Annie had already taken on the hope of the national team.

In September 2025, in the basketball court of the China-Japan-Korea Youth Games, a mixed-race girl with a ponytail took the pass, turned around and passed two defensive players, and stopped and jumped outside the three-point line. The basketball draws a perfect arc and enters the net in response.

score card refreshed again - this is her 24th point in this game.

The audience burst into screams, and someone hurriedly looked through the program list: "Who is this Annie Lee? Why have you never heard of it?"

What they didn't know was that this seemingly mature and experienced player was only 15 years old in three months.

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01 Amazing strength, the training data of young adults Annie makes many adult male basketball players feel inferior: bench press 60 kg and squat 160 kg. In the gym, her slender arms contrasted strongly with the heavy barbell, which stunned everyone who saw her training for the first time.

"I think there is a part of it innately, but hard work is the most important thing." Faced with the praise of a lot, Annie Lee showed calmness beyond her age. There is no arrogance, only day after day training and determination to constantly surpass yourself.

U16 women's basketball coach Li Jianxin was the first player mentioned by name. In the view of this senior coach, what Annie Lee is most precious is not her amazing physical fitness, but her understanding and focus on basketball.

02 An all-round warrior, who can play in all five positions, Annie Lee, who is 1.83 meters tall, is a "universal glue" on the court. She can serve as all five positions in the defender, forward and center. This comprehensiveness is extremely rare in modern basketball, especially in such a young player.

At the China-Japan-Korea Youth Games, Lee Annie started in all three games. She scored 16 points in the Golden Basketball Cup semi-finals and scored 6 points as a starter in the final. Her stability makes the coaching staff list it as the core of the team without hesitation.

"Annie Li can play in five positions in this national youth team, and she can play in the defender, forward and center." Coach Li Jianxin's evaluation was simple and direct, but it revealed the young player's biggest advantage - a rare comprehensiveness.

03 The emergence of Annie Lee, a national core that has emerged from the campus, represents the change in the selection mechanism of Chinese basketball materials. U16 women's basketball coach Li Jianxin pointed out: "The current selection of players is very different from 10 years ago. At that time, they were all players within the youth training system, and now they are selected from various schools."

This mixed-race young player comes from Guangdong Weilun Sports School and is one of the many outstanding young players who demonstrate their outstanding abilities through Naigao competitions. Along with her were Tang Yatong and Li Yuanshan from Jiangsu, Sun Hanyun from Tsinghua High School, and Liu Rui from Hunan Yali and other team members.

Campus basketball is becoming the new cradle of Chinese basketball talents. Compared with the traditional youth training system, this growth path pays more attention to the all-round development of students, and allows more children to pursue their basketball dreams without giving up their studies.

04 Mixed Race Advantages and Cultural Identity

As the only mixed Race player in this U16 women's basketball team, Annie Lee is affectionately called "Black Pearl" by fans. Her physical fitness is indeed enviable, but more importantly, her recognition of Chinese culture and her sense of belonging to the country.

"I hope we can win the championship in this U16 Asian Cup. My goal is to enter the first team of the Chinese women's basketball team in the future." Annie Li expressed her goals smoothly in Chinese with her eyes firm.

In the history of Chinese sports, mixed-race athletes are no longer a new topic. But from Gu Ailing to Li Annie, what we see is a more confident and open environment for China's sports development. These young athletes have an international perspective and a childlike heart to win glory for their country.

05 Team Challenges and Personal Responsibility

Although personal abilities are outstanding, Annie Lee never ignores teamwork. In the U16 women's basketball team, she will form a strong partner with Li Yuqian, the sister of the national team's main center Li Yueru.

Li Yuqian is 1.9 meters tall and weighs 90 kilograms. In the top 16 finals of the National U15 Youth Basketball League in 2024, he was selected as the best team, the best rebounder and the best blocker. The two players from the Guangdong Women's Basketball Youth Training System join forces and are expected to produce a good chemical reaction in the U16 Asian Cup.

But the challenge also exists. At the National Games, Li Yuqian played for the Hunan team, which made the two lack the opportunity to run in. How to quickly establish a tacit understanding will be a problem that the coaching staff needs to solve.

06 The future is promising, the road is long

For 14-year-old Annie Lee, her career has just begun. Despite its amazing potential, the road ahead of her remains long and challenging. The intensity of competition in international competitions is far greater than that in domestic competitions. In the upcoming U16 Asian Cup, Annie Lee and her teammates will face challenges from strong teams such as Japan and Australia. The youth basketball development system in these countries is mature, the players have solid skills and high tactical literacy.

But this is also the best stage for Annie Lee to prove herself. If she can continue her outstanding performance in international competitions, she will be expected to enter the vision of national team coaches early and gain more development opportunities, just like her predecessors Li Yueru and Han Xu.

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U16 Asian Cup is about to start, and Annie Lee is making final preparations. She carefully wrapped the bandage on her ankle, her eyes focused and firm.

One day in the future, people may see this "black pearl" on the Olympics: she led the Chinese women's basketball team to break through the siege and shine on the international arena.

At that moment, people will think of this autumn of 2025, the daily training of a 14-year-old girl with bench press and 160 kilograms of squat, and the sentence she said: "There is part of the innate nature, but hard work is the most important."

Behind every genius story is the prologue of sweat and persistence.