"You really turned down Jessica for basketball?"
Kobe pulled Su Xi aside to talk to him privately. He found it unbelievable. In his mind, how could anyone turn down such a beautiful superstar just for basketball?
Many NBA superstars dreamed of dating a Hollywood actress. It wasn't that they couldn't sleep with more beautiful women, but the added fame of an actress gave them a powerful sense of conquest.
"What else?" Su Xi looked at Kobe seriously. He trusted Kobe, so he told him, "I have a goal. I want to win an NBA championship within five years. Almost a year has passed already. I have no time to waste."
A five-year plan? An NBA championship?
It sounded a bit absurd. There was only one NBA champion each year. Even among the four-hundred-plus top players in the world, more than ninety-five percent of them would never win a championship. Su Xi wasn't even in the NBA yet, and he might not even rank in the top one hundred in the NCAA.
It was the kind of plan that would get you laughed at the moment you said it out loud.
But Kobe didn't do that.
His expression was serious.
This was familiar territory for Kobe Bryant. He had once made a five-year plan himself. When he first entered the NBA, he was brimming with confidence, telling himself: Dominate the NBA in three years, surpass Jordan in five.
Now... seven years had passed, and he was still Shaquille O'Neal's little brother, the Lakers' number 1.5 guy.
That's why he wanted to build his own crew. He liked Su Xi. The kind of like that was very, very strong.
Su Xi had a cool personality, an unselfish playstyle, a tough attitude, a passion for defense, a proactive approach to training, and a deep love for basketball... These were all things Kobe admired most. If Su Xi were a woman, Kobe might have been just as impulsive as Jessica.
"Good. I like your passion for the game. But I don't think dating gets in the way of playing basketball. I can teach you a few things. If you come play in Los Angeles, you can be with Jessica whenever you want."
Kobe said, "So what do you say? Come to the Lakers. I'll get you a late first-round draft pick. The Lakers' management has to give me face."
Although Su Xi had never thought he couldn't make it to the NBA, receiving offers from both Larry Bird and Kobe in the same day—with Kobe even guaranteeing a late first-round pick—was a huge surprise.
Over the past few months, McNamara and Hakeem had been worrying every day about impressing NBA teams. Their anxiety became palpable as the national tournament approached.
Now, Su Xi, who was thought to have no chance of entering the NBA, had received a draft promise from the league—and from a true shot-caller, no less.
Su Xi felt a surge of joy for a dozen seconds before he calmed himself. He asked Kobe, "Are there many talented players on the Lakers?"
Kobe hadn't expected Su Xi to ask that question.
But he still answered him seriously, "Shaquille O'Neal is the most talented center in history. Bar none."
Su Xi nodded. He said, "Okay."
"Remember, when you get to the Lakers, you don't hang out with O'Neal. You're my guy. Also, after you declare for the draft, don't go around doing workouts for other teams. I don't want anyone else to get you."
Kobe said domineeringly.
Su Xi felt a bit weird. He looked at Kobe. 'It's one thing for Jessica to say that kind of "domineering CEO" stuff to me; when she says it, I actually find it kind of pleasant. But why are you parroting her?'
"I'm not interested in men. Please choose your words more carefully in the future," Su Xi formally warned Kobe.
He turned and walked away.
Kobe was stunned for a long moment. Then, the iceberg-like man broke into a smile, a radiant one.
It had been a very, very long time since he had been this happy.
Vanessa came over and asked Kobe, "What did Jack say to make you so happy? Is that guy gay? How could he reject a total bombshell like Jessica?"
"Uh..." Kobe started laughing again. "He just told me he's not interested in men and that I should choose my words more carefully."
"HAHAHAHA." Vanessa burst out laughing too.
They both thought Su Xi was very humorous.
...
McNamara didn't think Su Xi was humorous at all. He sat next to Su Xi, completely out of sorts.
On one hand, he was dying to know how Su Xi met Jessica Alba.
On the other hand, he was miserable and couldn't believe it. Why did Jessica Alba have to like Jack so much? Couldn't she like someone else? Did she have to fall for his roommate?
Jessica Alba had always been a goddess in his heart, lofty and unattainable. Now, the goddess had descended to the mortal world, taken an interest in his roommate, and become entangled in his life. His mind was a mess.
It was like this for two or three days straight.
On the bus back to the hotel, he suddenly asked Su Xi, "How did you meet Jessica?"
Su Xi answered truthfully, telling him they had only met a day ago.
"You only met a day ago, and she's already so in love with you? And she kissed you first?" He was shocked, his tone tinged with a slight anger.
Su Xi said honestly, "Actually, she already kissed me yesterday. Twice."
"I'm gonna kill you!!!" McNamara cried out in anguish, pulling at his own hair.
Silence...
On the plane back to New York, he asked again, "Jack, are Jessica's lips really soft? Does it feel like kissing a marshmallow? Is it different from kissing other women? She must smell amazing all over, right?"
"They are pretty soft, and she smells nice. But I've never kissed any other women..." Su Xi was still being honest.
"If Jessica Alba keeps pursuing you, you should just say yes. She's a good person, and you're a good person. I'd feel at ease if she married you..." McNamara suddenly became sentimental for no reason.
"..." Su Xi was getting really exasperated by him.
Back at school, the guy suddenly pulled out a box of Jessica Alba merchandise. He said, "You can have all of this."
A moment later, he said, "I can't give this one away. Or this one. This one has meaning, and that one has meaning."
Su Xi thought he'd lost his mind.
On the way to the Madison Square Garden Arena in New York, the guy was still talking, "Jack, what kind of condoms do you use? Next time you two go on a date, I can get you some..."
"Shut up!"
Su Xi glared at McNamara. McNamara was getting more and more ridiculous.
'So a female superstar is chasing me. What's the big deal?'
'He's acting like he's gone completely insane.'
Su Xi didn't understand the simp mentality of these die-hard fans.
...
The three musketeers of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons were in a state of utter despair. As the No. 2 seed, they had been upset by the No. 10 seed, Auburn University. Before the game, they had been confidently vowing to take care of Su Xi. The final score: 62-68.
They had been directly eliminated by Auburn University.
They lost their chance to face Syracuse University, their run ending in the Sweet Sixteen.
Syracuse University would thus return to their home court, facing Auburn University at Madison Square Garden Arena.
Auburn University managed to pull off the upset against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons because their ace, Marquette Daniels, had an outstanding performance. He dropped 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists for the game, completely overshadowing Wake Forest's three musketeers. (It's worth noting that in the future, Auburn's Daniels and Wake Forest's Josh Howard would become teammates on the Mavericks, forming the famous duo known as the "Dallas Uglies.")
Besides their ace, Daniels, Auburn University's other heavyweight star was Mark Killingsworth. His official height was 201 cm, though his actual height was probably only around 197 cm. However, he weighed 130 kg and possessed a terrifying 221 cm wingspan. He was a five-star high school recruit in 2001, ranked in the top three nationwide.
If he had entered the draft in 2001 as a high schooler, he might have been a lottery pick.
The 2001 draft was chaotic; another high schooler, Kwame Brown, even ended up as the first overall pick because of it. The equally talented Killingsworth might have also had a chance to be misjudged by Michael Jordan. After all, NBA lottery picks are all about potential.
Another player to watch on the Auburn Tigers was Steve Levin. At 198 cm, he was a tall point guard. He was instrumental in their victory over Wake Forest, causing the complete collapse of Wake Forest's defense at the top of the arc.
After reading Auburn University's scouting report, Su Xi was exceptionally excited.
All three of these players made him feel a strong urge to match up against them.
He loved Killingsworth's strength, Daniels's all-around game, and Levin's flexible talent that allowed a 198 cm player to contort his body into various positions with ease.
He realized this game would bring a great harvest for his talent integration.
...
...
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