Yang Hansen

Yang is a Chinese center who reached the NBA through the 2025 draft after a decorated career in the Chinese Basketball Association. Drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies and traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, he became the highest Chinese draft pick since Yi Jianlian in 2007 and the third-highest ever from China.

Born Yang Hansen on June 26, 2005, in Zibo, Shandong Province, he started playing basketball in elementary school and enrolled in Zibo Sports School. Around 2020, he entered the Qingdao Guoxin Haitian Club's youth training system. In 2021, the Qingdao youth team won the China Youth Basketball League U-17 championship and Yang was named Best Defensive Player. In 2022, the team defended the title and Yang was named MVP.

During the 2023–24 CBA season, Yang was promoted to the Qingdao Eagles' first team. He was selected to the All-Star Game starting lineup and averaged 16.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, and three assists per game. He was named both CBA Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. NBA personnel visited Qingdao multiple times to observe him, but he chose not to enter the 2024 NBA draft.

The Memphis Grizzlies selected Yang 16th overall in the 2025 NBA draft and traded his rights to the Portland Trail Blazers. On January 26, 2026, he was named to the Rising Stars game alongside Donovan Clingan. He was assigned to the Rip City Remix but was recalled to Portland.

Yang represented China at the 2023 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup, averaging 12.6 points, 10.4 rebounds (third in the tournament), 4.7 assists (fourth), and five blocks (first). He was named to the All-Second Team. He made his senior national team debut in February 2024.

Yang functions as a skilled big man with size, shot-blocking timing, and playmaking ability rare for his position. His CBA tenure showcased a player who dominated at the domestic level before entering the NBA. In the NBA, his development centers on physical adjustment to the league's pace, defensive mobility, and providing interior presence as a developmental big man.