Generation Z Artists

Chapter 251 Pray to God, Los Angeles People

The opening game of the 2002-2003 NBA season, featuring the Washington Wizards hosting the Los Angeles Lakers, attracted the attention of fans worldwide.

Three major TV stations broadcast the event live simultaneously, while dozens of overseas TV stations rebroadcast it, and celebrities from all walks of life gathered at the MCI Center.

Before the game, the Wizards held a formal flag-raising ceremony, followed by the ring presentation ceremony.

There's nothing much to say about raising the flag. Fang Xinghe put his left hand on his chest, put on a solemn act, and let it go.

When the rings were being awarded, the atmosphere at the scene completely spiraled out of control.

Pauline, the notoriously stingy player, surprisingly spent millions of dollars to give a ring to every member of the team.

The staff's system is the simplest, while the players' systems are divided into three levels.

Those who didn't play in the Finals were in one tier, the starters and rotation players were in another tier, and in the last tier, Jordan and Fang Xinghe were in a separate tier, receiving two extravagantly designed diamond rings.

Platinum, large cabochon, outer ring of diamonds, core of ruby.

The side inscription reads: NBA Championship, 2001-2002 season, Washington Wizards, the Miracle Team.

Jordan and Fang Xinghe each have a separate inscription inside their rings.

Dane's words were: "An aging god is still a god. Thank you for your second comeback, the greatest GOAT in basketball history."

This ring also has a 7 shape woven from small diamonds, which looks really silly.

Fang Xinghe's inscription is—

"No honor can fully express your glory. The people of Washington will forever be grateful for your presence, Holy Son of Washington, great genius commander, Your Excellency Fang Xinghe."

There are many words, but that doesn't matter. The champion's ring stands out prominently, so it can hold as many words as it wants.

After receiving the ring, Fang Xinghe intently read the words inside, his expression solemn.

Gradually, tears began to glisten in his slightly reddened eyes.

After a while, he pursed his lips slightly, a bright smile appeared on his face, and he waved vigorously to the audience around him.

That smile held tears, forbearance, and relief.

Hmm, the more radiant it becomes, the more heartbreaking it becomes.

"Oh~~~"

The audience erupted in deafening cheers as his palms faced the viewer.

"Fang! Fang! Fang!"

The people of Washington loved this boy so much—a boy who was so deeply emotional yet always kept his passion hidden. He was so handsome, so outstanding, and so cautious…

Oprah sat in the TNT commentary booth and forcefully wiped away her tears.

Oh my god! I'm crying!

Our Fang, he's always like this, clearly passionate inside, but he's used to showing indifference...

He had no choice but to do it this way. Yes, I understand. He was an orphan who had to start living independently from a very young age. The world had never treated him kindly, yet he was better than anyone else.

I love him!
Yes, I love him, and you should love him too. Forget about skin color; he is just like us—the vast majority of working-class Black Americans—from head to toe!

We should regard him as an idol!
Learn everything about him!
Love him like you love your own child…

Very good, Brother Fang's performance has earned him another honorary Black citizenship.

But he deserved it. Just look at Hamilton and Robinson—one holding the ring and crying with his face covered, the other opening his mouth wide and chuckling foolishly. They had no interaction with the audience, and their emotions were so simple and stupid. How could they be likable?

Fang Ge is different; after his performance, he didn't forget to bring Da Dan along.

The two embraced briefly in front of the camera, then gazed into each other's eyes with genuine affection.

Dan gazed at Fang Xinghe and said emotionally, "Congratulations, boy, you finally have your first ring. You probably won't have a second one, but this one is the most legendary in NBA history, and I'm so proud of you."

Fang Xinghe patted Da Dan on the shoulder in response with a joke.

"Old man, you won't have another one like this. In the days without me, take good care of yourself, enjoy basketball, and hand this world over to the younger generation... I mean, those rookies in the league who might take over our legend."

By the way, isn't a new batch of handsome young men coming into the game next year? They should pick a good successor!

The radio broadcast their conversation to every corner of the arena, eliciting a burst of loud laughter.

Barkley laughed so hard he almost fell over, slapping the table repeatedly.

"Hahaha! Handing the world over to the young people... Star Real is fucking a super funny comedian! I love him!"

Kenny couldn't help but chuckle: "Yes, a great young guy... hahaha! Who's the youngest? LeBron James? Born on December 30, 1984, a full four months older than Star River..."

Anne Hathaway carefully wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, constantly murmuring to her companion, "He's so cute, really, he's so cute!"

Paris laughed and wiped his drool: "He's so delicious, really, he's so delicious!"

Okay, that's very American.

The female demons in different countries are all different. In America, they should be like this: "They're beautiful, and I want to sleep with them."

Wherever the camera panned, laughter and joy filled the air.

Is this joke really that funny?

No, it's just that the person telling this joke is so different that the more I think about it, the funnier it gets.

When it comes to dressing like an old-fashioned man, Fang Ge's move is the pinnacle of his era, and this scene is destined to become a classic anecdote in the NBA forever.

The cameras continued to pan across the scene, searching for celebrities and capturing their reactions.

Suddenly, the camera focused on an old man's face, and Barkley exclaimed, "Ha! Kenny, did you see LeBron a while ago? He's here too!"

"I do not have."

Kenny shrugged and laughed, “But I think all the rookies from the 03 draft class will come.”

“Yes.” Barkley nodded. “The potential of the 03 class is amazing. They could very well be another platinum generation, but they’re so unlucky—they ran into such a legend before they even entered the league, and he’s almost the same age as them… They’re so damn unlucky, haha!”

This guy laughs whenever he wants, which makes LeBron, Anthony, Wade, Bosh and others very embarrassed.

Especially the young emperor.

The camera focused on his face. He smiled shyly, then waved calmly, and finally made a zero gesture on his chest.

The host immediately gestured for a staff member to take a microphone and walk over to interview him.

Some things, just like in the history of the past, have finally happened as promised.

For example, LeBron James appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a high school senior.

Even Fang Xinghe could not diminish Americans' expectations and desire for a rising star.

But some things did indeed change under his influence.

In his previous life, LeBron James appeared on the magazine cover on February 18, 2002.

In this life, that issue's cover was shared by Fang Xinghe and Jordan, because the Wizards' record was about to collapse, and Fang Xinghe's vacation was about to end.

After about two months, LeBron finally won the title.

However, the news headline also changed.

The title of the previous life was "The Chosen One," referring to the famous chosen one.

The title of his current life has become "King James," which is the origin of his Chinese nickname "Little Emperor."

The Chosen One?
It's not that no one has considered this idea, but unfortunately, LeBron James is a bit too much for it.

The nickname "The Chosen One" didn't fall on Fang Xinghe, but it wasn't given to anyone else either.

When columnist Grant Wahl wrote that in-depth report, he simply added a sufficiently sensational subtitle: "High School Junior LeBron James Would Be No. 1 Pick In NBA Draft Right Now."

This means that even if LeBron James were to enter the draft now, he would still be the number one pick in the NBA draft.

He stepped on Yao Ming's foot, but didn't dare to mess with Fang Xinghe.

The basketball world today still operates on some principles; if you can't touch them, you can't touch them, unless LeBron James can lead his team to a championship in his rookie year.

When interviewed by the host, James replied shyly yet maturely: "You know, Star River is my idol, and I stand by that in any situation."

He has always inspired me; his ingenious tactics, his control of the court… I want to play like him. I'm so honored to have seen him play in person; I'm so excited. This will be a day I'll never forget.

Well, LeBron is very sincere because he really wants to control the ball like Fang Xinghe.

But what happened next completely stunned him.

……

Before the start of the competition, Fang Xinghe gathered everyone together and gave a rare pre-competition speech.

This is what he said: "Hey, brothers, forget everything I taught you before. Today you only have one task—fight, fight, and fucking fight!"

I am no longer your commander; I am just a retiring assault soldier.

Today, I'm going to crush Shaq, and you all need to clear the obstacles around me. Can you do it?!

Robinson pounded his chest and roared.

"can!"

Most people were like that, and their momentum was overwhelming.

Your Excellency Commander, you wish to indulge in a little indulgence? What's wrong? Something's not right? Absolutely right!

As a result, the competition was incredibly popular from the very beginning.

Shaq jumped for the ball and then darted to the Wizards' elbow area in a few steps. Facing Campbell, who was closely guarding him, he spun around and crouched down, as nimbly as a large feline, completing the behind-the-back positioning in 0.5 seconds.

Poor Campbell hadn't even had time to react before O'Neal successfully lobbed him.

"Wow!"

The commentators were met with screams.

"Shaq regained his peak agility after losing weight. This lean Shaq is like a magician comeback!"

Yes, this year's shark looks more like a magic shark.

He's physically fit, can run and jump, and his absolute strength is noticeably weaker than last year, but when he abandoned his lazy ways and returned to technique...

His strength, agility, jumping ability, and movement are all far superior to Campbell's.

"Roar!"

After scoring, O'Neal roared and slapped his chest hard at Fang Xinghe, unleashing all his fury right from the start.

Fang Xinghe was the same.

When it was the Wizards' turn to respond, Fang Xinghe walked to a meter outside the three-point line, faked a bow, forced Kobe to shift his center of gravity, and then forcibly accelerated.

There were no fancy moves, just a direct, hard-hitting attack.

Kobe turned to follow, but Fang Xinghe suddenly slowed down and blocked his way, forcing him to stop for a moment with his back shoulder.

With the same deceleration, Fang Xinghe accelerated again in the next instant, and Kobe, who wanted to keep up, was already powerless and could only watch helplessly as he charged towards the inside.

The distance is still too far. Given O'Neal's current condition, he should be able to react and adjust in time.

Take a step, jump, and raise your big hand high!
O'Neal didn't wait for Fang Xinghe to jump first before making his move; he just stood there blocking him, stubbornly and forcefully.

Similarly, Fang Xinghe ignored whether O'Neal tried to stop him or not and charged straight at him.

boom!
Two strong bodies collided in mid-air with a muffled thud, and Fang Xinghe was thrown backward without any resistance.

—The formulas for kinetic energy and momentum are there for all to see. With a weight difference of nearly half, Fang Xinghe could never knock O'Neal away with just his strength, unless he used a downward pressure or other leverage-assisted action, but that wouldn't be satisfying enough.

With a thud, O'Neal landed quickly and, having lost his balance, staggered back several steps.

At the same time, Fang Xinghe used the elasticity to make an incredible move.

He tensed his waist and abdomen in mid-air. Although he had already leaned back and bounced backward, completely losing his balance, he still managed to stabilize his upper body. Then, holding the basketball with one hand, he threw the basketball out in a sideways and backward posture.

No, that wasn't a shot, but an incredibly light and deft flick of the arm.

His forearm naturally extended, and with a gentle flick of his fingertips, as he finally landed on his bottom and slid backward, the orange sprite nimbly entered the net, making a crisp swishing sound.

"Fuck!"

His teammates rushed forward, surrounded him, patted him, and encouraged him.

"You're awesome!"

This is a move somewhat similar to Jordan's one-handed layup after hanging in the air.

The difference is that Fang Xinghe lost his balance more completely; his entire body was out of control due to the collision.

Only his right side could maintain stability, and it was with this slight limit of stability that he successfully threw a swish.

beep!
The referee blew his whistle, ruling the goal valid and that O'Neal had committed a foul.

It was actually a very clean move, but today is the Wizards' home game, and also the day for raising the flag and handing out rings.

In addition, considering the visual contrast in physique between the two sides, the referee decided to give the home team some face and allow Fang Sheng to have a pleasant night.

But Fang Sheng didn't want this kind of pleasure.

He caught the basketball thrown by the referee and casually slammed it at O'Neal.

It certainly doesn't hurt, but it's extremely humiliating.

Fang Xinghe's venomous little mouth was even more lethal.

He said, "Shaq, this free throw is a gift to you. Keep going, defend like you did before. I'm glad to see you finally face me like a man. Good, you've grown up."

Kobe, who was passing by, glanced at Fang Xinghe subconsciously, several big question marks appearing on his forehead.

Is this person's humiliating language endless?
What kind of insane and lewd words are these?!
Black people definitely fight more, both in intensity and frequency, than people in China, but they are really bad at swearing, so they don't have the resilience to be insulted.

Fang Xinghe's little chat made O'Neal blush on the spot.

But Fang just shrugged, calmly went back to defense, and finally stood in front of Kobe.

Campbell looked at the red-faced fat man trembling—Dad, you take him down whenever you get the chance, but do you remember who's actually getting beaten up?

Fang Xinghe: Bro, that's not important at all.

Campbell: Ouch... Holy crap!
Even a skinny shark is still a shark. With his most ferocious momentum, he slammed into Campbell several times, knocking him down under the basket.

But in the next round, Fang Xinghe's trial arrived as scheduled.

Kobe tried his best to stop him, but he simply couldn't keep up with Fang Xinghe's full-power V-shaped phantom step.

"Jesus!"

Kenny exclaimed, "Is the Star River even faster?"

Yes.

Because he didn't consider anything else and forcibly started three steps with the floating ball, Fang Xinghe finally unleashed his full speed.

It has a score of 99, putting it in the same category as Usain Bolt.

His legs aren't as long as Bolt's, but the three-point line on a basketball court isn't that big either. In just 0.5 seconds, he can drive from outside the three-point line to inside the free-throw line.

Once he reaches that distance, he can jump in any posture.

It must be admitted that, given Fang Xinghe's weight and impact, it would have been nearly impossible for him to dunk over O'Neal head-on.

He never actually managed to dunk on O'Neal.

However, he scored three baskets in five consecutive attacks and drew two fouls from O'Neal.

With a little over 7 minutes left in the first quarter, O'Neal was out.

Then, something surprising happened again to the fans and commentators at the scene.

After the Lakers lost their most important interior defense, Fang Xinghe stopped attacking the paint and instead launched two unreasonable three-pointers, followed by two sudden pull-up jumpers from mid-range.

They scored 4 consecutive goals, forcing the Lakers to call another timeout!

"My God! Star River's attacking intent is unusually strong today!"

Commentators from all sides exclaimed in disbelief.

"So far, he hasn't made a single pass; it's all been relentless, unstoppable attacks!"

Yes, tonight, Fang Ge practically forgot how to pass the ball.

Long-range three-pointers, pull-up three-pointers, step-back three-pointers inside the arc, pull-up jumpers after a quick step forward inside the arc, and fancy layups in the paint...

He played the entire first quarter, unleashing his full offensive potential, shooting 9-for-12 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line...

Crazy!
"Star River is on fire!"

Hubie screamed and clutched his head, groaning in pain.

"Today, he completely abandoned tactics and teamwork, trying to single-handedly dismantle the best team in the league... What's even more terrifying is that he's close to succeeding!"

Friends, we have never truly known the Star River!

Pray to God, Los Angeles residents!

(End of this chapter)