Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 158 The NBA is just different!
In 2008, Beijing was in a peculiar "intermediate state".

The magnificent venues newly built for the Olympics, along with the widened roads and meticulously landscaped streets, showcase a modern metropolis eager to prove itself to the world. But behind this splendor, the shadow of old Beijing can still be seen.

The unrenovated brick-and-tile alleyway at the street corner, the occasional flow of bicycles, the faded signs hanging on the roadside shops, and the mixed smells of street food wafting in the air.

This is a vibrant and hopeful vitality.

Compared to the ultramodern metropolis that Xu Ling was familiar with in 2025, which was completely covered by skyscrapers, ubiquitous digital screens, and highly standardized commercial complexes, BJ at this moment looked both familiar and strange.

“Go directly to the hotel designated by the Basketball Association, Mr. Xu.” The Basketball Association staff member accompanying Xu Ling turned around and said respectfully, “The relevant procedures and physical examination have all been arranged there. Director Li will be waiting for you there.”

Xu Ling nodded, her gaze still fixed on the view outside the window.

Instead of entering the congested city center, the car headed towards a designated hotel near the Olympic Village.

In the living room of the suite, Xu Ling met with Director Li of the Basketball Association.

This is a middle-aged man in his forties, slightly overweight, but with a friendly smile.

"Xiao Xu, you must be tired from your journey!" Director Li warmly shook Xu Ling's hand, his grip firm. "Welcome home! Your return is a real shot in the arm for our men's basketball team and for the entire nation!"

Xu Ling was all too familiar with this kind of overly friendly official tone, and maintained a smile on his face: "Director Li, you're too kind."

"Your paperwork has been arranged." Director Li then took out a stack of documents. "Mainly this one, a copy of the final FIBA ​​qualification letter, and this one, the national team training agreement and code of conduct commitment letter that you need to sign. They're all standard documents, just take a look."

Xu Ling took the documents and quickly browsed through them. Apart from the FIBA ​​document, the remaining agreements and regulations were basically about obeying management, abiding by team rules, and maintaining the image of the national team.

After confirming that everything was correct, Xu Ling picked up a pen and neatly signed her name.

"Director," Xu Ling said, "if possible, I hope to meet with everyone on the team today. I want to integrate with the team as soon as possible."

"No rush, Xiao Xu. Your teammates aren't in Beijing yet; they won't arrive until tomorrow!" Director Li put away the documents, his smile widening. "What you need to do today is prepare for your medical check-up. It's at 3 PM this afternoon at the hotel's medical center. Someone will explain the specific procedures to you. After the check-up, get some rest. After all, you just returned to China, so you're probably still jet-lagged. Also..."

Like Doraemon, the director pulled something else out of his briefcase: "This is your assigned cell phone and SIM card. It will be more convenient to use this number while you are in China. The phone plan and credit have already been set up."

"Thank you." Xu Ling accepted it all without hesitation.

"Of course." Director Li glanced at his watch. "After your physical examination this afternoon, you should rest well. Tomorrow morning, I will send someone to pick you up to report to the General Administration of Sport and complete the final procedures. Then you can report to the national team."

After giving a few more instructions regarding security, media avoidance, and living arrangements, Director Li got up to take his leave.

The afternoon's physical examination went smoothly.

The doctors and nurses were professional, but when faced with Xu Ling, the NBA star who has recently gained fame, one could still sense their restrained curiosity and excitement.

The physical examination results came back quickly, and his physical condition was excellent, even far exceeding the usual excellent standards for athletes in China, which drew repeated praise from the doctors in charge of the examination.

In the evening, just as Xu Ling was struggling to fall asleep, his agent, Leon Rose, arrived.

Ross was supposed to come with Xu Ling, but Ross was delayed by other matters, so there was a time difference between the two.

Because of the huge commercial value behind Xu Ling representing the Chinese team, Rose had to come no matter what.

On the very day Xu Ling returned to China, public opinion began to surge.

This means the final shoe has finally dropped.

At just 20 years old, Xu Ling has already become a rising star in the NBA and is destined to become a new banner for Chinese sports. He possesses outstanding physical attributes, a highly entertaining playing style, and his demeanor on the American court exudes superstar charisma. In the eyes of every sponsor, he is a natural gold standard.

“Eli, your business potential here is probably an order of magnitude greater than we initially estimated,” Ross said, bringing up this rather mundane topic as soon as they met.

Xu Ling asked, "Will this help me fall asleep?"

“What I’m about to tell you might keep you up at night,” Ross laughed. “My phone has been ringing non-stop since you stepped out of the airport during the day. From drinks and health supplements to fashion brands, cars, and electronics, they all want to be the first to shake your hand. But don’t worry, we have our own rhythm.”

Ross then began introducing the brands—many brands, so many. Thanks to him, Xu Ling actually started to feel sleepy when he mentioned those brands that Xu Ling was very familiar with.

Then Ross stated, "We won't sign a contract right now."

“I understand,” Xu Ling said crudely. “Pigs have to be fattened up before they’re slaughtered.”

This is the truth.

Ross nodded and said, "As long as your performance at the Olympics meets expectations, I can triple the offer."

Ross didn't receive a reply from Xu Ling because he found that the guy had already fallen asleep, which was a good thing for someone who was eager to adjust to the time difference.

The next day, Xu Ling, accompanied by staff from the Basketball Association, went to the General Administration of Sport to report for duty.

The formalities were completed quickly, and he became a formal member of the national team.

This morning, the men's basketball team just finished a week-long closed break and then had to rush back to BJ to play their second scrimmage against the so-called Australian All-Stars.

Why is it called the second match? Because they had already played their first match in Sydney before Xu Ling arrived.

After completing all the procedures, Xu Ling went to the training hall under the General Administration of Sport, where the men's basketball team was training.

Xu Ling entered the locker room, changed into a brand-new national team training uniform, and then, led by staff, went to the training hall.

When Xu Ling entered the training hall, the team members had just finished a set of stretching exercises and were standing in twos and threes drinking water.

The first person to spot him was Sun Yue, who shouted, "Look who's that!"

The sounds of conversation and basketballs bouncing in the training hall instantly subsided.

A dozen pairs of eyes fell on Xu Ling, filled with curiosity and anticipation, as well as scrutiny and perhaps a hint of barely perceptible wariness. Head coach Jonas stood on the sidelines, holding a tactical board. He nodded when he saw Xu Ling and broke the silence in heavily accented Lithuanian English: "Eli, welcome to the team."

Xu Ling walked steadily over, stood in front of Jonas and the entire team, and then introduced himself in a calm tone: "Hello everyone, I am Xu Ling. I am very happy to be your teammate. I hope we can achieve good results together at the Olympics."

Xu Ling's self-introduction was very formal, and perhaps because it was too formal, the room fell silent for a moment.

Yao Ming was the first to react, immediately leading the applause: "Great, great, welcome! I finally don't have to watch Wang Shipeng dribbling aimlessly on the court anymore!"

The atmosphere eased instantly when the leader spoke, but Wang Shipeng couldn't quite manage a smile. Two years ago at the World Championships, he made the best shot in men's basketball history, securing his starting position. But now, with an NBA All-Star level shooting guard joining the team, even if he were Jonas's son, he wouldn't be able to keep his position, let alone his game-winning shot against Slovenia.

However, even if it's the NBA All-Star game, he still wants to compete; otherwise, how could he be content?
Jonas clearly understood his players' thoughts. He had prepared a stage for Xu Ling's debut long ago, announcing in advance that they would play a scrimmage. As soon as Xu Ling arrived, he was immediately added to the White Team, replacing Wang Lei from Bayi, and he was put to face off against Wang Shipeng in the scrimmage.

After joining the national team's training, Xu Ling couldn't help but sigh that compared to the men's basketball team that suffered many setbacks after 2019, this team has far too many talented players.

Although Yao Ming has just recovered from a major injury, the team still has NBA-caliber players like Wang Zhizhi and Yi Jianlian in the paint, and Sun Yue, who was also drafted by the NBA, on the perimeter, as well as Wang Shipeng and Zhu Ba in their prime. Wang Lei, whom Yao Ming just replaced, is also an underrated talent. It is said that there is also a 19-year-old prodigy with NBA potential, Xu Yong, who missed the national team training camp due to a serious illness.

However, when it comes to geniuses, he could "barely" be considered one. Don't dismiss a 20-year-old genius as a genius.

The competition began, and Xu Ling's team, the white team, was a reserve team, whose overall strength was clearly inferior to the starting lineup.

Xu Ling took this opportunity to observe the main team's tactics.

The result is not surprising.

Although Yao Ming is not at his peak right now, the men's basketball team will definitely try to build the game around him, set up a half-court game, and have Liu Wei lob the ball to the low post.

Yao Ming could easily defeat Wang Zhizhi one-on-one, but Xu Ling, for some reason, let Wang Shipeng go and double-teamed him instead.

Yao Ming was caught off guard by this move and was forced to drop the ball out of bounds.

“No,” Yao Ming said, “why are you arguing with me?”

"Just showing concern for you."

"Thank you!"

Then, Xu Ling's teammate, Zhang Qingpeng from the Liaoning team, asked Xu Ling in a hearty voice with a Northeastern accent, "Just say you want the ball!"

"Since you've said that, it would be impolite of me not to take the ball." Xu Ling waved his hand. "Give it to me."

"No need for politeness!" Zhang Qingpeng laughed. "Especially no need to be polite to that bastard!"

Wang Shipeng is currently at his peak in all aspects. In fact, as a member of the 08 golden generation, he may be the most important member besides Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian. Compared to Zhu Ba, who was invincible in the CBA but unremarkable in international competitions, Wang Shipeng has repeatedly averaged double-digit points in major international competitions, making him one of the most outstanding figures in the history of men's basketball.

He certainly didn't want to lose his starting position; if Xu Ling wanted it, he would have to prove himself.

Xu Ling thought the same way, so after dribbling to the frontcourt, he didn't call any tactics. He just relied on his personal ability to dribble left and right to shift Wang Shipeng's defensive focus to the side, and after gaining position, he immediately took a step back and jumped to shoot.

A two-pointer made while stepping out of bounds!
Then, Wang Shipeng tried to run and receive the ball to shoot, but Xu Ling defended him like he would defend Ray Allen.

Even when there is a screen, Xu Ling often chooses to squeeze through the screen.

In this situation, Wang Shipeng could only attack with the ball. As a result, once his ugly dribbling was exposed in front of Xu Ling, it was difficult for him to dribble forward any further.

Sun Yue came to the rescue in the end. Although Zhu Ba hit a three-pointer afterward, Wang Shipeng was locked down by Xu Ling.

When it was the white team's turn, Zhang Qingpeng passed the ball to Xu Ling again.

Then, Xu Ling didn't make any unnecessary movements. With just one step, he relied entirely on his explosive power to overpower Wang Shipeng, rush into the basket to draw Yao Ming's help defense, and then made a clever side pass, bypassing Yao Ming's massive body and passing it to Wang Zhizhi. The perfectly timed pass allowed Wang Zhizhi to dunk without any adjustment.

In the following possessions, Xu Ling either drove, shot, or used screens to accurately pass the ball to teammates cutting to the basket, making the defense appear passive with almost every play. Wang Shipeng tried his best, even resorting to strong physical interference several times, but Xu Ling's core strength was excellent, and his movements remained almost unchanged after contact.

Wang Shipeng's offense, apart from catching and shooting after a screen, doesn't have any other notable moves, and even that move isn't consistent enough today.

He is an assassin.

In any case, he could only hide in the side and wait to strike.

But Xu Ling was a true ace, and he earned the recognition of his national team teammates in just a few minutes with his hard-earned skills.

After ten minutes, the battle for the starting lineup was over.

When Xu Ling faked out Wang Shipeng and hit a three-pointer from standard NBA range, Jonas called a halt to the practice game.

Zhu Ba, who was also from Guangdong, ran over with a grin and said, "That's fucking ridiculous! We actually thought Old Wang could hold his own against you!"

"Alright, stop making fun of me!" Wang Shipeng just hoped these people would stop right away.

"Actually, Brother Wang played quite well," Xu Ling said modestly. "It's just that his shooting touch wasn't good today. I watched your game against Slovenia, and even though Brother Wang kept missing shots, I didn't underestimate his shooting."

Wang Shipeng felt a little better. Although he knew that Xu Ling was probably just being polite, sometimes people need to maintain a certain level of decorum.

Unfortunately, Zhu Ba laughed even harder: "That's right, now everyone only remembers that he made the game-winning shot, who remembers that he missed a single shot before making the game-winning shot? And who remembers that I also made a difficult three-pointer before the game-winning shot? Sigh, some things are just hard to explain!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Ling also smiled and said, "I didn't know that."

For a moment, joyful laughter erupted on the training field.

This was Xu Ling's first day with the national team, and he had a very enjoyable time.

(End of this chapter)