The Los Angeles Sparks will have their second Chinese player in franchise history, Yang Liwei, joining them in the 2023 Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) season. The announcement was made by the team on Monday.

Yang was offered a contract by the team four years ago but she didn't sign it then. This time, she's joined the Sparks on a two-year deal. The last Chinese player was the legendary Chinese center Zheng Haixia, who was drafted by the Sparks in 1997.

"We're excited to have the opportunity to bring Li to LA," the Sparks CEO and general manager Karen Bryant said in a statement. "She adds quickness, athleticism and international experience to our current roster."

Yang, 28, is the captain of the Chinese national team that finished as runners-up in the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Sydney, Australia, in 2022. She has averaged 9.3 points and 3.9 assists while shooting 50 percent from downtown in eight games.

Yang has played for two teams, the Guangdong Vermilion Birds and the Inner Mongolia Rural Credit Union, since she joined the Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) in 2013. She is a four-time All-Star guard and helped the two teams win three WCBA championships. She scored 13.5 points, 5.2 assists and 1.9 steals while shooting career-high 61.4 percent from the field per game in 19 competitions for the Rural Credit Union.

"Liwei is an outstanding and respected international guard with big game experience," the Sparks head coach Curt Miller said in the statement. "She will bring us tremendous energy and enthusiasm on the court.  She is a terrific leader on the Chinese national team and we look forward to that leadership impacting our locker room."

"I am so excited to join the LA Sparks this season," Yang said. "I am ready to fight for my team and my teammates."

Last week, Yang's national team teammate Han Xu re-signed with New York Liberty. The Sparks will host the Liberty at the Crypto.com Arena on July 30 and August 1 before visiting the Barclays Center on September 7 to play the team for the third time.