SAN FRANCISCO – Hansen Yang, all 7-foot-1 of him, towered above everyone at Chase Center on Wednesday night.
His Portland teammates, his Warriors adversaries, the dozens of Chinese media there to document his preseason debut and the hundreds of fans hoisting cellphone cameras recording the imposing 20-year-old from Shandong Province.
And yet, once upon a time, Yang was just one of countless other kids who sank innumerable hours into the NBA 2K video game franchise. His favorite team to play as in the long running series?
“Back when I used to play 2K, I often played as Curry,” Yang told media through a translator after the game. “So standing on the same court today with Curry and Draymond felt a bit surreal.”
After losing 129-123 and putting up just six points while fouling out, his digital idols taught Yang a real life lesson about why the NBA is the best league in the world.
But through the struggles in San Francisco in his preseason debut, his talent was obvious.
Yes, Steph Curry and Golden State’s plethora of of established names were the main attractions, but in a metro area with more than 500,000 people of Chinese descent, Yang was a big draw in more ways than just his height.
The phenom whose soft jump shot and a passing repertoire that dazzled Summer League audiences in Las Vegas and transformed him from first round pick to internet sensation is a unique prospect in an increasingly cookie-cutter league.
And yet, his coach, Chauncey Billups, did not have to look far to find a comparison for his team’s youngest player.
“I’m not surprised that Al Horford has fit right in (with the Warriors), because he’s the kind of player who can fit anywhere and has done it for along time,” said Billups. “Hansen will eventually have that similar skillset, where he’ll be able to dribble, pass and shoot at a high level when he reaches his potential.”
In his preseason debut against Horford, Yang (pronounced Young) dished out an assist while also pulling down four rebounds. But it was not just the veterans who tested Yang.
The youngster was repeatedly burned by Quinten Post, who put up 20 points on a steady variety of jumpers over Yang, who played primarily ineffective drop coverage on pick-and-pops.
It might have been a rough first game against another NBA team, but Yang had already proven he was better than most other professional competition for years.
He was one of the top players in the Chinese Basketball Association as a teenager. He averaged 16.2 points, 10 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game while being named named the league’s 2025 Rising Star with the Quindao Eagles.
He was also a force on the other side of the ball, winning the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year award while also blocking 2.7 shots per game in 53 appearances. Yang was a CBA All-Star in each of the past two seasons.
Despite having obvious offensive gifts, Yang has remained taciturn when discussing them.
“I can’t say I can help my team’s offense that much,” Yang said at the team’s media day in September. “I just try to make every pass right and grab every rebound in front of me, and see what else I can do for the team.
Making every right passing and grabbing most rebounds is exactly what Yang did the last time he faced the Golden State organization. .
Back on a smoldering July night at Thomas & Mack Center, Yang put up a casual 10 points, four rebounds and five assists in an 106-73 route of the Summer League Warriors.
Warriors fans will not have to wait long to watch Yang again. The Warriors play the Blazers in the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday, and then take on the Blazers again on Oct. 24.
Portland makes its first regular-season trip to the Bay Area on Nov. 21, by which point, Yang figures to be less star-struck by the players he is facing.
“it just felt unreal, like these guys were characters projected out of 2K,” Yang admitted.
