June 26, 2002, Madison Square Garden, New York.
The annual NBA draft officially kicked off at this arena, known as the "Mecca of Basketball".
For the NBA as a whole, the summer of 2002 was a special turning point. Big men still dominated the paint, but at the same time, David Stern was eager to find the next international icon who could carry the league's box office and viewership in the wave of globalization. The growing pains of the transition between generations and the clash of ideas between traditional college players and those who skipped grades made this year's draft full of unknowns and drama.
The small green room was filled with young faces in suits. As the broadcast cameras panned across the country, the eyes of fans nationwide were focused on this year's hottest rookies.
The most anticipated player is undoubtedly Jay Williams from Duke University. As the NCAA's best player in the nation, he possesses a dazzling playing style, top-notch speed on the breakaway, and solid academic tactical awareness. In the eyes of most United States scouts and media, he is the safest "cornerstone" player in this draft class.
Following closely behind were his Duke Blue Devils teammate, the fundamentally sound all-around forward Mike Dunleavy, and the University of Kansas Drew Gooden.
However, the real protagonist of Madison Square Garden tonight is a person from the East who has traveled a long way.
Unlike Lin Qi's memories from his previous life, this time, thanks to the mediation of various parties, the Chinese side granted a full week. This allowed Yao Ming not only to successfully participate in the open tryouts in Chicago, but also tonight he personally came to New York and sat at the round table in the Green Room. As soon as the draft ends, he will immediately set off to fly back to China to prepare for the World Championship.
In the TNT broadcast booth, Ernie Johnson sat next to Kenny Smith, "The Jets," and former Knicks legend Wall Frazier.
"The whole of New York is in an uproar." Kenny Smith shook his head, watching the Yao Ming tryout highlights on the big screen. "I admit this 2.26-meter China big man has an unbelievably soft touch, but can he really adapt to the physicality of the NBA's interior? In my opinion, Jay Williams is the guy who can immediately step onto the court and change the game."
"But this is the script David Stern most wants to see; he dreams of entering the China market," Ernie Johnson added with a smile. "Gentlemen, the countdown is over, and the president has entered."
The lights in the room dimmed instantly, and a spotlight shone on the podium in the center of the stage.
Amidst the usual boos, David Stern walked to the microphone with a professional smile, holding the envelope that would determine the future of the team.
"In the 2002 NBA draft, the New Jersey Nets selected the first overall pick..."
Stern paused for a moment, looked up, and his voice, amplified through the microphone, echoed throughout the arena, " Yao Ming! From China!"
boom!
A complex wave of sound erupted at Madison Square Garden, a mix of cheers and gasps. On camera, the 2.26-meter-tall Asian giant stood up after hugging his parents, put on New Jersey Nets cap, and strode onto the stage to shake hands with David Stern, making history as the Asia to be selected as the NBA's number one draft pick.
The draft proceeded as scheduled.
With the second pick, the Chicago Bulls successfully selected Jay Williams, a favorite in the nation, Chicago Bulls fans erupted in thunderous cheers.
The Golden State Warriors selected Mike Dunleavy with the third overall pick.
The Memphis Grizzlies selected Drew Gooden with the fourth pick.
With the seventh pick, the Milwaukee Bucks used the draft pick they had just acquired from Boston to select Nene.
After an hour and a half of the draft, most of the top prospects in the green room had been decided. The broadcasters' discussion began to cool down, and the fans' attention started to wander.
"Next up is the 13th pick in the first round." Ernie Johnson looked at the draft list in his hand. "This pick originally belonged to the Milwaukee Bucks, but in a series of trades before the draft, it was sent to the Boston Celtics."
" Boston just won their fourth consecutive championship, but they've also emptied out most of the team in the last few days," Kenny Smith analyzed with a frown. "They desperately need to add immediate impact players at this draft position, or draft a center with excellent physical attributes to fill the void."
On the McGrady stage, David Stern once again walked out holding an envelope.
The room fell silent. Everyone wanted to know what choice the young Chinese-American president, who had demonstrated keen insight and single-handedly built the Boston Celtics dynasty over the past few years, would make in this mid-first-round pick.
Stern opened the envelope, his gaze lingered on the card for half a second, and then he announced loudly into the microphone.
"2002 NBA Draft, 13th overall pick in the first round..."
The Boston Celtics have selected Dwyane Wade from Marquette University!
The moment the words were spoken, Madison Square Garden fell into a brief silence.
Immediately following was a wave of intense astonishment and whispers.
Kenny Smith in the broadcast booth stared wide-eyed, grabbing the edge of the table in disbelief. " Dwyane Wade?!"
When countless fans and experts in front of their televisions heard this name, their first reaction was disbelief, and they immediately went to look up their scouting reports.
"This is really hard to understand." Wall Frazier shook his head repeatedly. "A guard who is only 1.93 meters tall doesn't have enough vision to play point guard, and he's at a disadvantage in terms of physical attributes to play shooting guard. Moreover, Marquette University, as the No. 5 seed, was eliminated in the first round of March Madness this year. He has never proven himself in a tough game."
"The most worrying thing is his physical condition," Kenny Smith added loudly. "He played on and off in college, missing a lot of games. Teams suspected he had hidden injury problems, and nobody dared to touch him. Apart from his decent athleticism, there's really no reason why he should have been selected midway through the first round. Boston basically wasted a valuable lottery pick on a short guy who could go down at any moment!"
Listening to the doubts and regrets from the experts in the broadcast booth, Lin Qi's eyes became deep and bright.
In the original timeline, Wade would have suffered a serious knee injury during his college years, had his meniscus removed, and then, with amazing perseverance, delivered an incredible performance during March Madness in his junior year, leading his team to the Final Four and ultimately being selected as a top pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.
But in this timeline, due to Lin Qi's influence, Wade strictly adhered to a strict playing time limit during his college years. He didn't get injured, nor did he have his crucial meniscus removed.
The "mysterious injury risks" that outsiders perceived as intermittent play were simply preventative load management. Marquette University's March Madness, without any positive results, was the price paid for preserving his healthy body. This directly led to Wade's draft stock plummeting, allowing Boston to easily select him with the 13th pick.
" Dwyane Wade with a complete meniscus..." Lin Qi put down his coffee cup, his fingertips dancing merrily on the table.
However, Lin Qi also understood that developing Wade to his current level would be extremely difficult.
Lin Qi intends to lead this young man down a path completely different from what he remembers.