YUNFU, June 6 (Xinhua) -- If a person lost an arm, how could he or she still play basketball, or even dribble like Kyrie Irving does? Zhang Jiacheng, a 13-year-old Chinese boy, did it and impressed everyone.
After a short clip of the teenage basketball player playing a one-on-one competition was recently posted online, Zhang soon became an Internet sensation and was highly praised for his strong will and extraordinary skills.
Zhang's dribbling skills, and the story behind it, became a trending topic on Weibo, Twitter's equivalent in China, with more than 35 million views as of Tuesday.
NBA star Stephen Curry said on Thursday that he wants to locate this one-armed Chinese boy. "Who is this kid? Help me find him! Keep doing you and don't let anyone tell you that you can't," the Golden State Warriors player wrote to his 4.5 million followers on Weibo.
Aerial photo shows Zhang Jiacheng practicing basketball during a sport class at a middle school in Gaocun Town of Yunfu City, south China's Guangdong Province, June 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)
Born in southern Chinese province of Guangdong, Zhang lost his right arm in an accident at just five years old, which was a tragedy for a little kid. But Zhang has never surrendered to his fate as his love and passion for basketball grow stronger.
"Heart, is always the strongest part of the body," said Yi Jianlian, current Chinese Basketball Association (CBA)'s all-time leading scorer, after watching the teenager's short clip.
Zhang Jiacheng (R) plays basketball with his schoolmate before morning class at a middle school in Gaocun Town of Yunfu City, south China's Guangdong Province, June 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)
Zhang has also been invited to visit Chinese Basketball Association champions Guangdong Southern Tigers.
"This is the best kid I have ever seen playing basketball," Zhu Fangyu, general manager of defending champions the Guangdong Southeast Tigers said.
Zhang is a fan of Kyrie Irving and he uses a poster of the dribbling master as the cover image of his Douyin account, the Chinese version of Tiktok. The one-armed teenager dreams to be a basketball player.
"Give it a try, or give it up," he wrote when releasing a video clip.
Zhang Jiacheng (R) together with his schoolmate walk to school in Gaocun Town of Yunfu City, south China's Guangdong Province, June 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)
Zhang Jiacheng practices basketball at home in Gaocun Town of Yunfu City, south China's Guangdong Province, June 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)
Zhang Jiacheng plays basketball before morning class at a middle school in Gaocun Town of Yunfu City, south China's Guangdong Province, June 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)
Zhang Jiacheng plays basketball before morning class at a middle school in Gaocun Town of Yunfu City, south China's Guangdong Province, June 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)
Zhang Jiacheng (R) plays basketball with his schoolmate before morning class at a middle school in Gaocun Town of Yunfu City, south China's Guangdong Province, June 4, 2020.(Xinhua/Deng Hua)
Zhang Jiacheng practices basketball at home in Gaocun Town of Yunfu City, south China's Guangdong Province, June 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)
Zhang Jiacheng (L) plays basketball with his schoolmate before morning class at a middle school in Gaocun Town of Yunfu City, south China's Guangdong Province, June 4, 2020.(Xinhua/Deng Hua)
Zhang Jiacheng practices basketball at home in Gaocun Town of Yunfu City, south China's Guangdong Province, June 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)
Zhang Jiacheng smiles after playing basketball before morning class at a middle school in Gaocun Town of Yunfu City, south China's Guangdong Province, June 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)
Zhang Jiacheng has a class at a middle school in Gaocun Town of Yunfu City, south China's Guangdong Province, June 3, 2020.(Xinhua/Deng Hua)■
