Portland Trail Blazers rookie Yang Hansen has yet to play a meaningful basketball game in the NBA, but he's already managed to become a global sensation. In China, Hansen's summer league games drew more viewership than the 2025 NBA Finals. Summer league compared to the NBA Finals!!
On a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Ringer's Bill Simmons and Joe House discussed how Hansen's popularity has skyrocketed.
"It already feels like that was one of the smartest marketing moves of the decade," Bill Simmons said. "People love him -- he's selling jerseys, hats, everything."
"The kids love him," Joe House added. "My kids insisted on watching every summer league game with Yang Hansen. They can see his enthusiasm out there, and it's infectious."
On and off the court, Yang Hansen is already winning everyone over
Some have speculated that the Blazers franchise being up for sale (at the time) may have played a factor in this selection. But watching Hansen play throughout summer league and so far in preseason, it's clear that this was a basketball decision by Joe Cronin and Portland's front office.
That "it" factor Hansen possesses off the court and what makes him such a likable person also translates to his on-court production. Blazers legend Bill Walton once said that "people play basketball the way they live their life." That's one of the endless reasons why we love this sport so much. You have so much freedom of expression in what you can do within the boundaries of the court that oftentimes your character and personality are reflected in your play style.
Watching Hansen play, you can already tell how unselfish he is both on and off the court. If he's not finding teammates for backdoor passes or helping them initiate the fastbreak, he's setting solid screens so that other players can have their shine. That's what makes Hansen such an easy player to root for. When combining that personality with China's population of 1.41 billion people, it was only going to be a matter of time before Hansen became a basketball icon.
The scariest part about all of this recognition is that he's only 20 years old! He's expected to make an immediate impact as a rotational player in Portland's frontcourt, but he still has a long way to go before reaching his high ceiling. If Hansen ever unlocks his full potential, that spotlight surrounding him could break the NBA in the best way imaginable.