Dewayne Hankins was taking in a summer league practice last July when a Portland Trail Blazers staff member sauntered up to ask a curious question:

“Are you ready to have 800 million new sets of eyes on your product?”

“I kind of laughed,” Hankins, the Blazers’ president, said. “Then summer league happened, and for those who got to see, it was quite the experience.”

And the experience, it turns out, was only the beginning.

Since the Blazers stunned the NBA universe by acquiring Chinese center Yang Hansen on draft night, he has quickly emerged as one of the most popular — and marketable — players on the roster. His addition has been a boon for Blazers’ merchandise sales, expanded their brand across the globe and thrust millions of new eyeballs on the team as it enters a season of

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