Black Basketball: A false start

Chapter 299 Strong? Weak?
"You've made it, Jermaine...you've become a so-called five-star high school student." Kaneki Ken came to the center line and said with a smile while looking at Jermaine O'Neal's baby face.

"Now is the game, we can talk about the past later. Now I... may not be worse than you." Jermaine O'Neal said something harsh but weak, looking down at the basketball in the referee's hands with his eyes, as if Kaneki Ken in front of him was a monster.

"Beep~" With a sharp and rapid whistle, the referee threw the basketball high into the air. Kaneki Ken and Jermaine O'Neal jumped up almost at the same time, their two slender arms pointing directly at the basketball in the air.

"This guy...jumps so high!" Tracy McGrady muttered to himself in surprise as he looked at Kaneki Ken who reached the highest point first, "And with this speed...I'm afraid even Cousin Carter can't catch up with him!"

"boom!"

While Tracy McGrady was still thinking, the sound of a basketball hitting a palm was heard above the court. Kaneki Ken flicked his hand slightly, and the basketball flew straight to Amare Bailey behind him.

"Hoho, it looks like we've arrived at the right time~"

Just as Amare Bailey jumped up to catch the basketball, two gray-haired old men wearing masks appeared in the corner of the stadium.

"Jerry, do you know that it's very rude to call someone out of the Golden Club?" An old man with gray hair and a slightly messy hairstyle spoke first, saying in a dissatisfied tone, "Things like observing players should be left to scouts. If that doesn't work, let the video editors edit the video... After all, I pay them to do this."

"You don't understand, Buss." Jerry West stared at Kaneki Ken's figure on the field and said, "Watching this kid's game on video will never be as exciting as watching him play live. This kid... has incredible magic."

"Well, I hope he can live up to your praise." Jerry Buss shrugged helplessly, wiped his beard with his left hand and said, "Damn it, if it weren't for this kid, Sally would definitely not be able to escape today!"

"Sally?" Jerry West turned his head and looked at Jerry Buss in confusion, "Didn't you always patronize that girl named Isabel before?"

"Old man, that was all history?" Jerry Buss looked at Jerry West with an exaggerated expression and said, "Sex and basketball, I always want the best."

"Whoosh!"

While the two old men off the court were chattering, Amare Bailey on the court had already crossed half court with the ball. He used Stephen Jackson's pick-and-roll to get rid of the opponent's entanglement, and then shook his right hand lightly. The basketball flew with a sound of breaking through the air into the hands of Kaneki Ken who was 45 degrees to the right of the free throw line.

"Bang!" When the basketball just left Amar'e Bailey's fingertips, Kaneki Ken stretched out his legs to block Jermain O'Neal's position. He gently extended his right hand, and the basketball automatically lay in Kaneki Ken's hand like an obedient elf.

"I watched all your games last year. You deserve the title of a five-star high school student." After receiving the ball, Kaneki Ken used his back to feel Jermaine O'Neal's defensive position while smiling and glancing at Jermaine O'Neal behind him. "You are also called O'Neal, and the big guy in Orlando is also called O'Neal... I wonder who has more strength between you and O'Neal?"

"boom!"

As Kaneki Ken's voice fell, Jay, Maine O'Neill only felt a huge force coming from his chest, and then his whole chest suddenly felt stuffy, and his body, which was originally leaning forward to exert force, was pushed back two steps.

"You can't do this... Is this the power of a five-star high school student?" Kaneki Ken said sarcastically after pushing Jermain Inneal away, "You are so weak and poor!"

As he said that, Kaneki Ken slapped the basketball heavily, and his feet returned to the position facing the basket. He bent his knees slightly, raised the basketball high with both hands, and aimed the ball at the basket with his right hand.

"I'm not the same person I was back then... I was just a little careless just now!" Jermaine O'Neal, who was pushed away, looked at Kaneki Ken's slightly arrogant expression with an unhappy face. The scenes of being brutally abused by Kaneki Ken in the Jordan training camp and the high school all-star game reappeared in his mind. A feeling of unwilling anger arose spontaneously, supporting him to adjust his steps and pounce on Kaneki Ken with all his strength.

"Oh, you are not the same person as before?" Kaneki Ken, who was jumping in the air, was taller than the 2.11-meter-tall Jermaine O'Neal. He looked down at Jermaine O'Neal and said coldly, "But in my opinion, your strength or weakness has nothing to do with me... Because no matter how strong you are, you can't be stronger than me!"

"Snapped!"

"Beep!"

As the crisp sound of a palm slapping on the arm was heard, the referee on the side blew the whistle.

"Not good!" Jermaine O'Neal frowned in frustration, looked at Kaneki Ken with a slightly raised mouth and muttered, "I forgot how terrifying this guy's core strength is..."

"There's no way this ball is going to go in..." Tracy McGrady muttered to himself as he watched Kaneki Ken fall to the ground. "No matter how good his shooting skills are, he got hit in the hand with such a strong force before he even shot..."

"Ah? Such a strong force?" Kaneki Ken said with disdain after hearing Tracy McGrady's words, "The force I use to swat a mosquito at home is not much lighter than this!"

As Kaneki Ken finished speaking, in the desperate eyes of Jermaine O'Neal, Kaneki Ken slowly flicked the basketball out. After the basketball left his fingertips, it spun in the air and drew a towering arc, and in the stunned eyes of the people on the sidelines, it flew accurately to the basket.

"Shh!"

After an unknown amount of time, as Tracy McGrady looked in disbelief, the basketball fell accurately into the basket. The spinning basketball caused a splash of water, and a crisp sound rang out like water splashes.

"Shooting foul!" the referee shouted, "Jermaine O'Neal, a personal foul! Sierra Canyon, a team foul! Oak Hill High School's ball counts! One free throw!" "Damn, what unexpected shitty luck..." Tracy McGrady cursed inwardly, and stood at the edge of the paint area with an unhappy look on his face, ready to grab the rebound - although he knew very well that the possibility of Kaneki Ken missing the free throw was very slim.

"Hey, you are Vince's cousin, right?" Ken Kaneki, who was standing on the free throw line, looked at Tracy McGrady with a playful expression and said.

"What do you mean by Vince's cousin?" Tracy McGrady looked at Kaneki Ken with an unhappy face and said unhappily, "I am me and he is him! Don't always associate me with him!"

"Haha, you're quite arrogant." Kaneki Ken chuckled, shook his head nonchalantly and said, "No matter who you are, it's you who said that my goal was a result of luck, right?"

"Yes, I said it. What's wrong?" The young and energetic Tracy McGrady stepped forward and said to Kaneki Ken with an unconvinced look on his face, "Others may be afraid of you, but I am not!"

"Interesting~" Kaneki Ken stood at the free throw line, his hands on his hips, his eyebrows slightly raised, and squinted his eyes with a playful look and said, "Then let's make a bet..."

As he spoke, Kaneki Ken took the basketball passed to him by the referee, stared at Tracy McGrady and continued, "I will take this shot with my eyes closed. If I miss, I will give you $50. If I make it, you must bow your head when you see me, Kaneki Ken, in the future."

"Wow, this kid is quite interesting. I'm beginning to understand why you like him." Jerry Buss on the sidelines said as he listened to the bet made by Kaneki Ken, "He's indeed a kid trained by Michael. From his outstanding basketball skills to his arrogant personality... they're exactly the same! If he really comes to Los Angeles, he might have some wonderful influence on us..."

"But the players in Los Angeles are not afraid of arrogance, right?" Jerry West said with a wise smile on his face, "We are not afraid of players who have no topics to talk about. We are only afraid that the players are cowards."

"Tsk, serving with your eyes closed... Do you think you are Jordan?" Tracy McGrady gritted his teeth in dissatisfaction, staring at Kaneki Ken. After his expression changed several times, he finally made up his mind and said, "Okay, I accept this bet!"

"Very good, you still have some temper." Kaneki Ken chuckled and shook his head, then closed his eyes decisively after taking a last look at the basket.

"Hey, is this guy serious?" Amar Bailey approached Stephen Jackson with some concern and reminded him, "Pay attention to rebounding later, Stephen..."

"Rebound? What rebound?" Stephen Jackson looked at Amar'e Bailey in surprise and said, "Haven't you discovered yet..."

"Shh!"

As Stephen Jackson was speaking, Kaneki Ken, who had his eyes tightly closed, had already kicked the basketball out. With the sound of the basketball brushing the net, Stephen Jackson put an end to his unfinished words: "Anytime Kaneki Ken makes a bet, you just need to close your eyes and bet on him to win!"

"What's up? Are you stupid?" Jermaine O'Neal, who was about to serve the ball, came to the baseline and took the basketball. He looked at Tracy McGrady helplessly and said, "I told you a long time ago not to mess with this guy... This guy is just like the guy from Lower Merion High School. They are both vindictive... And this guy's mind seems to be smaller than that guy from Lower Merion High School... No, it's smaller than that guy's hand!"

"A-choo! A-choo!" At this moment, Kobe Bryant, who was training in Philadelphia, suddenly sneezed twice without any warning.

"What's wrong with you, Kobe?" The head coach of Lower Merion High School looked at Kobe Bryant with a worried look on his face and said, "The new season is about to start. You won't catch a cold and miss the game right after the start of the season, will you?"

"I'm fine, coach." Kobe Bryant shook his head decisively, looking excitedly at the empty space in front of him, as if there was some beautiful scenery there. "I finally waited for that guy to stay in the United States. Not to mention catching a cold, as long as I don't get shot in the head, I won't be out due to injury!"

"Okay, it's good that you have this awareness." The head coach of Raul Meiren High School nodded a little worriedly and reminded, "But you still have to pay attention to rest. I often hear players say that you have to practice until eleven or twelve at night, and then get up at five or six in the morning to continue training... It's not okay to practice like this all the time. Relax in moderation, which is what all trainers will tell you in the first class!"

"I understand, coach." Kobe Bryant, who had been looking down at the floor, suddenly raised his head, with a hint of arrogance from a strong man on his lips, and said softly, "Basketball is the best way for me to relax. Since you remind me to combine work and rest...it means that I haven't practiced enough."

After saying that, Kobe Bryant didn't care what the coach really thought. He ran to the sidelines, picked up a ball from the rack, and started training against his shadow.

"Alas, this kid...it seems like he can't live without basketball..." The assistant coach at the side looked at Kobe Bryant's back and sighed helplessly, "He is already so strong, what is he still pursuing?"

"I don't know either, but I think it should be something that is beyond the scope of our common understanding... It's either a particularly great ideal or a particularly strong opponent." Raul Merlin's head coach sighed as he looked at Kobe Bryant with a complicated expression.

"It's not enough... When facing this guy Kaneki Ken... this level of strength is not enough!" Kobe Bryant's dribbling movements were getting faster and faster, his eyes full of unwillingness to be outdone, as if Kaneki Ken's figure was standing in front of him, fighting against him.

"Damn it... If we want to fight this guy, Jermaine and I are not strong enough with our current strength!"

Coincidentally, at this moment in the Oak Hill High School gymnasium, Tracy McGrady looked helplessly at Kaneki Ken's fadeaway jump shot and thought so.

"Shh!"

As the sound of a basketball hitting the net was heard again, the score on the field had reached 36 to 8, and at this time, only ten minutes had passed since the start of the game.

"Stephen said that there are no particularly strong players on your team. I believe this now." After landing, Kaneki Ken looked at the players of Sierra Canyon Middle School with a playful expression and said, "But he also said that there are no particularly weak players on your team... I still doubt this."

(End of this chapter)