"I came to the United States only for one reason, and that is to play basketball," Li explained her request for a trade from Seattle to Dallas, per an X post from Seattle sports reporter Percy Allen.

"When I only play 3-4 minutes in a game, that's a bit sad for me. I hope I can feel happy and excited every day, and I hope I can get some more time."

Now that she's back playing in the WNBA again, Li has pledged to use its competitive cauldron to help her stand tall for the national team.

Despite being runner-up at the 2022 FIBA Women's World Cup, the Chinese squad was knocked out of the group stage at last year's Paris Olympics, failing to reach the quarterfinals, much to the disappointment of hoops fans across China.

Former Chinese men's national team center Mengke Bateer, a member of the San Antonio Spurs'2002-03 NBA championship team, urged the governing body to encourage more Chinese talent to ply their trade overseas, despite the fact that the domestic clubs in China offer more lucrative contracts to top players than even the WNBA franchises.

"I think Li's commitment to staying overseas and playing in high-level international leagues was the right choice for her individual improvement," said Bateer, who coached Li when she played with WCBA's Inner Mongolia team.