Yang Hansen dons a Memphis Grizzlies cap as he walks on stage after being selected 16th in the first round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday in New York. The big Chinese center was a surprise early pick, and is headed to the Trail Blazers after Portland struck a deal with the Grizzlies. AP

His face lit up, eyes wide open, and the whole country went as wild as Yang Hansen did. 

Unexpected, yet making total sense, Yang was drafted into the NBA in the first round at the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night in Brooklyn, New York. The Portland Trail Blazers, using a trade from Memphis, selected the Qingdao Eagles star with the 16th pick overall, leaving the nation celebrating an NBA Draft pick for the first time in nine years.

It caught the entire Chinese hoops community off guard when the Trail Blazers staked their claim on the talented youngster much earlier than his projected second-round slot.

Hearing his name called by league commissioner Adam Silver amid worldwide attention, Yang took a few seconds to gather his poise, tided up his suit before proudly stepping on his dream stage to rapturous applause at the Barclays Center, and the nationwide cheers from across the Pacific.

The 7-foot-1 (2.16-meter) center from East China's Shandong province has etched his name in history by becoming only the third Chinese first-round pick into the league, following in the footsteps of legend Yao Ming (1st in 2002) and retired star Yi Jianlian (6th in 2007), and by being the first selected since his national teammate Zhou Qi was picked at 43rd overall in 2016 by the Houston Rockets.

And there was no better occasion than on the eve of his 20th birthday to realize his long-cherished NBA dream, with Yang due to celebrate the milestone on Thursday in the States.

"To be honest, I felt a bit sleepy (waiting in the crowd) at that moment, and suddenly all the cameras moved toward me. And I was like: 'This can't be happening'. I wasn't expecting it this early," Yang confessed in an ESPN interview.

"My legs felt numb (walking down the steps) and I couldn't believe I was shaking hands with the commissioner already.

"It's a dream come true — earlier than I thought — to be honest," said Yang, who's played two years as pro for the Eagles, his hometown club in the Chinese Basketball Association.