Yang Hansen, the newly drafted guard for the Portland Trail Blazers, recently shared his memories of the 2016 NBA Finals in a reflective essay for The Player’s Tribune. The 20-year-old recalled watching Game 7 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors as a 10-year-old, saying the experience felt underwhelming at the time.
“Honestly it seemed very boring to me,” Yang wrote. “I was with all my teammates, and they were all yelling and jumping around with each big play. But I just wasn’t as into watching the game as they were.”
Despite the early disinterest, Yang said that watching elite basketball helped shape his understanding of the sport. He described feeling slower and less skilled than his peers on the court, and the game left him feeling somewhat out of place.
Yang’s journey has since changed dramatically. After being selected 16th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2025 NBA Draft, his rights were traded to Portland in a deal that included future draft considerations for Cedric Coward. He is now the ninth Chinese player drafted to the NBA and the highest pick from China since Yi Jianlian in 2007.
In the Chinese Basketball Association, Yang demonstrated steady growth with Qingdao, averaging 16.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists during the 2024–25 season. His performances in the playoffs also showed promise, as he posted 13.4 points and 7.3 rebounds over eight games.
Yang’s Summer League debut with Portland reinforced his potential at the next level. Across four games, he averaged 10.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists while playing 24.5 minutes per game.
Reflecting on his past, Yang said the experience watching the 2016 Finals taught him the importance of persistence. “On the court, everyone seemed faster than me. Then, when our games were over, my friends always wanted to talk about basketball and watch games… and I wasn’t like that at all,” he wrote.
