I Came to Conquer the NBA

Wang Yi had fired back at the beautiful reporter, drawing a round of applause from the audience.

But a few American reporters still weren't convinced.

Especially the man in a suit sitting beside the beautiful reporter.

When he saw her bow her head after Wang Yi's retort, he seemed to want to stand up for her.

He raised his hand and asked:

"Wang, I've heard that people in your country think everything about it is great."

Wang Yi could tell the reporter in the suit was looking for trouble.

But he wasn't intimidated in the slightest.

"Shouldn't they?" he shot back. "It shows they love their country."

The reporter saw that Wang Yi had taken the bait, and a sly smile crept across his face.

"Since everything about your country is so great, why aren't you playing in your CBA? Why come to the NBA instead?"

It was obvious that he was trying to humiliate Wang Yi.

The other reporters fell silent once again.

The question was just as sharp, and just as hostile.

Another player might have walked out on the spot.

But the beautiful reporter who had lowered her head now lifted it again.

Right. Why hadn't she thought of that question?

If she had, she wouldn't have been left utterly humiliated by his retort.

James was a little worried. He glanced at Wang Yi.

But Wang Yi didn't look angry in the slightest.

Instead, there was a hint of defiance in his expression.

His eyes burned with intensity.

Then Wang Yi said something even James had never said.

He looked at the reporter in the suit, then glanced at the woman.

Finally, he swept his gaze over all fifty reporters in the room.

His voice was firm, each word deliberate:

"I came to conquer the NBA."

The room fell completely silent.

What an absurd boast.

A player on a short-term contract had played three good games and now claimed he would conquer the NBA?

Not even James, Kobe Bryant, or the God of Basketball, Michael Jordan, had ever made such an outrageous claim.

And yet no one in the room laughed. Not a single person made a sound.

Because Wang Yi's gaze was so resolute.

His expression was so determined.

His words were so forceful!

He didn't seem to be joking at all.

He really had come to the NBA with that goal.

After speaking, Wang Yi once again looked around at the reporters.

Under his gaze, not one of them dared to meet his eyes.

One after another, they lowered their heads without even realizing it.

Only then did Wang Yi say:

"Since there are no more questions, today's press conference is over."

He rose to his feet and strode out of the room.

James came back to himself and looked at the reporters.

He seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he only moved his lips and said nothing.

Then he stood up and left as well.

As they entered the hallway, James called after Wang Yi:

"Wang."

Wang Yi turned around. "What is it?"

James had wanted to tell him he'd caused trouble.

He wanted to explain just how much of a stir that one remark would cause throughout the NBA.

How many retired players would look down on him;

How many fans would attack him;

How many players would take offense.

But in the end, he only patted Wang Yi on the back and said:

"Wang, now that you've said it, you'll have to prove it with your actions."

Wang Yi nodded firmly. "I know."

The next morning, the whole NBA was in an uproar.

Celtics legend Pierce posted:

"That Chinese guy is talking crap. Pure bullshit!"

Bulls legend Pippen posted:

"Even the God of Basketball never said anything like that. He's way too arrogant. He's a piece of shit!"

Suns legend Barkley posted:

"He thinks he can conquer the NBA? If he scores thirty points in a game, I'll kiss a donkey's ass again."

Stephen A. Smith, a well-known North American reporter—the American version of Yang Yi—said on his show:

"This kid clearly hasn't figured out what the NBA is. Of course, we don't need to be too hard on him. Who's going to hold it against a three-year-old who can't keep his mouth shut?"

The fans were even less polite.

They flooded the internet with insults:

"This arrogant piece of shit!"

"What an ill-mannered brat!"

Even Lakers Fans couldn't help but weigh in.

"He's played three good games and already thinks he's hot stuff?"

"Conquer the NBA? Then why did you spend two years wandering around the league?"

Meanwhile, Wang Yi's remarks had also crossed the ocean.

Several Tencent NBA commentators posted on Weibo.

"Wang Yi really shouldn't have said that."

"It's good to have that kind of ambition, but he shouldn't have said it in public. Especially not after playing just three good games in two years. That puts all the pressure of public opinion on him, which is terrible for his development."

"Wang Yi is still too young. He may pay a price for his immaturity."

Even Wang Yi's fans thought he shouldn't have said it.

"I watched his press conference. What he said at first was pretty good, and he put that reporter in her place. He deserved praise for that. But what he said afterward was way too arrogant. Was that really a good idea?"

"I don't like arrogant people. Unfollowing him."

"Our culture values restraint. We believe in being slow to speak and quick to act. Do more, say less. Wang Yi went completely against our traditions."

The haters came out in force, too.

"Damn, even the God of Basketball wouldn't say that, but he did."

"I'll be watching. Let's see how long he can last in the NBA after saying that."

"Now that he's said that, he'll be targeted in every game from here on out. This is gonna be fun."

It seemed the whole world was against Wang Yi.

Lying on the bed in his garage, Wang Yi scrolled through the comments, the mockery and the insults.

He just chuckled.

Two years of drifting around the NBA had made him incredibly resilient.

He didn't care about these comments, mockery, and insults at all.

He had been a little impulsive when he said what he did.

There had been so many reporters in the room, and half of them had been hostile toward him because he was Chinese.

He'd been impulsive and hit back with words. There was nothing wrong with that.

Besides, Wang Yi wasn't being arrogant.

He had three reasons for saying it.

First: he had a system.

The system could help him grow stronger in no time;

Second: he worked harder than 99.9 percent of NBA players.

He had studied the skills, habits, and personalities of nearly every player good enough to make it onto the court;

Third: every NBA player with any fight in him had, to some extent, dreamed of conquering the NBA.

Hadn't Kobe Bryant?

Hadn't James?

Hadn't Paul when he was young?

They all had.

They just kept those thoughts to themselves instead of saying them out loud.

They knew what would happen if they did.

Wang Yi had simply said what everyone else was afraid to say.

After looking at his phone for a few minutes, he locked the screen.

He planned to head to the Training Hall and work out.

Just then, his phone rang.

Wang Yi glanced at the screen and froze for a moment.

Then he answered.