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

Yang Hansen, the 7'1 Trail Blazers rookie from China, has undoubtedly been the biggest star to watch in the Summer League. The rookie was drafted 16th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies and then subsequently traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. Not just his towering presence, but his passing vision and ability to stretch the floor have brought him into the limelight during the Summer League. 

In a personal interview with Ben Golliver of the Washington Post, Hansen spoke about how his journey started with basketball. His height did not naturally make him a good player. Rather, he needed to change his physique to become a better player. 

“I wasn’t that good at school, and I was a little bit of a fat boy,” Hansen said. “My father told me to try some sports, figure out what you want to do, and lose some weight. My father told me, ‘Don’t become fat.’”

According to Golliver, Hansen's father is a man of old-school values. He pushed his son to learn something to could help his resume stand out for college. He tried several sports like table tennis, swimming, and taekwondo before finally settling on basketball. 

In the Summer League, Yang Hansen played four games for the Trail Blazers (3-1 record in those games), where he averaged 10.75 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.75 assists per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. Even though four Summer League games are way too early in a player's career to deem him a star for the future, his unique skillset, combined with his physical abilities, make him a prospect to watch for the future. 

Yang Hansen is the third Chinese player to be drafted in the first round of the NBA, after Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian. While Ming is a Hall of Famer and Jianlian had a short five-year career, Ming could have the unique opportunity to become the first-ever Chinese winner of an NBA championship ring. 

Yao Ming spoke to Hansen before the Summer League and told him to enjoy all of his experiences as an NBA player instead of feeling pressured over it. 

“It’s a lot of pressure, for sure,” Yang said. “I just want to show the people in China I’m doing good. Before I headed to the States, Yao called me and shared some of his experiences. He told me to enjoy your food, enjoy your drinks, enjoy your sleep, and enjoy everything." 

"Yao is the icon for Chinese basketball. He’s special. I’m just a rookie. I can feel a lot of expectations and anticipation on me. Yao is number one in paradise. Compared to him, I’m cold ash in a pot.”

With veteran point guards Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard joining the team this season, the Blazers have developed a lot of depth on their roster and could make a serious playoff run next season. Hansen, earlier this week, revealed how excited he was to have Lillard back on the team.