"Purely in love with basketball?!"
McGrady, standing beside them, looked doubtful. "This isn't the NCAA. Are there really players that pure?"
"Ha, maybe."
David Lee nodded with a smile, then paused before adding, "After all, Su Yan probably isn't short on money, either!"
He worked himself to the bone, earning only twenty thousand dollars in ten days—and that was before taxes.
Yet Su Yan had casually treated a player he'd only just met to a meal costing thousands, without even blinking.
If he wasn't a rich kid, nobody would believe it.
Well, then.
He really was a rich kid.
So Su Yan didn't just love basketball; he was also... enjoying life in the field he loved.
This freaking...
McGrady was green with envy!
He'd achieved a great deal in basketball, but he hadn't liked the sport when he first started playing.
Baseball was what he loved most.
He'd shown great talent in baseball, too. If he'd stuck with it, he would surely have joined the baseball league and achieved plenty of success.
But...
For one reason or another, he'd ended up playing basketball.
And those reasons had nothing to do with a pure love of the game. It had mostly been about money.
After all...
McGrady had congenital scoliosis, which made him ill-suited for a physically demanding sport like basketball.
Doctors had said his career would last four to six years at most, but he'd already kept going for thirteen years, and he was still playing.
He'd persevered.
But it hadn't been pure.
The journey had also brought him a great deal of pain.
If he'd had a choice—if there'd been a way to make more money than playing basketball—McGrady would never have chosen basketball.
So... he envied Su Yan!
After Su Yan finished his interview, David Lee came over with a grin. "Come on, let's head back to the locker room and celebrate properly. You're the hero of the night!"
"First-class merit, no question."
McGrady's envy faded. He slung an arm over Su Yan's shoulder and headed back to the locker room alongside him, grinning.
He had a good personality, played well, and knew how to talk.
Su Yan had only just joined the Knicks, but everyone already liked him.
Just as they were about to head back to the locker room, the hot female fan who'd been holding a banner and asking Su Yan to exchange basketball tips...
She dashed over to Su Yan in front of a crowd of onlookers.
Her suggestive banner had already attracted plenty of attention before the game even began.
The director, never one to miss a chance to stir things up, had even put her and Su Yan on the big screen.
Now everyone in the arena—and countless fans watching on TV—could see them clearly.
The woman rushed over without a second thought and threw herself at Su Yan, planting a kiss on his cheek.
A bright red lipstick mark was left behind.
She grabbed Su Yan's arm, looking so excited she could've been high, and exclaimed, "Su Yan, you're amazing!
"I'm your fan.
"I sincerely want to exchange basketball tips with you. I hope to learn some basketball skills from my idol!"
As she spoke,
she tried to throw herself at him again, this time aiming for his lips.
Su Yan pushed her away. He was disgusted by the way she was throwing herself at him in public, acting so desperate.
Even if she did have a great figure.
Su Yan said coolly, "I'm just an undrafted rookie. My skills aren't that good, and I can't teach you.
"That would only lead you astray.
"And besides... I'm exhausted. I want to go back and get some sleep. That's all. But thanks for the kind offer!"
He pushed her away.
Su Yan walked off with David Lee, McGrady, and the others without looking back.
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Meanwhile, twenty-one-year-old Gallinari looked the female fan up and down, and an inexplicable heat flared inside him.
This freaking...
A woman who looked good and had a great figure—if that were him, wouldn't he have taken the opportunity and enjoyed the whole night?!
He couldn't help grumbling to himself, Su Yan, you're a freaking beast!
Su Yan had turned down an invitation to get a room with a gorgeous, hot female fan.
Anyone could see that.
"COME ON!"
Jon Barry stared at the woman, eyes shining. He even licked his lips without thinking and exclaimed, "He actually turned her down?!
"Su Yan really is a pure basketball fan."
What a creep.
Mark Jackson rolled his eyes at Jon Barry's lecherous expression, then praised Su Yan. "Su Yan is only nineteen. He knows what to do and when to do it. He'll become an outstanding NBA player!"
Men thought Su Yan had incredible self-control and limitless potential.
Women thought he wasn't the kind of guy who fooled around. He was handsome, strong, and pure-hearted—and would surely be a devoted man in the future.
In an instant,
Su Yan became even more appealing to countless female fans.
No one knew how they'd decided Su Yan was pure-hearted and devoted. Maybe... good looks were all it took.
This wasn't the first time Su Yan had turned down an attractive female fan. Just yesterday, he'd rejected a prettier one who wasn't even an adult yet.
Everyone was getting used to it.
Back in the locker room, the music kept playing and the dancing continued!
Woj, the ESPN reporter, had done more than let everyone know that Su Yan was a player who truly loved basketball.
He'd also revealed that Su Yan had only signed a ten-day contract with the Knicks.
Which meant...
Su Yan would soon become a free agent and need to sign a new contract with a team.
It also meant...
Other teams had noticed Su Yan, who'd recently put on an impressive "3-and-D" display, especially with his astonishing talent from beyond the arc.
They were eligible to sign him, too.
So... the battle had begun!
The next day.
As usual,
newspapers spread through neighborhoods and down streets and alleys.
The Raptors' "Dragon King," Bosh, had put up an incredible line of thirty-one points, thirteen rebounds, and three blocks.
He'd also hit a mid-range shot over a defender at the very last moment to put the game away.
As the shot went in, the Dragon King roared at the sky. His signature celebration instantly set the Air Canada Centre ablaze!
Bosh became the biggest star on the court.
The Warriors' star, Monta Ellis, had exploded for forty points in a matchup against the Bobcats. His team had lost, though.
Even so,
Ellis had been undeniably brilliant, dazzling countless fans.
By contrast, his backup—the seventh pick in this year's draft, Stephen Curry—had scored only nine points, going one-for-five from three. His performance had been awful!
The Orlando Magic's "Superman," Howard, had quietly racked up eighteen points, seventeen rebounds, and six blocks, tearing apart the Bucks' defense all by himself.
These famous stars from around the league dominated the day's headlines.
Su Yan's performance—twenty-five points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals, and one block—looked rather ordinary.
But his status as an undrafted rookie, his striking looks, and the gossip about him turning down a beautiful woman outside the arena
had put him on the front pages alongside those superstars.
No other rookie this year had managed that.
That afternoon,
TNT held a panel discussion.
The topic was: Has the Small Ball Era begun to take shape?
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