Yang Hansen has become the biggest star of the Summer League! In China, his viewership surpassed that of the playoffs, and his personality reminds people of O'Neal.

On July 21 Beijing time, Ben Golliver, a reporter for The Washington Post, wrote a lengthy article about Yang Hansen, titled “No Joke: Chinese Rookie Yang Hansen is the Biggest Star of the NBA Summer League.”Golliver pointed out that Yang Hansen's Summer League games had viewership in China that surpassed the entire NBA playoffs last season, and he also remarked that Hansen's personality brings to mind O'Neal. Here are the specific details of the report—

Last month, when the Trail Blazers selected Yang Hansen with their first-round pick in the draft, many were surprised, but Hansen's performance both on and off the court has been delightful.

For Yang Hansen, there was nowhere to hide in Las Vegas. He had barely squeezed into a too-small chair at a café in the Wynn for less than five minutes when young fans began to swarm around him, pleading for photos.

The 20-year-old Yang Hansen was relatively unknown in the American basketball scene before being selected by the Trail Blazers with the 16th pick, but he has long been accustomed to living in the spotlight. Thousands of Chinese and Chinese-American fans traveled to this "Sin City" to watch him play for the Trail Blazers in the NBA Summer League, many of whom wore his freshly printed 16 jersey. A documentary crew has been following Yang Hansen this summer to produce a 10-episode series, and more than a dozen Chinese reporters covered his games.

According to an NBA official, in China, 5.2 million people watched the Trail Blazers' exhibition game against the Grizzlies via free livestream, a figure that dwarfs the 1.1 million viewers who watched the number one pick, Wembanyama, debut for the Mavericks on ESPN in the U.S. In paid services, one of Yang Hansen's games attracted 3.4 million viewers, which is 16 times the average audience for that service. Meanwhile, on China Central Television, the average viewership for Yang Hansen's Summer League games exceeded that of the network's broadcasts of this year's NBA playoffs.

Due to Yang Hansen's limited English skills, Chris Liu, who has served as his translator for the past five years, relays his words. Despite his rising fame, Yang Hansen always wears a smile and has a quick wit. In interviews before the draft, Yang Hansen described himself to team executives as "optimistic" and "easygoing," displaying a joy reminiscent of winning the lottery, coupled with a calm and confident demeanor.

“I have a saying in my mind,” Yang Hansen explained, “Don’t worry about things that are more than eight hours away. Even for things within eight hours, don’t stress too much. Wherever you go, stay positive. Be happy, and try to enjoy the fun with everyone.”

Stars like Jabbar and Wembanyama often appear serious and cautious in public, while Yang Hansen's easygoing and lively personality evokes memories of another tall "funny guy"—O'Neal.

“Attention doesn’t bother me,” Yang Hansen said, “It’s part of the job. It’s a great opportunity to show my sense of humor. Sometimes you might see me looking serious, but that doesn’t mean I’m upset; it just means I want to sleep. Sometimes I don’t talk much because I want to lie down in bed.”

Praising sleep is one of Yang Hansen's favorite topics. After the draft, when he was introduced to the media in Portland for the first time, he described his hobbies as “sleeping, playing PlayStation 5, and eating.” Indeed, during the Summer League, fans of Yang Hansen held up signs cheering for his down-to-earth lifestyle.

Yang Hansen was raised in China by his father Yang Lin and mother Zhu Jing. His father is an electrician and an amateur basketball player, while his mother is an accountant. Despite Yang Hansen's height, and his father's local fame as a player in their hometown of Zibo, his path in basketball was not smooth. At the age of three, he went to watch a game with his father and was first introduced to basketball, but the first two school teams he joined disbanded within days of his joining.

Yang Hansen's father inquired around the local basketball community to secure a spot for him on a middle school team. At that time, Yang Hansen was only eight years old, and the team trained in the scorching heat outdoors. Two days later, when his parents took him to practice, he refused to get out of the car and even considered giving up basketball altogether. Yang Hansen's father adhered to traditional beliefs, insisting that his son acquire a skill that could help him get into college. Yang Hansen tried table tennis, swimming, and taekwondo before eventually returning to basketball.

“I wasn’t very good at studying and was a bit chubby,” Yang Hansen said, “My dad encouraged me to try some sports to find what I wanted to do while also losing some weight. My dad told me, ‘Don’t become a fat guy.’”

Yang Hansen said that in 2023, during the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in Hungary, he first believed he had a chance to enter the NBA. There, he competed alongside 2024 draft second pick and future Wizards center Alex Sarr, leaving a strong impression on a Trail Blazers scout who saw him for the first time. Last season, Yang Hansen played for the Qingdao team in the Chinese Basketball Association, where he performed well enough to attend the draft combine and a series of tryouts in the U.S. After a workout in Portland, the Trail Blazers were impressed by his height, skilled passing, and unselfish personality.

Chinese fans have waited a long time for this moment, experiencing some ups and downs: Yang Hansen became the third Chinese player selected in the first round, following Yao Ming (2002) and Yi Jianlian (2007). Yao Ming was inducted into the Hall of Fame, but his career was cut short due to injuries after eight seasons. Yi Jianlian played for four teams during his five-year NBA career, with mediocre performances. Recently, the Chinese national team has missed the opportunity to qualify for the Tokyo and Paris Olympics.

Every summer, many NBA superstars travel to China to promote sneakers and interact with the country's approximately 600 million basketball fans. Yang Hansen recalled that as a child, he would sit with his family in front of the television to watch Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian play, hoping one day to represent his country in the Olympics.

“Of course, there’s a lot of pressure,” Yang Hansen said, “I just want the people of China to see me doing well. Before coming to the U.S., Yao Ming called me to share some of his experiences. He told me to enjoy the food, drinks, sleep, and everything here. Yao Ming is an idol in Chinese basketball; he’s very special. I’m just a rookie. I can feel the high expectations people have for me.”

Many analysts had predicted that Yang Hansen would be selected in the second round, partly because American scouts found it difficult to track his progress in China.

On draft night, when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called his name, Yang Hansen walked from his seat in the stands to the stage at Barclays Center, as he had not received an invitation to the "green room" where prospects were located. Later, he told ESPN that just before this significant moment, he was busy eating fried chicken. In Portland, Yang Hansen's joy continued; he wore a T-shirt that transformed “Hansen Yang” into “Handsome and Young.”

Soon after, his teammates and coaches made it their mission to immerse him in American culture. Now, Yang Hansen understands the difference between the beef of dinner and "rap beef," knows what it means to "diss" someone, and has started saying he "wants the smoke." When he recites hip-hop lyrics, his Trail Blazers teammates laugh, and they even taught him to respond with "All right, bet" whenever he doesn’t understand a coach's instructions.

Yang Hansen's humorous style quickly spread throughout Las Vegas. When asked how he would coordinate with veteran guards Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday, the expressionless Yang Hansen replied that he has extensive experience playing with them in NBA 2K. He then mimicked Lillard's signature deadpan expression and lightly tapped his wrist, paying homage to the All-Star guard's "Lillard Time" celebration move.

For the Trail Blazers, Yang Hansen's arrival is a much-needed breath of fresh air. The Portland team has missed the playoffs for four consecutive years, and when they traded Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks two years ago, a significant portion of the fanbase lost interest in the team. This summer, the Trail Blazers bought out starting center Ayton, as he failed to develop into a team leader, and they also traded guard Anfernee Simons, as it became clear he wouldn’t grow into a player who could carry the team. Lillard returned to his hometown team on a three-year deal and was warmly welcomed by Blazers fans, but he is expected to miss all of next season due to an Achilles tear.

Behind the consecutive losing seasons and roster changes lies a more fundamental issue: the Blazers' owner announced in May that the team would be sold, and Silver indicated in the past week that the eventual buyer may need to build a new arena.

The Trail Blazers' executives know that selecting Yang Hansen will generate global attention; their marketing team promoted his performance in the Summer League through an email featuring his face superimposed on the "Sphere," a large spherical structure in Las Vegas.

According to a team official, since the draft, the Trail Blazers' peripheral sales have increased by 1091% compared to 2024, and their social media accounts have garnered over 30 million views. In less than a month, the Trail Blazers gained nearly 900,000 new followers on Chinese social media platforms, with interaction levels surpassing all other NBA teams during that period.

Clearly, the next question is whether Yang Hansen can maintain this level of popularity. During the Summer League, he had several highlight moments that excited the Trail Blazers' executives and fans. His favorite player is Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, and he displayed similar skills, able to make precise passes in tight spaces and deliver the ball to cutting teammates. He also scored in various complex ways, including using Euro steps in traffic and a dunk that made the entire Trail Blazers bench stand up.

Yang Hansen showcased strong physicality, actively seeking contact during box-outs, but his endurance, rim protection, and perimeter defense will be tested in the NBA. After averaging 10.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.3 blocks over four games, Yang Hansen admitted he is still adapting to the pace of the game and the size of his opponents.

Nevertheless, the Trail Blazers' Summer League head coach, Ronnie Burrell, praised Yang Hansen's "fearless" performance and his ability to handle attention. The management in Portland hopes Yang Hansen can become a rotation player next season, and he himself stated he will "treasure every minute" of his rookie season playing time.

“(Yang Hansen) might be the most popular person in Las Vegas,” Burrell said. “I’ve played international basketball and know what it’s like to play as a foreigner. It’s impressive to see him handle all of this so calmly and joyfully. I couldn’t do that, and I was older than him when I played abroad. He amazes me.”

The Pacific Northwest is far from China, and history shows that foreign-born big men, including those who eventually become superstars, often take years to fully adapt to the NBA. For now, Yang Hansen plans to stick to his "eight-hour principle," cherishing everything he has, believing that Portland will soon become a tranquil second home.

“The best combination in life,” Yang Hansen said, “is rain and sleep.”