NBA, Yao Ming is back!

The news that Don Nelson broke into the Shanghai Sharks' locker room after the game and had a private meeting with 16-year-old Yao Ming was something that was tacitly suppressed by all parties.

The coaching staff repeatedly instructed the players not to spread the word, and the team management also made a special trip to speak with the league staff they were in contact with.

But that's how things are in the industry: the more you try to keep a secret, the easier it is for it to slip out through the cracks.

Under various pretexts, it quietly circulated in the training halls and locker rooms of various CBA teams.

No one knows what the two talked about behind closed doors—was it just casual encouragement, a real NBA tryout invitation, or some kind of verbal agreement?

These core details were kept completely under wraps.

But the news of the meeting did indeed get out.

The person he was supposed to meet after the game wasn't Yao Ming.

Donnie Nelson, a senior international scout for the Phoenix Suns, went to Yao Ming's locker room after watching the game between the Shanghai Sharks and the Bayi Rockets, and had a long private conversation with him.

this matter.

But it was as if they had grown wings. In just two days, they floated from the Shanghai Sharks men's basketball team's training base to the Bayi team's training camp, and then landed in the men's basketball training hall in the capital.

There was no specific dialogue, no clear promises, but just the words "private meeting with NBA scouts" were enough.

That's enough to cause a stir within the entire CBA's inner circle.

This is especially true for top centers who also dream of playing in the NBA and have been scouted by league scouts.

This news was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up all sorts of thoughts and calculations among people.

In the training hall of the Bayi team, the afternoon sun shines through the tall glass windows, casting dappled shadows on the wooden floor.

The sounds of basketballs hitting the floor echoed continuously.

The team members are conducting group scrimmages according to the coach's instructions.

But Wang Zhizhi's actions.

But it was clearly a step too slow.

"What's wrong? Why are you so distracted during training?"

Liu Yudong is the one who can't stand this kind of unserious training.

He immediately started criticizing.

"Sorry, I'm not feeling well. I'll rest for a bit."

The God of War wanted to say something more, but Li Lan, being quite observant, reached out and interrupted Liu Yudong.

Let him rest.

"Are you alright?"

Wang Zhizhi shook his head; he wasn't the type to talk a lot anyway.

But these rumors obviously reached their ears as well.

Because that's the person I was supposed to be looking for that day.

Nelson was supposed to go to the locker room after the game.

It should be our side.

But now it's a different person.

This certainly has an impact on him as the person involved.

He's only eighteen or nineteen years old now.

He heard the news from the assistant coach during a break in training.

At the time, the assistant coach just casually mentioned, "I heard that Yao Ming from Shanghai was approached by Nelson alone. It seems that this kid has really been targeted."

His tone carried a hint of emotion.

But these words reached Wang Zhizhi's ears.

It felt like a fine needle, gently pricking me.

This instantly threw his mind into disarray.

Only Wang Zhizhi and head coach Wang Fei knew about this matter that should have come to him.

But now Nelson has changed his plans at the last minute.

What exactly happened, they had no idea.

Prior to this, Wang Zhizhi had always believed that he was the most watched Chinese center in Asia, in the NBA scouting circle, and even in the entire NBA scouting community.

At the 96 Atlanta Olympics, as the youngest center in the Chinese men's basketball team, he blocked David Robinson on the court and dared to fight hard against strong European and American teams.

After that game, Nelson sat on the sidelines, taking notes in his notebook. He even contacted the Bayi team's coach through the organizing committee to learn more about his situation.

During that period, wherever he went, he would hear people say, "Wang Zhizhi is the Chinese player with the best chance of making it into the NBA." He himself took this attention as motivation.

They trained even harder, wanting only to prove themselves with their abilities.

I deserve this expectation.

He thought that since Nelson came to China to watch the CBA, and even came for the opening game, his main target for evaluation was still himself.

After all, the Bayi team is the league champion, and he is the team's core inside player. But who would have thought that he would suffer a Waterloo right from the start?

The team's undefeated streak has been broken.

He himself was utterly defeated in the confrontation with that young player.

A match lost to the Shanghai team.

An unknown 16-year-old boy.

They actually stole the attention that originally belonged to him.

The noise in the training hall seemed to have faded away from him, and he could hardly hear his teammates calling for him to pass the ball.

He mechanically dribbled the ball, walked to the free-throw line, raised his hand to shoot, and the basketball bounced off the rim, even with movements he had practiced to perfection...

They've all gone awry.

He didn't say anything, but bent down to pick up the basketball from the ground, walked to the rest area by the court, unscrewed the mineral water bottle, took a sip, but his gaze fell on the floor of the training hall, his eyes somber.

He was unreadable. His teammates noticed something was wrong and came over to try and talk to him.

But his gaze, which remained silent today, blocked her view.

He had no choice but to walk away dejectedly.

No one knew that beneath his seemingly calm exterior, his heart was in turmoil, extremely complex.

I don't know how much time has passed.

Everyone had already rested and left the venue.

He's all alone here.

Nobody called him.

It's clear that Faye Wong has given an explanation.

Please tell everyone not to disturb them.

Yao Ming?

Ok.

I'll remember you.

When we meet again.

I will definitely show you my true strength.

Wang Zhizhi looked out the window at the slightly overcast sky.

This name stuck in my mind for the first time.

Meanwhile, in the men's basketball training hall in Beijing, Battier's reaction to the news was completely different from Wang Zhizhi's.

There was no silence, no hesitation, only Batel's undisguised fighting spirit.

Surging and turbulent.

Battier's personality is straightforward, bold and domineering, especially on the court, where he relies on his strong physical confrontation to rampage through the paint.

He was nicknamed "Big Bus" by fans.

In his mind, he is the undisputed number one center in the current CBA league.

In this position, he has never submitted to anyone in the country.

He is older than Wang Zhizhi and entered the professional league earlier. He has been playing on the field for many years and has developed excellent skills.

He excels at everything: post-up moves, turnaround jumpers, rebounding, and rim protection on defense.

In particular, his physical strength is almost unmatched among CBA interior players.

Wang Zhizhi couldn't even get the better of himself.

Whether facing domestic players or foreign players who come to China to play, he can gain the upper hand with his strong physique.

But ironically, it was the 96 Atlanta Olympics that made Wang Zhizhi a household name.

Young, talented, tall and long-armed, able to shoot and block, he instantly attracted everyone's attention.

Even NBA scouts have focused more attention on Wang Zhizhi.

As for Battier, although he also represented the Chinese men's basketball team in the Olympics, his performance was not bad.

However, he was overshadowed by Wang Zhizhi's brilliance and received far less attention.

This had been a source of frustration for Battier. He acknowledged Wang Zhizhi's talent and promising youth, but he always felt that, in terms of overall strength and dominance on the court, he...

He is the best center in the league.

Wang Zhizhi only gained more attention because of his youth and his outstanding performance at the Olympics.

He had long wanted to find an opportunity to compete against Wang Zhizhi on the court and prove with his strength that he was the one who deserved the attention of the NBA.

After the Olympics ended.

He had always considered Wang Zhizhi as his biggest rival on his path to the NBA, and he had planned to have a good game against the Bayi team when they met in the upcoming league.

He completely suppressed Wang Zhizhi, allowing NBA scouts to see his strength.

But now, Yao Ming's appearance has disrupted his plans and given him a new "target".

When the team's translator told Battier about Nelson's secret meeting with Yao Ming, Battier was doing strength training.

Upon hearing the news, he exerted all his strength and placed the barbell steadily on the rack.

He turned around, his face showing surprise, but a cold smile quickly appeared on his face.

The fighting spirit in his eyes was almost overflowing.

OK OK.

One Wang Zhizhi is not enough.

Another teenager has appeared.

"A young kid who just had one good game and already got spotted by NBA scouts?"

He pulled the towel off his neck, wiped the sweat from his face, and said in a rough voice, "Looks like these NBA scouts aren't very good at judging players."

In his view, Yao Ming is just a young guy with a height advantage, and playing well in one game is nothing special.

It was only by defeating the Bayi team and suppressing Wang Zhizhi that Nelson noticed him.

"When is our next match against the Great White Shark?"

"Bartel asked."

"Let me see, this is the outcome."

"Is it the next one?"

Upon hearing this, Bartel raised his eyebrows and chuckled:

"That would be truly..."

"Very good."

"Yao Ming, the Great Shark?"

"I defeated both of you."

"You should start paying attention to me now."

Bart was calculating in his mind.

Since Yao Ming has been noticed by Nelson and has become the focus of attention in the industry, why not start by targeting him?

Rather than competing against Wang Zhizhi, defeating this suddenly emerging young man who is highly anticipated would be a better way to prove one's strength.

This will allow NBA scouts to see who the true dominant force in the CBA's interior is.

What's more, the schedule is quite coincidental; the Beijing men's basketball team's next opponent is none other than the Shanghai Sharks.

This is a godsend.

It won't be long before I can face Yao Ming head-on on the court.

Bartel walked to the sidelines, picked up his basketball, and dribbled it with one hand. The basketball obediently bounced up and down in his palm.

His gaze swept across the empty stadium, as if he could already see the scene of the next match.

He saw Yao Ming standing opposite him.

He wanted to completely suppress Yao Ming on the court using the most direct and domineering methods.

In the paint, use your strong physicality to show Yao Ming what the cruelty of professional leagues is.

Welcome to the CBA.

Ok.

That's what you'll tell him then.