Tonight, Chinese commentators had also come to the arena.
They were Duan Ran and Yang Yi.
Both of them were seated in the front row of the commentary booth, directly opposite the American ESPN commentators and in equally prime positions.
From here, they could watch the action on the court up close.
Before the broadcast began, Yang Yi looked at their seats, then glanced at Shaquille O'Neal and Barkley in the ESPN booth beside them. He couldn't help sighing to himself.
Duan Ran teased him, "Professor Yang, you look pretty sentimental. How about composing a poem for us?"
Yang Yi stroked the seat of the commentary booth and said, "Once, we commentators sat in the back; today, we sit up front. If Wang hadn't become a hero, would we be worlds apart?"
Duan Ran gave Yang Yi a thumbs-up. "That poem is quite the work of art!"
Yang Yi teased him in return. "How much of a work of art?"
"As tall as a three- or four-story building!"
After that, they both burst out laughing.
They were both thinking about the tremendous benefits Wang Yi's success in the NBA had brought to people working in Chinese basketball.
The most obvious change was that Americans no longer looked down on Chinese reporters the way they used to.
There had once been many Chinese reporters in the NBA who were cursed at by fans and treated with disdain by staff. Looking back, those days had been truly painful.
Now, when they arrived, the staff not only refrained from mocking them or treating them coldly, but even gave them the best seats in the commentary booth.
Some arenas even proactively offered them all sorts of free services, such as lodging, meals, transportation, and laundry.
When they met Chinese reporters, people would often exclaim