System and Lakers

Philadelphia's scorching summer did nothing to disrupt Kobe's training. On the court at Lower Merion High School, he sweated profusely as he practiced his three-point shooting.

Late in his career, due to his Achilles injury, he made extensive use of one-motion three-point shooting.

So-called one-motion shooting relied on leg power, transferring the force all the way to the fingers releasing the ball before completing the shot. Many great shooters in the future league used one-motion shooting, such as Curry, Thompson, JJ Redick, and Korver. The advantage of one-motion shooting was greater consistency.

The opposite of one-motion shooting was two-motion shooting. It used the power of the legs and waist, with another burst of force at the peak of the jump before completing the shot. The advantage of two-motion shooting was that it better ignored the pressure brought by defenders. Fans also called it a pull-up jumper. Many superstars used two-motion shooting, allowing them to get their shots off without interference even under suffocating defense.

Kobe planned to use one-motion shooting for his three-pointers while retaining his previous two-motion shooting for mid-range shots. There was a player like that in the future as well: Kawhi Leonard. When he led his team to a championship by himself in 2019, he could achieve incredibly high efficiency from both three-point range and mid-range.

Kobe did not like considering efficiency alone, but he remembered vividly how those future three-point specialists had revolutionized the entire game of basketball. He intended to ignite the three-point revolution ahead of time, which meant taking his three-point shooting to another level.

"Ding. The Life Restart System has finished charging."

"Player ability status check function activated."

"Side quests refreshed. Other functions require the completion of additional side quests to unlock."

"Side Quest 1: Win the 1996 Summer League championship."

"Side Quest 2: Swim with a great white shark in the ocean."

"Side Quest 3: Purchase a property in Beijing."

Hearing the voice that only he could hear, Kobe ignored the two bizarre quests. He was grateful to the system for giving him another chance, but he desperately wanted to know how Gianna was doing.

"Hey, hey, System, can you hear me?" Kobe patted his ear and muttered.

"The host's questions may be answered by the system after completing side quests."

Fine. The Black Mamba was ready to bare his fangs in the Summer League. But what exactly was this ability-check function?

"The host has used the ability-check function on himself. Usage successful."

"Kobe Bryant. Basketball player. Position compatibility: PG 90%, SG 100%, SF 95%, PF 80%, C 70%."

"Physical attributes: B+. Layup skill: S. Dunking skill: S. Mid-range skill: S+. Three-point skill: A. Ball-handling skill: S-. Playmaking skill: A. Defensive skill: S."

"Current physical condition: Full of vitality. Extremely low risk of injury."

"Ability usage complete. Cooldown: 7 days."

Kobe Bryant had already accepted that the system had brought him to this world, so naturally, he calmly accepted its miraculous functions as well. Looking over his panel, he found it just as he had expected: his physical attributes urgently needed improvement. His other skills had reached a high level thanks to years of diligent training. But to fully bring those skills into play, excellent physical attributes were indispensable. Even a streetball master with incredible handles would struggle to perform against ordinary NBA-level physicality.

"Boss, the Lakers have sent us an invitation for a workout." Pelinka's call interrupted Kobe's thoughts.

Los Angeles meant "The Angels" in Spanish and was commonly referred to by its abbreviation, LA. It was the most populous city in California and the second-most populous city in the United States. Los Angeles was the cultural, financial, and commercial center of Southern California. The city was known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, Hollywood, entertainment industry, and sprawling metropolitan area.

The Los Angeles Lakers were an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. Their home court was the Great Western Forum. The Lakers were one of the most successful teams in NBA history, second only to the Boston Celtics. After Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson retired, the team fell into a slump in the early 1990s. They were searching for a star who could lead them to their twelfth championship trophy.

After receiving the invitation, Kobe and Pelinka flew to Los Angeles and went to the Lakers' training facility the next day. The Lakers' current training facility was located at Toyota Center, an arena with the same name as the Mosaic team's home court. The facility was currently shared with the Los Angeles Kings, while the offices were located in another neighborhood.

Kobe had shed sweat here countless times. Looking at the familiar old court, he felt somewhat emotional.

"Mr. Kobe Bryant, it's a pleasure to meet you." A gentle elderly white man received Kobe and Pelinka. His movements were elegant, his gaze wise. It was clear that he had been a remarkably handsome man in his youth.

"Mr. West, the pleasure is mine." Without waiting for an introduction, Kobe walked up familiarly and gave Jerry West a hug.

"Oh, kid, you're certainly enthusiastic." West, fifty-eight that year, was somewhat surprised. He had no idea why the cold young man described in the scouting report was so enthusiastic toward him.

Jason Sean Fuiman's scouting report: I once watched Kobe play at Lower Merion High School. He does have many strengths, the greatest of which is his maturity. Although he is only seventeen, Kobe is already more mature than many NBA players. His learning ability and ability to read the game are also extremely strong, and he can become an outstanding finisher. At the same time, Kobe is a natural leader. His team had neither a point guard nor shooters, yet they still won the championship. Even when triple-teamed, he could control the game. He is also highly versatile and can play all five positions. Of course, Kobe is not perfect. As for his weaknesses, although he can play all five positions, he is not elite at any one of them. If he were asked to play point guard, his ball-handling would also raise doubts. Furthermore, his age of seventeen is not necessarily an advantage. It may prevent him from handling the brutality of the NBA, and his body may not yet be ready for physical competition. Comparison: Grant Hill.

"Of course. I've watched film of every game you played." Kobe smiled. He would not tell West how important he had been in his career, nor how deep their bond had been. Kobe disguised all those emotions as the adoration of a devoted fanboy.

West looked at Kobe. He simply assumed the boy liked what he had accomplished during his Lakers career, but he could feel Kobe's fondness for him.

"All right, kid. Let's begin this workout." Jerry West had already learned a great deal about Kobe through game footage and scouting reports, and he had prepared this workout with the team's head coach, Del Harris.

The physical testing results were no different from those in Philadelphia, while Kobe also excelled in the shooting drills. Finally, he played a three-on-three scrimmage with the team's trainers. During the game, Kobe displayed his talent with effortless ease.

"Kid, you're special." Jerry West could be said to be one of the people in the world who understood the essence of basketball best. He had personally assembled both the OK dynasty and the Warriors dynasty. He knew which players possessed championship DNA, and he knew which ones were destined for greatness.

Yet everything he knew about basketball seemed to be shattered by Kobe. How could a seventeen-year-old possess such mature offensive and defensive skills? He would not be the next Grant Hill. He would not even be the next Jordan. West saw in Kobe the qualities of someone who could become the next legend.

Del Harris, the Lakers' current head coach, nicknamed the Silver Fox, was also present for the workout.

Del Harris was an old acquaintance to Chinese basketball fans. In 2004, Del Harris coached the Chinese men's national basketball team. Leading a Chinese squad headlined by NBA All-Star Yao Ming, he helped China defeat the European team Serbia and Montenegro in the group stage of the 2004 Athens Olympics and reach the quarterfinals.

Known as the Silver Fox, he had extensive coaching experience. He had coached the Rockets, Bucks, and Lakers, compiling a 554-457 record in the NBA regular season for a 54.8% winning percentage. His playoff record was 38-48. During his time with the Rockets, he had helped guide Olajuwon into becoming an NBA superstar center. The Lakers' second-round pick Nick Van Exel and future All-Star guard Eddie Jones had both been developed by him.

In the 1994-1995 season, he was named NBA Coach of the Year after rapidly improving the young Lakers' record. Harris also liked this young future star very much. He valued Kobe's talent highly, and this workout had left him extremely satisfied.

"Sign this kid, Jerry. We'll get ourselves a superstar," Harris said to West beside him during the workout.

"Mr. Bryant, would you be willing to join the Lakers?" After discussing it with Harris, West asked Kobe in an especially solemn tone.

"With pleasure, sir." Kobe smiled at West and Harris, wanting to etch this moment into his heart forever.

"Sorry to interrupt, gentlemen, but we need to discuss Bryant's draft prospects." Rob Pelinka stepped forward. It was his job to secure sufficient benefits from the team for Bryant. West thus took Pelinka to the office to discuss the details, while Kobe and Harris remained courtside to talk tactics.

"First, I must inform you that my client and I will not accept anything below a lottery pick. You know, the Philadelphia 76ers have also spoken highly of Mr. Kobe Bryant's workout performance." Pelinka said. A lottery pick was essential.

"All right, that won't be a problem. We'll trade for a lottery pick. I can promise you that we'll select Kobe with a lottery pick, but you must also promise me not to attend workouts for any other teams." West knew that if Kobe continued working out for other teams, a lottery pick would not be enough to draft him.

"I agree. Then what about his standing within the team? Mr. Bryant needs an excellent environment for development."

"Kobe Bryant will be the future face of the Lakers."