"Quit rubbing my head, bro. Sing me a song instead..."
United States, University of California, Berkeley. Early morning on the practice court.
Jason Kidd looked up at Li Fei, who was squinting as he stroked his soft scalp, and couldn't help reflecting on The Importance of a Man's Length.
He really wanted to feel it for himself.
Too bad he wasn't long enough...
This giant from China, Li Fei, stood a full 220-plus centimeters tall—an estimated 2.25 meters. He was a whole three little Kidds taller than Jason!
"Maybe cut back on the pinup magazines, Jason."
Li Fei gave Kidd's velvety black buzz cut a few strokes with his big hand. Lowering his head, he squinted and grinned. "You're a pretty good guy. How'd you end up going bald?"
"Shit!"
Kidd's face darkened. He broke free of Li Fei's hand. "Who's bald? I'm just losing a tiny bit of hair."
"You should worry about yourself. I've finished hyping you up, so if you blow your tryout later, don't blame me."
"Coach Todd is very strict about what he wants from a center. He'll like your height, but your style of play... It's too unconventional."
"Anyway, be ready for that."
Li Fei shrugged.
He had a secret. He'd originally been a 996 wage slave from 2025, and all it took was waking up to see the Mavericks' front office trade Doncic to the Lakers and muttering, "Does Pelinka have some video of the Mavericks' owner on Little Saint James Island?"
And then...
He'd been [traded] to the University of California, Berkeley, in 1993.
The 996 workhorse had transformed into a freshman international student on the West Coast.
Before he could even get his bearings, he'd been hit by a system called [Basketball GOAT].
And he would never forget his conversation with the system that day.
[Welcome to 1993. Based on the current NBA environment, your body is being rebuilt.]
Li Fei had almost burst out laughing.
"[Rebuilding my body]? What am I, Nezha?"
Before transmigrating, Li Fei had read a few mindless basketball novels. Stuff like playing basketball after fusing with Pangu's blood essence. The whole genre was absurd as hell.
Then...
His height shot up to 2.24 meters, and his wingspan stretched to 2.45 meters!
In that moment, Li Fei suddenly understood what it must feel like to be Luffy.
His whole body felt like a rubber band, stretched lengthwise.
"This build... Why does it look more and more like Wembanyama?"
Looking at himself in the mirror, Li Fei couldn't help making a crack. "Wembanyama in '93? If he made it to the NBA, wouldn't the Four Centers knock him to pieces?"
[Your concerns have been detected. Your body is being reinforced.]
Then...
A string of system prompts rang out in his mind.
[Alloy Skeleton, permanently injury-proof]
[Alloy Ligaments, permanently injury-proof]
[Alloy Muscles, permanently injury-proof]
[Alloy Blood Vessels, permanently free of clots]
And...
[Titanium Alloy Magic Mushroom]
In an instant, Li Fei's muscles swelled by more than two sizes.
He still didn't have the arm circumference of powerhouse Karl Malone, but he looked every bit the Muscle Man.
He took off his T-shirt.
Li Fei looked at himself in the mirror again. He was no longer the skinny Wembanyama.
His biceps bulged like a pair of plump balls, ready to unleash their strength at any moment. The veins across his abs writhed like little snakes. His broad shoulders looked strong enough to hold up the Earth!
Like a peak Giannis Antetokounmpo, only half a size leaner.
"Muscle density, muscle size, bone strength... A Wembanyama upgraded across the board, with a permanently injury-proof body!"
Wembanyama's biggest problem was that he was skinny. He looked like he could get hurt easily.
But now, he'd never get injured.
It was like having a buff that meant you'd never get busted when heading upstairs at a bathhouse. His biggest concern was gone.
At the thought of heading upstairs at a bathhouse, Li Fei—still a virgin in both lives—hurriedly looked down and exclaimed that his Titanium Alloy talent was unbelievably awesome!
"Holy shit, it's like a club!"
Just as he was marveling at his new body...
[Basketball skills being matched. Congratulations! You have gained Wembanyama's skills and traits.]
Player Attributes:
"Height": 224 cm
"Weight": 120 kg
"Wingspan": 245 cm
"Strength": 85 "Speed": 92 "Vertical": 92 "Stamina": 95 "Dunking": 95 "Layups": 84 "Close Shots": 88 "Mid-Range": 73 "Long Twos": 72 "Three-Pointers": 73 "Dribbling": 75 "Passing": 75
"Defense": 98 "Help Defense": 98 "Shot Blocking": 98 "Steals": 95 "Rebounding": 92 "Determination": 95
"Template": MAX Wembanyama
"So I really am Wembanyama with a reinforced body..."
Li Fei was pretty happy with his physical gifts.
After all, Wembanyama's body and skills were revolutionary in any era.
And this was an enhanced, injury-proof version!
But the problem was...
I want to play shooting guard, damn it...
What young guy didn't dream of becoming one of the Four Great Shooting Guards, dashing and graceful on the court?
But then Li Fei reconsidered.
"Who says someone over 2.2 meters tall can't play guard?"
There was an Emperor in Philadelphia who played guard.
Though people called him soft, he'd still developed a position no one had played before and no one would play again: the Point Forward.
But as Li Fei saw it...
A big man playing guard didn't mean he was soft.
[There are no soft skills, only soft people.]
Wembanyama with an alloy body!
The physique of a Muscle Man, plus the buff of being permanently injury-proof.
How could anyone call him soft?
Skills also had to be developed and put to use.
Just like a man: being hard wasn't enough. You had to know what you were doing, too!
[Ding-dong... System integration complete. Assigning you a mission.]
Just as Li Fei made up his mind, the system suddenly issued a mission.
[Career Mission: Become a member of the University of California, Berkeley Golden Bears.]
[Mission Reward: Star Shooting Package ×1]
Li Fei's heart stirred!
His first basketball career mission had finally arrived.
But there was a problem...
He'd transmigrated too late and missed the team tryouts.
Fortunately, that very evening, after the mission was issued, Li Fei ran into Kidd at the campus outdoor court. Kidd was having a blast mercilessly beating up the amateurs.
Li Fei's eyes lit up.
Berkeley, 1993.
Kidd was the star player on the team.
Li Fei immediately called out to him from the court with a grin. "Mind if I join?"
And just like that...
Kidd became the "amateur" getting mercilessly beaten on the court.
After one game,
Jason Kidd couldn't help clinging to Li Fei's leg.
"Want to come see the view from the mountain with me, Li?"
In the sunset, Kidd poured his heart out. "Please, you've got to join our team!"
Li Fei could almost hear Kidd's heart pounding with excitement.
That night, Kidd sang Li Fei's praises to Coach Todd Bozeman.
Giant frame, cheetah speed, a body hard as steel!
And, most importantly, the skills of a guard!
Based on Kidd's description, Coach Todd pictured all kinds of NBA greats in his mind.
The result...
Not one of them fit!
He was fascinated by this Muscle Man.
So he specially arranged a solo tryout.
Meanwhile,
Li Fei stopped outside the gym.
He gazed at the sign above the entrance and listened to the thump, thump, thump of the ball inside. The corners of his mouth curled up.
He pushed open the door. The road to legend began with a tryout!
Before you continue