Almost everybody knows by now that the Portland Trail Blazers drafted center Yang Hansen with the 16th pick of the 2025 NBA Draft. It was the shock of the first round of the draft, a bigger swing than even the Utah Jazz taking Ace Bailey in the 5th spot or the Brooklyn Nets selecting Egor Demin 8th overall.
Everybody also knows that Hansen is a native of China, suiting up with the Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association before the Blazers drafted him.
What you may not know is that the discourse surrounding the 20-year-old has been shaded by his nationality already, sometimes in positive ways but also to the negative.