Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 229 I'm ready!
2017 6 Month 23 Day.

new York.

The annual NBA draft slowly begins.

Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, is a sporting event that attracts a large number of media.

On the large LED screen in the square outside the stadium, large portraits of players who are about to participate in the draft are scrolling, with a line of letters below them.

THE FUTURE STARTS HERE (The future starts here.)
Passersby were wearing jerseys of the home team they supported. Some media were conducting random interviews on the spot, asking questions about the ranking. Chen Fang's half-length photo was hung on the poster area on the outer wall. A large number of fans with Asian faces gathered at the scene.

Some of them are tall but have young faces. These are high school students who are well-known in their respective states. As for the draft day, they come here to experience this atmosphere in advance and look forward to such a beautiful day in the future.

There is a rumor that is not very happy, even depressing and surprising.

Chen Fang, the favorite for the top pick, did not appear in the green room. According to insiders, Chen Fang did not come to New York at all.

Chen Fang's behavior has been different from that of an ordinary person since he announced his participation in the draft. This fearless attitude has really made many experts feel uncomfortable. An NCAA champion should not be so arrogant.

From being a hot pick at the beginning, many organizations now believe that Chen Fang's ranking will decline because his competitors, Fultz, Lonzo, and Tatum, have all performed very well, frequently participated in events, and displayed their confident and sunny side.

Compared with Chen Fang's simple and profound style, it seems very casual.

No one knows what Chen is thinking, not even the Chinese media.

Tatum sat there nervously, with his parents and Drew sitting next to him. He was flipping through his phone, as if he was waiting for something.

At the round table next to him, Lonzo also had a tense face. Next to him were his parents and two younger brothers. The whole family was very nervous because up to this moment, the Lakers had not given them a definite reply. Although as a backup plan, Lonzo tried out the players who were later in the draft, they also did not give a reply.

Fultz, on the other hand, seemed very relaxed. He had already received an accurate answer from the 76ers. All in all, the third pick was inevitable.

Tatum looked at Fultz deeply. The other party obviously didn't know that at some point in the past, he was the No. 1 pick.

It all happened the night before, when his agent told Tatum that, given his accurate judgment of the election situation, Celtics president Ainge was considering trading down the draft pick to gain more benefits.

This news was like a bolt from the blue for Tatum. He had lost to Chen Fang throughout his college career. If he was still outshined by Chen Fang in the draft, it would be hard for him to accept it.

After Chen Fang led USC to win the NCAA championship, Tatum locked himself in the room. He was even more sad than the day he was eliminated by South Carolina.

As Chen Fang's recruiter for the United States, Tatum has his own pride. He admires Chen Fang very much, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a competitive spirit.

If the Celtics don't get the No. 1 pick, he can accept other picks, but if this is the operation, it will be difficult for him to accept it for a while.

That night, Tatum called his agent and expressed his strong dissatisfaction with the move. He felt that he was not respected by the Celtics. He was a warrior who longed for honor. If this move really happened, he would consider going to a team that respected him.

Late that night, Ainge made a reassuring call to Tatum, who clarified the rumors and repeatedly assured that the No. 1 pick would definitely be Tatum.

This was the first time that the usually introverted and easy-going Tatum got angry at Ainge and the Celtics, and in fact, the effect was amazing.

The Celtics management, who were confused and skeptical about whether Tatum had leadership qualities, suddenly had an epiphany and decided to rebuild with Tatum as the core.

But afterwards, Tatum was very frustrated. Drew had never seen Jason so uneasy. He tried to enlighten him with some life quotes, but Tatum refused: "I must firmly defend my interests and dignity. I can't back down."

Drew had nothing to say. Chen Fang had been regarded by Tatum as the biggest opponent in the future, and he had already entered the rhythm of confrontation.

But when he arrived at the Barclays Center and sat down, Tatum did not see Chen Fang. He felt very guilty. He hesitated for a long time and sent a text message to Chen Fang to inquire, but five minutes had passed and Chen Fang had not replied.

So Tatum got restless.

Suddenly his cell phone screen lit up, and Tatum quickly opened it. It was a text message from Chen Fang.

[Brother, congratulations in advance on becoming the top scorer. I won't be there. You know, I don't like crowded places.]

Chen Fang did not lie, he was the least interested person in the whole Chaminade. He was even the only high school student playing in the Olympics, yet he chose not to attend the opening ceremony.

[Where are you going? ] Tatum asked in a quick message.

[Not clear, everything is unknown. ]

[Aren't you worried about falling down the rankings? ]

[It’s impossible to be eliminated from the first round! ] Chen Fang posted a smiley face behind his message.

Tatum didn't know how to reply. While he was hesitating, Chen Fang sent him a new text message.

[See you in the league. If we can meet in the summer league, let’s have a good game.]

[Okay!] Tatum finally calmed down. He knew that Chen Fang was not a narrow-minded person. He also kept reminding himself that Chen Fang was his role model in terms of his broad mind.

Far away on a private beach in California, Chen Fang and Kobe were sea fishing.

Seeing Chen Fang put his phone back into the waterproof bag, Kobe, wearing sunglasses, asked, "Who?"

"Your little fanboy, the upcoming No. 1 draft pick, Tatum."

"Wow, it seems I have a lot of fans, why don't you?" Kobe asked humorously.

"I'm sorry, Jordan isn't one of them, why would it be you?"

Facing Chen Fang's sharp counterattack, Kobe was not angry.

During this period, the two had frequent contact, from basketball to investment, and finally to life and family. Although their age gap was almost twenty years, they got along very well.

The sea breeze blew on his cheeks. Chen Fang focused his eyes on the buoy that was floating with the waves. After a short silence, Kobe asked, "You don't even care about the draft?"

“Well, I even walked out of the USC championship celebration.”

"why?"

"No reason, I'm not interested in these things." Chen Fang answered while staring at the buoy.

"May I take it that you have no desire for honor?"

"It depends. I don't have your morbid desire for the NBA championship, but I can't say I don't want it either. It's just that I prefer to experience the process."

"As for the excitement, there is a proverb in China."

"I saw him build a tall building, I saw him entertain guests, and I saw his building collapse."

Kobe fell into a brief contemplation, and he heard Chen Fang's explanation: "Life has ups and downs, and wealth and glory are all fleeting."

"What I care about is the everlasting friendship, love, and family affection."

"These flowers clustered around us cannot stand the test of time. When we are wrong, lose, or get anxious, the flowers disappear and are replaced by all kinds of sarcasm. So I don't care about these at all."

"You're only 18, how come you feel like someone in their s who has experienced a lot?"

Turning to look at Kobe, Chen Fang smiled.

“This world is amazing.”

"You're weirder than me." Kobe muttered. His float never lifted and he shook his head and complained, "Fishing after being eliminated is not a pleasant experience."

"No, time is fair. Whether you are happy or not depends on your own attitude."

"It's hooked!" Chen Fang raised his arm and pulled up the fishing rod. A fish was struggling hard in the waves.

Kobe did not come to help, but chose to stand by and watch. It was also Chen Fang's first time to go sea fishing. He was in a panic and eventually, the fish he caught broke free from the hook and ran away.

"Haha, you're absolutely right. Happiness depends on your mood." Kobe laughed heartily.

Chen Fang threw the fishing rod on the reef in anger, but quickly picked it up, refilled the line, and threw it out.

"As long as I keep trying, I will definitely not return empty-handed." Chen Fang said.

"Yes, maybe you only have that one chance to catch it today, who knows."

The phone suddenly vibrated, and almost at the same time, Kobe also felt his phone ringing.

The two looked at each other and then took out their phones to check.

A few seconds later, Chen Fang put the phone back, but Kobe smiled at him playfully.

"Congratulations."

"Thank you, this is just the beginning of a new journey." Chen Fang let out a long breath. Today the sea and sky are blue, with only a long cloud on the horizon.

"Next, you will report to the Clippers and take a physical examination, participate in the summer league around mid-July, attend training camp at the end of September, and officially start the regular season in mid-October." Kobe listed them all.

"Yeah, it's time to start playing again."

"Your body is giving you advice." Kobe became serious.

"In the first year, you still have to adapt to the league's intensity, keep up with the pace, and perform at a certain level. Don't rush for success and try some dangerous things. Many rookies, in their first year, often take risks to play in order to show their value as soon as possible."

"Also, some of the veterans on the team won't treat you well. I hope the Clippers will assign you a good bird instead of a bad guy."

When Kobe Bryant first joined the Lakers as a rookie, the team assigned him Ceballos, the team's top scorer at the time. Ceballos did not give Kobe any face at the time and would scold him with a few swear words from time to time. Until one day, on the team bus, Kobe couldn't bear it anymore and warned Ceballos to shut his stinky mouth. If he swore at him again, he would smash his face.

The result of this conflict was that the Lakers traded Ceballos before the regular season.

After becoming famous, Kobe also played the role of an old bird taking care of rookies. Although he was very strict, he never scolded the rookies.

Chen Fang naturally didn't know about this. He was a little surprised: "Will all rookies be screwed?"

"Yes, without exception, this is just a warning to remind you to respect your elder brother and have enough respect for your seniority," Kobe explained.

"I heard there will be pranks, and odd jobs like washing socks, carrying boxes, and ordering takeout?"

"Yes, it's always like this in the first year. You serve the elderly." Kobe wanted to see Chen Fang embarrassed, so he asked, "How would you deal with it?"

"I won't go my own way. Moderation is fine, but if it goes too far, I will resolve it in a one-on-one fight." Chen Fang thought for a moment and said.

"One on one?" It was Kobe's turn to be surprised.

"Although you can win the trust in a one-on-one duel, it seems that as a rookie, it is still a bit out of place for you."

"I mean a real one-on-one duel!" Chen Fang raised his eyebrows. "Wow! Is that what you practice every day? Kung Fu?" Kobe was very interested.

Some time ago, Kobe Bryant and Chen Fang trained together for a while. He found that Chen Fang got up at 5:30 every day and ran to the beach. At first he thought he was doing extra physical training, but when he followed him, he found that Chen Fang was sitting there in a weird posture, as if he was breathing.

"I guess so. You can't beat me!" Chen Fang was very proud.

"Not necessarily. You can't win any one-on-one match. Maybe you will have a chance if you wait another ten years." Kobe retorted disdainfully.

Kobe has specialized training in boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which he believes can improve his basketball skills. He also participates in some charity boxing matches and has a dedicated coach to train him regularly.

His punches are powerful and accurate, his steps are flexible, and he can make good use of the offensive and defensive transitions in boxing. In the ring, Kobe is very aggressive and often aims to KO his opponents.

Of course Chen Fang knew that Kobe would practice boxing every week, but he didn't think he could beat him.

If the rules were not taken into consideration, as long as he got close to him, Kobe could be suppressed by using his grappling skills. Of course, this was just Chen Fang's idea.

"Without rules, you definitely can't beat me." Chen Fang said calmly.

"We can try it now." Kobe did not hesitate and pointed to the beach not far away.

Chen Fang nodded: "Okay, but there must be a bet."

"What are you gambling?"

"airplane!"

"Plane?" Kobe was stunned. He never thought the stakes were so big.

"Yes, your plane. If you lose, your helicopter belongs to me. If I lose, I will give you a new one!" Chen Fang said without blinking.

It was Kobe's turn to hesitate. He thought again and again: "Although you have some money, it's not as much as I have. You are still young and you need money a lot. There is no need to gamble so much."

"Just because you have a lot of money doesn't mean you will always have more than me. I can still afford several million. What's more, you may not win, so don't be so confident."

Chen Fang's aggressive attitude aroused Kobe's competitive spirit.

"You asked for this. I will teach you a profound lesson." Kobe threw down his fishing rod, jumped off the reef and walked towards the beach.

Chen Fang looked at Kobe's back and smiled with a hint of success.

Two minutes later, the two found a beach that looked very nice.

Kobe looked around, and Chen Fang asked, "What are you looking for?"

"You didn't plant a camera nearby."

"Am I such a villain? This is a private game. No matter we win or lose, we can't tell anyone."

Kobe was relieved, but he still warned: "Even if there is, once I find out, I will confiscate the videotape."

"You are not Lao Zhan, you are a decent person." Chen Fang said lightly.

"Okay, just for this sentence, I will show some mercy."

"How do we play?" Kobe was eager to try. He took off his shoes and stepped barefoot on the sand.

Chen Fang also took off his shoes and said slowly: "There are no protective gear today, you use judo and I will use kung fu."

"Okay!" Kobe started to get ready, but Chen Fang stood there very relaxed.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a grappling martial art, and its techniques and strategies are based on an in-depth study of ground fighting. It is good at dragging the opponent to the ground, and then gaining a controlling posture on the ground. Once the controlling posture is established, the Jiu-Jitsu practitioner can use a variety of attack methods such as joint techniques, strangulation techniques or striking techniques to subdue the opponent.

Compared to grappling, Jiu-Jitsu is like a python catching its prey, using grappling ground techniques to strangle the opponent.

The real internal grappling technique is to pinch the tendons to paralyze the opponent first and then move on to kill. The other one targets the joints, so they are naturally not the same. Of course, grappling without the instruction of a master also uses jamming the joints to defeat the enemy.

The Wudang Zhao family's grappling techniques are, of course, different, but Chen Fang's purpose today is not to mess with Kobe Bryant, but a carefully designed plot.

When the two sides gradually approach each other and put their hands on each other's bodies, the competition begins.

Kobe's strength was enough to suppress Chen Fang, but Chen Fang's nimble footwork could help him use the opponent's force to handle some situations. After several fights, Chen Fang exposed a flaw, allowing Kobe to strangle him and control him on the beach.

After verbally admitting defeat, Chen Fang pretended to be unconvinced.

"Three against two."

"Okay!" Kobe was very proud.

Chen Fang didn't want Kobe to be proud, so in the second round, he used a seemingly coincidental move to move the tendons on Kobe's right arm. Suddenly half of Kobe's body was paralyzed. Chen Fang took the opportunity to use a reverse joint stranglehold and pressed Kobe on the beach with his hands behind his back like a criminal.

Kobe kept struggling, but to no avail. Helplessly, he slammed the sand to show that he had given up.

Kobe, who had crawled back up, was a little dizzy. He spat out the sand in his mouth and glared at Chen Fang.

"Next time, you won't be so lucky."

Chen Fang smiled and replied, "It's 1-1 now, the deciding game."

Perhaps it was this sentence that aroused Kobe's strong desire to win. His actions were very fierce and full of strength. Even if Chen Fang wanted to act, he was forced. After dodging continuously, Kobe still grabbed his neck and made him kneel on the beach.

Patting Kobe's arm, expressing his willingness to admit defeat.

Chen Fang, who was covered in dust, looked at Kobe who was pretending to be cold and spat.

"Pick up the goods yourself within a week. As compensation, I will sell your broken helicopter to make up for the loss."

"Ha, that's great. Also, let me remind you that my plane is not broken. You can sell it for a lot of money. If you say it's Kobe's plane on the sales website, it might be sold for a higher price."

"Haha!" Chen Fang pretended to be angry and turned away.

Kobe Bryant sneered from behind: "Hey, is this all the tolerance you have for the No. 2 pick?"

"Of course not. It's better than the petty minds of some of the 13th picks." Chen Fang said loudly without turning his head.

After packing up their fishing gear, the two got in the car.

Kobe looked around. If nothing had happened just now, he might not have felt anything special. But now, sitting in the passenger seat and looking at the old interior, Kobe couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you change your car?"

"This is my first car in the United States. It was the car that helped me learn to drive. In love, this is called first love. Would you sell your first love?" Chen Fang asked back.

"My first love was Vanessa."

"I wanted to buy you a new car to make it up to you," Kobe explained.

"No need. You have to accept the loss, but you won't win forever. During this time, while I'm busy preparing for the summer league, you should practice your jiu-jitsu." Chen Fang found something for Kobe to do, which made him feel a sense of urgency.

In his opinion, Kobe had nothing to do after his retirement, just like a street urchin. He was so bored that he made a show like "The Blind Side" and offended people all the time.

It seems like he knows a lot. Even if you know a lot, are there any Hupu haters who know you? Are there any trolls who will criticize you? Forget it.

"By the way, there was a small mistake just now, can you fix it?"

"What?" Chen Fang looked at him sideways.

"You didn't tell me the model number. You can't possibly fool me. My plane can seat 12 people."

"Haha." Chen Fang gave a fake smile and then started the Cherokee.

"Just to remind you, I am also a decent person."

A week later, when Kobe and the pilot arrived at a flight base, Kobe opened his mouth wide.

He understands what dignity is.

A giant Sikorsky S-2017 helicopter, which was just assembled and deployed in 92, was placed in front of him. (Kobe's helicopter is an S-76, which is more than 20 years old.)
"Thank you for the generous gift!" the pilot asked, "Boss, this is the plane of my dreams."

He excitedly told Kobe: "This helicopter has impeccable performance in safety and reliability. It is designed to fly in all weather conditions and has excellent maneuverability even in bad weather. It has a variety of unique equipment such as automatic landing function, cockpit suspension hydraulic shock absorption system and real-time satellite meteorological sensor to ensure its safety and continuous flight."

Compared to these, Kobe cares more about the price.

"1200 million W. This is the president's plane. It's so gorgeous. Boss, your friend is so impressive."

Even Kobe was shocked when he heard the price.

"Well, I may need to repay this favor in installments." Kobe understood why Chen Fang, who drove a Cherokee, was so generous.

At this moment, Chen Fang has arrived at the Clippers' training center, located in Playa Vista (Silicon Beach) in Los Angeles County. This is the prime real estate area of Silicon Valley, and the best technology companies in the United States are all based here.

The environment here is clean and the climate is pleasant. There are many parks, running tracks and lawns in the city. You can also choose to go to Santa Monica or Venice Beach to spend a leisurely holiday in the sunshine, sand, blue sea and blue sky.

But Chen Fang was not here for vacation today. He was greeted by Clippers President of Operations Lawrence Frank.

Lawrence also started his career as a college coach, then entered the NBA league, starting as an assistant coach. In 2004, he began his head coaching career with the Nets, creating a 13-0 record.

After being fired in 2010, he went to the Celtics and became Rivers' chief assistant coach. Then in 11, he jumped to the Pistons as head coach and was fired again in 13.

Then, at the call of his beloved disciple Kidd, he returned to the Nets to assist Kidd and became the most expensive assistant coach in the NBA with an annual salary of one million.

Then she had a falling out with Kidd, everything was in chaos, and she was banished to the cold palace.

In 16, Rivers called them together to form a team to trick the Clippers.

In the summer of 17, he began to take over the Clippers' full operations and became the president of operations, taking over Rivers' part-time job and allowing Rivers to concentrate on being the head coach.

Looking at the Chinese man who almost caused the Clippers to fall into civil strife, Lawrence smiled and extended his hand.

“Welcome to the Clippers!”

“Are you ready to be an NBA player?”

"Sir, I think I'm done!" Chen Fang shook Lawrence's hand calmly and replied.

(End of this chapter)