Chapter 1 Sam Goude

"Su, can you tell us, what exactly is that 'dribbling technique' you and Kobe used on the court today?"

As the saying goes, first come, first served. Mills handed the recording equipment to Su Feng while asking curiously.

Looking at the two middle-aged white men in front of him, who looked rather sleazy, were not very tall, and had cameras hanging around their necks, Su Feng initially thought he had encountered the legendary "perverts."

However, after Mills asked his question, Su Feng quickly realized what was happening.

Am I being interviewed?

Looks like it.

So, Su Feng subconsciously straightened his back. "Are you talking about the one where I go like this to the right, and then like this to the left?"

Mills and Marksen beside him nodded.

"That move? Kobe and I learned it from a friend in New York. We call it the 'Sam Goude,'" Su Feng replied.

"'Sam Goude'? That sounds like a person's name?" Mills asked.

"Yes, because the friend who created the move is called Sam Goude-Wells. He's the captain of the La Salle University basketball team," Su Feng replied.

"By the way, Su, the new season is about to start. What are your school's goals for this year?" Marksen, who hadn't had a chance to ask a question, saw that Mills was busy taking notes in his little notebook and hurriedly spoke.

"This year, our goal is to win the state championship. As you know, we have a very talented player in Kobe. He's practically the 'Michael Jordan' of high school basketball." Su Feng, who had wanted to boast about himself, saw Kobe passing by out of the corner of his eye and quickly said it seriously.

"What about your personal goals for the future?" Marksen asked casually.

"Me?" Su Feng scratched his head and then replied, "I want to play in the NBA."

Hearing Su Feng's answer, Marksen was stunned for a moment, and then he quickly glanced at Mills, who was still taking notes.

Thank goodness!

Thank goodness this idiot didn't hear!

Big news!

He didn't expect that his casual question would reveal such a treasure!

Although Sam Goude was very newsworthy in Marksen's opinion, ...

During his preliminary investigation, Marksen had already learned everything about Su Feng's background.

After all, as a professional basketball reporter, Marksen believed that if the first three questions you asked when interviewing an athlete were "What's your name?", "Can you introduce yourself?", "What do you think are your strengths?"...

Then it would be better not to ask...

Because that would be too amateur.

If the interviewee had to answer everything, what was the point of having a reporter?

Although he wasn't as quick-tongued as Mills, Marksen, who had a keen sense of news, knew that perhaps the truly explosive news was in his hands!

Because the Chinese international student in front of him... wanted to play in the NBA!

And in Marksen's opinion, it wasn't impossible.

After watching two of Su Feng's games in a row, even Marksen was optimistic about Su Feng's future.

Although Su Feng would face many difficulties in the future if he wanted to make it to the NBA, ...

What if he really did it?

As a sports reporter for the Philadelphia Evening News, Marksen was very clear about the personality of his editor-in-chief, Johansson.

Johansson was a complete gambler. He would bet as long as there was a 1% chance.

"The editor-in-chief will definitely agree to publish this news! Although this news may be laughed at by our peers in the short term, if Su really makes it to the NBA in the future... then, we will be the first media outlet to report this news!"

Although he was already 47 years old, the ideal of journalism had always been Marksen's lifelong pursuit.

Marksen was very clear that if this news became a reality in the future, then the news published by the Philadelphia Evening News would be the first, exclusive, and unreplicable report!

"Su, can I take a picture of you?" Marksen smiled at Su Feng.

For some reason, Su Feng always felt that the reporter's smile was rather sleazy...

However, Su Feng didn't think too much about it, because Marksen and Mills had both introduced themselves during the interview.

Su Feng had seen both of these newspapers after transmigrating. They were both the relatively serious type.

They shouldn't mess around... right?

Click!

Just like that, Marksen took a picture of Su Feng sitting on the bench holding a basketball.

On the other side, Mills, after interviewing Su Feng, also interviewed Kobe with the same questions. Obviously, he was very interested in the Sam Goude move.

"Sigh... my precious first interview!"

Life always has many firsts.

Su Feng, who originally thought that reporters wouldn't pay attention to him until the regular season started, never expected that reporters would come to his door before the regular season even began.

"Don't think too much. They're not here to do a special report on you. Believe me, they're just interested in 'Sam Goude.'"

Looking at Su Feng, who was a little self-absorbed, Kobe felt it was necessary to give Su Feng a reality check to wake him up.

"That's true." Su Feng nodded, thinking that Kobe was right.

That's why Kobe was truly an essential tool for basketball cultivation... cough, essential companion.

Not only could he train with you, but he could also provide psychological counseling to prevent you from becoming too inflated and losing sight of yourself.

In his heart, Su Feng quietly gave Kobe a big thumbs up.

...

Five days had passed since the game between Lower Merion and Chester High School.

New York, Fifth Avenue, Olympic Tower, NBA headquarters.

"David, I suggest you take a look at our financial statements. The financial estimates..."

"David, if the ratings continue to decline, I'm afraid we won't be able to..."

"David..."

"Okay, that's all for now."

After cursing the American national swear word in his heart, NBA President David Stern rubbed his temples and looked out the window meaningfully...

Sigh, it's another difficult year!

If he had to use one sentence to describe the mood of Stern, the little Jewish old man, at this time, it would probably be:

I... am too... difficult!

You see, for the NBA, which was caught in the cracks of the other three major North American sports leagues, how could the NBA's situation be anything but difficult?

Because the players were constantly making bad moves and using foul language on the court, even many American parents openly stated that they would boycott the NBA to prevent their children from learning bad habits.

Stern knew better than anyone that in the United States, basketball could no longer compete with American football or even baseball.

The NBA needed new audiences.

It needed a vast overseas market.

Therefore, in '92, after professional players were allowed to play in the Olympics, Stern immediately called on the stars to serve their country.

It could be said that in Barcelona, the Dream Team's style allowed countries around the world to experience the charm of the NBA for the first time.

But...

Stern always felt that he had the wrong script for everything that happened next.

Because weren't they supposed to start pushing forward on all fronts, and the NBA would lead a simple, unadorned, and tedious life under his leadership?

No!

None of it!

The '90s were different from the future. Except for a few players, most European basketball players were not interested in joining the NBA.

The most famous of them was the "White Magician," the King of Europe - Bodiroga.

Because in Bodiroga's view, I can make a lot of money playing in Europe, so why do I have to go to the NBA?

As one of the leading figures in European basketball at this time, even Bodiroga had such thoughts, which shows how limited the NBA's appeal was to European players.

So Stern was too difficult.

But it didn't matter. As an energetic president, even if the European market couldn't be opened up for the time being, Stern wouldn't give up.

Because Stern had discovered a new continent for the NBA's overseas market -

China.

When studying China's basketball history, Stern discovered that China's basketball history was almost as long as North America's. In fact, at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the old China had sent a basketball team.

These histories made Stern realize that China had a better basketball foundation than Europe.

Because the center of the world of football was in Europe, even if the NBA could intervene in the European market, its influence would be very limited.

But China was different.

So, in 1986, ignoring everyone's opposition and insisting that China would become the largest basketball market outside of the United States in the future, Stern mailed a few boxes of NBA videotapes to China's CCTV.

In Stern's view, although China was still in a state of disrepair, he firmly believed that China would rise, and the NBA had to enter the Chinese market as soon as possible.

In 1989, in order to further promote the NBA to China, Stern once again overruled the opposition.

This time, the little Jewish old man once again brought NBA videotapes and went to China alone.

Outside the then-old CCTV building, Stern, because he didn't have an appointment, waited bitterly for two hours before the little Jewish old man met the leader in charge of sports at CCTV at the time.

In the end, Stern moved CCTV with his sincerity, and if Stern's experience was described in a more modern way, it would probably be like this:

Stern: Our NBA is so good-looking, there's Jordan, Olajuwon, Shaq...

CCTV: But our programs are all scheduled.

Stern: That's okay, if it doesn't work, you can broadcast it as an advertisement!

CCTV: An advertisement? If you talk about that, I'm not sleepy, by the way, speaking of advertisements, how much money are you going to give?

Stern: orz.

It can be said that Stern's process of opening up the entire Chinese market was very difficult, but at the same time, this also proved Stern's vision.

In Su Feng's previous life, except for not calculating the various decisions made by LeBron James, Stern's judgments were basically correct.

Stern didn't have the ability to predict the future, but he had full sincerity.

In the early days of cooperation with CCTV, in Stern's own words: Don't talk to me about money, talking about money hurts feelings.

So, in the 93/94 season, the NBA officially invited CCTV to broadcast the NBA All-Star Weekend.

And after that, CCTV would broadcast the NBA All-Star Game every year.

Until...

A certain idiot who thought all of this was unnecessary appeared in the future...

"Sigh, although cooperation with China has taken shape, we still lack a bridge with China."

Although Stern had never read Chinese online novels, the president knew better than anyone that if he wanted to truly open up the Chinese market, the NBA had to have Chinese players.

Because Stern, who had worked hard to study Chinese culture, knew that this... was called a sense of immersion.

Just like a certain author named Shui Duanqiao always liked to write about handsome male protagonists, wasn't that all to make the readers feel more immersed?

In Su Feng's previous life, in addition to the well-known Wang Zhizhi, Battier, and Yao Ming, in fact, during this period, many NBA teams had also sent invitations to Hu Weidong, nicknamed "China's Jordan."

Because CCTV at the time felt that it should reciprocate with the NBA, so after the CBA was established, CCTV also mailed a highlight tape of the CBA to the NBA.

Later, after the video was broadcast, the Americans were interested in the thin, tall Chinese guard.

Because he had a gorgeous style of play and could fly and dunk.

Cough cough... it seems like I'm getting off topic.

Let's get down to business.

Worry!

Worry!

Worry!

Who can know the sorrow in my heart?

Just as Stern was drinking bitter coffee and feeling the bitterness in his heart, suddenly...

Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in." Stern straightened his emotions. After all, as the president, he had to have the president's demeanor. How could he be dejected?

"David... I have a newspaper here. Do you want to take a look?" A senior executive wearing a gray suit and looking a bit like an Asian was holding a newspaper and said to Stern.

"Mark, I don't think I'm in the mood to read the newspaper right now." Stern said to Mark.

"No, no, no, I think you have to take a look." Ignoring Stern's objections, Mark placed the newspaper in front of Stern.

"Huh?" Looking at the newspaper's headline, Stern was stunned for a moment...

"China's First NBA Player?"

Stern felt like his eyes were playing tricks on him, but... he was wearing glasses.

"Philadelphia Evening News?"

"It's not about a player from the Chinese men's national basketball team?"

"Su... Su Feng? Pennsylvania... Lower Merion?"

Looking at Stern, who was constantly sending him various question mark emoticons, Mark smiled and said, "This report is about a Chinese international student at Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia."

"The newspaper mainly introduces some of the Chinese international student's deeds, as well as his playing style and the data from his recent friendly matches."

Hearing what Mark said, Stern frowned. "Friendly matches? What about his data from his freshman and sophomore years? Why isn't it on here?"

"David, this Chinese player named Su has never played in a high school league before," Mark said.

"Never played, and they dare to..."

Originally, Stern wanted to say, this newspaper dares to write this about a player who hasn't even made an official appearance?

"The strange thing is that, according to my investigation, the Philadelphia Evening News is a very serious newspaper."

"But after they published this report, almost the entire industry laughed at them."

"Because in the eyes of industry colleagues, no matter how good this Chinese genius is, they should report on him after he has played a full season."

"Moreover, Marksen, the author of this article, used nine "I think" in a row at the end of the article to affirm the strength of this Chinese international student."

"Therefore, the industry feels even more that this report is unrealistic and just wants to hype it up," Mark said to Stern.

Actually...

Not only did these so-called industry insiders think so...

After reading the entire report and listening to Markel's explanation, Stern also thought so...

"So, Mark, today isn't April Fool's Day." Stern looked at Mark weakly.

"No, David, if it was just like this, I wouldn't find it strange, after all, this kind of hype is often seen." As he spoke, Mark took out another newspaper.

"Pennsylvania High School Basketball League Amazes with Divine Technique - Sam Goude"

"This is also a very popular report in the past two days, and ESPN has already played this video yesterday afternoon." As he spoke, Mark took out another box of videotapes. (Are you a Doraemon?)

Soon, in Stern's office, Stern watched the following scene through the videotape:

In the video, a yellow-skinned guard first used a dribbling technique that Stern had never seen before to shake off his opponent and complete a three-point shot, and then a black guard used the same method to complete the attack...

"I remember this number 33 kid. His name is Kobe, right? His father's name is Joe, a former NBA player." Stern said to Mark.

"Yes, that's right, David, do you know who the player who appeared first in this video is?" Mark asked.

Stern shook his head, and then his eyes widened.

"He is Su, the Chinese genius high school student Su mentioned in the report written by Marksen."

"Although I don't know if he can play in the NBA, after all, there is too little information to be obtained just by watching this video."

"But David... I think this might be an opportunity." Mark looked at Stern and said.

Stern knew what Mark was talking about.

The NBA and the Chinese market had always lacked a bridge.

And now...

What if this genius high school student named Su Feng could build this bridge?

In Stern's view, even if he couldn't play in the NBA in the future, it wouldn't matter.

Find a way to give him a back door, let him come to the NBA for a tryout, and find a team for him to play in the Summer League would also be a way!

Stern felt that his mood suddenly improved.

At this moment, Su Feng, who was practicing one-on-one with Kobe in Philadelphia, never dreamed that...

The big boss had already written down his name in his notebook.

...