Wang Zhelin first gained recognition in March 2012 when he was selected to the Chinese national team's preliminary squad for the 2012 Summer Olympics though he did not make the final squad. In April 2012, Wang was chosen to play at the Nike Hoop Summit and he impressed many by scoring 19 points, 8 rebounds, and blocking 2 shots in an 84–75 victory against the U.S. men's junior select team. This was the best all-time performance by any Chinese player in the Nike Hoop Summit. After impressing with Chinese youth national teams at various tournaments, Wang then signed his first professional contract with the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association in June 2012, prior to the 2012–13 season. Wang had an impressive first professional season as he averaged 20.3 points and 12.9 rebounds per game to become a key player for Fujian. His second season with Fujian saw him put up a career-high 22.8 points per game. He did not reach the same heights in successive seasons; his injury-derailed fourth season saw him produce career-low averages of 10 points, 6 rebounds and 0.4 blocks in 21.3 minutes of average action. Despite coming into the 2016 NBA draft completely under the radar, in part due to injuries he was dealing with at the time, Wang was selected late in the second round by the Memphis Grizzlies as the 57th pick. Fellow countryman Zhou Qi was selected with the 43rd pick by the Houston Rockets, the second time two Chinese prospects were selected in an NBA draft. However, Wang would not immediately join the Grizzlies, instead returning with Fujian for the following season to develop. While Wang would regain some of his abilities that made him a viable NBA draft pick in the first place, he would remain in Fujian for at least another season. In 2018, he played in the 2018 NBA Summer League as a member of the China men's national basketball team. In the first game, the Chinese team lost to the Indiana Pacers by a score of 56-36. In the second game, Wang faced off against fellow Chinese player Zhou Qi and the Houston Rockets, losing 78-66. In the third game, Wang scored six points in the Chinese team's 73-72 loss to the Sacramento Kings. In the fourth game, the China men's national basketball team won its first game, 68-42, against the Washington Wizards. Wang did not play in this game due to illness. In the last game, the China team beat the Detroit Pistons by a score of 66-62. In this series, China won two games and lost three games, but Wang did not play all of these games due to illness. In 2018-2019 CBA regular season, Wang reached career high of 25.7 PPG and 13.9 RPG on 54% shooting and led his team to the 2nd round of the CBA playoffs. Wang also received the 2018-2019 CBA Regular season MVP for this first time.
Wang played for the Chinese national team at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship played in China. Coming off the bench, he participated in China's romp to the title and qualification for the 2016 Olympics. In 2018, Wang played games with 2018 NBA Summer League teams as a member of the China men's national basketball team. In the first game, the China men's national basketball team lost 36-56 against Indiana Pacers. In the second game, Wang played against fellow Chinese national team member Houston Rockets named Zhou Qi, and the China men's national basketball team lost 66-78 against the Houston Rockets. In the third game, Wang scored three points and the China men's national basketball team lost 72-73 against the Sacramento Kings. In the fourth game, the China men's national basketball team earned their first win of the summer, a 68-42 triumph over the Washington Wizards. Wang did not play in this game due to illness. In the last game of the series, China won 62-66 against the Detroit Pistons. In August 2018, he played for China at the Asian Games. In the first game, China won 82-80, and Wang scored 13 points. In the end, he helped China win the 2018 Asian Games.
