Five minutes after the Suns left, Wang Yi and James walked into the press room.
The reporters' cameras immediately began clicking away.
Wang Yi had attended press conferences before, but this was the first time he'd been photographed by so many reporters.
That was the exposure that came with being a Los Angeles Lakers player.
As a traditional powerhouse based in a major city like Los Angeles, the Lakers naturally received far more attention than teams in smaller markets.
So here, as long as you played well, you'd never have to worry about getting noticed.
Once the two of them had taken their seats, the reporters began asking questions.
One reporter asked James:
"LeBron, Wang put up another efficient performance tonight. At this point, he seems to have the potential to become an important contributor alongside you. What do you think?"
James glanced at Wang Yi beside him and replied with a smile:
"He's definitely a good teammate. Having him on the court helps take some of the pressure off me. I'm looking forward to seeing how he plays next game."
The reporter then asked James several more questions in a row.
But most of them were basically about Wang Yi.
After being asked a fifth question about Wang Yi, James couldn't help joking:
"I'm starting to feel a little superfluous here. If you want to ask about Wang, why not just ask him? He's right here."
In fact, these reporters were all very clever.
Although Wang Yi had played well in three games, he wasn't famous.
And in those three games, he'd scored fewer than 30 points each time—not much to brag about.
So if they only wrote about Wang Yi, there wouldn't be much of a story.
They had to interview James first and get his opinion of Wang Yi.
Then they could use whatever headline they wanted:
James's Best Teammate
LeBron Praises Him Too
LBJ Can't Say Enough Good Things About Him
That would make the story far more compelling and give readers more reason to keep reading.
At last, the reporters had asked James just about everything they wanted to know.
One of them began asking Wang Yi a question.
"Wang, you put up a double-double tonight with 28 points and 10 blocks. As a guard, how did you manage to get 10 blocks? What's your secret?"
Wang Yi smiled and said:
"The secret is to eat as little as possible. The less you eat, the lighter you are, and the higher you can jump. Then it's only natural that you get more blocks."
Of course, he was joking.
The room erupted in laughter.
Then another reporter, a heavyset man, pushed up his glasses. A sly glint appeared in the corner of his eye as he asked:
"Wang, you've scored close to 30 points in three straight games. You could be considered the representative of Chinese players today. What do you think about that?"
Wang Yi replied, "I think about it while sitting down."
The reporters were taken aback, then burst into laughter again.
Wang Yi continued:
"Actually, it's not right to call me the representative of Chinese players. I'm Chinese, and I love my country dearly. But I'm just myself. I'd be arrogant to say I could represent anyone. And I don't think anyone can represent me, either. We shouldn't impose our will on others."
The heavyset reporter looked a little disappointed. He nodded. "Thank you for your answer."
Then he sat back down.
In fact, the heavyset reporter had been trying to set a trap for Wang Yi.
Their country was one that valued independence and freedom—or at least it claimed to be.
So he'd just dangled some bait. If Wang Yi had dared to say he represented China, the reporter could have made a huge fuss about it.
He could have claimed that this Eastern country wasn't free and was too authoritarian, and so on.
But Wang Yi hadn't fallen for it.
Just then, a female reporter who hadn't asked many questions raised her hand.
She was a blonde.
Even in her business attire, it was clear she had a great figure.
She wore a smile that made her seem as warm as a spring breeze.
She appeared very approachable.
She began:
"Wang, the NBA is currently the highest-level basketball league in the world, and you're the only Chinese player in the NBA. My question is, with 1.4 billion people in China, can't you find even five who can play basketball?"
As soon as she said this, the atmosphere in the room changed.
Everyone fell silent.
This question was different from the heavyset reporter's earlier one.
The heavyset reporter had laid a subtle trap, waiting for Wang Yi to fall into it.
But this beautiful female reporter had gone straight for the jugular with an obviously hostile question.
Of course, many of the reporters were secretly excited.
They were waiting to see Wang Yi make a fool of himself.
James furrowed his brow and turned to look at Wang Yi.
He gave a slight shake of his head.
He knew Wang Yi was already angry.
Anyone would be angry at a question like that.
But Wang Yi couldn't afford to react badly.
If he did, the reporters in the room would blow the whole thing out of proportion, which would seriously hurt his future prospects.
So James tried to urge Wang Yi to stay calm with a look.
Would Wang Yi stay calm?
Of course not!
If it had been a matter concerning only himself, maybe he could have let it go.
But when it concerned his country, he couldn't tolerate it for a second.
His eyes blazed as he looked at the beautiful female reporter.
"May I ask what country you're from?"
The female reporter was still smiling warmly, like a spring breeze.
She replied, "I'm American."
Wang Yi answered boldly:
"There are 300 million people in your country. Can't you find even one who can play table tennis?"
The room fell utterly silent.
The smile vanished from the female reporter's face.
The vast majority of reporters present were American.
They had been waiting for Wang Yi to make a fool of himself. Now they all felt as though his words had struck a nerve.
Wang Yi fixed his blazing gaze on the reporter, waiting for her answer.
But for a long moment, she couldn't utter a word.
It was true that basketball in China was not as strong as it was in the NBA.
China's system and other aspects of the sport also had plenty of problems.
But if someone with an agenda tried to use that to mock China, Wang Yi would never put up with it.
It was like graduates who could complain that their own school had this problem or that.
But if anyone else dared to criticize their alma mater, they'd be ready to fight.
The room was completely silent.
Wang Yi paused, then said:
"Everyone has their own strengths, and every country has sports it excels at. Your country is the best at basketball, while ours dominates table tennis. We shouldn't mock other people's weaknesses because of our own strengths, nor should we ridicule other countries for excelling at a different sport. If you do, that says something about your own character and upbringing."
With just a few sentences, Wang Yi had shifted the issue from the national level back to the personal one.
It was a remarkably skillful move.
The female reporter had been called out in front of everyone for her character and upbringing, yet she had no way to argue back.
She could only feel the eyes of everyone around her pricking at her like needles.
A moment later, one reporter suddenly began to applaud.
About half the reporters around him joined in.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap—
Wang Yi's words earned applause from many people in the room.
Of course, a few American reporters still weren't convinced.
They were eager to jump in.
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