The first punch that shocked the basketball world

That evening, Sofia drove him back to Alhambra.

After thanking him, Lin Fei carried his bag into the restaurant.

He went straight upstairs and knocked on Zhu Xiuli's door.

"Open the door."

The door was suddenly pulled open.

Zhu Xiuli peeked out, her eyes sparkling.

"Bro! How did it go? Did you get the autograph?"

Lin Fei tossed Howard's jersey to her.

Zhu Xiuli caught it, unfolded it, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"It really is Dwight!"

She jumped up and down excitedly, then her face fell: "But... I want Kobe's."

Lin Fei reached out as if to snatch it.

"You still have a lot to do, don't give it back to me."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Zhu Xiuli quickly hid the jersey behind her back, smiling sweetly, "Dwight's is pretty good too! I'll bring it to school to show off tomorrow!"

She held the jersey to her nose and smelled it.

"Why?"

"Why doesn't it smell? Didn't he wear this?"

Lin Fei glanced at her.

"I brought my own jersey, can't I just keep it clean and well-preserved? What kind of fetish is this, liking jerseys that other people have worn?"

"Only worn items are valuable!"

Zhu Xiuli chuckled: "You don't understand, this is called collectible value."

"Little money-grubber," Lin Fei flicked her nose, "You can bring up money in everything."

After exchanging a few more words, Lin Fei returned to his room.

He turned on his computer and found the replay of the match.

I dragged the progress bar over and over again.

The more I look at it, the more I realize that the Lakers have some serious internal problems.

Howard would establish position in the paint, but Kobe often ignored him and attacked the basket himself.

Most of Howard's points came from Nash's passes and second-chance opportunities from offensive rebounds.

And yet, they still managed to beat the Rockets.

All I can say is that a star player's individual ability can really carry a team to victory.

After watching for a while, I got sleepy.

Lin Fei turned off the computer and went straight to sleep.

The next morning, at 5:30.

Lin Fei got up on time.

Before leaving, I helped my aunt carry the vegetables.

After terminating her contract with Lao Hei, Lin Xiuqin is still looking for a new supplier.

These past two days, I've been looking for small, individual vegetable deliveries, so I'll have to carry them myself.

Lin Fei carried the supplies to the kitchen in trip after trip.

After he finished moving the items, Lin Xiuqin took a towel to wipe his sweat.

"Is work tiring?"

As she wiped, she asked, "Did your colleagues bully you?"

"Not tiring," Lin Fei laughed. "It's just picking up balls, and my colleagues are all easy to get along with."

As Lin Xiuqin was wiping, she suddenly smiled.

"Your female colleague," she lowered her voice, "was she the one who brought you home yesterday again?"

Lin Fei knew he would ask this question.

"Yeah, on the way."

"I think the girl is nice." Lin Xiuqin patted his arm. "If you think it's a good match, then give it a try. Your uncle and I have no objections."

Upon hearing this, Lin Fei quickly grabbed his backpack.

"Auntie, I have to go now, I'm in a hurry, I'll be late if I'm late."

He dashed towards the door.

If we keep talking, we'll probably start talking about marriage and having children.

"Slow down!"

Lin Xiuqin called out from behind, "Come home early after get off work! This area is a mess at night!"

Lin Fei waved his hand without turning his head.

"knew!"

He had only been gone for two minutes when Zhu Xiuli came downstairs with her schoolbag on her back.

"Mom, give me some pocket money."

Lin Xiuqin's face immediately fell.

"Money, money, money! All you ever think about is money!" she said irritably. "When will you ever be as worry-free as your brother? Never! Go ask your dad for it!"

Zhu Xiuli was initially delighted, planning to wear Howard's autographed jersey to school today to show off.

I was immediately scolded, which left me completely bewildered.

She didn't dare to talk back, but pouted and shook Lin Xiuqin's arm.

"I've spent all the money you gave me last time... could you give me some more?"

Lin Xiuqin has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Despite her scolding, she still took out her wallet and took out twenty dollars.

"Spend wisely! If you spend it all, you won't have a penny left!"

"Thank you, Mom!"

Zhu Xiuli grabbed the money and ran towards the bus stop.

"Slow down!"

Lin Xiuqin's voice came from behind.

She waved her hand without turning her head.

...

At 8 o'clock, Lin Fei arrived at the Toyota Center.

I greeted Terry as soon as I entered.

As you walk further in, you'll encounter Sofia.

She brought several reporters with her today, and when she saw Lin Fei, she waved enthusiastically.

"Lin, over here!"

She introduced Lin Fei to several reporters she knew.

Lin Fei wore a suit today.

This is a set I keep at the bottom of my drawer; I rarely wear it.

With broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a tall stature, he stands out remarkably in a crowd.

Chinese faces are already rare, and he is also good-looking.

Several reporters raised their cameras and took several pictures of him, then surrounded him and asked him a few questions.

I waited a while longer.

Operations President Tom Carter and head coach Mark Harris walked over.

The two shook hands with Lin Fei, their attitude polite but not particularly enthusiastic.

The development alliance experiences rapid staff turnover.

Sign a contract today, and you might be laid off tomorrow.

It's not worth getting too emotionally involved.

Lin Fei walked into the training field.

The teammates warmed up in twos and threes.

Apart from Darius Morris, I didn't recognize any of the others.

Most of them are familiar faces among fringe players; some signed short-term contracts of ten days but ultimately did not stay.

When they see a newcomer come in, most of them just glance at them and then go about their own business.

No one initiated a conversation.

Lin Fei didn't join in either.

That's the atmosphere of the development alliance.

In the NBA, players have formal contracts, and since they've been teammates for a long time, they naturally develop a certain level of friendship.

College basketball is purer; it's about fighting side-by-side for honor.

This place is different.

Everyone who comes here aims to make it to the NBA.

My teammates are all potential competitors.

Different positions are fine, but those in the same position are mortal enemies.

There's no such thing as team camaraderie.

Lin Fei shrugged and found a corner to warm up.

The small media briefing will begin at 9:00 AM sharp.

Lin Fei held up the number 9 jersey and took several sets of official photos.

There were no group photos of the whole team, only individual photos.

Terry and Sofia would occasionally come over for a chat, so he wasn't lonely.

After the photos were taken, several reporters surrounded Morris for an interview.

After all, he has a formal NBA contract and is the team's biggest star player.

Lin Fei stood not far away, his gaze fixed on Morris.

The team's strongest player at the moment.

To gain a foothold in the team, the first step is to surpass him.

Although their positions do not overlap, they compete for playing time and exposure.

"Are you interested in Darius?"

Laughter came from beside me.

Lin Fei turned around and saw teaching assistant Raymond Hall.

"Coach Hall," he nodded, "you said he's the strongest on the team, I'm curious."

Hall crossed his arms and followed his gaze.

"So curious?" he laughed. "Want to have a match with him during training later?"

Lin Fei's eyes lit up immediately.

Can't ask for it.

If you lose, at most you'll be told that the newcomer overestimated his abilities.

They won, establishing themselves on their first day in the team.

"Sure," he said, "but I'm afraid he won't agree."

"rest assured."

Hall patted him on the shoulder: "We'll be in pairs for the scrimmage later, and I'll arrange your matchups."

Hall had always thought highly of Lin Fei.

His defense on the day of the trial left a deep impression on him.

Seeing Lin Fei staring at Morris all day, I decided to join in the fun.

He also wanted to see just how capable this newcomer really was.

...

The basic joint training session has ended.

We practiced passing and tactical positioning for over an hour.

Hall clapped his hands and called everyone together.

"Don't rush into group matches."

He smiled and gestured with his chin towards Maurice: "Dalios, a new guy's here today, why don't you keep him company?"

All eyes immediately turned to them.

Morris paused for a moment and looked at Lin Fei.

Seeing that he was Chinese, his expression didn't change much; he wasn't disdainful, nor did he take it too seriously.

He couldn't very well refuse when the coach asked.

"Okay."

He cracked his knuckles, nonchalantly saying, "Then teach the new teammates how to play in a professional team."

The players and staff around immediately surrounded them.

Several other reporters also gathered around with their cameras.

On his first day with the team, the newcomer challenges the team leader.

There's going to be some excitement.

Lin Fei took two steps forward and stood opposite Morris, a smile on his face.

Please give me your guidance.