Champion, please stay!

Chapter 151, Section 149: Prelude to the Rookie Challenge

Around 7:30 p.m., Yi Shui and his rookie teammates arrived at the player tunnel. On the court, a young singer invited by the NBA, who wasn't famous but had excellent singing skills, was performing his last song.

In order to host the All-Star Game, the Suns played their last four games before the All-Star Weekend on the road, increasing the number of seats in the American West Arena from over 19,000 to over 37,000.

Curry peered into the player tunnel, observing the scene with keen interest.

Yi Shui asked, puzzled, "Stephen, what are you doing?"

Curry replied, "So many people came! It feels like the Third Finals!"

Yi Shui glanced at the densely packed stands, thought for a moment, and replied, "There are even more people at the Madness 3 finals. You probably won't be able to stretch your legs out in those seats... Oh, I remember now, you were eliminated in the quarterfinals, so you didn't have a chance to experience it. You can only go to Conseco Arena if you make it to the semifinals."

Elementary school student: (へ╬) Who the hell made me get eliminated in the quarterfinals?
Upon hearing this, Westbrook and Love quietly walked behind Yi Shui. That spot, which originally only had Yi Shui, now had three people, all of whom were participants in last year's 3 Madness finals.

Oden looked at the three of them standing together, then at the others, and after thinking for a moment, he moved to Yi Shui's side. Yi Shui was a participant in the finals of the Madness 3 competition two years ago.

The elementary school student exploded on the spot, lost his mind, launched a sneak attack... and was subdued again.

What made him even more desperate was that his waving fist seemed to be getting further away from the Yi River!
Looking at this group of people, Ross silently pulled Gasol a little further away, because some things can be contagious.

Westbrook and Love, who were originally such normal cool guys and strong men, just spent the day hanging out with Yi Shui and Curry, and that's how it is.

And that 07 first overall pick, he just compared arm length with Yi Shui and that was it... Luckily, Gasol didn't succeed in comparing arm length with that guy!

Soon, at 7:30, the performers left the stage, and Yi Shui and the others were notified by the staff to sit on the high stools that had been placed on the field. The second-year team sat on the other side of the host.

Yi Shui and Durant sat in the seats closest to the host, which could be considered the 'center position'.

The host introduced each player one by one, from far to near, while the spotlight shone on each player in turn, moving from the outside in.

Yi Shui was stunned by the host's adjectives. He saw that the players being introduced were clenching their fists, and he guessed that their toes were also clenched, as if they were about to burst out of their four-bedroom, one-living-room suits.

Al Horford, dubbed 'the next Dream,' is a versatile player who can score on offense and defense, shoot, face up, post up, and facilitate...

Marc Gasol, nicknamed the "Spanish Sabonis," is a future king of the international arena and a super-potential center who has the potential to surpass his brother...

However, there were also exceptionally confident players—Brooks raised his chin when the host called him 'the next answer'.

When Oden was praised as 'seven-foot Russell,' his expression was incredibly cocky.

There were also some descriptions that Yi Shui, who had "opened his third eye," felt were too low—West Laker was described as the next Francis, Rose as having the same strength and leadership as Baron Davis, and Curry as the point guard version of Reggie Miller…

What's meant to happen will happen. The host introduced the rookie team as the challengers, and after introducing Jeff Green next to Durant as "the Bird among black players," it was Yi Shui's turn.

Yi Shui tried his best to relax and not show any unusual expression. He would just accept whatever the host said, but his toes still couldn't help but dig into the soles of his shoes.

"Welcome to what could be the greatest rookie in history, the New York King, Big-Yi, the rising star of the East, Brook!"

'Eh? ’

Yi Shui was taken aback. Such a normal introduction?
He quickly regained his composure and waved to the cheering and screaming fans.

In Yi Shui's view, this introduction was 'ordinary,' but the other 17 players on the court thought differently. The following words weren't anything special; they were all nicknames Yi Shui already had. The key was the 'strongest rookie in history.'

Leaving aside the oddities of the 'ancient era', even after 1976, there were super rookies like Magic Johnson, Bird, God, Admiral, and The Big Fundamental who were selected to the All-NBA Team in their rookie year!

Although the prefix 'maybe' is used, the description still sounds exaggerated!

That shameless bastard actually agreed!
Durant has been described as having a longer shooting range and being faster than Garnett, which at this moment sounds quite ordinary...

...

After the player introduction ceremony, the spotlights were turned off, the stadium lights came on, and the camera focused on the current superstars and retired legends entering the stadium. It was time for another pre-match segment—the big names encouraging the young newcomers.

In such an occasion, KING's participation is naturally indispensable.

This time, when James spoke to Yi Shui, his tone was normal. He no longer put on airs like a 'league leader' or 'top brand executive'. He was genuinely afraid.

He was criticized at the Olympics, and he was criticized in regular season matchups. The key point is that he didn't play as well as Yi Shui at the Olympics, and he even lost in the regular season matchups. Every time he was criticized, he didn't know what to say in the post-match interviews, and could only call the reporters in the next day to do a new interview...

But to James' surprise, when he expressed his hope that Yi Shui could defeat the second-year team and wished Yi Shui to win the Rookie Game MVP, Yi Shui said "thank you".

His gentle and polite demeanor left James bewildered. Was this really the same despicable number one draft pick with a hundred million dollars?
Yi Shui felt that James was a strange person. He thanked him, but the other party looked like he had seen a ghost. Or was it that James had never been taught to say thank you since he was a child?

He put aside his doubts and greeted the other bigwigs.

He wasn't going to change anything because of James. He was someone who responded politely but not forcefully. If the other party spoke kindly, he would respond politely; if the other party acted strangely, he would act even more strangely.

When Yi Shui greeted Iverson, he was praised in every way, from his physique to his playing style to his performance. He was so embarrassed by the praise that he remembered that after the last time he played against Iverson, Iverson praised him in the same way in an interview. The key point is that it was not just random praise, but he had obviously watched his games.

Moreover, Iverson praised more than just him; Durant, Rose, Westbrook, and Curry were all specifically mentioned and praised. However, Iverson didn't praise everyone. For example, when Brooks went to say hello, Iverson just gave a brief response.

Kobe was in a similar situation, but after praising Yi Shui's performance, he added, "I'll be playing an away game in New York soon, and I'm looking forward to facing you again."

Yi Shui replied, "I'm looking forward to it too. You won't be so lucky next time. It's impossible to win with 7 out of 23 shots."

The old blacksmith was speechless: Can you please not mention 7 out of 23 shots?
King, who was eavesdropping nearby, thought: Sure enough, the hundred-million-yuan champion is still the hundred-million-yuan champion.

Both legends from the Magic Bird club arrived and made a few teasing remarks about Yi Shui's new title of "the strongest rookie in history."

Stoudemire also jokingly referred to Yi Shui's title as "a combination of Nowitzki, Stoudemire, and Garnett".

It's a pity that Nash didn't come to the All-Star Weekend, but it's normal. His own team is hosting the All-Star Weekend, and as the team's star player, it would be awkward for him to be here without being selected.

However, O'Neal didn't come either, probably due to the trade rumors.

After the pre-game activities, the two teams only had a few minutes to prepare. For the rookie team, interim coach Dan Mali didn't have much to say. He just gave the hastily assembled team a few words of encouragement and then told the players to warm up by doing some physical exercises and shooting.

Yi Shui, after taking two three-pointers on the court, received a system notification!

"You have been selected for the All-Star Rookie Challenge and are participating in the All-Star Rookie Challenge. As the most promising young player, start to become a leader of the new generation of players... Mission: King of the Rookie Challenge Triggered."

(End of this chapter)