In that instant, Zhang Yu thought of so many things.
He thought of how he'd been a poor student in middle school, yet played basketball every day, earning his teachers' scorn for neglecting his studies.
He thought of the embarrassment on his parents' faces whenever someone asked how their kid was doing in school.
He thought of the night his father told him to go south with his cousin to find work. He hadn't slept a wink.
Then Brother Yi had come along and brought him to Huali, changing the course of his life.
Later, when he'd put on some impressive performances in tournaments in Asia, his parents had called him, bursting with excitement and pride.
His father had said that all their relatives and friends had called to congratulate them. They'd even come over and brought them lots of gifts.
His mother had said she'd never imagined they had so many relatives and friends.
But later, a bunch of trolls had appeared online.
When his parents learned that the trolls were attacking him, they'd been both worried and confused.
They couldn't understand why so many trolls were going after their son. Their son hadn't done anything wrong, and he'd performed well on the court. He'd only made a few mistakes now and then.
Why wouldn't they leave him alone?
And now, even after making it to the NBA amid all those haters' doubts, he was still being accused by many of having gotten into the NBA only because of Brother Yi.
That was why he was desperate to prove himself, desperate to make his parents proud.
His performances in the preseason had been disappointing even to him, and the haters had gotten even louder.
They said he belonged in Asian competitions, that he was nothing but cannon fodder in