Chinese big man Yang Hansen received the ultimate gift on his 20th birthday — hearing his name called in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft.
The 7-foot-1 center was selected 16th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in a surprise rise for a player projected by many to go in the second round.
Yang Hansen is selected 16th overall by the @memgrizz in the 2025 #NBADraft presented by State Farm!
— NBA (@NBA) June 26, 2025
Watch on ABC & ESPN. pic.twitter.com/3m8duAoMrn
Yang is headed to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of a trade involving No. 11 pick Cedric Howard.
Cedric Coward is selected 11th overall by the @trailblazers in the 2025 #NBADraft presented by State Farm!
— NBA (@NBA) June 26, 2025
Watch on ABC & ESPN.
He spent the past two seasons with the Qingdao Eagles in the Chinese Basketball Association, averaging 16.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.6 blocks per game in 2024–25.
Yang was named the CBA’s Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in 2024, and also suited up for China in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. The 20-year-old scored a team-high 16 points in a 101–53 rout of Guam.
Yang now becomes the third-highest drafted Chinese player in NBA history, behind Yao Ming (no. 1 in 2002) and Yi Jianlian (no. 6 in 2007).
Though still raw and in need of added strength, Yang’s size, touch and mobility have drawn comparisons to modern NBA bigs such as Nikola Vucevic and Alperen Sengün.
