US Edition
‘Chinese Jokic’ Yang Hansen Selected at 16th Pick in NBA Draft, Day Before 20th Birthday
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, JUN 25 – The Trail Blazers traded back to acquire Hansen Yang, a 7-foot-1 Chinese center with top defensive honors and All-Star experience in the Chinese Basketball Association.
- On June 25, 2025, the Portland Trail Blazers used the 16th overall pick in the first round of the NBA draft, held in Brooklyn, to select 20-year-old Chinese center Yang Hansen.
- Portland’s front office had been monitoring Yang since late 2023 and strategically moved down from the 11th pick in the draft to secure him, despite most projections placing him in the second round.
- Yang, who put up 16.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while topping the Chinese Basketball Association with 119 blocks last season, was taken aback by his selection in the middle of the first round but anticipates growth as he adjusts.
- Blazers GM Joe Cronin praised Yang's advanced skillset, high basketball IQ, physical maturity, and ability to make others better as a unique talent worthy of their focus.
- Yang’s selection likely signals the end of Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III's tenures with Portland as the team looks to build around the young center.
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85 Articles
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Trail Blazers see 7-2 Chinese center Yang Hansen as a unique and versatile talent
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Blazers’ surprising first-round NBA draft pick is a talker in basketball world
The Portland Trail Blazers shocked many in the basketball world on Wednesday night by moving down in the first round of the NBA draft from 11th to 16th in a proposed trade with the Memphis Grizzlies that landed them another big man, the 7-foot-2 Yang Hansen. Read more...
The NBA Draft Provides Blessed Phrases Like "Chinese Jokic"
The first round of the NBA draft on Thursday was pretty boring, with a few exceptions. Ace Bailey's strange, oafish attempts to get himself on an East Coast team of his choosing ended with him going to the Utah Jazz at No. 5. The New Orleans Pelicans made what appears to be a very dumb trade in order to take Derik Queen at No. 13. The Brooklyn Nets drafted one million guards. But nothing was as exciting as the arrival of Yang Hansen. Yang, proje…
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