Recruitment

That afternoon, Goodwin arrived at the training gym half an hour early.

No one was there!

"Looks like I'm the first one here. I'll put up a few shots."

There was no point wasting time. Instead of waiting for everyone else, he might as well keep up his daily training. He still had 300 midrange shots and 300 three-pointers left to make.

So Goodwin started training.

As the minutes passed, more and more first- and second-year players arrived. They were a little surprised to see Goodwin training by himself.

Goodwin would pause to greet them.

Once they'd said hello, he went right back to training.

The rookies who arrived early joined in too. If one person was going to work hard, they all would.

After that, almost every rookie who came in looked confused. Why was everyone training? The second-year players especially remembered how, the year before, they'd just hung around chatting and getting to know each other.

The second-years reluctantly joined the training, too.

Just then, a massive figure slowly walked through the entrance, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

It was last year's number-one pick, Yao Ming.

He was the Houston Rockets' starting center and the starting center for this year's Western Conference All-Stars.

His popularity overshadowed every center in the Western Conference. Even Shaquille O'Neal, a three-time champion, admitted he couldn't compete with him in that regard.

Of course, this didn't mean Yao was better than O'Neal. It was about popularity.

After all, Yao had 1.3 billion fans behind him.

And Yao hadn't let those fans down. This season, he was averaging 17.5 points, 9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game, with a field goal percentage of 52.2%. And he was only in his second year, with boundless potential!

Yao's arrival made every other rookie in the gym fade into the background.

"Hi, Yao!" "Yao!" ... All the rookies except Goodwin came over to greet him.

Yao smiled and responded to each of them.

Goodwin had wanted to go over, too, but when he saw everyone crowding around, he decided not to join the rush.

He'd have plenty of chances to talk to Yao later.

Yao also noticed the player who stood apart from the rest and gave him a few looks.

Oh, so it was him—Goodwin.

Yao still remembered the NCAA championship game from the previous year.

At the time, he'd hoped the Houston Rockets would draft the University of Kansas's savior. But his wish hadn't come true.

The team hadn't picked Goodwin. Instead, they'd chosen Malick Badiane, a Senegalese professional basketball player. The management believed Badiane was more athletic than Goodwin.

Yao had thought it was a shame. If the Houston Rockets had added Goodwin as another three-point threat, their entire offense would have had so much more room to operate. Opponents might not even have dared to double-team him.

What a shame.

But now he had a chance to ask Goodwin what he thought of the Houston Rockets.

If the Boston Celtics knew Yao was trying to poach one of their players, they'd all rush over to protect him.

After greeting everyone, Yao strode straight toward Goodwin.

Tap, tap ...

Hearing footsteps, Goodwin stopped and turned around.

"Hi, Goodwin! I'm Yao. It's nice to meet you," Yao said first.

A bright smile spread across Goodwin's face.

Watching Goodwin's brilliant smile from across the gym, Carmelo Anthony thought he was seeing things. He'd never seen Goodwin smile so brightly before. It left a bad taste in his mouth. Fuck, I knew you first ...

"Yao, it's nice to meet you."

Hearing his native language, Yao froze in surprise.

Goodwin couldn't help laughing at the perfect reaction.

"Yao, you don't have to look so shocked. You can speak English, so why can't I speak Chinese?"

Yao hurriedly shook his head. "No, that's not what I meant. I'm just surprised. Our language is one of the hardest in the world to learn, and you speak it so fluently."

"If I couldn't see what you looked like, I'd really think you were one of my countrymen!"

In my previous life, I really was!

Goodwin thought to himself.

"Did you study in China?" Yao guessed.

Goodwin shook his head. "No, I taught myself. I guess I have a knack for it, huh?"

Yao gave Goodwin a thumbs-up.

For Yao, this was a wonderful surprise. He'd come all the way over here and had to work hard to fit into the local culture. Only he knew all the ups and downs he'd been through.

Now, hearing Goodwin speak familiar Chinese made him feel like a homesick traveler who'd unexpectedly met a fellow countryman.

It only strengthened Yao's resolve to recruit Goodwin.

The two of them soon threw their arms around each other's shoulders and started chatting.

Everyone else in the gym was dumbfounded.

"Anthony, are they that close?" LeBron James asked Carmelo Anthony beside him.

Carmelo's expression was slightly sour. "I don't know!"

LeBron James: ?

Just then, the coaches filed in.

"Line up!"

The first- and second-year players formed separate groups and looked toward their respective coaches.

The coaches on both sides said a few words, then let the players train on their own.

The coaches didn't take the Rookie Challenge seriously at all. To them, it was just an exhibition game.

And that was exactly what it was!

After they were dismissed, Goodwin was about to go find Yao when Carmelo Anthony suddenly stepped in front of him. "Goodwin, did you know Yao before today?"

"I just met him today. We hit it off right away." Goodwin walked past Carmelo toward Yao.

Carmelo stared at Goodwin's retreating back through gritted teeth, as if someone had stolen his favorite toy.

As it happened, Yao was also heading over to find Goodwin. He hadn't even gotten to the recruitment part yet.

They quickly met up, and Yao got straight to the point. "Goodwin, what do you think of the Houston Rockets? How about joining us?"

Goodwin froze.

Was Yao inviting him to join the Houston Rockets?

Goodwin had never really considered teaming up with Yao. It came down to the Rockets' owner, Alexander, who was reluctant to spend money. Then there was the Rockets' medical staff, which people called a bunch of "vets."

Taking all that into account, Goodwin apologized and turned Yao down. "I'm really sorry, Yao. I don't want to leave the Boston Celtics. When no one else wanted me, the Boston Celtics chose me. So as long as the Boston Celtics don't give up on me, I won't leave them."

Yao wasn't surprised. Hearing Goodwin say that only made him like him more.

"That's all right. I understand. But the Houston Rockets' doors will always be open to you."

"Thank you, Yao."