Winning Was the Main Goal

"Su, your three-point shooting is incredible. Are you going to compete in the Three-Point Contest this year?"

After the game, Peja Stojakovic couldn't help walking over to ask.

Su Yi was only a rookie, but on the court, if you had the talent, your résumé and everything else could be ignored.

Su Yi had made seven of his thirteen three-point attempts in this game, a stellar 53.8% shooting percentage.

That kind of accuracy truly shocked Peja Stojakovic.

But this wasn't just a one-game or two-game fluke for Su Yi. It was the norm for him.

Peja Stojakovic, a shooter himself, couldn't help but acknowledge that.

That was why Peja Stojakovic had asked him.

Su Yi was taken aback. He hadn't expected Peja Stojakovic to ask him that, and he really hadn't given any thought to All-Star Weekend.

For Su Yi, all that mattered right now was training and playing well in every game.

"Sorry, Peja. I really haven't thought about it."

Su Yi answered honestly.

"Su, start thinking about it tonight. I hope I can face you in the Three-Point Contest."

Peja Stojakovic couldn't help saying.

Having already won the Three-Point Contest twice, Peja Stojakovic hadn't planned to compete again. The competition just hadn't been interesting enough.

But now he had found a worthy opponent, and his desire to crush one had returned.

So Peja Stojakovic sincerely hoped Su Yi would give serious thought to competing in the All-Star Three-Point Contest.

Peja Stojakovic wasn't worried that the league wouldn't invite Su Yi.

In his eyes, inviting Su Yi to compete in the Three-Point Contest was the right choice.

Peja Stojakovic even figured that if Su Yi kept playing like this through January, he might become the busiest player at this year's All-Star Weekend.

"I'll think about it."

The two shared a friendly hug, and Su Yi headed back to the players' tunnel.

Of course, before heading back, he had to sign autographs for the young fans gathered on both sides of the tunnel entrance.

There were now more than thirty of them, by a rough estimate.

At the beginning, there had only been a few. As time passed, their numbers had grown to more than thirty.

Su Yi could barely keep the grin off his face.

Young fans were an athlete's most loyal supporters.

Su Yi signed autographs and took photos with all the kids.

"Tyrus, why are you getting another jersey signed? Did you buy a new one?"

Su Yi asked as he signed a jersey for the young Tyrus Haliburton.

Every time Tyrus Haliburton came to get an autograph, he had a brand-new jersey.

"Su, Dad and I made a deal. From now on, every time I come to watch a game, he'll buy me one of your jerseys."

Tyrus Haliburton explained.

Hearing that, Su Yi reached out and ruffled Tyrus Haliburton's hair. "Thanks, Tyrus!"

Hearing those words from his idol, Tyrus Haliburton broke into a radiant smile.

Tyrus Haliburton's father, standing beside him, didn't look burdened at all by what his son had said.

After all, their family was quite well-off. Besides, they'd come all this way, so what was the point if they didn't take home some souvenirs?

"Bye, everyone. See you next time."

Su Yi said goodbye to his young fans and turned to leave.

"Bye, Su!" "Bye, Su! You're so cool!" "Su..."

The kids called out to Su Yi's retreating figure.

Their young voices reached Su Yi's ears, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

At the same time, he deeply understood why basketball in his homeland had kept getting worse in his previous life.

Even with the NBA as a mature league to learn from, they still didn't bother to study it. Instead, things kept getting worse. That was the difference in culture.

You could see the difference in little things.

In the NBA, players interacted with fans all the time. Young or old, fans got a response when they held out their hands for a high five. It made the players seem approachable.

Even after a loss, when their mood was terrible, players still treasured their fans.

If fans wanted a photo or an autograph, players usually said yes, even making a point of smiling for the camera.

The domestic league was different. Players were usually expressionless and hurried past without interacting with anyone.

It was as if they thought they were above everyone else.

As though letting you watch them play was a privilege.

Without even realizing it, Su Yi had already planted a seed in the hearts of these young fans: I want to play in the NBA!

And Su Yi knew that some of those kids would really make their dreams come true.

Maybe that was the difference.

Su Yi was also glad he'd been reborn as a Chinese person.

After all, he didn't want to get involved with the national team.

He had no interest in matching wits with those so-called leaders.

Of course, that didn't mean he wouldn't help basketball back home. But he believed the local environment couldn't produce world-class basketball players.

After all these years, there had still only been Yao Ming.

So, in the future, he'd set up something like Kobe's Mamba Academy, devoted to training kids from back home.

But that could wait until he'd made a name for himself. It would take a lot of money, after all.

All in all, Su Yi found life after his rebirth quite interesting. Not only could he personally get back at LeBron stans, he could also do plenty of meaningful things.

After returning to the locker room, Su Yi washed up and changed, then followed a staff member to the postgame interview area.

As soon as Su Yi arrived, the reporters started firing questions at him all at once.

It sounded like a marketplace.

Su Yi could only wait until they'd finished their barrage before casually pointing to someone. "You."

The White Male Reporter he'd picked stood up excitedly and asked, "Su, congratulations on scoring 30-plus again. With you leading them, the Cavaliers have returned to first place in the East once more. What do you have to say about that?"

Su Yi replied, "First, I want to thank my teammates. Every win we earn is the result of all of us working together. We'll keep winning more and more games."

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Yi pointed to a Black female reporter.

She asked, "Su, do you think you're already the Cavaliers' centerpiece?"

Su Yi didn't plan to answer directly. After a moment's thought, he countered, "Do you think I am or not? Besides, whether I am or not doesn't matter. What matters is helping the team win."

When Su Yi finished speaking, several local reporters in the room applauded him.

It was such a good answer. Winning was the main goal.

Did being the centerpiece or having the stats matter when you lost?

The reporters went on to ask Su Yi several more questions. None were especially pointed, and he answered them all cordially.

The interview lasted half an hour before the reporters finally let Su Yi go.

Afterward, Su Yi turned and left without looking back. Xu Rui was still waiting for him in the parking lot.