Trail Blazers pick China's Yang in NBA draft first-round surprise
The 7ft 2in (2.18m) center, who made his Chinese Basketball Association debut in 2023 and was an All-Star in each of his first two seasons with the Qingdao Eagles, had been tipped as a second-round pick.
That was even after his stock had risen after a promising performance at the NBA draft combine, where some of his passes had earned comparisons to the Denver Nuggets' Serbian star Nikola Jokic — a three-time NBA Most Valuable Player.
He had individual workouts with 11 teams, including the Trail Blazers who, after swapping the 11th and 16th draft selections with the Memphis Grizzlies, grabbed Yang on Wednesday.
'The Blazers had scouts scouting me in China the last couple years,' Yang said.
'I also had a pre-workout with them last month. Everything went very well and I got along with all the front-office people.
'But at the end of the day, this is sort of beyond my wildest imagination.'
Icon Yao Ming, who was the number one selection in 2002, and Yi Jianlian — who was sixth overall in 2007 — are the only other Chinese players chosen in the first round of the draft.
It made for a sensational birthday for Yang, who turned 20 on Thursday.
Not included among the likely first-round prospects and given a place in the near-stage waiting room, he clambered down from the stands dressed in a white suit to shake NBA commissioner Adam Silver's hand.
Yang said that after the 15th selection had been announced he noticed more cameras on him.
'I just thought something was off or thought something was about to happen. So that's when I found out,' Yang said.
But it wasn't a coincidence that he was in the stands to see the league's 30 teams make their first-round selections. Despite the pundits' predictions, he was confident he could be among them.
'I was expecting to be selected at the end of the first round,' he said. 'So this is definitely a big surprise for me to be selected in the middle of the first round.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Iraqi News
08-07-2025
- Iraqi News
Iraq's Olympic football team begin Baghdad camp after China trip postponed
Baghdad ( – The Iraqi Olympic national football team began a new training camp in Baghdad on Monday (July 7, 2025), holding its first session at Al-Zawraa club's stadium under the leadership of head coach Emad Mohammed. The camp marks the beginning of preparations for the team's upcoming major tournaments. The first session was attended by Iraqi Football Association (IFA) executive office member Ghanim Oraibi and administrative manager Nadim Karim. The domestic camp was initiated after a planned training camp in China, which was set to include two friendly matches, was postponed until next week due to a delay in obtaining entry visas from the Chinese side. In addition to the rescheduled China camp, the IFA noted that the Olympic team has also received invitations from the football federations of Egypt, Kuwait, and Bahrain for potential preparatory matches in the near future.
Iraqi News
07-07-2025
- Iraqi News
Durant deal becomes NBA-record seven-team trade: reports
New York – Kevin Durant's trade from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets was agreed upon in principle on Sunday as part of an NBA-record seven-team deal, according to multiple reports. The Rockets will also welcome back Clint Capela in a sign-and-trade deal with Atlanta, according to The Athletic and ESPN, citing unnamed souces. Also involved in the blockbuster transfer were the Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers. Durant, a 15-time NBA All-Star forward and four-time league scoring leader, turns 37 in September. The 2014 NBA Most Valuable Player won NBA titles with Golden State in 2017 and 2018. Capela, a 31-year-old Swiss center, played his first six NBA seasons in Houston and the past five for the Hawks. He averaged 8.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 blocks a game and joins New Zealand's Steven Adams as a big-man backup to Turkey's Alperen Sengun. The Suns' haul after losing Durant included 18-year-old South Sudanese 7-foot-2 (2.18m) center Khaman Maluach, the 10th overall pick in June's NBA draft, plus Houston forward Dillon Brooks of Canada and guard Jalen Green, Atlanta wing Daeqwon Plowden, Minnesota forward Rasheer Fleming, Golden State guard Koby Brea from the Dominican Republic and a future draft pick. The Hawks got cash and a 2031 draft pick swap from Houston while Brooklyn obtained two future second-round selections and sent the rights to incoming US rookie forward Adou Thiero to the Lakers. The Warriors obtained the rights to Australian forward Alex Toohey, the 52nd pick in last month's draft, and US guard Jahmai Mashack, the last pick in the draft. Minnesota landed two future draft picks from the Suns and 18-year-old Australian 7-foot-3 center Rocco Zikarsky, the 45th pick in the draft, from the Lakers.
Iraqi News
29-06-2025
- Iraqi News
Ohtani unleashes 101.7mph fastball in third start for Dodgers
Los Angeles – Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani threw the fastest pitch of his career on Saturday, firing a 101.7mph fastball in the first inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers' 9-5 loss to the Royals in Kansas City. Ohtani pitched two innings for the first time since he returned to the mound this month after a near two-year absence in the wake of elbow surgery. With one out in the first he gave up a line drive single to Bobby Witt Jr then walked Maikel Garcia. Ohtani then went up two strikes against Vinnie Pasquantino — on a 99.2 mph fastball and a 100.2 mph fastball, Pasquantino finally grounding into a double play off Ohtani's blistering 101.7 mph four-seam fastball — the fastest pitch by a Dodgers hurler this year. Ohani retired three straight batters in the second and finished with 27 pitches, 20 of them strikes. At the plate, Ohtani struck out twice before he was taken out as pitcher, finishing the day 0-for-4. Ohtani, the reigning National Legue Most Valuable Player, returned to the mound this month for the first time since August 2023 — when he tore elbow ligaments pitching for the Los Angeles Angels. He has starred with his bat since joining the Dodgers on a 10-year, $700 million contract in December 2023 but the team have taken a careful approach to his return to the mound. He has now pitched four innings in three outings this season with Saturday's start his first on the road.
