Of course, besides them, Zhang Weiping was also there.
But compared with those big media, he only had one position, which was a bit shabby in that corner.
There is nothing that can be done about it. The Chinese market is huge, but the NBA hasn't opened up much yet, so the attention media professionals receive is naturally limited.
So we can imagine why Zhang Weiping went to the Staples Center specifically.
As the first domestic media person to set foot in the NBA, he is the person who most hopes that Sun Hao will be selected besides Sun Hao.
Think about the reaction of domestic fans when Wang Zhizhi was selected, and you will know how great an impact Sun Hao would have if he made it to the first round and landed in the NBA.
The star effect is most obvious in sports.
Sun Hao and his team were located not far from the media area.
After everyone else sat down, he and Su Qun went to the media area to chat with Zhang Weiping.
Zhang Weiping's face was full of smiles, and he couldn't hide his joy.
He has been a reporter in the United States for several years, but he feels lonely squatting in a corner every year.
In the past drafts, he was basically looking at flowers in the fog and the moon in the water, which had little to do with him.
We finally waited until last year for Wang Zhizhi to be selected, but he was in China and couldn't come.
This was the first time in all these years that he was able to chat with Chinese people participating in a talent show.
That kind of joy really can't be hidden.
"Xiao Sun, you have been chosen to go on stage and take a photo with Stern. I have a small national flag here, the kind that can be stuck. Stick it inside your suit and show it when you take the photo. This will also be considered our China's No. 1."
Sun Hao took it with a smile and stuck it to the inside of his suit.
"Don't be nervous. I've already talked to Kupchak. He's really happy with you. You just need to wait to go on stage."
Zhang Weiping came over and said in a low voice, then couldn't help laughing and patting Sun Hao on the shoulder.
"When you come down from the stage later, there will be an ESPN reporter interviewing you, followed by other media, and finally our CCTV exclusive interview. You can think about what to say in advance."
Sun Hao nodded. Zhang Weiping was really more dedicated than himself.
While chatting, Sun Hao noticed someone looking at him, and when he turned around, he saw it was the "magician".
Johnson is the top point guard in NBA history, even though he only played for 13 seasons.
If it weren't for AIDS, his career might have lasted 15 seasons or even closer to 20.
After all, the point guard has the longest career of all positions.
But there are no ifs.
He retired in 1991 due to AIDS. After returning for one season in 1995, Johnson completely gave up professional basketball.
After retiring, he used his outstanding IQ and EQ to create his own business empire, with assets of "Magic Johnson Entertainment" reaching 2 billion.
He himself had some free time and became a special guest of the NBA, going to the commentary booth from time to time to experience it.
When Sun Hao looked over, the magician gave him a sweet smile.
Sun Hao also responded with a smile.
Fortunately, it’s a magician, not the magician’s son.
Johnson is a Lakers legend, the kind of person who has the "Lakers" label in his bones.
His smile only meant one thing, that he already regarded Sun Hao as a "Laker".
It seems that everything has been decided by Sun Hao for the Lakers.
In fact, this kind of thing is normal in the NBA draft in this era.
Due to the lack of information, many teams may not know the players they want to select at all.
So that kind of interception usually happens to popular rookies.
Sun Hao has nothing to do with being popular.
After chatting with Zhang Weiping, Sun Hao and Su Qun returned to their seats and waited.
It was not until then that Sun Hao discovered that Fu Baoluo had returned.
This guy has not been seen all day.
"Where have you been?"
Sun Hao couldn't help but ask.
"Go meet with the general managers of each team. I just finished talking to Zanik."
After Fu Baoluo finished speaking, he picked up the bottle of mineral water and gulped it down. It seemed that he was so busy that he didn't even have time to drink water.
"What are you talking about?"
"I said you were a Christian."
“…”
Sun Hao felt a little overwhelmed.
Most people in the United States know that Utah is home to a large number of Mormons .
Mormonism is a branch of Christianity. Fu Paul is trying to get close to it again, and he is very thick-skinned.
But this is completely understandable. If he can impress the Jazz, Sun Hao can soar to the 23rd pick.
The higher the ranking, the more attention the team will pay to you.
This is also the reason why Sun Hao said he would give priority to the ranking when Fu Paul asked him.
"you are Christian?"
Su Qun suddenly came over and asked.
He is just a curious and questioning baby.
This is also a common problem among writers, because their minds are full of thoughts about the articles, their attention is sometimes distracted and sometimes not, making them look not very smart.
Sun Hao and Fu Baoluo looked at each other and couldn't help laughing.
You, just go and write your article.
After a while, the draft teams of each team began to enter the venue.
There are many offices on the second floor of Madison Square Garden, which will be assigned to each team during the draft.
During the draft, each team will print the final draft results on a piece of paper, then put the paper into a sealed envelope and send it to the league's draft office.
Finally, Stern took the envelope to the front desk and announced the final result.
This is why fans see Stern opening envelopes after every draft.
Even in the future when information becomes more developed, this tradition will continue.
Sun Hao and his friends were chatting when suddenly a tall figure appeared behind them.
Sun Hao turned around and found that it was old Nelson.
Old Nelson is also a retired professional player. He is nearly two meters tall. After retirement, he gained weight and became huge, giving people a great sense of oppression.
Coupled with his usual roaring style when coaching, he makes people feel intimidated without even getting angry.
However, when he saw Sun Hao, he smiled and extended his hand.
This old man seems to be very interested in him.
He chatted with Sun Hao for a few words, all of which were insignificant. When Harris called out from the other side, he smiled and shook hands with Sun Hao and prepared to leave.
"I'll wait for you in Dallas."
Before leaving, old Nelson said this.
Domineering president.
It felt like he was going to Dallas.
Sun Hao was confused after hearing this.
The Mavericks' second-round pick this year is 31st, which is very high, but the Lakers are 29th.
Didn’t the Mavericks receive information that the Lakers wanted to select him?
This is unlikely.
Or did the Mavericks receive the message that the Lakers did not select him?
Or, are the Mavericks going to select him with the 12th pick?
Sun Hao thought about it and shook his head.
The more I think about it, the less plausible it seems.
As expected, when it comes to talent shows, you really don’t know what’s going to happen until it starts.
As time passed, Barkley and others in the media area had already started to warm up the atmosphere.
Who will be the top scorer?
Turkoglu, who was originally aiming for fifth place and third place, has been falling in the rankings since the tryout. Where will the ranking stop?
Predicted lottery pick Jamal Crawford faced off against "Streetball King" Alston at Rucker Park today, and the two were evenly matched.
The tacos Barkley's wife made today were super delicious.
…
From basketball to basketball, from basketball to something that has nothing to do with basketball.
When it comes to commentary, Barkley really has total control and is able to grasp the audience's thoughts perfectly.
Because they were close, Sun Hao could probably hear clearly what they were saying.
"Kenny, do you have enough $1,000 today?"
As they were chatting, Barkley suddenly asked.
Kenny Smith didn't react at first, and only after he reacted did he realize that he was talking about the previous bet.
"How do you plan to spend it?"
Smith replied with a smile that Barkley felt like he had already won.
"Christina's tenth birthday is coming up soon, and I've already prepared something to buy her. She loves hats near Broadway."
Barkley had really thought it through, even deciding where to buy it.
This made both Ernie Johnson and Magic laugh.
"I can give the hat to Christina as a birthday present, but you are doomed to lose tonight, Magic, tell him who the Lakers are going to pick tonight."
Smith can't wait to see Barkley embarrass himself.
The magician laughed but said nothing. The draft hadn't started yet, so he wouldn't reveal any information.
The fight between these two is really funny.
Sun Hao was also enjoying the performance from the back. You know what, this scene was really similar to the crosstalk in China.
Watching crosstalk, time passes quickly.
More than two hours later, Stern walked out from behind the scenes, smiling.
Sun Hao also turned his attention to the stage.
Stern is now fifty-eight and most of his hair is white.
Just like people only realized the greatness of Van Gogh's paintings after his death, in history, it was not until Stern retired that fans realized how great his contribution to the NBA was.
It was this old man, nearly 60 years old, who pushed the NBA to the world step by step and created a golden age of basketball.
Smart, wise and far-sighted.
Of course, fans haven’t realized this yet.
When he came out, there was a lot of booing.
The NBA experienced its fourth lockout in history last year. Stern's tough attitude during the negotiations caused dissatisfaction among many fans.
Coupled with some usual refereeing script issues, all dissatisfaction was vented at the draft.
In particular, most of the people at the scene were New York fans, most of whom were there to watch the fun and not mind making trouble.
Stern was very calm. He kept his head down and said nothing. Only after the booing stopped by itself did he speak with a smile.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Warmly welcome everyone to the talent show..."
With Stern's familiar words, the curtain of the 2000 NBA Draft officially opened.
"The first pick in the first round of 2000 belongs to the New Jersey Nets. They have five minutes to think about it."
After Stern finished talking about the ownership of the No. 1 pick, he went backstage.
That night, he went in and out of that door twenty-nine times.
After Stern left, the scene became unusually noisy.
Who the Nets will select as the No. 1 pick is a topic that fans and the media have been discussing since before the end of the season and are still discussing it today.
It is still far from his potential ranking, so Sun Hao is in a relatively relaxed state of mind.
Many familiar scenes also came to his mind.
The New Jersey Nets were founded in 1967 and are one of the original 11 teams in the ABA.
Basketball wasn't as popular in the 1960s, and the team's experience during that era was as difficult and turbulent as most other teams.
This team could even be described as being on the move, as they had to play between six different cities in the first season.
But there is something very special about this team, it is a New Jersey team with a New York label.
As the name suggests, this team, which was originally labeled as New Jersey because it was founded in New Jersey, actually spent most of its time in New York.
From the Cormack Arena on Long Island, New York, to the Island Garden Arena in West Hampstead, and even the future Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
What they have been doing is getting close to New York, the most beautiful goddess in North America, and then entering her.
So for New York fans, even though the Nets are called the New Jersey Nets, they all know that it is a New York team.
This is another reason why the scene is so noisy.
The Nets are their second home team.
The advantage of being a time traveler is that Sun Hao is now like God, and he knows that Martin will be elected as the top scholar.
So when Su Qun and Lasso were arguing about who was the top pick, he could just be a happy spectator.
Five minutes later, Stern reappeared on stage.
"With the first pick in the first round of the 2000 draft, the New Jersey Nets select... Kenyon Martin, a 6-foot-6 power forward from the University of Cincinnati."
When Stern announced the result, cheers from New York fans rang out.
The argument between Su Qun and Lazo beside Sun Hao finally stopped.
Martin, like Duncan, finished four years of college before entering the NBA. He had excellent college statistics and outstanding physical talents.
However, the two players' playing styles are actually completely different. The Nets were somewhat helpless in choosing him even though the latter was injured.
They are lucky, with only a 4.4% chance of getting the No. 1 pick;
But unfortunately, they caught up with a draft class that was almost devoid of talent;
The last rookies included Brand, Francis, and Odom, and the next rookies include Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, and Joe Johnson.
But this time, they have no one to choose except Martin.
The so-called top pick is the kind that can be used to build a team.
Swift can indeed run and jump like a deer as Barkley said, but even if he jumps into outer space, it cannot change the fact that his skills are crude.
Not to mention Darius Miles and Marcus Fizer, they are far inferior to Martin.
However, Sun Hao, as a time traveler, doesn't think so.
Whether a rookie can succeed actually has a lot to do with the environment.
If Kwame Brown hadn't gone to Jordan's Wizards, if Milicic hadn't gone to Larry Brown's Pistons, their achievements would definitely be better than in history.
Similarly, if you put Rose and Wade in this era, because of the handcheck rule, their performance will definitely not be as good as in history.
After all, there are few historical superstars like O'Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who are strong enough to change the rules. Most players can only adapt to the rules and the environment.
The draft is still going on, and the team's choices are not much different from what Sun Hao knows.
With the second pick, the Vancouver Grizzlies selected Swift, an inside spring;
The third pick was 6-foot-6 big man Darius Miles of the Los Angeles Clippers;
The Chicago Bulls selected Marcus Fizer, a short and stocky center who is 2.03 meters tall and weighs 117 kilograms, with the fourth pick;
The Orlando Magic selected 6-foot-3 small forward Mike Miller with the fifth pick.
The choices of each team are the same as what Sun Hao knows.
Four of the top five picks are inside players!
Because of Jordan's second retirement, super centers like O'Neal and Duncan began to dominate the league.
Just like when teams chose swingmen to defend Jordan, teams now target big men.
I don’t ask for the next Duncan O’Neal, but at least I want to pick someone who can compete with them on the court.
Even at this moment, Sun Hao suddenly felt that the one-size-fits-all height policy in China was largely influenced by the NBA.
It's just like most things, they just copied others, and problems arose because of a one-size-fits-all approach in order to save trouble.
He didn't think too much about it when he first traveled through time, but now he suddenly realized that instead of spending a lot of time and effort on reform, it would be better to solve the problem from the source.
What if the person who dominated this era was not O'Neal or Duncan, but him.
Then the NBA will naturally shift from the swingman era of Jordan to the inside era of O'Neal and Duncan, and then to his point guard era.
The domestic atmosphere will naturally change accordingly.
This can be called: the guiding force of the league's number one player.
This is true. Unless one experiences it in person, even a time traveler would not be able to imagine this.
Moreover, when he was in Europe, he set a big goal to make basketball the world's number one sport.
Before that, becoming the No. 1 player in the NBA is another big goal he has to accomplish.
As he was thinking, his thoughts were brought back by the voices of Barkley and others.
Before we knew it, the draft had reached the eleventh pick.
After Stern announced that the Celtics used this pick to select Jerome Moiseau, another 6-foot-9 inside big man, Barkley and the others started talking again.
"I just saw Nelson go over to say hello to the Suns. Do you think the Mavericks will be able to select him with this pick?"
Kenny Smith brought up a topic.
"You're crazy, Kenny, you're crazy!"
Barkley spoke loudly.
"Who the hell uses a lottery pick to pick a 6'8" point guard who's not Isaiah Thomas or Allen Iverson."
"Well, I'm just saying, but the Lakers will take the Suns and I'll still win."
Sun Hao didn't understand what the word "sun" meant at first.
After they chatted for a while and he noticed that it was a name, he realized that the sun was referring to himself.
Barkley and his friends gave him a nickname on the show that day, and they actually used it.
After a while, Stern came out again.
He announced the Mavericks' twelve-overall selection.
Etan Thomas, 6'08", 117kg inside player.
Just like in history.
No matter how much old Nelson likes Sun Hao, there is no way he would choose him with a lottery pick.
"Kenny, I don't mean to hit you, but as a big shot, I have to tell you some harsh truths."
Barkley gained the upper hand and began to pursue the victory.
"Do you know who the head coach of the Lakers is? Phil Jackson! Do you know what kind of point guard Phil likes? Tall point guard!"
Buckley drew his sword and went straight for Smith's head.
This really left Smith speechless.
Phil Jackson likes to play triangle offense and particularly advocates triangle offense.
In this offensive system, the inside players and guards are the dominant ones, and all others have to do is cut in and defend.
So this is why he likes tall guards.
Because the tall guard has a large defensive area, combined with the shooting guard and small forward as his partners, the opponent's offense can be completely blocked outside the free throw line.
This is also the reason why Smith was speechless. Although he is not as famous as Barkley, he has played against the Bulls many times during his time on the Houston team.
There is actually nothing wrong with what Barkley said.
Sun Hao rubbed his hands unconsciously at this time. He felt that the draft promise was not so stable.
And slowly, as his draft pick went down, he became uncontrollably nervous.
The draft is going on quickly and it will be the Jazz's turn soon.
Sun Hao's nervousness reached a peak at this time.
Among the teams he tried out for, the Jazz had the highest pick.
"In the 2000 first round, with the 23rd pick, the Utah Jazz selected Dee… Sean Stevenson, a 1.96-meter shooting guard from Fresno Washington Union High School."
The Jazz chose Stevenson.
This choice is reasonable. The Jazz are known for their iron-bloodedness and they prefer outside players with strong defensive capabilities.
As for whether it is suitable for pick-and-roll tactics, as Zanik said in a previous interview, their coaching staff will solve this problem.
In the media area, Barkley continued to shout at Smith.
As the first round of the draft draws closer, his chances of winning the bet become increasingly likely.
"Sun, don't worry about it. European defenders didn't even have a chance of making the first round before."
Lazo began to comfort Sun Hao. When they were chatting during the day, he also learned about Sun Hao's tryout.
"I know."
Sun Hao's emotions didn't fluctuate much.
In fact, this result was expected.
Several other teams have made draft promises to him openly or privately.
The Jazz didn't have it. It was normal not to choose him, and it was a surprise to choose him.
The Jazz didn't make the choice, and his nervousness slowly eased.
In that case, he should just wait patiently until the Lakers.
If the Lakers don't pick him in the end as Barkley said, he will go to the Mavericks.
There's nothing wrong with playing with Nowitzki under Nelson.
And there is another advantage of the second round. At this time, there is no Arenas clause, so he can seize the opportunity to get more money.
After all, the rules were imperfect at that time, and the money earned in the early part of the second round could easily be more than that earned at the end of the first round.
He can even take the opportunity to turn the Arenas clause into the Sun Hao clause, which is not a loss.
“Where’s Rich Paul?”
Su Qun spoke at this time.
Sun Hao also noticed that his agent had disappeared again without him noticing.
After he relaxed, he wanted to complain about the other party's attempt to get close to him by using Christians but it didn't work.
“First round, 24th pick in 2000.”
Stern came out from backstage for the 24th time.
"The Chicago Bulls select ... Sun Hao, a 1.83-meter point guard from China."