Yang Hansen explains why he cried after fouling out of Portland Trail Blazers preseason game

Yang Hansen had a solid reason for crying

Hansen is among the most exciting rookies to watch out for during the 2025-26 NBA season. Why? Well, the 20-year-old has been compared to Nikola Jokic.

Coming back to his performance against the Jazz, Hansen had just 3 points and 1 assist to his name in 15 minutes of playing time.

On top of that, Hansen failed to maintain his composure during the game and fouled out. The Chinese star was captured crying after fouling out and explained the reason behind his emotional reaction.

“I was emotional. I didn’t play well. But I could hear the fans sitting on my left — they were loud. I’m really grateful. And Pooh [Blazers coach] was there encouraging me, I felt better,” Hansen said.

Even if it was just a preseason game, handling the pressure of an NBA game is never easy. It’s evident that Hansen couldn’t handle the pressure, but it’s good to know that he felt better.

NBA fans show support for Yang Hansen

Oftentimes, NBA fans can have brutal reactions to seeing players get emotional. But Hansen seems to have the fans on his side.

After all, most fans showed nothing but support for the Trail Blazers rookie on X.

“Buying more Yang Hansen stock,” NBA expert Kevin O’Connor wrote. While another fan added: “That’s actually a great sign. You want players to care, to have pride and accountability.”

“Dude’s going to be a demon,” a third fan stated.

“Caring is cool, rooting for Yang extra hard now,” a fourth fan added.

“He is going to be one of the league’s favorite players,” a fifth fan announced.

In an era where many players do not think twice about abandoning their teams, Hansen showing extra care is certainly a breath of fresh air.