I was acting crazy in North America, and all the crazy people there took it seriously.

Chapter 163 You're called Jordan too?

A person's fate can be drastically changed in just a few moments.

Leon, a young Black man, was like that.

He was just visiting relatives in Louisiana when he was stopped and searched on the street. Because he couldn't produce twenty dollars in his pocket, he was detained on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant and then quickly transferred to Fox River State Penitentiary through that efficient "judicial assembly line".

At this time, his family members did not even know that he had been imprisoned.

Leon had never been in such a dark and hopeless prison.

Well, he's never been to prison before.

However, he has many "veteran" fellow inmates who say that this is the darkest prison ever.

Of course it's true, prisons are full of Black people, how could they not be Black? (bushi)

The “darkness” here does not stem from blatant violence or inhumane abuse—such things have never even happened here.

That was a kind of "black" that manifested in them becoming almost pure, cheap, and unprotected slaves!
The prisoners were deprived of almost all their time and personal space. Every day, apart from brief breaks for fresh air and time for eating and sleeping to sustain themselves, they spent more than fourteen hours being driven into huge, noisy workshops to repeat monotonous and numbing labor.

In the workshop where Leon worked, his main job was to operate a sewing machine to produce a type of women's underwear that looked quite exquisite and was made of high-quality materials.

For each item they complete, these manufacturers can only earn a negligible amount of "points."

Leon was not good at this kind of delicate handiwork. Even if he worked 14 hours a day, he could only barely complete his quota in exchange for a basic meal.

The problem is that Leon is a young man, strong and with a huge appetite. One meal can only keep him from starving, but often leaves him dizzy and lightheaded from hunger.

It's not that there aren't better and better meals—this prison is supposedly a private prison, and everything inside, including better food and better beds, can be redeemed with "points" or kryptonite!

Fuck, if he had a knife, would he still have been sent here as an "illegal immigrant"?
Leon felt that he might really have to give up his young life in this private prison called "correction," which was actually "exploitation."

Just when all hope seemed lost, a turning point arrived in an unexpected way.

The prison administration issued a notice stating that, in order to "enrich the cultural life of prisoners" and "promote positive rehabilitation," it is now recruiting a group of "athletes with good athletic abilities" to participate in a new "competitive event."

Those selected will be freed from arduous factory work and will enjoy ample food supplies and relatively generous benefits.

The notice did not specify what the project was, but the words "ample food" were like a life-giving spring in the desert for Leon.

Without any hesitation, he dragged his weak, hungry, and exhausted steps to the registration point first.

Even if this project required him to fight lions, he would accept it as long as he could have enough to eat!

After a hearty meal, it was time for simple physical training—running, jumping, and stretching.

Leon easily made the selection thanks to his endurance, explosive power, and excellent physical coordination, which he had developed from running wildly in the fields and forests since childhood.

Then they were taken to an open area in the prison marked with strange white lines. Someone brought in several tall structures with wire mesh rings, set them up, and gave them a brown, bouncy ball.

Leon only vaguely realized that the "competitive game" they were going to participate in was called basketball.

Like all his chosen companions, Leon knew nothing about this new contraption.

The initial training was a disaster.

He would dribble and dribble until the ball disappeared into nowhere, his passes were like throwing stones, and his shots were completely inaccurate. The ball would often fly out of bounds, even hitting the heads of the guards watching the commotion, which would draw laughter and curses.

Logan covered his face as he watched from the training ground.

At that time, basketball, invented by Dr. Naismith, was only thirty years old and was still in a very primitive stage. It was mainly a recreational activity within some universities and YMCAs. The rules were extremely imperfect, there was no mature concept of professional competition, and public awareness was very low.

Wade Berwick originally envisioned more direct and bloody hand-to-hand combat sports like boxing, bullfighting, or even ancient Roman gladiators.

But Logan pointed out incisively: After a few rounds of such projects, the participants are either dead or crippled, so how can we talk about "creating stars" and long-term profitability?

Of course, there are also popular sports like baseball and rugby, which are very popular with the public, but they also require a lot of investment!

Besides, what makes a private prison think it can compete with established professional or amateur leagues? Unlike basketball, where you can rent a cheap, unused ice hockey rink and make some minor modifications to turn it into a proper basketball court.

The key point is that this is still a blank market, with no established alliances to compete with you!
It's easier to draw on blank paper.

Logan easily "grafted" the mature basketball rules of later generations onto this era.

Dr. Naismith's original 13 basic rules (such as no running with the ball and no punching the ball) were naturally retained as the foundation.

Building on this, Logan introduced the "24-second shot clock" to address the endless delays common in the original version and increase the competitiveness of the game; he shortened the game time to 48 minutes to increase the pace of the game; and he refined the foul rules and free throw mechanism to make the game more standardized...

Logan felt a wicked sense of amusement as he watched the basketball rules he had personally "forced to mature" be implemented among the prisoners.

Arkham Academy could be an academy for training secret agents, and Fox River State Penitentiary could be a "monastery" or "training camp" for incubating sports stars!

Chicago deserves to be this vibrant!

When the NBA became the world's first professional basketball league, the NBA of the world probably needed to pay homage to its founder.

Well, that's assuming the NBA will still be involved.

Others at The Sun were also very interested in this.

The shadow of the "Heroes' List" turning into the "Death List" still lingers in everyone's hearts.

Creating heroes is too risky! But creating sports stars is a different story.

Who would mess with a sports star who plays in prison?

Of course, when they first watched these "basketball games" training, they, like Logan, covered their faces in disbelief, thinking that this thing was so crude that it didn't seem like a sport at all.

But as I looked at it, I thought it was actually pretty good?
—As it turns out, in the field of sports competition, talent is indeed the most unreasonable and the most important thing.

Despite starting from the same point, with nothing to lose, the difference in talent began to emerge after a short period of training.

Talented players, though their skills are still rough, have already shown some promise, especially in intense competition, where their instinctive reactions and physical abilities are quite entertaining to watch.

Of all these prison players, the most outstanding was a young black man.

He was also considered a "star prospect" by Logan and the editors from The Sun who came to watch the training.

Given the photography and printing technology of this era, what is the first thing needed to promote a Black celebrity?
A: It needs to be easily recognizable!

Otherwise, in the public eye, a group of black players would just be a "dark mass" and would hardly leave a lasting impression.

This young Black man has a natural advantage in this regard.

He was considered handsome among Black people, with a decent appearance and even a touch of boyishness.

The main thing is that their talent seems really good!

Putting aside everyone's terrible technique, he has amazing jumping ability and long arms, giving him a huge advantage when contesting for the ball in the air.

He ran, jumped, and blocked tirelessly, his wholehearted dedication and fighting for every ball were like a young cheetah guarding its territory, full of primal power and the beauty of movement.

Everyone agreed that he has the potential to become the first basketball star that the "Prison BA" program is striving to cultivate.

So, after one practice session, an editor from The Sun, notebook in hand, walked up to the young Black man wiping his sweat on the sidelines and asked him in a friendly manner:
"Young man, well done. Tell us your full name, because you're about to become famous!"

The young Black man stood up somewhat nervously. "Leon Madsen Jordan."

Logan, who had been observing from the sidelines and sketching out his future "Prison BA" celebrity promotion plan, widened his eyes slightly.

You call yourself Jordan?!
……

(End of this chapter)