"My Father Told Me: Don't Become Fat": 7'1 Hansen Yang Reveals How He Got Into Basketball

Chinese NBA Rookie Says He Was A 'Fat Boy,' Shares Hilarious Advice His Dad Gave Him At A Young Age

Yang Hansen was drafted seventh overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies before being traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. As a Top 10 pick, you could say that the 7-foot-1 big man out of China has officially made it, and based on some recent admissions he made about his journey, his to-the-point father deserves some credit.The 20-year-old has been playing basketball in his home country since he was a kid, and was named Chinese Ba…

Chinese NBA rookie reveals dad's crucial advice before embarking on basketball journey

The Portland Trail Blazers acquired the draft rights to 7-foot-1 center Yang Hansen out of China this summer in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, and he’s looking to make an immediate impact.Yang, 20, is relatively unknown to fair-weather basketball fans. He’s been playing basketball in China since he was in elementary school and eventually made his way to the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), playing for the Qingdao Eagles.CLICK HERE FOR …

"My Father Told Me: Don't Become Fat": 7'1 Hansen Yang Reveals How He Got Into Basketball

Hansen Yang, the promising 7'1 rookie from China, reveals how his father pushed him into playing basketball.

Nicknamed “Baby Jokic”, Yang Hansen’s NBA Journey Began From an Issue the Joker Also Faced

Yang Hansen, one of the most surprising picks of the 2025 NBA Draft, has already been compared to one of the modern-day greats. His nickname? “Baby Jokic,” thanks to his unique blend of size, vision, passing, and all-around scoring ability. As it turns out, there are also similarities in their origin stories. Like Nikola Jokic, Hansen’s journey into basketball began with a personal challenge — weight issues. Growing up, Hansen struggled with his…

Jokic, the Chinese Way: Who is Hansen Yang, the Guy Being Compared to the Serbian?

We're slowly entering a new era of basketball, and it feels like we're overlooking it. The playmaking center has been around for a while. Historically, players like Bill Walton were considered among the best of all time precisely because of their ability to orchestrate the offense from the post.