Yang Hansen, the young Chinese center labeled the “Chinese Jokic,” says he does not feel pressured by comparisons to one of the best players in the world.
The 21-year-old big man has been compared to Nikola Jokic even before entering the NBA, but he sees those comparisons purely as motivation, with the Serbian superstar being one of his biggest idols.
Hansen uses these comparisons as motivation to improve every day and build his own path in basketball, as he explained in an extensive interview with the official FIBA website.
Jokic as his idol and role model
Speaking about the comparisons to the three-time NBA MVP, the young Chinese center made no secret of his admiration for the Serbian star:
“First of all, Jokic is my idol. I have tremendous respect for him and I really love the way he plays. I believe that is also what fans hope to see from me on the court, so I will continue to work extremely hard.”
Yang Hansen meets his idol Nikola Jokic —
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 21, 2026
This is great. 🙌🔥
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24)
pic.twitter.com/uqqorgxWz4
Adapting to Portland with help from Lillard and Avdija
His move to the NBA and the Portland Trail Blazers brought many challenges away from the court as well. However, Hansen says his teammates, including Damian Lillard and Deni Avdija, helped him tremendously both on the basketball court and with adapting to life in the United States:
“As an international player who came here, many things were completely unfamiliar to me at first. Moving to a new country required me to adjust to many aspects of life, especially the language and everyday lifestyle.”
The young player understands that the adaptation process takes time, but he emphasized the support he has received in the locker room:
“Many veterans on the team, such as Dame, Deni and many others, really helped me a lot during my time there.”
He also described his first steps in overcoming the language barrier and adapting to a new culture:
“For example, when it came to English, sometimes they would say certain words extremely quickly and I couldn’t understand them.
They would then slow down and explain everything to me step by step. Sometimes they would also use gestures to help me understand more easily. They would also take me with them and help me get used to the food and different aspects of life there. I am truly incredibly grateful to them for all their help and support.”
Hansen played 43 games during his rookie season, averaging 2.2 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. However, he had an outstanding season in the NBA G League, where he averaged 17.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
