BEIJING, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese female basketball players Han Xu and Li Yueru were selected in the WNBA draft 2019 on the evening of April 10 in New York. Upon hearing the news, the Chinese Basketball Association sent them a congratulatory letter, the content of which is as follows:

"In the WNBA draft held in April 11, Beijing time, Chinese center Han Xu was selected by the New York Liberty as the 2nd pick in the second round and the 14th pick overall. The Chinese Basketball Association would like to extend its warmest congratulations to Han Xu and her family, as well as the middle school attached to Tsinghua University, Shandong Sports Bureau, Xinjiang women's basketball team and relevant institutions for their tireless efforts and hard work in Han's growth."

"The 19-year-old player, who graduated from the middle school attached to Tsinghua University, helped the school team win the national championship many times. In 2016 and 2017, Han represented Chinese women's youth basketball teams at different levels to compete in the FIBA World Championship for Women at Under-17, Under-18 and Under-19 levels successively. In 2017, Han took the championship on behalf of the Shandong women's youth basketball team. Han joined Xinjiang in 2018 and then roared into the Chinese national team with impressive performances in the Jakarta Asian Games, as well as the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain."

"Through unremitting efforts, Han has successfully joined the WNBA. We sincerely hope that she will build on the current achievements and continue to work hard, displaying the strengths and characteristic styles of Chinese female basketball players in a new era on the stage of the WNBA. We wish her all the best!"

"Meanwhile, another Chinese center, Li Yueru, gained favor from the WNBA as well. Li was selected by the Atlanta Dream as the 11th pick in the third round and the 35th overall due to her extraordinary performances in the Chinese national team and league matches."

"No matter whether Li accepts the offer or not, we would like to extend our warmest congratulations to her and her family, as well as Guangdong women's basketball team."