NBA: This center is incredibly strong.

July 2000, Salt Lake City, the venue for the Summer League.

"Get out of my way, you big dummy!"

Chen Yan completely lost his balance and staggered to the side.

In the instant he fell, all he saw was a figure in a white jersey, rising up like a bomber, his muscular arms holding the basketball high, with an overwhelming momentum, bypassing his pitiful, symbolic reach and smashing the ball into the basket!

"Bang—!!"

The basketball hoop groaned in pain.

A tremendous sound echoed through the stadium, followed by explosive cheers and screams.

On the court, Desmond Mason landed after completing a dunk, glanced contemptuously at Chen Yan who was still sitting on the floor, and wore an undisguised sarcasm on his face.

He raised his right hand and arrogantly slashed his own throat with his thumb.

"That's it?" Merlin spat in Chen Yan's direction, his voice booming and cutting through the noise. "Go back to China and eat noodles, you coward! The NBA isn't a place for you!"

"Hahaha!"

"Noodle Man!"

"Go home, kid!"

Laughter, whistles, and sharp taunts poured down from all sides of the audience like hail, pelting Chen Yan.

Chen Yan, who was lying on the floor, suddenly opened his eyes. His vision was shattered by the blinding flashlights, and the deafening noise was like a solid fist, pounding on his eardrums.

His body felt as heavy as if it were filled with mercury, and every joint was groaning silently.

Sweat trickled down his temples, slid across his cheeks, and carried a hint of saltiness.

It wasn't the suffocating, stuffy smell of air conditioning in an office cubicle, nor the dull hum of a computer mainframe, nor the relentlessly ticking time in the lower right corner of the screen, pointing to the early morning.

This is... a sports field?

A thought, like lightning, cleaved through the chaotic consciousness: 996, the plan, the final version... A sudden, excruciating pain gripped my heart like an invisible giant hand... followed by utter darkness.

A bewildered Chen Yan subconsciously sat up and turned his head to see a bald coach in a black suit with a flushed face waving a tactical board at him.

In an instant, fragments of memories that did not belong to him flooded his mind like a burst dam—Chen Yan, 18 years old, a Chinese player, 216cm tall, 135kg, with a wingspan of 234cm, the fifth overall pick in this year's first round, center position... vague signing fragments, the fatigue of the long flight, and... the nightmarish performance in the first few minutes of the game.

"Hey! Chen! What are you daydreaming about! Get involved in the attack!" Head coach Stan Van Gundy's roar was like thunder, instantly pulling Chen Yan back to reality from his daze.

He felt a sudden wave of dizziness, his vision gradually cleared, and his consciousness gradually returned.

But when Chen Yan tried to stand up, his body felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead, and he was unable to move at all.

When Van Gundy saw that Chen Yan was sitting on the floor and hadn't gotten up, he immediately sensed something was wrong and made a decision.

He shouted, "Cut off! Cut off!"

At that command, the noise on the field was instantly silenced, and everyone's eyes were focused on Chen Yan.

The medical team quickly entered the scene, and a tense atmosphere filled the air.

Van Gundy came to Chen Yan's side, squatted down, and looked at him with concern. His anger was replaced by worry: "Are you alright? How did you get hurt like this?"

Chen Yan forced a smile, but his heart was in turmoil.

He knew this game was crucial to his career, but he had performed so poorly at the start, unable to even complete basic defense.

"I'm fine, just a little dizzy," Chen Yan said, panting, trying to appear calm.

After the medical team carefully examined Chen Yan's condition and confirmed that he was alright, Van Gundy breathed a sigh of relief, but then frowned again.

The Magic are currently at a disadvantage, and Chen Yan's performance has disappointed him.

"Chen, get some rest." Van Gundy's tone was tinged with helplessness and disappointment.

In the previous matches, he gave Chen Yan the opportunity to fully demonstrate his talent, but what he got in return was disappointment after disappointment.

Chen Yan's performance on the court was disastrous. He was heavy-footed, slow-moving, butterfed on offense, and had poor positioning on defense.

Although he could occasionally grab a rebound or manage a block using his height, wingspan, and strength, his overall performance was far below expectations.

The media began to question the Magic's judgment, calling him a "clumsy giant" and a "waste of talent."

A few boos and disappointed sighs were heard from the audience.

Unaffected by the noise from the outside world, Chen Yan had long since developed an indestructible heart after experiencing the baptism of online keyboard warriors in his later years. Now, his main task was to adapt to this brand-new body.

Seeing Chen Yan's listless eyes and absent-mindedness, Van Gundy assumed the kid had given up and said with exasperation, "Don't stay on the field and embarrass yourself. Come back to the bench with me."

Seeing that Van Gundy's expression was unpredictable, Chen Yan felt that the old man was going through menopause. In order to uphold the fine tradition of respecting the elderly and caring for the young, it was best not to provoke the old man.

He nodded and followed Van Gundy toward the bench.

After this brief incident, the competition continued.

On the Magic's bench, Chen Yan spent a few minutes figuring out his physical condition and the situation he was facing.

With a height of 2.16 meters and a wingspan of 2.34 meters, his static physical attributes are simply amazing.

Not to mention...

This incredible physical talent comes from innate superhuman strength.

With such explosive physical abilities and talent, it would be a crime not to play basketball!

"My top priority is to live up to my coach's expectations and prove my talent."

Just as Chen Yan was lost in thought, Van Gundy frowned as he looked at the situation on the field.

The Magic's center is performing even worse than Chen Yan did before, and the score gap is widening. It seems like this game is over.

Once Chen Yan came to his senses, he also noticed the trend of the game and felt that his chance had come.

So he raised his head, his gaze fixed firmly on Van Gundy: "Coach, I want to play basketball! Please give me another chance! I can do better!"

Van Gundy paused for a moment, seemingly moved by Chen Yan's gaze.

He knew that this young center had enormous potential, but he also knew that potential was not the same as ability, and the cruelty of the game lay in the performance of a single moment.

"Are you sure?" Van Gundy's voice was scrutinizing. "If you make another mistake, I won't give you another chance."

"I'm sure!" Chen Yan nodded vigorously, secretly vowing that he would not let himself down this time.

After much deliberation, Van Gundy finally made up his mind.

Looking into Chen Yan's eyes, he seemed to see the fighting spirit and indomitable will in him, and slowly said, "Alright, go ahead, and give me the performance you deserve."

Chen Yan was overjoyed and quickly stood up, going to the waiting area on the sidelines.

Just then, a cold, emotionless, yet crystal-clear synthesized voice pierced the deepest recesses of his mind with the precision of a scalpel:

"Ding! Basketball GOAT system loading..."