LaMelo Ball didn't feel the least bit embarrassed. Instead, he puffed out his chest and looked at the Chinese reporter.
"You've watched cartoons, right? A lot of mecha cartoons have a combining feature. The three of us brothers have one too."
Everyone erupted in an uproar.
A reporter from Phoenix asked, "You mean the three of you can combine and beat Wang Yi?"
LaMelo shook his head, raising one finger as he did. "No, not beat Wang Yi. We'll beat the crap out of Prince!"
That set off another uproar.
JJ Redick could only shake his head at the remark.
It was only because Wang Yi wasn't returning for this game. If he did, the Lakers would be in serious trouble.
Meanwhile, back in China, some fans who were used to staying up late watched the press conference and let LaMelo Ball have it.
One fan even made a video. In it, a voice-over said:
"Give him a chance to attend a press conference, and he'll blow his own trumpet all the way to the heavens—so hard he could knock the Himalayas off their peaks. LaMelo Ball, heaven's chosen braggart, ran his mouth at the pregame press conference before the Raptors faced the Lakers..."
The video ended with the familiar clip.
A voice-over accompanied it: "In response, five-star reviewer MacArthur says Ball Dad is a piece of dog shit, and the Ball Family Brothers are three little pieces of dog shit."
Wang Yi was already in the visitors' locker room.
There was no TV in the visitors' locker room.
The team's coach, Gao Feng, was watching the Lakers' press conference on a tablet. When everyone heard LaMelo Ball's deranged boasting, they all turned to look at Wang Yi.
Wang Yi was arranging his jersey, as if he hadn't heard a