The longest river

Chapter 18 The Inglewood Big Three
"Clap clap~"

Just then, a round of applause broke out.

Yang Shuai and Pierce turned around in the direction of the sound and discovered that Thaddeus had arrived at the arena at some point.

Their attention was completely focused on the game, and they didn't notice the other side's arrival at all.

"Paul, let me introduce you. This is a basketball prodigy I brought back from Ohio. His name is Hansen Young, and he will be joining our team." Thaddeus looked at Young with delight in his eyes.

His impression of Yang Shuai was still from the last championship. He never expected that Yang Shuai's strength would improve so much in just three months.

He has even higher expectations for the team's performance in this AAU tournament.

“Paul Pierce.” Pierce reached out his hand to Yang Shuai.

His gaze toward Yang Shuai was equally enthusiastic, not only because Thaddeus had said Yang Shuai was his teammate, but also because Yang Shuai's performance in the one-on-one duel had earned his approval.

Ultimately, Pierce was unable to keep his promise to retrieve the ball for Yang, because Thaddeus drove them to Los Angeles.

Upon arriving in Los Angeles, Thaddeus had other matters to attend to, so he arranged a time and place to meet them before leaving.

Pierce took Yang Shuai on a tour of Los Angeles.

"This is Fox Hill Mall, the girls' favorite place to shop. It's where you buy cinnamon rolls. Have you ever had a cinnamon roll? Boss, I'll have a cinnamon roll."

Once they started wandering around, Pierce's mouth never stopped.

This was the first time Yang Shuai had ever met someone so talkative.

However, he could fully feel Pierce's enthusiasm. As the saying goes, no fight makes a friend, and that intense one-on-one duel brought the two of them closer together.

While enjoying cinnamon rolls that were sweet enough to send you flying to the moon, they walked into the busiest street, Xiao Street.

The population density here has suddenly increased dramatically, and luxury supercars appear on the road every now and then, with breathtakingly beautiful women sitting in the passenger seats.

Yang Shuai and Pierce were both captivated and couldn't look away.

On their way out of Shaw Street, they bought two tucks.

This food is not unfamiliar to Yang Shuai. James's viral "taco Tuesday" video made this food popular in China for a while.

However, this tuck tastes completely different from what he ate in his previous life; to put it simply, it's delicious.

It seems that James really enjoys eating when he made that video.

While they were eating takraw, they even witnessed two gangs fighting each other in the street.

The onlookers seemed used to it; they enjoyed the spectacle.

After a while, Thaddeus came to fetch them.

Thaddeus led them out of the city, but not back to Inglewood; instead, they headed northwest.

"Look, Hollywood!" Pierce's shout drew Yang Shuai's attention.

On the distant hillside, Hollywood's iconic metal frame stands.

Yang Shuai's impression of this thing dates back to the movie "King Kong". When King Kong returned to Hollywood to find the female lead, he climbed up there to look out over the city.

"It's a pity it's not at night, otherwise it would look even better with the lights on," Thaddeus's voice came from the front seat of the car.

Yang Shuai couldn't help but recall the scene in "The Aviator" where Leonardo DiCaprio was flying a plane overlooking the Los Angeles night view.

Thaddeus took them to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame, to see the stars that famous people have left there.

This is Michael Jackson's, and that is the prince's.

Thaddeus then drove them into Beverly Hills, where mansions were arranged like exhibits in a museum.

Yang Shuai was experiencing intense emotional turmoil.

Having lived two lives, this was the first time he had experienced the world of the wealthy up close.

Of course, it was also the first time he had experienced the charm of a big city like Los Angeles.

Although his parents treated him very well in his previous life, he was only a high school student and had basically never left the small city where he was born.

But now, he has experienced the charm of big cities and understands why so many people in China flock to them.

"Keep working hard, and one day you too will own a house here."

After Thaddeus said that, Yang Shuai could understand why the other party had brought them around here.

This is not only to broaden their horizons, but also to enhance their motivation to play.

In the United States, as long as you play sports well, you can transcend social classes and go from an ordinary person to a millionaire.

They didn't stay overnight in Los Angeles. After leaving Beverly Hills, Thaddeus took them back to Inglewood and then visited the Western Forum.

Since it was a non-match day, the stadium is normally not open to the public, but it's unclear how Thaddeus managed to get into the stadium.

Standing in the center of the court and looking around, Yang Shuai felt a surge of excitement.

When he was standing outside, he felt that this place resembled the Roman Colosseum, and now that he was inside, that feeling was even stronger.

This was without an audience; if there were an audience, it's unimaginable how thrilling it would be.

"I will make it to the NBA and become a part of the purple and gold glory," Pierce declared, looking at the championship banners hanging above his head.

Although he was born in Orlando, he moved to Inglewood with his parents at a young age, so in a sense, this is his hometown, and playing for his hometown team is every child's dream.

After leaving the Western Forum arena, Thaddeus brought up Yang Shuai's accommodation for the night.

Since they were only departing for Las Vegas two days later, he was planning to book a hotel for Yang Shuai in Inglewood. "Coach, let Hansen stay at my house," Pierce suddenly suggested.

“As long as Hansen is willing, I certainly won’t have any objections.” Thaddeus smiled and looked at Yang Shuai.

Pierce also looked at Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai nodded.

"That's fantastic!" Pierce exclaimed excitedly, clearly showing that his fondness for Yang Shuai had skyrocketed throughout the day.

Unlike Rondo, Pierce comes from a typical single-parent African American family, but his family is better off than Rondo's because Pierce has two older brothers who have already started working.

In Pierce's bedroom, Yang Shuai saw a poster just like the one in Rondo's room, except that the person on the poster was not Jordan, but "Magic" Johnson.

For the boys in Los Angeles, especially in Inglewood, Johnson was a greater figure than Jordan.

Yang Shuai now seems to understand better why Pierce said he wanted to become the Lakers' champion.

But it was in that instant that he marveled at the wonder of fate.

Because he knew that Pierce could indeed make it to the NBA, but not to the Lakers, but to the Lakers' arch-rivals, the Celtics, and even beat the Lakers to win the championship.

"Hansen, you are the most talented Asian player I have ever seen. I think you can definitely make it to the NBA."

It was a bit hot in Los Angeles in June, and Yang Shuai and Pierce, unable to sleep, went out onto the balcony to cool off.

"You're also the high school student with the best basketball skills I've ever seen." Yang Shuai's words weren't just empty flattery; they were a genuine affirmation.

"I don't have that much talent, so I can only work on my skills." A bitter look appeared on Pierce's face. Who wouldn't want to rely on their talent to play basketball?

"Do you have a university in mind?" Pierce asked, turning his head.

Yang Shuai shook his head: "What about you?"

"I want to go to the University of Kansas. I want to be a superstar in the Big Eight."

“I thought you would go to UCLA①.” Pierce’s answer was somewhat unexpected for Yang Shuai.

“I can’t stay in Los Angeles forever; I need to see the world.” Pierce seemed to have a clear plan for his future career.

Upon hearing this, Yang Shuai couldn't help but start thinking about the future.

He will graduate from high school in another year, and he really should consider which university to go to.

Ohio University left a very good impression on him, but the overall level of basketball there was indeed poor, and playing there would attract very little attention.

Regardless, he still needs to improve his ranking in this AAU tournament to receive offers from better universities, which will naturally give him more options.

The next day, Pierce took Yang Shuai to many basketball courts, including Rogers Park and Venice Beach.

They also played a practice match in Inglewood.

As soon as the practice match started, someone started trash-talking Yang Shuai, and it was the kind of racially discriminatory language that he often heard.

Pierce stood up for Yang Shuai, but Yang Shuai indicated that it was perfectly fine with him.

He originally had no plans to gain points in this AAU tournament, but only wanted to showcase himself. However, now that an opportunity has been presented to him, he naturally wouldn't refuse it.

Blocks, fast breaks, three-pointers, dunks—as Yang Shuai humiliated his opponent with his performance while spewing trash talk, Pierce knew that Yang Shuai truly had no problems.

Even after the game was over, Yang Shuai performed a windmill dunk with the ball, which drove the fans in the arena into a frenzy.

Whether in Cleveland or Inglewood, whether in Ohio or California, this was the first time they had ever seen an Asian player with such an explosive playing style.

"Hansen, we're going to smash through Los Angeles!" Pierce shouted excitedly to Yang Shuai.

"No," Yang Shuai shook his head.
"It's about smashing through Las Vegas."

The next day, Thaddeus came to pick them up and take them to the airport.

"Did we take the wrong road?" Pierce couldn't help but ask shortly after getting in the car.

As a local, he knew the roads very well. They were supposed to be heading west, but they were heading southwest instead.

“We’re going to pick someone up. He just arrived last night and he’s coming to Las Vegas with us.”

"Who?"

"You'll know once you receive it," Thaddeus said, keeping everyone in suspense.

This piqued Yang Shuai's curiosity.

The car eventually stopped in front of a hotel lobby.

As soon as Thaddeus drove his car to the entrance, a man came out of the lobby carrying a suitcase.

Because he is so tall, he even has to bend over when he goes out.

When the other person walked up to the car, Yang Shuai was stunned.

Tall stature, slender long legs, a face with distinct features, thick eyebrows, big eyes, and deep-set eyes.

Isn't that Kevin Garnett?!

-Dividing line-

①: UCLA, a prestigious NCAA school, has produced NBA superstars such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton.

(End of this chapter)