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Sky signs Chinese center through 2010

Posted April 27, 2009 11:00 pm

Daily Herald News Services

After averaging 14.9 points and 7.5 rebounds in the 2008 Olympics, Chen Nan is leaving China to play for the Chicago Sky.

The Chicago Sky has signed one of the top players from the Women's Chinese Basketball Association, Chen Nan, to a two-year contract.

Chen, a 6-foot-5 center, has been a dominant force in the WCBA, earning MVP honors for the 2009 season while averaging 23.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game.

The 26-year-old Chinese National Team star gives Sky head coach Steven Key an impressive front line option that features 6-6 Olympian Sylvia Fowles and 6-2 all-star forward Candice Dupree.

Chen began playing for the Chinese National Team at age 16, and became a WCBA rookie at age 18. She currently plays for BaYi Stationery of the WCBA. Chen has represented the Chinese Women's National Basketball team for 10 years, appearing in the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, 2006 World Championship in Brazil, and most recently in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where she averaged 14.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game as she led the team to its best Olympic finish, fourth overall.

"It was my dream to play in the WNBA and now as a member of the Chicago Sky my dream has come true," said Chen. "I'm excited to be on the same team as Sylvia (Fowles). During the 2008 Beijing Olympics I learned she is an extremely aggressive and dominant player in the paint, I am a lucky dog playing aside her."

Nan is the second international player for the Sky, and will arrive in Chicago in early May in time to report to Sky training camp, which begins on May 17.

"The addition of Nan is a bold and exciting move," said Key, who also is the team's general manager Steven Key. "She is prepared, skilled, and ready to compete with the best in the world.

"At 6-5, her addition will add to the overall height and size of our frontcourt, which we need to challenge the best in the WNBA," Key added. "Her ability to shoot from the outside as well as drive to the basket is exceptional for a player of her size."

The Sky's home opener is June 12 against the Atlanta Dream at 7:30 p.m. at the UIC Pavilion.

Chen Nan drives to the basket in the Olympic Summer Game in Beijing. The 6-5 center signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Sky. Photo courtesy of Chicago Sky

Two stars of international basketball, Team USA's Candace Parker, left, and China's center, Chen Nan, went one-on-one in Beijing last summer. Photo courtesy of Chicago Sky

Chen Nan, a 6-5 center who has played 10 years with the Chinese National Team, has signed to play for the Chicago Sky. Photo courtesy of Chicago Sky

In the Women's Chinese Basketball Association, Chen Nan was voted the league's MVP after averaging 23/1 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. Now a member of the Chicago Sky, she'll provide more strength on the frontline to go with 6-6 center Sylvia Fowles. Photo courtesy of Chicago Sky

Chicago Sky coach Steven Key said Chen Nan has a nice outside game to complement her ability to drive the baseline. Photo courtesy of Chicago Sky

Chen Nan joined the Chinese National Team as a 16-year-old. Now 26, she led them to a fourth-place finish in the Olympics in Beijing. Photo courtesy of Chicago Sky

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Related documents</h2> <ul class="morePdf"> <li><a href="/pdf/nan.pdf">Press release, photos of Chen Nan</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>

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