BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Jewell Loyd, 2015 WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) No. 1 draft pick, has joined WCBA (Chinese Women's Basketball Association) side Shanxi, the club announced on Wednesday.
Loyd signed a one-year contract with the club, with one-year extension, sources said.
The 22-year-old point guard was drafted first overall by the Seattle Storm in 2015 WNBA Draft. She was honored Rookie of the Year in her debut season in WNBA.
In her final college basketball season for Notre Dame, Loyd was named ESPN's women's college basketball player of the year. She scored 1,909 points in her college career, Notre Dame's fifth-highest total ever.
Shanxi won three WCBA titles in a row from 2012 to 2015 with the "Invincible Queen" Maya Moore. The team was eliminated in the first round of last season's playoffs.