The Yang Hansen Effect! Team writer claims the Trail Blazers could become a global team: Beijing to Portland is a trending route

On September 9th Beijing time, Trail Blazers reporter Quinn Everts wrote about Yang Hansen’s impact, expressing confidence that if this 16th pick shines, the Trail Blazers could emerge on the global scene as a "world team." Everts further suggests that the Beijing-Portland route will increasingly gain popularity. Here is his analysis—

Since the franchise’s all-time leading scorer Lillard was traded to the Bucks, the Trail Blazers have had little national exposure over the past two years. But bythe 2025-26 season, the Trail Blazers will not only regain nationwide attention due to Lillard’s return to the roster (although he is expected to miss this season) — they will also step onto the international stage thanks to the "Yang Hansen Effect," igniting Portland’s basketball enthusiasm.

China has a population exceeding 1.4 billion. While not everyone will follow Yang Hansen’s NBA debut next month... judging by the summer league’s popularity, the audience will likely be quite substantial. Yang quickly became the focal point in the summer league, as Washington Post reporter Ben Golliver reported in July:

“According to an NBA official, 5.2 million viewers in China watched the Trail Blazers’ summer league game against the Grizzlies live on Tencent, a number far surpassing the 1.1 million viewers in the U.S. on ESPN who watched top pick Flagler’s debut for the Mavericks.”

Keep in mind, this was just the summer league! Once the regular season begins, attention on Yang Hansen will likely grow exponentially. He is expected to get playing time—most likely as the Trail Blazers’ regular backup center this year—which alone will draw significant interest; if he performs impressively, the attention could reach a fever pitch. As Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report said on the NBA Daily podcast:

“I knew he’d be a hot topic, but seeing firsthand in Las Vegas (where the summer league was held) the level of fan interest and the Chinese media coverage—just for the summer league—I feel like even if we spent the whole summer talking about it, people still weren’t ready for how big this could get once he cracks the rotation.”

If Yang Hansen excels, the Trail Blazers might transform into a "world team." Normally, round-trip tickets from Beijing to Portland cost about $1100. But I have a feeling that if Yang can showcase the footwork, passing, and finishing skills that wowed us in the summer league during the regular season, this route will become increasingly popular throughout the NBA season.

Are the Trail Blazers ready to handle the flood of attention focused on the team this year? Let’s wait and see! Even during Stotts’ coaching tenure, when the team made the playoffs eight consecutive seasons, they never became a major focal point—perhaps due to their geographic location and the fact they never truly had championship-caliber strength.

If they can be a "world team," why settle for just being an "American team"? By drafting Yang Hansen, the Trail Blazers may not yet be fully prepared for the upcoming spotlight, but after years of "low exposure," this change could mark the start of an exciting new journey.