They say the Summer League is where dreams are born, and delusions are fed. But every once in a while, it coughs up a performance so clean, so commanding, it forces the whole gym to pause and say: wait… who the heck is that? And this time, that player was Yang Hansen. Not to exaggerate, but this 20-year-old Chinese big man took over in Las Vegas. And his victims? The Golden State Warriors Summer League squad, who probably wish they had studied a little more film before tip-off.

Hansen kicked things off with a silky assist on the first possession and never looked back. By the time the Warriors blinked, they were already down bad, and the 7-foot-1 question mark had become the main event. The Warriors had just four points in the first eight minutes. Four. They tried to claw back into it in the second quarter, but Yang was everywhere: three blocks, swatting drives like flies, plus countless rim contests that don’t show up on the stat sheet. And when he wasn’t protecting the paint, he was threading bounce passes and drawing fouls.

He finished with 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists in 24 minutes—but numbers don’t quite capture what happened here. Energy? Dominance? Nikola Jokic-flavored chaos? Because let’s be honest, any time a 7-footer throws a no-look dime in Summer League, the internet actually loses its mind. But with Yang Hansen? The Jokic comps hit different. Why? Because it wasn’t just one pass.

It was the pacing, the patience, the “I’m-seeing-three-moves-ahead” calm that made fans squint and go, “Wait a minute…” as Yang was reading coverages, manipulating defenders, and casually quarterbacking the game like he’d done this a thousand times. Add in three blocks, a sprinkle of Euro-style flair, and suddenly you’ve got people on Reddit, Instagram, and X calling him the “Chinese Joker” before the game even hit halftime. Though it may have started as a meme… Yang kept making it real. And, yeah… the internet saw it too.

Yang is the internet’s new Joker

“We really got a Chinese Jokic before GTA 6 😭,” one fan posted. Another chimed in: “Ngl next Jokic? Or I’m tripping.” Not tripping for sure, you Jokic loyalist. Because exaggeration only happens when there’s something real at the core. Yang’s passing vision? Jokic-esque. His unbothered pace? Familiar. His presence in the paint? Suddenly undeniable. And it didn’t stop there.

“Chinese Joker!” someone commented, and while it’s clearly tongue-in-cheek, it speaks to just how jarring Hansen’s emergence has been. Another fan echoed the sentiment: “Jokic inspiration here😮😲🤞 I see it idc what yall say I see it.” You can laugh at the hyperbole, but you can’t deny the hype.

Yang Hansen was selected 16th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies—only to have his draft rights swiftly traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. In return, Portland sent the rights to No. 11 pick Cedric Coward, along with a 2028 first-rounder and two second-round picks (2027 and 2028), to Memphis. The move raised eyebrows across the league, as Yang had been widely projected as a mid-to-late second-round pick—ranked as low as No. 45 on some boards.

However, his impressive showing at the 2025 NBA Draft Combine, where he flashed elite passing, refined post scoring, and rim protection, helped propel his stock. Still, taking him at No. 16 was viewed as a bold gamble by Portland, though sources say the Blazers had been tracking Yang closely for the past two years and saw enough upside to make a decisive move. Safe to say, the Blazers’ move seems to have paid off.

And it’s no surprise that Yang has quickly become a household name… especially in his actual household, China. “He’s currently the biggest name in China right now,” said Chinese media member Kevin Wang. “No one expected this high for Hansen… but when Adam Silver said his name, obviously the whole nation is really hyped for sure.” And make no mistake, people, this isn’t just about basketball.

It’s also about presence. Wang explained that Yang Hansen’s commitment to adapting, even linguistically, has won over a lot of eyes. “He tried to speak English,” he said. “That’s a big part of trying to get involved in this environment. You can tell he’s been working hard to get to this day.” That hard work has landed him not just in Portland’s rotation plans, but on the radar of nearly every NBA front office now keeping tabs. And in Vegas, with NBA eyes everywhere, that matters. The Golden State Warriors might’ve underestimated him, but the Portland Trail Blazers won’t.

Hansen isn’t some novelty act from across the world. He’s a modern center with court vision, paint protection, and poise. The kind of guy you stash in your playbook and unleash when the moment’s right. Maybe not the next Nikola Jokic… but he just might be Portland’s wildest card. So what happens next for Yang Hansen?

The hype machine is rolling, Chinese fans are already planning Portland trips, and Summer League scouts are watching every replay. But as of today, what remains clear is that Yang arrived and ate the Warriors for breakfast, lunch and dinner in Vegas, very well at that!