Dallas Wings center Li Yueru takes a shot against the Chicago Sky on Sunday, June 21, 2026 at American Airlines Center in Dallas. (Photo: Mason Garcia | The Podium Finish)
DALLAS – Dallas Wings‘ center Li Yueru does not normally get fruitful minutes off the bench. When she enters the game, the Wings are either about to secure a blowout victory or they choose to rest their starters and empty the bench in a loss.
Prior to Sunday’s 96-91 victory over the Chicago Sky at the American Airlines Center, Yueru averaged 7.55 minutes per game off the bench. She only appeared in double-digit minutes three times; in the first matchup against the Sky on May 20, the second time against the Sky on June 20 and against the Seattle Storm on June 22.
Note the trend of which teams her playing time exceeded her standard limited minutes. Against Seattle, Yueru was tasked with guarding two rising post players in Dominique Malonga (6’6″) and Awa Fam (6’4″). Although Malonga and Fam scored 37 and 18 points, respectively, Yueru proved to Wings head coach Jose Fernandez her value in guarding players close to her 6’7″ frame.
Li Yueru (28) of the Dallas Wings scored the game-winning free throws in a dramatic 93-92 win over the Chicago Sky. (Photo: Mason Garcia | The Podium Finish)
Next came the game where Yueru solidified her value, became a hero for Wings faithful and continuously haunted the Sky and their fans. In Dallas’ 93-92 win over Chicago on June 20, she drained the game-winning free throws to secure her squad’s hard-fought victory in Arlington.
The crowd went bananas and the Wings squad was hyped on the bench and the court. Yueru finally had a true opportunity to shine and she maximized her opportunity. Quite literally, Dallas would not have won that game without her.
Flash forward to the third rematch against the Sky. The Wings debuted at the American Airlines Center for the first time in 2026 and their third time in franchise history. Their first two games at the AAC came last season, both against the Indiana Fever.
With Skylar Diggins out with a knee injury, the Sky relied on Natasha Cloud to steer the offense and find Kamilla Cardoso down low. Naturally, the Sky’s offense relies on Cardoso. She commands a lot of attention down low with her 6’7″ frame, opening up opportunities for easy lay ups or dishing out to teammates on the wing.
As he has done for the past 21 games, including this game against the Sky, Fernandez started Awak Kuier. In her return to the WNBA, Kuier has improved on a deeper level with her length and athleticism. Although the starting lineup stayed the same, Fernandez shocked the Sky by using Yueru for 23 minutes off the bench.
Cardoso’s primary defenders when Yueru was on the bench were Kuier and Jessica Shepard. The majority of Cardoso’s 12 points came while guarded by Kuier and Shepard. Fernandez put his trust in Yueru and it worked like clockwork.
Wings Li Yueru plays suffocating defense against the Sky’s Kamilla Cardoso on Sunday, July 13, 2026 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. (Photo: Mason Garcia | The Podium Finish)
In the second quarter alone, Yueru held Cardoso to eight points on 44% from the field (4/9 FG). Not only was Yueru locking down defensively against Cardoso, but she also followed the ball and swatted a layup attempt by Courtney Vandersloot.
Yueru’s 6’7″ frame directly matched Cardoso’s. Chicago’s failure to expect Dallas to rely on the Wings utilizing someone with the same height was a lapse of judgment in their game plan. Cardoso was unable to overcome Yueru’s defense and, seemingly, allowed Yueru to get into her head. Yueru altered shots, caused deflections and forced awkward releases and passes.
In total, Cardoso finished with a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds on 50% shooting from the field and a +/- of -8, the worst out of the Sky’s starting lineup. To say Yueru disrupted her offensive flow with her size was an understatement.
“I think her size, right? I think Li helps us a bunch when we see some of those interior players,” said Fernandez in the Wings post-game press conference. “They run some isolations and some duck-ins, right? She held her ground. We needed her to do that, and there’s a credit for her also staying ready and staying the course.”
Wings Li Yueru grabs the rebound against the Chicago Sky on Sunday, July 13, 2026 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. (Photo: Mason Garcia | The Podium Finish)
In typical Yueru fashion, she did not shy away from complimenting Cardoso in the post-game press conference.
“Yeah, she’s really good, and she played wonderful. I feel like I’m lucky. I [am] the same size [as] her, so I can try to push her out of the limit area…I’m really glad she played really, really well because, you know, when she plays well, really well…that gives me more confidence in the W,” said Yueru. “Like sometimes I… think about this. You know the big size player maybe cannot play really well in the W…and she played really well. So, I feel more confident and I appreciate her. I try looking at her and learning from her and then try to [see] what she wants to do and limit her to help our team.”
Yueru is the last player to boast about her accolades, but she deserves all the credit, hype and love for helping steer the Wings to a victory over the Sky not once, but twice. When the lights shine the brightest, Yueru has delivered.
Yueru finished with her first double-double of the 2026 season at 10 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 67% from the field and a +/- of 17 off the bench.
