(Left to right) Trail Blazers General Manager Joe Cronin, stands with the team's NBA Draft pick Yang Hansen and Trail Blazers Head Coach Chauncey Billups, during a press conference at the Trail Blazers Practice Facility in Portland, Ore., June 27, 2025. The Blazer's pick of Yang came as a surprise to many NBA fans, despite it being a few years in the making according to the team’s coaches.
Morgan Barnaby / OPB
In a press conference Friday morning, the Portland Trail Blazers formally introduced Yang Hansen, their surprise pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
The 20-year-old center took the stage at the Blazers’ practice facility in Tualatin, Oregon, wearing a crisp white Trail Blazers polo, flanked by General Manager Joe Cronin and Head Coach Chauncey Billups.
Yang’s selection is historic: As the No. 16 overall selection, he becomes the third Chinese-born player ever drafted in the first round, and the first since Yi Jianlian in 2007. It’s also happening at a time of significant change for the Trail Blazers, as the franchise is up for sale for the first time since 1988.
In an interview with OPB, Yang said he instantly fell in love with Portland when he first came for a draft workout a month ago.
“I know this city is rainy, and the scenery here is really nice,” Yang said in Mandarin Chinese. “Honestly, I felt a kind of magic when I came here. When I was on the way back here, driving in, I saw so many beautiful sights.”
Yang’s name, Hansen, means “a vast forest” in Chinese. Yang called it a “great and beautiful connection” and “a wonderful arrangement by fate” that he came to Portland, a city known for its greenery in the Douglas-fir forests of the Pacific Northwest.
Yang added that he had received a warm welcome from fellow Blazer coaches and players on Thursday at a local hotel, including a cake and a card for his 20th birthday, which also happened to be on Thursday.
“I feel really grateful and touched,” he said in Mandarin.
Yang, left, the Portland Trail Blazers’ first round draft pick, answers questions as he is able to at his introductory press conference without the help of his translator.
Morgan Barnaby / OPB
Yang’s name wasn’t one many expected to hear in the lottery’s vicinity. He emerged from the crowd high in the stands as his name was announced, unlike most expected first round draft picks who sit at tables near the dais. Projected as a second-rounder by most analysts — slotted between picks No. 35 and No. 45 — his rise to the 16th overall slot was among the biggest surprises of draft night on Wednesday.
The Blazers, though, had been tracking him for two years.
“What I love the most is how he plays the game — his IQ is really, really high. He plays the game the right way. He’s really a good teammate, playing for others to make other guys better,” Billups said. “I have to teach with young guys. I don’t have to teach this kid — he’s been taught the right way.”
Standing at 7-foot-1-inch, with a 7-foot-3-inch wingspan, Yang brings elite size to the NBA. Yang first caught a Blazers scout’s eye because of his high basketball intelligence, passing ability and shooting touch, which are seen as rare qualities in a 7-footer.
His touch and high-level passing have drawn comparisons to the hallmark skills of Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who led Denver to the 2023 championship and has won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award three times. Jokic represents the rarest of draft outcomes: selected 41st out of Serbia, he’s the only NBA player to win the MVP award after being drafted in the second round.
Yang said he takes his comparison to Jokic — as well his association with Yao Ming — as “a compliment and encouragement.”
“I try my best to learn from their strengths, and work hard to grow,” he said in Mandarin.
Last season in the Chinese Basketball Association, the country’s first-tier professional league, Yang averaged 16.6 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3 assists, earning Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the 2023-2024 season.
At the Friday press conference, Yang responded in Mandarin to most of the questions from the media, but delivered a few answers in English, like when he was asked what he enjoys outside of basketball.
“I sleep all the time, I like playing PS5, and I like to eat,” he said, drawing laughter from the small crowd on hand.
Billups acknowledged it will be a unique experience for him to coach Yang through a translator, but emphasized that he has full confidence in the young man’s ability to master a new language.
“Obviously you see him trying and doing a really good job already trying to answer the questions (in English),” he said. “But basketball language is kind of universal … I’m really excited about the challenge.”
Yang’s draft night sparked celebrations across China, as he became a new symbol of hope for the next generation of Chinese players chasing success in the NBA. Friday’s press conference with Yang was exactly 23 years after Yao Ming was drafted No. 1 overall.
At a press conference ahead of the Wednesday draft, Hall of Famer Yao advised Yang and other young Chinese players with NBA dreams “to remember one thing: the draft is just a small part of their entire career, or even their life … What really matters is the path they take afterward,” according to CNN.
Yang echoed Yao’s advice for basketball players in China and Asian American players in the U.S. “I’d just tell them: Don’t overthink everything. Just go for it boldly. Don’t think too much, just eat well, drink well, and sleep well,” he said in Mandarin.
This is the second consecutive year the Trail Blazers have used their first round draft pick on a player standing over seven feet. Last year they selected Donovan Clingan, a 20-year-old center from the University of Connecticut, who earned All-Rookie honors in his first season for his defensive prowess.
Playing time is not guaranteed for the rookie Yang. The team currently has five centers on the roster. Billups said he doesn’t envision Clingan and Yang playing together, but that it may be possible in the future.
“Who knows? Both of these guys are very young,” Billups said. “In fact, Donovan was at the workout when he (Yang) worked out, and was very impressed.”
In a message directed to Blazers’ fans, Yang said he’s “very excited” to be in the city.
“I will do my best to play every game well,” he said in Mandarin, “and give my all in every play.”
This story was written and reported by Winston Szeto and edited by Tony Schick, with visuals by Bradley W. Parks and Morgan Barnaby.
