Volume 1: A rookie who breaks into the basketball world Chapter 20: The Little Emperor
The damn bad guy has gotten older!
But James thought there was nothing wrong with this statement itself. His mature logical thinking allowed him to easily understand that this statement was correct.
But he is really not old!
James roared, "I'm only 18! I'm younger than you!"
Liu Xiu was stunned for a moment, then his eyes rolled and he replied, "Yes, I am definitely older than you. I am very confident about this."
“…”
James suspected that Liu Xiu was driving, but people nowadays are relatively simple-minded. The car had already driven out and James didn't fully react. He was just speechless.
James himself didn't know why he was speechless, but he was angry and speechless now.
Liu Xiu and Wade made their summer league debut, and James was secretly observing.
James had been planning to get to know Anthony's former partner Liu Xiu and Wade, who was picked up by a fortune teller at such a high pick, the fifth pick, as early as after the draft.
In order to leave an impression on Wade and become familiar with his face, James has started to take action since the training phase of the Orlando Summer League, and has successfully won his favor. In the match this afternoon, James has verified that the opponent's talent is not inferior to his LeBron James.
Liu Xiu, James and Liu Xiu had little interaction before the draft, but the two had some common acquaintances, some of whom were opponents Liu Xiu met during March Madness.
During the game, although Liu Xiu did not always think about stimulating the opponent, most of the time he did not have the time, his strength was there, and he was often focused on the game itself... But during timeouts, free throws, and intermissions, when he remembered, he would think of ways to stimulate the opponents around him. There were always a few who were impressed by Liu Xiu.
After learning all this, James has been hesitant about getting to know Liu Xiu, but the Cavaliers will play against the Trail Blazers tomorrow, and James still wants to get to know Liu Xiu before the game. Then, through the game, he can let Liu Xiu know his strength and conquer Liu Xiu with his personal charm!
James thought so, and then it came, and then... now I'm so angry!
Not only was I angry, I didn't even know what to say to make any harsh remarks.
Because Liu Xiu told the truth, he was bigger...
Also, beauty is justice.
Judging only from appearance and the general public's aesthetic taste, James has never seen anyone better looking than Liu Xiu, so in this situation, James was just angry, after all, there had been no real conflict.
James finally got angry, and Liu Xiu liked it. Unfortunately, he didn't have such an emotional outburst before the draft. At that time, Liu Xiu directed the matter to basketball, and ended up only getting 5 points of healing value.
James couldn't figure it out, so he asked, "Jess, aren't you worried about getting beaten?"
"Um? "
Liu Xiu looked at James and found that the other party was not mocking or threatening him maliciously, but seemed to be really curious about this question.
Liu Xiu didn't understand James' train of thought, but... Liu Xiu said: "Since you asked sincerely, I will be merciful and tell you..."
James listened to Liu Xiu's elongated tail tone and was very curious... After he asked this question, he felt that it was inappropriate and would offend someone, but the other party didn't seem to be angry about it, and he was really curious about the reason.
"I'm pretty good at fighting. I won a prize in the Sanda competition at the New York State University Games last year... Sorry, I still have to go for physical therapy. I'm going back to the locker room first. Bye."
“…”
James was petrified when he saw Liu Xiu walking away, fanning himself with a piece of paper he had obtained from somewhere.
James' worldview was refreshed - this answer was too far-fetched, yet impeccable!
After Liu Xiu left, Jason Capono, who came to the scene to watch the game with James, came to James.
James then remembered the second overall pick in the second round who was selected by the Cavaliers with him, and asked, "Jason, where were you just now? I was looking for you for a while."
Kapono was too embarrassed to say that he was avoiding Liu Xiu, so he did not answer James' question. Instead, he said, "LeBron, that guy is not easy to get along with. Don't waste your time interacting with him..."
Capono had a very memorable game. In the March Madness 32-to-16 match in March this year, his UCLA team faced the Syracuse University where Liu Xiu was.
Syracuse was unexpectedly strong, and UCLA lost that game.
In addition to the loss, there are two things that impressed Kapono the most. One is that Liu Xiu stimulated Luke Walton to the point of mental explosion, and the second is that Liu Xiu slapped his college center teammate Goodhead to the ground with a slap.
"He is not easy to get along with..." James agreed with this statement, but he had a different opinion: "But apart from his love of teasing people, he doesn't seem to have much else to him. He can't even be considered mean."
James thought about the faint smile that always hung on Liu Xiu's lips, and thought about how Liu Xiu had a good friend in Anthony in college, and how he quickly became familiar with Randolph after entering the NBA... "Maybe that's just his way of protecting himself. We are rookies of the same class, and we should encourage each other. Everyone has their own little flaws, and I have a lot of them too. We should understand each other, and make progress together, so that this class of rookies can become the strongest in history!"
is that so?
Needless to say, James' speech made Capono's heart surge. He felt it made a lot of sense and wanted to follow James and help him accomplish this great thing... Capono didn't know why, but he felt it was a great thing.
Capono recalled that when Liu Xiu bullied Luke Walton, he didn't say any bad words, and he didn't even say anything sarcastic.
Even after putting aside his "prejudice", Capono still felt that Liu Xiu was very polite.
Capono watched Liu Xiu's figure disappear at the player's tunnel, and he felt that his brain was not enough... He still felt that Liu Xiu was not a good person.
Capono recalled the conflict after the game when Liu Xiu slapped UCLA center Goodhead to the ground. Although the purpose was to prevent the conflict from escalating... it was too brutal.
Based on this, Capono felt that if Liu Xiu was only protecting himself, he shouldn't be so rude, or it shouldn't be necessary to be so rude...
In Capono's opinion, Liu Xiu might be really "bad", a demon who enjoys bullying others, or a demon with an angel's face.
But what James said about Capono makes sense...
…
…
Liu Xiu didn't know that James had given him a nice guy card. He didn't have his mind on James. Now they are not in the same circle. James belongs to the "high-end talent group" and the one being compared to him is Anthony. After the start of the summer league, based on their outstanding individual performances and playing style characteristics, there was a saying that it was a "new generation showdown between Magic and Bird."
Liu Xiu belongs to the "upset comeback group" and there may be intersections in the future, but at this stage, Liu Xiu is just trying to see if he can lay the groundwork and gain more healing value when facing James in the future.
Judging from the current situation, it seems a bit difficult. Verbal provocation without real malice will not have much effect on James.
He would not spend a lot of time to study how to get healing points from James alone. There are too many opponents. He would take it if he can. If he can't, forget it. What he is working hard on now is to accumulate more healing points to fully open the upgraded system, win the attention of the coaching staff, get more training opportunities and opportunities to play in the regular season, and gain a firm foothold in the NBA...
Liu Xiu returned to the locker room, and Randolph came up to him and said, "Jace, we're going to play against the Cavaliers tomorrow. They have Carlos Boozer. Do you think we have a high chance of winning?"
Liu Xiu asked in surprise: "Zach, you actually started to take the game seriously. Oh my God, I didn't notice that the sun rose from the west today?"
"I want to win, too! I'm just not that interested in the previous games. Tomorrow I'm going to play against the No. 1 rookie and Carlos Boozer..."
When Randolph said this, Liu Xiu remembered and said, "Carlos Boozer is from Duke, right? You are from the University of Michigan... Are you afraid of him?"
Which university is the strongest in sports in the United States is a matter of opinion, and everyone has their own reasons.
But when it comes to the NCAA "Grand Slam", there is only one university - the University of Michigan.
Only the University of Michigan has won all four NCAA championships in basketball, football, ice hockey and baseball, making it the only university in the NCAA, surpassing UCLA and USC.
However, since North Carolina produced Jordan and Duke produced Grant Hill, when people mention American college basketball, their first reaction is no longer the University of Michigan, UCLA, USC, Kansas, Kentucky... and other universities, but Duke and North Carolina.
Therefore, in recent years, when athletes from various sports at the University of Michigan meet people from North Carolina and Duke, they are like enemies. The NCAA even deliberately promotes this hostile tendency...
In this situation, Liu Xiu estimated that Randolph might want to compete with Boozer, so he decisively led the topic in this direction.
"How could I be afraid of him?" Randolph raised his voice, but then he became unusually cautious: "Jace, don't underestimate Boozer. Although he was not drafted high, his talent and strength are not inferior to mine. In his rookie season, he averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds per game. The Cavaliers gave up Tyron Hill for him. In April last year, he averaged 12 points, 10 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 10 games. He was the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in the last month of last year."
Although Randolph and Boozer did not play against each other many times in college, there were a few times when they played against each other. Both of them were power forwards with floor skills, similar heights, and large tonnage. They could both occasionally take on centers... Every time they played against each other it was like a fight because they were both so strong.
Hearing that Randolph knew so much about Boozer's rookie year, Liu Xiu knew that this guy really took Boozer seriously as an opponent.
Liu Xiu nodded and said, "I understand. However, no matter how powerful he is, I still think that you, Zach, are the strongest among the young inside players."
Randolph liked this.
As Randolph became more and more aware of Liu Xiu's talent, Liu Xiu's praise weighed more and more in Randolph's heart, to the point where it could increase Randolph's confidence.
At first, Randolph just had a slight crush on Liu Xiu because Liu Xiu called him "Handesang", and later he and Liu Xiu got together and had something to talk about.
This kind of goodwill does not last long.
If Liu Xiu didn't have more things that Randolph could resonate with, and didn't have more common topics, they would gradually stop playing together. Neither of them was the type to take the initiative to manage a relationship.
But the fact that Liu Xiu learned to play post-up in just a few minutes made Randolph feel that they resonated with each other. They were all geniuses!
I am a genius, I am lazy, I am unruly, and I don’t care about other people’s opinions... These self-cognitions always make people who have these self-cognitions feel that they are very awesome, and it is other people’s problem if others don’t understand me.
After Liu Xiu's praise, Randolph gained confidence. Although he didn't get the upper hand when playing against Boozer in college, he didn't suffer any loss either. It was just a back-and-forth game.
Changing the subject, Randolph asked, "Jace, that first-round pick just now came to chat with you. Is he trying to make friends with you?"
"He came to see you too?"
"Yes, but I don't like him. I feel he is very hypocritical. I don't even know him, but he always says nice things to me..."
Liu Xiu knew what Randolph wanted to say. Randolph thought James was "pretending".
Liu Xiu said: "Maybe, but who doesn't like nice words?"
Randolph thought about it and felt that it made sense, but he didn't continue talking about it. He started talking to Liu Xiu about the game Empire 2 that they played together yesterday evening.
Liu Xiu and Randolph were chatting about the game, and their eyes moved around the locker room.
It has been a few days since the summer league gathering, and everyone on the Trail Blazers has started to change their mindset and do things differently.
There is more competition, conflicts are beginning to increase, teammates are more determined to stand on their side, and the hostile atmosphere continues off the court.
It has to be said that Quintl Woods, the future teammate of the official team, although not good at playing in the NBA, but after three games in the summer league, his overall performance is not inferior to Randolph. He is definitely a "strong" level player in the summer league.
In terms of performance, Liu Xiu was only third on the team, and he huddled together with Randolph. On the other side, Quinter Woods also had supportive teammates.
This has nothing to do with whether Liu Xiu and Randolph are more valued. Those who come to the summer league want to perform well and win the appreciation of the coach, or win the appreciation of the coaches of other teams, so the opportunity to perform is more important.
Kevin Pritchard, the Trail Blazers' chief assistant coach, likes to send Liu Xiu and Randolph to the court together. In this way, the point guard and power forward positions can only have a good relationship with Quintl Woods...
Liu Xiu felt a little annoyed at the beginning of this situation, but after playing a few games, he found that everyone was working hard. Everyone was afraid that their performance would decline, and everyone wanted to perform better. No one was stubborn enough to dig a hole for no reason, so he just ignored it.
It doesn’t matter if there’s opposition or if the relationship is getting worse…after the summer league is over, there’s no chance that we’ll meet again.
…
…
On July 10, the Orlando Summer League reached the penultimate day of competition.
LeBron James' performance brought a lot of heat to the league. He scored 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in his debut, which received very high evaluations. It also created the highest heat since the summer league, and made every game of James extremely hot afterwards.
But unfortunately, since the Orlando Summer League is only in its third year, there are only six teams participating, and there are not even any rematch games.
If there is anyone who can compare with James's popularity in the summer league, it is only Carmelo Anthony who is playing in the Southern California Summer League.
The media and experts have been arguing about who is better, James or Anthony. Today, the two were determined in one aspect.
Early in the morning, Nike officially announced that it had signed LeBron James with a super fat contract worth 90 million US dollars over 7 years, setting a new record for Nike's single endorsement fee!
As soon as the news came out, even the fact that Malone joined the Lakers with a minimum salary, Payton joined the Lakers with a two-year middle-class salary, and Kobe and O'Neal formed a shocking Big Four, were all affected a little.
But it's just a little bit. Outside of the circle of the Summer League, the Lakers forming the Big Four is the most shocking thing in the entire basketball world.
In the entire basketball world, what happened to James is not a small matter, but it is not a big deal either. After all, it is just an endorsement contract.
But the "world" has been narrowed down to the circle of this year's summer league, and that's the craziest thing!
Liu Xiu and several teammates learned the news while having dinner at a restaurant near the TD Waterhouse Center in Orlando.
"Zack, to be honest, I'm really envious." Liu Xiu was jealous, very jealous.
Randolph nodded in agreement.
After last season's playoffs, he knew he had the potential to shine, and he was looking forward to getting a big contract after his third or fourth year. His ultimate goal is to earn $100 million in his career.
Wow, James hasn’t even played a single NBA game, but his rookie contract plus endorsement contracts exceed $110 million!
Randolph is in this state, not to mention his teammates around him.
Reuben Bontger, his goal is to get a few more contracts and earn $10 million before leaving the NBA.
With a height of 213 cm, a weight of nearly 120 kg and excellent tactical awareness, Ruben Bontjie's goal is possible despite his very poor strength.
Travis Outlaw, a high school rookie, is a dreamer. He thinks the salary of his rookie contract is already too high and dreams of winning a championship.
Matt Carroll, Slavka Vounis... and other rookies who joined the Trail Blazers' summer league team after being undrafted or abandoned in the late second round only aim to get a contract.
Seeing James get this contract, shock, envy... hostility, all kinds of emotions emerged.
…
At 2:40 p.m., players from the Trail Blazers and the Cavaliers had already entered the court at the TD Waterhouse Center in Orlando.
The fans at the scene were very enthusiastic, with more than 80% of the 15,000 seats occupied. Almost all of the more than 60 players from other teams participating in the Orlando Summer League came to the scene.
Most of the looks James felt were not friendly.
Some people came to congratulate before the game, but they were few and most of them were jealous.
Even someone as calm as Liu Xiu became jealous when he heard the news even though he knew James would have such a contract, not to mention others.
It wasn't a big deal in the entire basketball world, but in the summer league circle, James became a thorn in the eyes of all his rookies and many young players in their second and third years.
James had already anticipated this situation.
He knows that not only his rivals who are also new generation players, but also those middle-aged and old-line superstars may target him because of endorsement contracts after he officially enters the NBA.
But that's what he wanted!
Only by defeating his opponents and sweeping away everything under such adversity can he truly conquer the basketball world.
Young people are always full of energy. What James wants now is to adapt to the NBA in one year, become a superstar in two years, and reach the top of the basketball world in three years... He has planned his own path.
He didn’t think too far ahead about whether the road was passable or not.
Now, feeling the envious and jealous eyes of his opponents in the same summer league, James felt a sense of pride from the bottom of his heart - this world, here I come!
Suddenly, James looked towards the opposite bench and saw the point guard he cared about, Liu Xiu, who was looking at him.
This opponent is the one James wants to conquer now! Start from here!
Strength is important, but suitability is the most important.
James just thinks Liu Xiu is one of the most suitable guards for him.
And James likes Liu Xiu's confidence.
You may not be the best, but you must be confident in the things you are good at. Otherwise, how can others trust you unconditionally?
At this moment, James seemed to see light in Liu Xiu's eyes. He didn't understand why, but he felt that if he defeated Liu Xiu at this time, he would be able to conquer this classmate with a very unique personality!
Having just entered society, even a mature person like James still has ideas about this kind of immature hero movie.
On the other side, the subtitles in front of Liu Xiu, which only he could see, read:
"The mission section has been opened. Trigger object: LeBron James. Mission: Gift on signing day. Objective: The host needs to help the Trail Blazers defeat the Cavaliers. Reward: BUFF: Reverse Conqueror."
