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The Portland Trail Blazers acquired the draft rights to 7-foot-1 center Yang Hansen out of China this summer in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, and he’s looking to make an immediate impact.
Yang, 20, is relatively unknown to fair-weather basketball fans. He’s been playing basketball in China since he was in elementary school and eventually made his way to the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), playing for the Qingdao Eagles.
He was a CBA All-Star in 2024 and 2025 and named the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year before he was brought up in NBA circles. He’s set to become a key part of the Trail Blazers under head coach Chauncey Billups.
Yang, whose father Yang Lin was a pro basketball player, opened up about why he decided to play basketball in an interview with The Washington Post. He told the paper that he was set to quit sports altogether at the age of 8 when he refused to practice outside in the heat. His father urged him to work hard at something that could help him get into college. According to the report, Yang tried several sprots before he returned to basketball.
“I wasn’t that good at school, and I was a little bit of a fat boy,” he told The Washington Post. “My father told me to try some sports, figure out what you want to do and lose some weight. My father told me: ‘Don’t become fat.’”
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Yang is set to become the ninth Chinese NBA player when he eventually takes the floor for Portland. He will follow in the footsteps of the legendary Yao Ming and former star Yi Jianlian.
Cui Yongxi is the only other active Chinese player. He played five games for the Brooklyn Nets last season, but his year was cut short when he tore his ACL in a G League game.
Yang acknowledged the pressures that will come from being from China and playing in the NBA.
“It’s a lot of pressure, for sure,” he told the newspaper. “I just want to show the people in China I’m doing good. Before I headed to the States, Yao called me and shared some of his experiences. He told me to enjoy your food, enjoy your drinks, enjoy your sleep and enjoy everything.
“Yao is the icon for Chinese basketball. He’s special. I’m just a rookie. I can feel a lot of expectations and anticipation on me. Yao is number one in paradise. Compared to him, I’m cold ash in a pot.”
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