Yang had been tipped to go early in the second round, but his stock had risen after working out for several teams
Yang Hansen was selected 16th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA draft in New York on Wednesday, just the ninth Chinese player to ever be drafted.
Memphis had earlier traded the rights to 16th pick away to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of a move that saw centre Cedric Coward head in the opposite direction.
Yang had been tipped to go early in the second round, but the 7ft 1in centre had seen his stock rise considerably over the past few weeks after working out for several teams.
Even so, Brett Siegel, an NBA Insider with Clutch Points, said one front-office official called it “the wildest pick I’ve ever seen”.
