Basketball Terminal

Chapter 1 Nirvana
In January, Flushing, New York, was just beginning to recover. Once bustling and known as the "Chinese Town," Flushing was deserted, resembling a ghost town from a zombie apocalypse.

A black Pathfinder drove through the narrow streets. Some shops on both sides of the road had reopened, but most were still closed. Besides the driver, there were three people in the car: one white and two black.

The white man is named Sean McCallian, a highly experienced NBA scout who worked for the Orlando Magic from 2012 and came to New York in 2018 to work as a college scout for the Brooklyn Nets, responsible for discovering new talent.

McCallian, wearing a black sports jacket, sat in the back left seat with a portable laptop on his lap. He kept his head down, looking at some tables and data on the screen, showing no interest in the street scene outside the window that resembled a small Chinese county town.

Sitting in the passenger seat was a Black man wearing a brown beanie, the shamrock logo on which was now just a single leaf. He turned to McCallian and began to explain something in a shrill voice, like he was rapping.

"I guarantee it, I guarantee it, he's the most amazing, most unexpected player I've ever seen. I know he was nobody, but he's recently become a sensation! Like a virus, he arrived suddenly and spread like wildfire!"

This man is Paris Robin, a basketball broker who used to be somewhat famous on New York streetball courts. He later became the strength and conditioning coach for the AAU-Escalades basketball team, but was fired by the league for violating drug regulations.

Unable to find a proper job, he could only return to the streets to organize basketball games, sell tickets, introduce players to various teams, and find teams for players, earning a commission as a middleman.

McCallian glanced at Luo Ping without saying a word. Luo Ping realized his analogy was inappropriate, coughed, and continued, "The video, I have the video here. He's already very popular online. His no-score challenge is the most famous basketball event in Queens right now. We're sure to succeed if we participate..."

McCallian shook his head and refused the phone that Ropin offered. He had heard similar things from Paris Ropin too many times and had become immune to them. He had no interest in the internet celebrity players. He just wanted to end this meaningless journey as soon as possible and devote his time to the heavy work of the 2020-2021 season. At the moment, the whole of Brooklyn was full of expectations for the Nets' performance.

Kevin Durant has recovered from his Achilles tendon rupture and formed a formidable offensive duo with Kyrie Irving, leading the Nets toward their first championship in franchise history—a very promising season.

Moreover, a blockbuster trade that will shake up the league is likely to happen in Brooklyn, and all eyes are on this place.

McCalion glanced at the time in the bottom right corner of the laptop screen: 1 p.m. on January 13, 2021.

A news notification popped up on the screen: "Reliable sources say the Houston Rockets have benched James Harden as negotiations enter the final stages."

The news report mentioned that sources revealed the Rockets' management is currently weighing the final offers from the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers to decide on the final trade partner, and Harden has been excluded from the roster and will not be able to participate in the game.

McCallian gripped the pen in his left hand so tightly his knuckles turned white. This was truly big news that would shake the entire nation. He really hoped Harden would come to Brooklyn. Unfortunately, as an ordinary scout, he had no chance to participate in such a big deal and could only waste his time coming to Flushing.

The car stopped in front of a Chinese laundromat. Laundries like this used to be common in New York and were an important source of employment and income for many Chinese immigrants to the United States.

For a long time, the work of Chinese people and laundry workers was closely linked, just as people assumed that an Indian man was a security guard.

With the widespread use of automatic laundry equipment and the global disaster that has swept the world, many Chinese-owned laundromats have closed down or gone out of business.

This shop, named "Hong Le," is a traditional hand-operated laundry, which is rare in all of New York City. A simply dressed old man was wiping the signboard at the entrance, suggesting that the shop wasn't doing much business.

Only Paris-Ropin got out of the car. Wearing a mask, he ran up to the old man. Before he could speak, the old man raised his hands and said, "No money, no money here. We haven't had any business in a long time. Don't shoot..."

The old man thought it was a robbery.

In the car, McCallian watched as Robin tried to explain, sighed, and said to the other black man sitting in the right back seat, "Novan, when it's one-on-one later, be serious, beat him to a pulp, don't leave him any hope."

The black man named Novan nodded, paused, and asked, "Who is 'he'?"

McCalion was stumped by this question. What had Luo Ping told him? What was that guy's name? He seemed to be of Chinese descent. Good heavens, Chinese descent? Luo Ping must be crazy, or maybe he'd been infected and his mind had been clouded.

McCallian couldn't recall the name Luo Ping had mentioned to him. Just then, through the car window, he saw Luo Ping explain things to the old man, who then returned to the shop and brought out someone—that must be the person Luo Ping was taking him to see…

Oh, right, he said this guy's nickname is Star Picker, meaning he's a great defender who can easily stop the ball from going out of his way, like plucking a star from the sky. What a romantic nickname, but what real value can a street nickname possibly have?

"it's him."

McCallian pointed, and Novan followed his finger to see a tall figure emerge from the narrow doorway of the laundromat. Looking him up and down, he saw a robust, muscular young man wearing overalls.

Basketball is a sport for giants; height and build often give an advantage. McCallian thought that at least this time Luo Ping found someone with decent physical attributes and didn't recommend someone over 6 feet tall to play shooting guard. At first glance, his height should be around 6 feet 7 inches, the current golden height in the NBA. However, upon seeing his face, McCallian shook his head in disappointment. A somewhat simple-minded Asian man with a middle-part hairstyle, a character destined to be unsuitable for professional sports.

How many legendary stories like Jamie Lin's can there be? With the current U.S. talent selection system, which is as tight as a net, it's impossible for anyone to slip through the net; talented and capable people would have been selected long ago.

McCallian, as a scout for an NBA team, was helping Luo Ping condescend to "scout" the so-called "prodigies" he had mentioned, in order to repay Luo Ping for the help he had given to his family some time ago.

McCallian could use his connections to recommend places in lower leagues, and Luo Ping would receive a small commission in return—that was all. After this happened repeatedly, McCallian grew tired of it and vowed it would be the last time.

Opening the car door, Luo Ping pulled the young man aside and introduced him: "Victor Lee, Levi! A genius! A rising star in Flushing! He's destined to make a name for himself in East Coast basketball and become a superstar!"

Luo Ping showered the car with compliments like a real estate salesperson, but the car fell silent, creating an awkward atmosphere.

McCallian shook his head slightly, pointed to the back, indicating that Victor Lee should go to the back seat, while Novan Pelle didn't even lift an eyelid. This 6-foot-10 giant, born in Antigua and Barbuda, didn't take the so-called "genius" seriously at all. Who wasn't a genius before?

Instead, a large dog followed them up, and Novan's expression changed drastically; he almost jumped out of his seat. He was terrified of and hated dogs the most. He yelled, "What? There's a dog!" and kicked at the dog, trying to stop it from climbing up. But he missed the dog; instead, a leg reached out and stopped him—it was the Chinese man, Levi.

"It is my friend, please respect it."

"Why did you bring a dog on the bus? Is he the one I'm going to have a match with today?"

"If it's a math competition, it should be fine."

"What the hell did you say?!"

"Alright, fine, it'll be over soon." McCalil patted Novan Pelle on the shoulder, gesturing for him to return to his seat.

Novan Pelle suppressed his anger; he wouldn't have followed McCallie to Flushing if he hadn't come to the Brooklyn Nets looking for a two-way contract.

He needs income; he has a wife and children to support, and McCallian's opinion determines whether he gets the contract, so he has to go through the motions.

Luo Ping's self-praise went unanswered. Feeling awkward, he rubbed his nose and got into the passenger seat, gesturing for the driver to go to the Grand Street basketball court. The driver said it was an outdoor court, but Luo Ping said he'd go to the outdoor one, since it was free.

The car started, and there was only silence inside. McCallian didn't even want to listen to the big guy in the back seat introduce himself; he continued to bury himself in the forms and data.

Novan Pelle, meanwhile, was texting his wife: "The Nets scouts asked me to participate in a basketball challenge for an internet celebrity. That jerk with connections, I'll shatter his basketball dreams. Wait for the good news about my signing..."

Li Wei sat silently in the back seat of the car, the large dog lying quietly and obediently at his feet. Though his face appeared calm, Li Wei's heart was in turmoil, for his plan had finally taken a small step forward, and now all he had to do was seize this opportunity.

He has already missed too much; he absolutely cannot let this golden opportunity, bestowed upon him by heaven, slip by again.

"The tide has risen."
The dead light has been reborn.

The spring tide has risen.

The dead universe has been reborn.

The tide has come in.

The dead phoenix has been reborn.

—The Phoenix Reborn

(End of this chapter)