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...