Chinese basketball player Yang on aims in rookie NBA season

Portland Trail Blazers center Yang Hansen, the third Chinese basketball player to be selected in the first round of the United States' National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft, said he will work hard to play well in his rookie season.

Trail Blazers hosted its annual media day event at the Moda Center on Monday.

In an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on the sidelines of Trail Blazers' annual media day event at the Moda Center on Monday, Yang said he prides himself on his achievement and influence on other Chinese players and everything is going well with his life in Portland.

The event unofficially started a new season.

"Currently, everything is going well. My apartment and all other things are perfect," Yang said.

Yang told CGTN that he is working on getting his driver's license and improving his English skills by taking a class and talking more with his teammates on the court.

Standing at 2.18 meters, the 20-year-old was picked 16th in the first round of the draft in June, becoming the highest-ranked Chinese draft pick since Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, who were selected No. 1 by the Houston Rockets in 2002 and No. 6 by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2007, respectively.

Yang enters the NBA after a pair of standout seasons with the Qingdao Eagles in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). During the 2024-2025 regular season, he averaged 16.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.6 blocks and 1.0 steal per game, showcasing the all-around skills that intrigued NBA scouts. His passing ability, particularly from the high post, drew frequent comparisons to European big men.

"I believe more Chinese people will be inspired to play basketball overseas in their own attempts to improve themselves. I think it's my honor," Yang said.

Yang has already attracted attention by his brief spell with Portland during the NBA Summer League. But with the new season now fast approaching, his focus is on making the best of every playing opportunity, which may still be a challenge in his rookie season.

"I don't want to talk big. I will just try to be good on the court in every minute and every game," Yang said.

Chinese basketball player Yang on aims in rookie NBA season

Even under assumptions that the U.S.-Israel war on Iran does not persist past April and that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz gradually resumes, the world will face the pressure of rising oil prices throughout this year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Tuesday.

In its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook released on Tuesday, the EIA raised the forecast of Brent crude oil spot price for 2026 to 96 U.S. dollars per barrel from the previous forecast of 79 U.S. dollars a barrel.

Retail gasoline and diesel prices will continue the rising trend this year, said the outlook.

The outlook maintains a risk premium on crude oil prices throughout the forecast period, as the EIA expects uncertainty around future supply disruptions to keep prices above pre-conflict levels.

"Once flows through the Strait of Hormuz resume, we assume it will take time to resolve the backlog and disruption to oil tanker routes and trade flows and that the potential for future disruptions will remain at risk and create a premium in the oil price," it said.

US Energy Information Administration forecasts rising oil prices throughout 2026