"For sure it was a big shock for me," he said through an interpreter during an ESPN interview. "When Adam Silver called my name, it surprised me. I was just sitting there finishing my fried chicken. I didn't even put my suit on. Suddenly they told me, 'Hansen, Hansen, put your suit on.'"

One of the surprises at the 2025 NBA draft was the Portland Trail Blazers selecting Chinese Yang Hansen at No. 16 overall, a player many considered a fringe first-round prospect at best.

The Portland Trail Blazers drafted Yang Hansen with the 16th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and after an intital wave of scrutiny, the Chinese center is getting attention from rival NBA personel. Hansen is a 20-year-old big man who measures seven feet,

Rookie center Yang Hansen will make his NBA Summer League debut as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers Friday night when they take on the Golden State Warriors in Las Vegas.

Yang Hansen probably wouldn’t like the title of this story. By all accounts, the 20-year-old phenom from Zibo in the Shandong province of China is as humble as generational talents come. Yang Hansen in the Spotlight Surrounded by three dozen reporters this weekend,