NBA: A collection of super busts

After Brown finished speaking, he didn't linger in the locker room and turned to leave.

Now is not the time to speak; I need to deal with those damn reporters first.

Inside the locker room, Ye Feng and James finally sat down in their seats.

Gasol sat in the center position of the team, a position he hadn't changed in the past two years. James and Battier were on his left and right sides respectively, followed by Ye Feng and Williams, each on one side.

However, West didn't let Ye Feng and James sit together. He knew that the two didn't get along to some extent, and he didn't want them to have too much contact before he could completely resolve their relationship. So Ye Feng sat next to Battier.

These five players are basically the team's highest-ranking, most important, and most likely to become the starting five.

After that, the seating arrangement became more casual, basically based on the players' preferences and the closeness of their relationships. For example, Haslem, who didn't even have a formal contract yet, sat next to Ye Feng and continued his work as a bodyguard.

Veteran Davis chose a corner spot far from the center of power, clearly seeking peace and quiet.

Next, everyone changed their clothes, walked out of the locker room together, and came to the stadium that had already been set up.

The original arena has been completely transformed by the team's elaborate arrangements, leaving only two basketball hoops for their performance later. The rest of the space has been completely occupied by refreshments, chairs, and backdrops for filming.

What's even more surprising is the number of reporters on site.

At least a hundred people!

West's team owner, Heisley, was grinning from ear to ear.

Since he bought the Grizzlies in 00 and moved the team from Vancouver to Memphis, when has he ever seen so many reporters?

At this time last year, only 2-30 reporters showed up for the team's media day. The contrast between that small group and today's scene truly made him reflect on the situation.

"Jerry, it's all thanks to you! Without you, we definitely wouldn't have gotten this much attention today!" Haisley said sincerely, "Hiring you was definitely the smartest decision I've ever made."

"Everyone came for those two young guys, not me," West said modestly. "If we hadn't been lucky enough to get the number one pick and also snatched the Raptors' thunder, we wouldn't have received this much attention today."

"We should be even more grateful for the blessings of Lady Luck."

Two team leaders were there marveling at the team's immense popularity, while Brown kept shaking his head and sighing. Clearly, the old man was quite unhappy that so many people were wearing leather shoes and using all sorts of gadgets to damage his beloved court.

When the reporters saw the players walk onto the field, they rushed over like guys who had just been released from prison seeing their dream girl.

At least half of the people rushed towards James, while a small portion went towards Ye Feng.

As for the others, their surroundings were empty, but no one seemed to mind. They all knew how eye-catching the two newcomers were, so they quickly separated and took their positions to wait.

Soon, the reporters who hadn't managed to squeeze next to their favorite players immediately started looking for backup options, and people gradually gathered around them.

Why choose number 10?

Ye Feng had barely sat down when the reporters' questions began to flood in.

"Because I wore size 10 in college."

"That university..."

"Because I wore size 10 in high school."

Ye Feng answered first.

The reporters, of course, didn't bother to dwell on Ye Feng's shoe size. They had another purpose in coming: "More than half of your huge sneaker contract was non-guaranteed. Why did you sign such a contract in the first place? Did you only see the amount and enthusiastically sign it, thus falling for a scam?"

"Someone did fall for it," Ye Feng said, "but not me, it was someone from Adidas."

"They thought I couldn't do that well, that it was all just hype, and that I definitely couldn't become MVP, make the All-NBA team, or even win a championship in the short term, so they felt they were just adding a few more zeros to my contract."

"But what if I could do all that? Wouldn't they have to give me every penny of the money?"

"So, they fell for it!"

what?

Is this how the word "shangdeng" is used?

This feeling... how do I describe this feeling?

Ye Feng noticed the reporters' questions and thoughtfully explained, "Doesn't it sound like a girl who only works as a '95er' (referring to someone who is considered innocent and pure) saying she's very pure?"

"What is 95?" a reporter asked.

Ye Feng then remembered that the slang he used in his previous life wasn't widely used yet, but if he spoke more bluntly, he was afraid of getting his account banned, since he was only 19 years old. So he could only say, "Just use your imagination. It's not a big deal."

"All you need to know is that I am absolutely capable of doing all of this, and I am confident that Adidas will give me every penny of the money."

The reporters looked at each other in bewilderment. All they could say was: if Ye Feng could really do all of this, and really get every penny and all the honors, then Adidas would absolutely be willing to pay him every single penny.

That would only make them a fortune.

After all, Ye Feng's status is different from that of the other rookies.

He's Chinese!

Before Ye Feng, the Chinese team had already replaced Shaquille O'Neal in his prime with Yao Ming in his rookie year, and put him in the All-Star starting lineup, which boosted Reebok's sales in China by about 150%.

Now, a Ye Feng with an even more explosive playing style and a more captivating playing style has arrived. If he can even surpass Yao Ming...

Putting everything else aside, these reporters believe that Ye Feng will at least secure an All-Star starting position this year.

Yao Ming defeated Shaquille O'Neal in his prime last year. Even if Duncan, Nowitzki, and Garnett are incredibly talented, can their popularity and star power surpass O'Neal's?

If Ye Feng can do those things too, then Adidas will really make a killing!

After finally figuring out this actually quite simple logic, the reporters asked many more questions, some related to the team, some to Adidas, and of course, many related to James.

Then, as the reporters kept asking questions and Ye Feng answered them politely and humorously one after another, a reporter with yellow skin finally squeezed to the front, stretched out the microphone, and asked his question in an almost shouting manner.

"Will you be returning to China next summer to participate in the Olympics?"