Professor

Foster hesitated for a long time, and jeers and shouts rose from the sidelines.

There was no time limit for one-on-one games on a streetball court, but he couldn't just hold the ball without moving forever!

Foster knew that standing still like this wasn't an option. After taking a deep breath, he drove forward two steps, then simply pulled up for a jump shot.

He was simplifying the complicated techniques and planning to solve the problem with raw talent.

Sometimes, the simplest offensive moves were the most effective.

Slap!

But just as Foster jumped and was about to shoot, Tang Tian slapped the ball right out of his hands.

The ball hit the ground, and Tang Tian grabbed it.

Foster's fifth isolation attempt ended in failure as well.

Tang Tian had won the matchup.

When Foster landed, he suddenly laughed.

When he missed the first shot, he thought he had been underestimating the opponent. When he missed the second, he believed he still had a chance. When he missed the third, he was still unwilling to accept it. But after failing on the last ball, he felt relieved instead.

His opponent's defense was NBA-level. It was perfectly normal that he couldn't score.

"What's your name?" Foster asked.

"Pay up." Tang Tian held out his hand.

Foster froze for a moment, then turned around, took 500 dollars from his bag, and handed it over.

Tang Tian counted it and put it away before saying, "Tang."

"Tang?" Foster searched his memory but still couldn't recall hearing that name before.

"What league do you play in?" Foster continued.

"Why are you asking?"

"Don't misunderstand me. My agent is working on getting me into the Summer League. If you're interested, I can..."

"Thanks, but no need." Tang Tian politely declined Foster.

He was definitely going to play in the NBA, but he would do it with Walker.

"Anyone else? 500 a game." Tang Tian turned toward the crowd and called out.

"..."

The players on the sidelines had originally admired Tang Tian somewhat. After all, there weren't many people who could make Foster submit on this court. But Tang Tian's expression practically screamed that he only cared about money, making it difficult for them to admire him any further.

"400?"

"300?"

"200?"

Tang Tian kept lowering the price, but nobody on the sidelines reacted.

None of them believed their offense was stronger than Foster's.

"100?"

Just as Tang Tian called out 100 and was practically ready to give up, the white guard who had played Foster one-on-one earlier stepped forward.

This white guard was a genuine local streetball player, and his ball-handling was quite good.

"Fine, 100 it is." Tang Tian looked somewhat disdainful. One 500-dollar game was worth five 100-dollar games, but even a tiny fly was still meat.

Seeing that Tang Tian had completely forgotten about him, Foster hesitated before preparing to leave.

But after taking only two steps, someone in a hood grabbed him.

He had intended to shake the person off, but the moment the other person spoke, he immediately stopped.

"Pro—"

He had only made one sound when the Professor motioned for him to be quiet.

"Wait until he's done. I have a small favor to ask of you two," the Professor continued.

Since the Professor was asking for help, Foster had no reason to refuse. He nodded and stayed where he was instead of leaving.

Tang Tian's game against the white guard had already begun.

The rules were the same as when he faced Foster earlier. Tang Tian would defend the white guard for five possessions.

The white guard was completely different from Foster. His specialty was ball-handling: behind-the-back dribbles, between-the-legs dribbles, Crossover Dribbles, even hesitation moves and Sam Goode moves. In short, he showed off however he could.

His flashy dribbling drew a wave of cheers from the players on the sidelines.

Streetball had a low barrier to entry, and dribbling was both its most fundamental and most popular element.

But by the end of it, every one of the white guard's shots was blocked by Tang Tian.

There was already a height difference between them. His dribbling couldn't fool Tang Tian, so naturally he had no chance to score.

And Tang Tian wasn't some slow-moving big center. Trying between-the-legs passes or self alley-oops off the backboard was even more impossible.

After the five possessions ended, the white guard was shut out by Tang Tian without any suspense.

The white guard couldn't even beat Foster. He had only faced Tang Tian because he wanted to give it a try. Afterward, he took the initiative to shake Tang Tian's hand and hug him, clearly treating him as a player on an entirely higher level.

Tang Tian patted the white guard on the shoulder, then called out to the others.

"Anyone for 100?"

No one answered.

He had already taken down the two strongest players here. Who would be stupid enough to step up and hand him money?

Tang Tian looked around and got no response. He felt rather helpless. This trip had only earned him 600 dollars in Pay-to-Win value, even less than playing basketball games before.

Still, he didn't lower the price any further. On one hand, no one would play him even if he did. On the other, it simply wasn't worth it.

Seeing that no one else was coming forward, he wrapped things up and prepared to leave.

But at that moment, someone in a hood walked over.

"100 dollars?" Tang Tian's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected to earn another batch of Pay-to-Win value before leaving.

The hooded person shook his head and said, "I can help you make more money."

Hearing that, Tang Tian became interested and walked with the hooded person to the edge of the court.

To his surprise, Foster was still standing there and hadn't left.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Grayson Boucher. I'm a streetball player." The hooded person took off his hood as he spoke.

Tang Tian got a clear look at him then. He was a guard a little over five feet seven, with a crew cut, a baby face, and fairly delicate features.

But Tang Tian had never heard the name Grayson Boucher before.

"Of course, you can also call me the Professor," the Professor added.

"The Professor? You're the streetball player Professor?" Tang Tian said in surprise.

Among the famous figures in streetball, the older generation like the Goat had already become legends, while Alston had entered the NBA. After them, the most famous was undoubtedly the Professor.

But the word Professor was misleading. He was actually just a young man in his twenties. His ball-handling was simply so exceptional that commentators at streetball games praised him as someone who could teach his opponents on the court, which was how he earned the nickname Professor.

Tang Tian had heard of the Professor in his previous life, but he had never seen him in person. Meeting him now was quite unexpected.

There was another reason as well. The Pay-to-Win System had Golden Right Hand (Professor), and it was even a Blue Skill. For an amateur player, that was already outrageously powerful.

"You said you could help me make more money?" But after the surprise passed, Tang Tian cared more about what the Professor had said about earning money.

Making Pay-to-Win value through streetball one-on-one games was far too slow. Who knew how long it would take to reach 50,000 dollars? If the Professor truly had a way to make money, that would be perfect.

"I'll be holding an exhibition game in New York this summer, and I'd like to invite you two to join as my teammates. Don't worry, this is a standard commercial game. You'll receive contracts with insurance clauses. The money won't be much, but it will definitely be more than these one-on-one games." The Professor looked at the two of them as he spoke.

A commercial game?

The moment Tang Tian heard that, disappointment appeared on his face. NCAA players couldn't participate in commercial games, which meant he couldn't play.

But this summer? If the draft was over by then, he should no longer be restricted by that rule.

P.S. Ah, I've become a salted fish. Without Recommendation Tickets, I can't get up. You decide what to do!

Thanks to ??メ伈伤 for the reward.