Basketball Terminal

Chapter 77 Bestseller
Kim Mi-won forcefully pushed Lee Wei down onto the bed and eagerly sat on him. Lee Wei hadn't yet recovered from the fatigue of his journey, but lying on the soft bed, he felt a sense of relaxation and pleasure, and even with a beautiful woman on top of him, he didn't feel heavy.

The bedside lamp was on, illuminating the general outline of the room, which was simply yet warmly furnished. There was a bed, a table, and a cabinet, all in warm brown tones. There was no television, and a uniquely shaped table lamp stood in the corner.

A painting was hanging on the wall where the TV should have been, but Li Wei couldn't make out what it depicted. Firstly, the light was too dim, and secondly, his vision was quickly obscured by the two hemispheres. Kim Mi-won pounced on him, burying her face in Li Wei's nose and eyes.

A wave of darkness and suffocation washed over him, but a sweet, warm sensation filled the air. Li Wei suddenly laughed. Jin Meiyuan stood up, slapped him, and scolded, "You little rascal! I've been so proactive, and you haven't even flinched! And you're still laughing! I think you've completely forgotten about me!"

There was a hint of resentment in his voice, but Li Wei couldn't tell how much was genuine and how much was acting. Since he became an NBA player, Kim Mi-won's passion for him had intensified. What started as mere physical attraction had now become an all-encompassing seduction; how could a Korean woman, having latched onto this Golden Dick, possibly let go?

Li Wei didn't intentionally distance himself from Kim Mi-won, but professional athletes are indeed very busy. Playing matches, especially away games, goes without saying; maintaining peak performance throughout the season means even the least disciplined player will have a packed schedule.

Young players, especially those just entering the league, are very competitive and work hard to survive. Although women are indispensable, for players, getting along with women is like going out for a meal: you go to the restaurant, order, eat, wipe your mouth, pay, and leave.

There are also a few players who have dated since their student days and married early, starting families and having children. Li Wei joined the Yixin Club because he was focused on playing basketball and making a name for himself; everything else was just trivial matters.

Levi got out of bed, turned on the light, and looked around the room. The painting hanging on the wall was Rothko's "Orange, Green and Gray-Blue," which was obviously a fake, because genuine Rothko paintings would fetch millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars at auction, and had always been among the top art collectibles.

"Holy crap, you actually hang a Rothko painting? I didn't realize you had such good taste."

"I just picked it up at the flea market, just to make it look nice. A room always needs some decorations." Kim Mi-won fastened her bra, got out of bed, and pulled Li Wei along, saying, "Let me show you the other rooms, see if you like them."

The entire house is semi-vacant. The bedroom is habitable and the bathroom is usable, but the living room and another bedroom are empty. This property is located in Rego Park, Queens, about three or four kilometers from Flushing. It was purchased by Kim Mi-won with her savings.

Li Wei looked around. It was clean, and the location was alright, though a bit far from the HSS and Barclays Center. Looking at the map, it seemed quite close to the Makoto family's house.

Knowing that Li Wei was looking for a place to live, Jin Meiyuan recommended that he rent her apartment, as the rent would be cheaper and it would be empty most of the time. She lived in Flushing and would come over weekly to clean it. She had a clever plan: she wanted to be Li Wei's weekend partner, and maybe things could progress further in the future.

After taking a quick look, Li Wei smiled and said, "The house is really nice. It's amazing that you, at such a young age, can buy your own property in New York."

"Stop talking nonsense, are you staying or not? I'll give you a 20% discount."

Li Wei shook his head, and Jin Meiyuan said, "50% off!"

He still shook his head. "30% off! Damn it, do you expect me to let you stay for free?"

"That's not the case. First, it's a bit far from the training center. Second, this is your house, after all; it would be strange for me to live here. Third..."

"Third, are you afraid that if I come to see you, it will be inconvenient for you to bring other women to stay?" Kim Mi-won added.

Li Wei smiled without saying a word. Jin Meiyuan picked up a pillow from the bed and lightly hit Li Wei with it, saying, "Most neighborhoods in Brooklyn aren't very safe. It's definitely not safe for a celebrity like you to live there. You should move to Manhattan. There are high-end apartments with excellent security there, which are perfect for high-income people like you."

Li Wei certainly knew where he could stay. His Nets teammates and staff had already given him a rental guide with different prices in different locations, suitable for players' living conditions.

However, Kim Mi-won was kind-hearted, and Li Wei didn't want to disappoint her, so he at least came along to check on things; they hadn't gone on a date in a while. Li Wei picked her up and threw her back onto the soft bed, and they made love. Kim Mi-won initially resisted with some anger, but under his forceful advances, she eventually succumbed to his desire.

In the darkness, she sighed softly, cursed, and leaned on Li Wei's shoulder. She asked Li Wei, "Hey, what were you laughing about when we were lying down?"

"Oh, I just remembered a teammate of mine. He was fine, and then suddenly he made a shooting motion. It was kind of funny."

As he spoke, Li Wei, who was lying on the bed, also shot a basketball at the air.

The next morning, Li Wei took Jin Meiyuan shopping at a nearby shopping mall. He had already found a place to stay and wanted to buy some daily necessities first, trying to bring as little as possible from Flushing since everything would be replaced. He also bought Jin Meiyuan a handbag, and she happily tried to pull Li Wei into the bathroom for a few puffs of air.

Lee Wei felt relaxed and comfortable around Kim Mi-won, with both parties getting what they wanted. She had a very outgoing personality and was very straightforward, wearing her heart on her sleeve. Although she was loud and sometimes swearing, like most Korean women, she was honest and had no bad intentions. At most, she was a bit snobbish, which isn't a major flaw in modern society.

In comparison, Jinri is much gentler, soft and yielding in bed, her entire body, especially her buttocks, like a lump of pink and white dough. But it would be a mistake to think she can be manipulated like dough; she is outwardly gentle but inwardly strong, with her own opinions, making her much more difficult to get along with than Kim Mi-won.

However, Li Wei believes that as long as you treat women as friends, are open and honest, and say so if you want to sleep with them, and don't give in if you don't, then focus on your career and hobbies, there will be no difficult relationships. The more you take it to heart, beat around the bush, and make a fool of yourself just to get into bed, the more you'll end up messing with your own mentality, unable to get along with people, and unable to achieve anything in your career.

At noon, Levi took Kim Mi-won to lunch with Scott Mitchell at a Korean restaurant. Mitchell showed no surprise at Levi having an Asian beauty with him. When Kim Mi-won learned that Mitchell was an ESPN reporter, she asked Levi, "Is it possible to be on TV?" Levi remained noncommittal, but Mitchell replied, "On TV! I came here today specifically to be on TV, Victor."

"It's the important thing you mentioned."

"Yes, that's important. You've been doing very well lately, and my articles and reports have been getting a response, but it's not enough. You know, fans are hard to please. We live in an era of data overload; many people don't actually watch the games much, and only when the data explodes do they get any attention."

In recent years, as the NBA has accelerated its offensive pace and tightened its defensive measures, giving perimeter players more and more space to operate, basic statistics, especially scoring statistics, have inflated rapidly. A statistic that frequently appears in the news is "the first person since Jordan to achieve this."

Many incredible combinations of scoring, rebounding, and assists are unprecedented in the last two decades, achieved by anyone other than Jordan. Is it because this era saw an explosion of players on par with Jordan? Obviously not. Rather, it's because acquiring statistics has become easier, and players are more focused on those statistics, leading to a plethora of players surpassing Jordan in skill.

在00-10年代，一个球员内线能做到20分+10篮板，就是全明星内线。一个外线能25+7，就是超级得分手加组织高手。

Now, Julius Randle, with 24 points and 10 rebounds, is seen by fans as a black hole on the court. De'Aaron Fox, with 25 points and 7 rebounds, has never been an All-Star and can only be considered a near-All-Star, lacking popularity.

These days, a scorer averaging over 30 points per game is considered a star, and 35 points is seen as unremarkable by fans. James Harden's most prolific scoring season saw him score 50 points in a game, which didn't even register with fans; it wasn't until he scored 60 that they started to react. And it wasn't just about scoring; he also had to add double-digit rebounds and assists.

Once considered a godlike triple-double average in the eyes of fans and a record that the media claimed was the most insurmountable, the "triple-double" has become the most neglected data combination since Russell Westbrook emerged.

Russell Westbrook, who joined the Washington Wizards this season, is very likely to achieve his fourth career triple-double average, but people have lost interest in this record and no one wants to mention it anymore. People's focus has shifted from basic statistics to advanced statistics, and the new statistical king is a chubby white guy from Serbia.

"You expect me to put up better numbers? But I'm a role player, I don't have that many touches. Rebounding is the best I can do, the rest is really beyond my control."

“I know, so I told the manager, you’re not a superstar, you can’t possibly put up spectacular numbers. But you started out on defense, and you’ve had a lot of great defensive performances in games. For example, against LeBron James, against George, and against DeRozan, you did a fantastic job. It’s just that you need a game to truly shine, to really make a splash and generate buzz around you.”

"A representative game? I'll see when we play the Lakers again."

"No, not the Lakers, just the next game, the Dallas Mavericks, Doncic. If you can lock down Doncic, ESPN will do an interview with you, an exclusive interview. That's their condition, play a real 'blockbuster' game, expand your influence, make your name known. That way more people will be interested in your story."

Li Wei thought Mitchell was joking. A so-called "blockbuster" game isn't something you can just create whenever you want; even superstars can't guarantee they'll explode in their next game. Besides, can you really lock down a scorer like Doncic who averages nearly 30 points per game?

"Stop fucking joking, I'm a substitute now. Besides, do you think the league has a script? You think you can write the game however you want and play it however you want?"

"So I'm here to discuss this with you, to tell you that this opportunity is available, anyway, this is the interview condition offered by ESPN."

"This is deliberately making things difficult for me. They didn't want to do an interview with me at all, so they just made up a condition on the spot."

Mitchell sighed. He knew Levi was right. He hadn't been with the team long and lacked a strong foundation, so he was relying heavily on Levi. So far, it had some effect, but not a huge one; the league's attention was still focused on the superstars.

There has been one instance of a Chinese-American underdog achieving a remarkable comeback like Jeremy Lin's. In the current American environment, with lower racial tolerance and sharper conflicts, it is unlikely that Li Wei's story and performance will generate the same media frenzy again; he can only serve as an excellent role model.

Fans' standards are getting higher and higher. While Levi might have no problem making a living with an NBA team, attracting significant fan attention will be difficult. Aside from his Chinese heritage, his story lacks novelty. If he were a Black player, the buzz would be even lower.

However, Li Wei's mentally challenged younger brother has attracted the attention of some organizations and is currently quite promising.

Another piece of good news is that Li Wei's performance has been solid and steady; he can follow a path of gradual accumulation before unleashing his full potential. As for when that potential will come, that depends on time and luck. Furthermore, his potential in China and Asia is enormous, something Mitchell can sense.

Another path is the "anti-fan" route; the game against the Lakers showed Mitchell the power of fan support. But the Nets can't play the Lakers for 82 games, and that requires long-term accumulation, not just one or two games.

"Be patient. Every player needs time to grow. You can't win over fans with just one good game. Jennings scored 55 points against Curry in his rookie season, does anyone even know where he is now?"

Scott Mitchell nodded. He knew Levi was right; the same applied to news reporting. Consistent, high-quality output was the foundation for success. In this age of information overload, chasing after a single blockbuster product was extremely difficult.

"However, I'll do my best in the next game against the Mavericks. Can you guarantee that if I have a so-called blockbuster performance, ESPN will give me an interview opportunity?"

"Yes, of course you can, I'm sure of that. You have to do your best, Viktor."

(End of this chapter)