Post-Match

Under the spotlights of Los Angeles, everything you did was laid bare for the public to see. The exposure here was second only to New York, and the media were countless. Many players lost their way beneath the lights, while many others desperately chased after them.

After the game, Kobe did not attend the press conference. Del Harris felt that Kobe was too young and worried that his youthful temper might lead the media to bait him into saying something wrong, so he only brought O'Neal to the press conference.

Kobe did not care about that. Although he was experienced in dealing with the media and knew that media exposure could greatly raise his profile, his performance in this game had been nothing short of magical. Skipping the press conference would not diminish his brilliance.

In the locker room, Kobe took off his jersey. He was used to applying ice after games to ease muscle tension and capillary damage caused by playing. After the ice treatment, he would take a hot bath, then have Gary Vitti give him physical therapy. The intense neural stimulation from the game would be eased somewhat, allowing him to sleep better once he got home.

Many players had trouble sleeping after games due to the intensity of competition, compounded by unfamiliar road environments. Kobe had his own methods of adjustment. He could enter deep sleep in a short time and quickly restore his strength, which was one reason his stamina was so exceptional.

NBA games were usually held at night local time. After a day of work, people returned home or came to the arena, and watching a game was a great form of entertainment.

The United States valued entertainment above all else, and ordinary people idolized all kinds of stars. Their leisure lives were shaped by these superstars. Not only film and television celebrities, but sports stars as well enjoyed an extremely high social status.

The media loved selling the public every detail of these stars' lives, both on and off the court, as entertainment. And after work, people also needed plenty of emotional outlets to relieve the pressure brought on by exhausting jobs.

Kobe knew that news of him destroying Kevin Johnson in this game would soon fill the sports pages of every Los Angeles newspaper. He and O'Neal would become symbols of the city. But this was only the beginning. He wanted far, far more.

Old Joe and the others had returned to the hotel early after the game. They happily celebrated Kobe's performance. Summer League and preseason games did not really prove anything, but when Kobe put on such a spectacular performance in his regular-season debut, they were overjoyed.

The fans' praise in the arena had greatly satisfied Old Joe's pride. He was incredibly proud of his son. Joe cheerfully replied to text messages and calls from friends and relatives everywhere.

When Kobe returned to his apartment, he collapsed onto the bed, ready to rest. Then the system's voice sounded by his ear.

"Regular season activated. The system has issued side quests."

"Unlock partial functions upon completing side quests."

"Current date: November 1, 1996. Main quest: Life Achievement S+ (Current achievement: C+)"

"Side Quest 1: Win Rookie of the Year."

"Side Quest 2: Dunk on Shaquille O'Neal."

"Side Quest 3: Purchase a courtyard house in Beijing."

Kobe froze for a moment. Dunk on Shaq? Even if he dunked on that petty fat man during practice, there was an eighty percent chance Shaq would beat him up afterward. If he dunked on his teammate Shaq in an official game...

Kobe felt that Side Quest 2 was trying to get him killed every single time, pushing him down a road of no return.

And why did it always want him to buy property in Beijing? If he remembered correctly, housing prices in Beijing in the future were terrifyingly high. Having just received his paycheck, Kobe did not know whether he had enough money to buy a courtyard house.

The team had not paid Kobe his entire salary at once. They worried that the young kid would lose himself with too much money. There had been no shortage of such examples. Many players spent money like water, wasting their talent away while partying in nightclubs.

Kobe rubbed his chin. Rookie of the Year was an award he had to win even without a quest. But it would not be handed out until the end of the season. The fastest way to complete a quest was to secretly dunk on O'Neal, or buy a house.

But how exactly could he do it? Could he dunk on O'Neal without anyone noticing and leave him with no complaints?

It looked like he would have to wait for the right opportunity.

Besides, his Life Achievement had not risen at all. Apparently, his current accomplishments were still far too few. What kind of award would raise it? An All-Star selection? All-NBA? MVP? Or perhaps only a championship?

Kobe got up early and shot around in the training facility, taking the newspaper Fisher had brought him. The headlines were exactly as Kobe had expected.

"Twin Stars of the Class of '96 Shine: Los Angeles' Kobe Bryant Scores 31 VS Philadelphia's Allen Iverson Scores 30."

"Wonder Kid Kobe Bryant Leaves Kevin Johnson Humiliated."

"The Next Penny? No, the Next Jordan."

After reading them, Kobe casually tossed the newspaper into the trash.

"Boss! You're famous now! Don't throw it away, don't throw it away!" Fisher could not understand why Kobe was so indifferent to the media's praise.

"Little Fish, the harder these people praise us now, the more vicious they'll be when we play badly. Keep a level head, play your own game, and don't let the media affect you." Kobe lectured his little brother.

Fisher paused. Although his boss was only eighteen, he somehow seemed far more mature than twenty-two-year-old Fisher.

As expected of my boss, Fisher thought excitedly. In the previous game, he had played fifteen minutes, going four for five and efficiently putting up twelve points and five assists. The Los Angeles media had also mentioned him across quite a few pages.

And that was because Kobe had drawn so much defensive attention that Fisher had so much room to attack.

Fisher could not bear to part with the newspaper he had painstakingly bought. He hurriedly pulled out the page covering him from the trash and continued chuckling happily at the media's praise.

"Train properly. You're spacing out again." Seeing Fisher once more immersed in his fantasy world, grinning foolishly at the newspaper, Kobe immediately got annoyed. This guy was good at everything except paying attention. Kobe picked up a basketball and hurled it at Fisher's forehead again.

"Thud." That was the sound of the basketball striking Fisher's head.

"Bang." That was the sound of Fisher falling and hitting the floor.

Hurry up and figure it out, Little Fish. There aren't many bosses like me who put so much effort into helping their little brothers grow. Kobe shook his head, had Ben Wallace drag the collapsed Fisher to the side, and then calmly resumed practicing his shooting.