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Josh Ball

Yang Hansen was selected 16th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA draft in New York on Wednesday, in a move that stunned the league and was called “unconventional” by his new boss.
No one expected Yang to go early in the first round of the draft, not least the man himself, who was sitting in the stands among fans at the Barclays Centre when his name was called.
And Portland traded down from No 11 to get him on the eve of his 20th birthday, in what one front-office official called the “wildest pick I’ve ever seen”.
In comments reported by Brett Siegel of the Clutch Points website, the official added that “those jobs up there [Portland] are on the line”.

In a press conference afterwards, Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin, who would be among those in the firing line should this go wrong, admitted it was an “unconventional pick”. Before the draft, perceived wisdom had Yang going early in the second round at best.
As it was, the 7ft 2in (2.18 metres) centre became just the ninth Chinese player to be drafted and only the third to go in the first round, after Yao Ming, who went first overall to the Houston Rockets in 2002, and Yi Jianlian, taken sixth by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2007.
“He’s a player we’ve been watching for quite a while and we’re really excited about,” Cronin told reporters. “We couldn’t be more excited and this is a very, very unique talent in our opinion.
“We were hoping he would be in last year’s draft, he didn’t declare last year, so continued to scout him, we took that swing and that shows what we thought of him.”
According to Cronin, the attributes that attracted them to Yang, who spent last season playing for the Qingdao Eagles in the Chinese Basketball Association, were his “high-end skill set, ability to pass, basketball IQ”, and the fact he was “smart defensively”.
The Memphis Grizzlies initially had the 16th pick, but traded that away, sending two first-round picks and two second-rounders to the Trail Blazers for the No 11 overall selection, which they used to take Washington State guard Cedric Coward.
Not included among the likely first-round prospects and given a place in the near-stage waiting room, Yang clambered down from the stands dressed in a white suit to shake NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s hand.
Yang said that after the 15th selection had been announced he noticed more cameras on him.
“I just thought something was off or thought something was about to happen. So that’s when I found out,” he added.
Before the draft, Yang had been compared to compatriot Wang Zhizhi, who played for the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Miami Heat sparingly from 2000 to 2005, although only Yi had been rated higher among previous Chinese players who entered the draft.
According to his combine scores, Yang was the only player to rank in the top three of both hand length and width.
Yang averaged 16.6 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game in the Chinese Basketball Association last season.
“The Blazers had scouts scouting me in China the last couple years,” Yang said. “I also had a pre-workout with them last month. Everything went very well and I got along with all the front-office people. But at the end of the day, this is sort of beyond my wildest imagination.”
The Trail Blazers have not always had the greatest of luck when it comes to drafting centres. They famously picked Sam Bowie at No 2 in 1984 when a certain Michael Jordan was available, while in 2007 they took Greg Oden first overall instead of Kevin Durant.
Both Bowie and Oden had careers plagued by injuries, and the latter’s finished with him as a reserve for Jiangsu Dragons in the CBA, having played just 105 games in seven years in America.


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NBA (National Basketball Association)

Portland GM admits Yang Hansen ‘unconventional pick’, NBA stunned by draft choice

Yang Hansen on stage after being announced as the draft’s 16th pick. Photo: Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

Yang Hansen walks to the stage after his name was called. Photo: Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

Yang Hansen urged to emulate Yao Ming as Chinese players eye NBA Draft

Yang Hansen in possession for China (in white) during an Asia Cup qualifier against Guam in Hefei in November. Photo: VCG via Getty Images

Qingdao's Yang Hansen (left) tangles with Yu Jiahao of Zhejiang last season. Photo: Xinhua

Who is Chinese basketball player Yang Hansen, NBA draft’s surprise pick?

Yang Hansen reacts to being picked during the NBA draft in New York City on Wednesday. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

Yang Hansen (left) was first selected by China’s national team in 2024. Photo: Xinhua

Yang Hansen (left) hopes to encourage young Chinese players to pursue their dream. Photo: Fiba

Sport

Basketball

Yang says Portland Trail Blazers, who took him at No 16 in trade with Memphis Grizzlies, had been scouting him for past two years


Yang says Portland Trail Blazers, who took him at No 16 in trade with Memphis Grizzlies, had been scouting him for past two years.


Yi Jianlian

Yang Hansen

Portland GM admits Yang Hansen ‘unconventional pick’, NBA stunned by draft choice

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Yang says Portland Trail Blazers, who took him at No 16 in trade with Memphis Grizzlies, had been scouting him for past two years

Yang says Portland Trail Blazers, who took him at No 16 in trade with Memphis Grizzlies, had been scouting him for past two years