Anete Steinberga: China Debut & 14 Points for Henan | Lente.lv

Steinberg’s debut in the Chinese league

On Thursday, January 8, Anete Šteinberga, the experienced player of the Latvian basketball team, successfully played her first game in the new team – Jiyuan “Henan” – in the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) championship. Although her team fell to Group B leaders Hefei 92-99 on the road, Steinberg proved herself to be a valuable addition, scoring 14 points.

The power forward spent 24 minutes on the field, playing with number 55. She scored 14 points, which were distributed by shots (2p 4/6, 3p 1/2, 1p 3/4). In addition to her points, Steinberg had four rebounds, one assist and five personal notes.

The first Latvian in China’s strongest league

Anete Šteinberga has become the first Latvian basketball player to play in a club of China’s strongest women’s basketball league (WCBA). This career step can be seen as a new challenge and an opportunity to expand the scope of professional experience on the Asian continent. Steinberg started the season as part of the Italian club Skio “Familia”, where she averaged 10.4 points in five games in the FIBA Euroleague, and 5.3 points in four games in the Italian Serie A.

“Henan Jiyuan” – a team with ambitions

Yiyuan “Henan” team is in the third position in the strongest division of the domestic championship, group B, with eight wins in 12 games, trying to qualify for the playoffs. The league is internationally recognized as it features high-level foreign basketball players, including those from the United States, Great Britain, Nigeria, and Taiwan. In addition to Steinberg, Henan also includes American center Imani McGee-Stafford and point guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, both of whom were once drafted in the WNBA.

Game rules and opponents

The Chinese Women’s Basketball Association league has restrictions on the presence of foreign players on the court. Clubs may register three legionnaires, but only two may be on the field at the same time in the first three quarters of the game, and only one in the fourth quarter. In this particular game against Hefei, Steinberg’s teammates Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scored 30 points and Imani McGee-Stafford added eight points and 12 rebounds. Jaime Nareda scored 34 points and Filipina Kai scored 30 points.

Career development for Steinberg

During her career, 35-year-old Aneta Steinberga has represented such clubs as “TTT Riga”, Belgian “Castors Braine”, Czech “Prague”, Istanbul “Galatasaray”, French “Tango Bourges”, as well as Italian “Reyer Venezia” and “Famila Schio”. Her move to China is an important step, providing an opportunity to gain new experiences and develop her skills at an international level.