"I can't imagine how hard it is to learn English as an adult": WNBA fans heap praise on China's Li Yueru after press conference video goes viral

WNBA fans were impressed with Seattle Storm center Li Yueru's language skills after a video of her postgame press conference went viral.

Yueru was involved in a multi-team trade that took Jewell Loyd to the Aces. The Storm received Yueru while the Sparks got Las Vegas' first-round pick in the 2026 draft in return.

Chinese Women's Hoop Show, a Twitter account dedicated to Chinese basketball players, posted a video of Yueru answering questions from the media. The video has garnered over one million views.

"She’s too adorable. I hope she stays on this team and feels the love," one fan wrote.

"She’s doing great," another commented.

"I love it," another said.

"She speaks well enough but no matter what you don't feel comfortable speaking another language. Americans don't understand that only speaking 1 langauge. Especially in a public setting, you want to speak your 1st language," one fan commented.

Seattle Storm prepare for new WNBA season with an updated roster

The Seattle Storm traded Jewell Loyd in the offseason and will now build around one of the league's veteran stars, Nneka Ogwumike. The Storm have also brought in notable talents in the offseason, with the highlight being the No. 2 pick from the 2025 WNBA draft, Dominique Malonga.

The Storm have played only one preseason game. They faced the Connecticut Sun on May 4 and won 79-59. Ogwumike had a strong showing with 18 points to secure the win for her team.

Seattle will be looking to make a deep playoff run this season, after losing in the first round last season. However, new rosters need time to build synergy and with the lack of preseason games, the first few regular-season games could be a bit rocky. The Storm will open their WNBA season against the Phoenix Mercury on May 17.