Basketball Terminal

Chapter 26 Second Generation
Because of the unexpected interruption, the players had to start their warm-up routine all over again when they resumed training. This disrupted the pace and intensity of the training, resulting in the second half of the session being less effective than the first. Nevertheless, everyone was exhausted after the first day of practice.

The training session wasn't long, only three hours in total, but it involved many activities and was very intense, especially emphasizing long-distance, repetitive running, which the newcomers found difficult to adapt to. In comparison, NCAA training focuses more on tactical drills and doesn't involve as much running. This is because the talent pool in the G League is more concentrated than in the NCAA; many college players don't even make it into the G League.

Head coach Brett was one of them; after graduating from college, no professional team wanted him, so he became a coach.

At the post-training debriefing, Brett reminded everyone: "The G League is more intense than you think. Everything here is on par with the NBA, but everything is a step ahead. If you want to get into the NBA, you have to be faster, faster, faster."

After all the afternoon training and debriefing sessions ended at 2 PM, the players were free to choose what to do next. They could go out for a drink, go home to sleep, go on a date, or stay in the training hall for extra practice.

Extra practice is like working overtime, and many people choose to do so; Li Wei is one of them. He stayed behind for half an hour of shooting practice, then went to the gym to improve his muscle strength. Li Wei was trying to push his limits further, but it was clearly not that easy.

After that breakthrough at the Bronx training center, it felt very difficult to make any further progress. Levi couldn't help but picture that round, perky bottom in his mind, and felt a little itchy inside. He hadn't seen that girl in the Bronx these past two days.

The gym emptied out as everyone left, leaving only Levi and Shannon Scott, the team's oldest player, as they continued training, seemingly determined to drain every last drop of energy from their bodies.

Shannon Scott is the oldest player on the Long Island Nets. Born in 1992, he is 29 years old this year, which is quite old in the G League, which is dominated by college graduates and young players under 25. Most G League teams don't recruit professional players of this age because they have no potential left to develop, and their chances of making it to the NBA are extremely slim.

Furthermore, Shannon Scott is a small guard, only 187cm tall, belonging to the type of player who is hardest to make it into the NBA. Since graduating from college in 2015, he has spent six years of his professional career in the G League and overseas leagues, including brief stints in the Summer League for the Raptors and Suns, ultimately failing to make the official roster.

This signing with the Long Island Nets marks his third stint with the team; he joined twice before, in 17 and 18, making him arguably the team's most veteran player.

At this age, Shannon Scott has given up hope of making it into the NBA. The reason he has joined the Long Island Nets multiple times is not only out of familiarity and friendship, but also mainly because he wants to improve and maintain his form through the high-intensity G League so that he can get a bigger contract overseas.

After each season with the Long Island Nets, Shannon Scott would go overseas for a year to work and earn more money before returning to the United States to continue playing in the G League to maintain his fitness. Although he was the oldest, had the least potential, and wasn't particularly talented, Scott trained very hard because he had to work and support his family.

Since they were the only two people left in the gym, they quickly started chatting casually.

"I think Brett has a problem with his sex life. I think he's a bit perverted and treats us like dogs."

"None of the coaches have a harmonious marriage. You can tell by looking into their eyes; they're all fucking worried."

"Haha~ Our team doesn't even have a cheerleading squad, and we have to go to Disneyland for the game! Being stuck in one place is really disappointing!"

"Dude, you can only look at the cheerleaders, not eat them, or you'll be fired."

Is this your reason for frequently switching teams?

"Hahaha~ Oh no no no buddy, I'm just looking for a better opportunity. I'm a mercenary, making a living is more important to me."

The two, exhausted from training, sat on the equipment and chatted about the G League and the Development League. Shannon Scott was noticeably more mature than the other young Black players; he had dark skin but more Caucasian features, spoke politely, and had no tattoos.

He trained hard and was disciplined, clearly from a good family. He generously shared his survival experience in the G League and Development League with Li Wei, from which Li Wei benefited greatly. Li Wei, in turn, impressed Scott; this young man was not simple, and his speech and thinking didn't seem like those of a 20-year-old. Li Wei later learned that Shannon Scott was a second-generation star; his father, Charlie Scott, was a well-known American basketball star in the 1970s. In 1970, Scott joined the Virginia Gentlemen of the ABA, and in his rookie season, he averaged 27 points and 5.6 assists, winning the 70-1971 ABA Rookie of the Year award, being selected as an All-Star, and finishing third in the MVP voting.

In the 1971-1972 season, he averaged 34.6 points, making him the best backcourt scorer in the ABA. He then left the ABA to join the Phoenix Suns in the NBA, earning three consecutive NBA All-Star selections. In the 1975-1976 season, he joined the Boston Celtics, becoming the team's starting point guard, and helped them reach the NBA Finals that season, defeating his former team, the Phoenix Suns, to win the championship.

With that, Scott's career came to a perfect end. He then played for the Lakers and Nuggets, finishing the last few seasons of his career before announcing his retirement in 1980, ending his 10-year brilliant professional career.

Charlie Scott's career, if played by a smaller team, would be legendary, easily qualifying him for the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. However, because he won a championship with the Celtics, his brilliance was overshadowed by other prominent figures, making him less well-known to fans. In 2018, Charlie Scott was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, solidifying his place as a prominent figure in American basketball history.

However, in the NBA, there are far too many examples of "tiger fathers, dog sons." Generally, the more illustrious the father's career, the more mediocre the son's performance. Shannon Scott is a typical example. As a point guard, he was completely incomparable to his father in terms of ability. The elder Scott is the Suns' all-time leading scorer, while Shannon couldn't even get close to the NBA.

Fortunately, Shannon Scott has long accepted the reality that he is far inferior to his father and is content to be a mercenary in the Development League and overseas leagues. From a purely numerical perspective, Shannon Scott's annual salary already surpasses that of his father, who, as an All-Star, only earned $10 to $15 a year, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's salary was only $25.

It was getting dark when they left the Yes We Can community center. Levi got into Shannon Scott's Mercedes and drove him to the nearest subway station. Scott told Levi that tomorrow was payday and he should spend some money to buy a used car, otherwise taking the subway was a waste of time and inconvenient. Levi said he was considering it, and Scott said he happened to have a spare Chevrolet SUV that he could sell to him cheaply if he wanted it.

"A bargain price, $2000."

"$500."

"Shit, you're such a good negotiator! 500? 1500."

"800, I won't consider anything more than that. Please, Shannon, we'll work perfectly together on the court, and you'll get a much bigger contract when you leave the Long Island Nets, how about that?"

Both players are currently substitutes on the team, with Shannon Scott ahead of Jamal Martin, limiting his playing time. Scott knows that G League teams are often hastily assembled, not because the players lack ability, but because of the rushed schedule, high turnover, and unfamiliarity with each other, making games prone to individual play.

If two players can have a good understanding and help and cooperate with each other on the court, it will benefit their performance and achieve a result greater than the sum of its parts.

Shannon Scott considered it for a moment and knew it was a good deal. At the media day, Levi demonstrated his abilities, proving he was a worthwhile partner. In the development league's "survival of the fittest" game, having a partner to cooperate with is far better than going it alone. The experienced Scott understood this perfectly.

"Okay, deal, $800! I'll bring the car over for the next training session, and we'll do the transfer after training."

"Uh... not next time. I don't have a driver's license yet. I need to take a driving test first."

"What!" Scott slammed on the brakes, nearly running a red light. "You don't have a driver's license? Damn, you're a genius, Victor."

Li Wei shrugged. He could drive, but he never had a driver's license. This was the excuse he used to avoid driving Chen Lihua to deliver her laundry.

Upon arriving at the subway station, Li Wei told Scott he would get his driver's license soon, said goodbye, and took the subway and bus back to Flushing. When he finally reached Hong Le, he saw a white Lexus parked in front of the store. Li Wei recognized it as Kim Mi-won's car. "That vixen, what's she doing in the store so late?"
(End of this chapter)