The longest river

Chapter 23 The power of choice

When the final whistle blew, the players of the Geswell team celebrated wildly on the field.

Although this championship won't bring them much tangible reward, the championship itself is the best reward.

The greatest charm of basketball is the moment you reach the top.

Pierce excitedly hugged both Yang Shuai and Garnett at the same time.

Without their addition, he and his team wouldn't have even gotten past the Miracle Team, but now they've won the championship.

It was at this moment that Yang Shuai noticed that Thaddeus's eyes were red and he looked like he was about to cry.

After the championship celebration, the team members began to celebrate this moment of victory with their respective parents.

Yang Shuai first met with Paul.

"If all goes well, we should receive the invitation to the ABCD training camp in a couple of days."

Paul brought him some good news.

Everything is developing in a good direction.

After finishing all the business, when Yang Shuai came out of the Mark Center with Rondo and the others, he said he would treat everyone to dinner.

The AAU tournament does not offer prize money, but the champion team, as a sponsor, receives some bonuses from the Geswell team.

If each of them received it, it would be around eight hundred US dollars.

This was Yang Shuai's first time earning money, and of course, his first opportunity to give back to the Rondo family.

They went to a nearby chain Western restaurant and splurged, ordering steaks that Lin Xiulan and her family usually couldn't afford at home.

This meal cost a full two hundred US dollars.

For the first time since his transmigration, Yang Shuai experienced the feeling that "it's good to be rich."

Because they were staying in different hotels, Yang Shuai separated from the others after taking a walk for a while.

Yang Shuai prepared to go back to the hotel to pack his luggage, as he would be returning to Cleveland with Lin Xiulan and the others the next day.

Because his hotel was nearby, he chose to walk back.

Unexpectedly, they ran into Pierce and Garnett on the way back. They were carrying several large bags of things, and it looked like they had gone on a big shopping spree at the mall.

"Hansen, we've been looking for you!" Pierce exclaimed excitedly when he saw Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai looked puzzled.

"Let's go back to our room first!" Pierce said mysteriously.

Although he was a little confused, Yang Shuai didn't ask any further questions. After all, Pierce wasn't going to eat him, was he?
However, just to be on the safe side, he brought Pierce and Garnett to his room.

After returning to the hotel, closing and locking the room door, Pierce excitedly took out a few bottles from the bottom of the pile of things and handed one to Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai took it and was stunned. Wasn't this Budweiser?

But then I thought about it again and realized that it made sense. There are federal laws in the United States that prohibit drinking alcohol, and it is illegal for someone under the age of 21 to drink.

There are age restrictions for buying alcohol in the US, so I don't know how he got his hands on these.

Pierce and Garnett couldn't wait to start drinking, and the way they looked so blissful after each sip was simply intoxicating.

This is understandable, though. When something is explicitly forbidden, the pleasure you get from trying it is a dual stimulation of both the body and mind.

Pierce then brought out a lot of food, such as freshly baked calamari rings and spicy chicken wings, as well as popcorn and corn chips, all of which were great snacks to go with drinks.

Yang Shuai had just finished eating and didn't have much of an appetite, but he still opened the bottle and started drinking.

It wasn't because I wanted to drink, but simply because I wanted to enjoy the feeling of indulgence after winning the championship with Pierce and the others.

Since his time travel, he has been working hard to make it into the NBA, and he needs to vent his frustrations.

Seeing that Yang Shuai had also drunk some, Pierce laughed and put his arm around Yang Shuai's shoulder.

Perhaps at this moment, Pierce officially included him in his circle of friends.

The three of them drank and chatted.

They naturally started talking about the upcoming training camp.

Basketball training camps in the United States have existed since the 1960s, but at that time they were mostly run by retired NBA players or college coaches.

However, times have changed, and now it is mostly sneaker brands that take the lead, with Nike and Adidas being the most well-known among them.

These two training camps will not only cover all training costs for their members, but also provide them with maximum personal exposure.

Moreover, these two training camps are particularly competitive this year, as they are held in the same week, only in different locations: Nike in Chicago and Adidas in New Jersey.

“I’ll go to Chicago,” Garnett replied decisively.

“I went there last year.” His reason was simple: he had attended a Nike training camp when he was in tenth grade.

“I’ll go to New Jersey.” Pierce’s choice was the exact opposite of Garnett’s. But his reason was also very practical: “I can get more exposure there.”

Nike is currently at its peak, attracting top high school students from all five-star institutions, making it extremely difficult to stand out.

In comparison, Adidas is clearly a better fit for him; if he performs well, he has a chance to break into the top five.

They then all turned their gaze to Yang Shuai.

"I don't know." Yang Shuai put down the wine jar and shook his head. "I'll go wherever they invite me."

He was ranked lowest among the three, so he didn't have the initiative in his own hands.

But now, no matter where he goes, he'll have company.

As they were talking, there was a sudden knock on the door, which startled all three of them.

Garnett looked like a child who had done something wrong and didn't know what to do, while Pierce was frantically trying to clean up.

Yang Shuai gestured to Pierce to be quiet, then got up and tiptoed to the door.

He looked out through the peephole and saw Thaddeus standing in the doorway.

He hadn't expected Thaddeus to suddenly appear, and judging from Thaddeus's expression, he had clearly heard their conversation inside.

Pretending not to be there is definitely not going to work.

He simply opened the door, walked out amidst the astonished looks of Pierce and Garnett, and then closed the door behind him.

You can hide the bottle, but you can't hide the smell of alcohol. You might as well hope that Thaddeus pretends not to see it.

Thaddeus was indeed stunned, especially when he smelled the faint scent of alcohol emanating from Yang Shuai.

"Coach, is there something you need?"

“Someone came to see me just now. They want to invite you to their training camp,” Thaddeus said, handing him a business card.

Yang Shuai took the business card and was stunned when he saw the title of Nike's Vice President of Operations written on it.

He was waiting for a message from Adidas, but instead he received an invitation from Nike.
Actually, he had no prior connection with Nike.

"They watched your match live today." Noticing the confusion on Yang Shuai's face, Thaddeus immediately offered an explanation.

Yang Shuai suddenly realized what was going on.

Pierce previously stated that Nike and Adidas' training camps were held in the same week, indicating that the two companies were in a fierce competition. Since Vaccaro was present, it's reasonable to assume that Nike had someone there as well.

Moreover, they extended an invitation to him directly, which clearly shows they wanted to gain the upper hand.

However, this also gave him the power to choose which training camp to attend, just like Garnett and Pierce.

“I suggest you go to the ABCD training camp if you have the chance; it’s more suitable for you,” Thaddeus added.

"Thank you coach."

"Oh, right, there's one more thing. Have you ever thought about changing your high school to play basketball?" Yang Shuai had just put away his business card when Thaddeus's next question stumped him.

“If you could come to Inglewood High School, it would be more helpful for your development.” Thaddeus didn’t beat around the bush and directly extended an invitation to Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai was somewhat tempted.

Paul had previously told him that playing in AAU tournaments in states with high basketball standards would greatly help improve his ranking.

Now that Thaddeus has directly invited him to play in the NSAA, that would only be more helpful.

"Thank you, Coach, but I don't have that idea for the time being." After thinking for a while, Yang Shuai gave his answer.

"Is it because you're worried about not adapting to life in Inglewood? If it's about living arrangements, I can offer assistance." Thaddeus didn't give up.

Yang Shuai shook his head. If it were still the original owner, he might have had such concerns, since playing basketball in a different state would mean leaving his hometown. But for him, who had transmigrated, it didn't matter where he lived.

The main reason is that he had previously promised his teammates that he would lead them to win the NSAA state championship.

He wouldn't make a promise and then run away instead.

As for his ranking, he has a chance to improve in this training camp, next year's NSAA and AAU, and even next year's training camp.

"Coach, if you still need me next year, I will join the Geshiwei team again," Yang Shuai continued.

Upon hearing this, Thaddeus knew that Yang Shuai had made up his mind, so he didn't press the matter further and simply nodded.

After finishing their business, Yang Shuai prepared to return to his room.

It was only at this point that Thaddeus spoke up to remind him, "Be more careful next time."

Although drinking alcohol before the age of 21 is prohibited in the United States, in reality, most Americans have secretly drunk alcohol before the age of 21.

Just like most people have browsed those banned websites, as long as they don't get caught.

(End of this chapter)