Birthday gift! The Trail Blazers selected Yang Hansen from the No. 16 lottery and became the third person after Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian

At the NBA Draft held today (June 26, 2025), the Portland Trail Blazers selected Chinese young center Yang Hansen with the 16th pick in the first round. Yang Hansen, who coincided with his 20th birthday, became the third first-round NBA pick in Chinese history after Yao Ming (No. 1 pick in 2002) and Yi Jianlian (No. 6 pick in 2007).

Trail Blazers are also the first stop for Yang Hansen to try out in the United States. At present, the Trail Blazers are in the reconstruction stage and have just traded core defender Anthony Simmons to exchange for experienced big brother Zhu Holiday. And most of the young players in the team are. As the highly anticipated No. 16 show, Yang Hansen has a huge market influence and will definitely gain key training and stable appearance time. This is undoubtedly the best opportunity for him to exercise and growth for the first time on the NBA stage.