Ticketed for Success? : Zheng Is a Giant in Any Language

Zheng Haixia takes a seat. Practice is over, and Zheng lowers her 6-foot-8, 254-pound body onto a stainless-steel chair, planting her size-18 shoes. At her side sits Wendy Chang, a student from Cal State Long Beach, who is 18 inches shorter and comparatively light as a feather. On her, a chair like this looks as roomy as one from an aircraft’s first-class cabin.

We enjoy a nice three-way conversation. Zheng speaks in Chinese, about being back in Los Angeles--where she played basketball in the 1984 Summer Olympics--and about being the starting center for the Sparks, who on Saturday make their debut in the WNBA, a new pro league for women. Chang translates, as she will for Zheng’s coach during several of the team’s 14 home games at the Forum.

“Do you speak any English?” I eventually ask the WNBA’s tallest player.

Zheng has an expressive, expansive face, which brightens at the question.

She says, “ ‘Good luck.’ ”

We laugh, and I am about to leave, when Zheng thinks of another.

“ ‘WNBA dot com,’ ” she says.

Her interpreter gets a kick out of that, and explains, “We just filmed a promotion for the league.”

Here in the land of Shaquille O’Neal, we suddenly have two Olympian--perhaps that should be Herculean--middle people on our NBA squads. Zheng Haixia (pronounced “Jang Hi-SHAH”) is one of the top women’s centers in any hemisphere, one whose career has spanned every Olympic Games from ours here in L.A. to last year’s at Atlanta. Yet she is only 30.

She cuts quite a sight, lined up alongside the supermodel-slim Lisa Leslie on the court. Even though Leslie stands 6-5 herself, Zheng is one of the few women anywhere who could call her “Shorty.”

Zheng Haixia’s own name is famous in China, where it translates into: “Rosy clouds over the sea.”

Over here, however, many remain confounded by it. They mistakenly call her Zheng to her face--it’s her surname--and Haixia in second reference, as in: “Los Angeles stars Leslie and Haixia.”

Her first WNBA start will be against the New York Liberty, whose post player is expected to be the former Connecticut star, 6-4 Rebecca Lobo. A crowd of more than 10,000 is now anticipated at the Forum, and it shouldn’t require a common language for Zheng to become a fan favorite.

“I am teaching her to say, ‘Sparks will fly,’ ” says Rhonda Windham, the team’s general manager.

Windham is a former USC standout who drafted Zheng with the Sparks’ second pick, resisting a temptation to take her earlier by gambling--correctly--that other organizations might go for younger athletes.

She still remembers running into Zheng, literally, in the former Yugoslavia at the 1987 World University Games tournament. Rallying to win by two points after being down by 20, the Americans quintuple-teamed Zheng, including the 5-5 Windham, who says, “I ran right into her once. At least, I’m pretty sure I did. You would think that’s something I’d remember, wouldn’t you?”

Zheng is a strong presence, with a broad beam. She takes up a lot of space.

“Her style is to stand like this,” demonstrates the Spark coach, Linda Sharp, who spread-eagles her limbs into a human X.

“I want her to be more like this,” the coach continues, raising her arms like a football referee signaling a touchdown. “I tell her, ‘Use that height.’ Imagine how much more intimidating she can be.”

Few players work harder at their games. Zheng shoots 200 to 300 shots a day. She is a superb free-throw shooter (as opposed to L.A.’s other NBA center).

And, although she is large, Zheng’s energy is excellent. She typically plays 40 minutes or more each game, and according to Windham, “The first time Lisa Leslie played against her, I think she figured, ‘I’m going to wear her out.’ But by the end of the game, Lisa would be looking over her shoulder, and Haixia would be right there with her.”

Most of the Spark players are lodged together in one apartment building this season. Zheng hasn’t socialized much yet, outside of practice, often staying home and knitting beautiful sweaters for herself or for friends.

“I want to become familiar with our plays, memorize our routines,” Zheng says, through her interpreter. “That is the most important thing right now. In Asia, teams run a little more. In the U.S., they are more into individual performance. Each player has one specialty, it seems. One special technique.”

Later on, Zheng wants to become better acquainted with her new city.

“Hollywood,” she says, knowing another English word.

After arriving in town recently, one of the ways Zheng amused herself most was to watch the Chicago Bulls’ games on television. She speaks enthusiastically about this to Chang, and naturally Michael Jordan’s name comes up.

I ask what she is saying.

The interpreter says, “Michael Jordan. She says he is so cute.”