NBA: Be the GOAT starting today!

August 2008, Davidson, North Carolina, USA.

In a working-class neighborhood, there is a two-story brick shop on the street. The first floor is a restaurant that is open for business, while the second floor is rented out.

In a small bedroom, the dusty walls were covered with posters of Miller pushing aside Jordan for the game-winning shot, and the table was covered with various sports magazines, basketballs, American footballs, and large blond-haired balls...

In front of the mirror, Zhou Yi pinched his chin and examined the handsome face, with its sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, a true mastery of the Yanzu style.

The smell of cooking from the restaurant downstairs drifted in through the window, and occasionally I could hear the simple, unpretentious F-speaking of Americans.

Zhou Yi finally accepted the fact that he was about to start his second Earth Online experience in the United States.

Just a day earlier, Zhou Yi was a basketball blogger.

During the day, he diligently writes copy and shoots basketball videos. At night, as the number one blogger on his fans' "must-eat list," he also has to diligently lead his fans in basketball practice.

Basketball is Zhou Yi's livelihood, as well as his passion and dream.

From a young age, he was obsessed with this sport. His memories of school days were filled with constantly stealing moments to practice. Whether it was a class game or a streetball match, he would do his best to win.

Actively engage in close combat, jump high to grab rebounds, and forcefully drive towards the basket despite being pulled and dragged.

A competitive spirit is ingrained in his bones; when he steps onto the field, he only wants to be the ultimate winner. Becoming a professional player is Zhou Yi's biggest dream.

However, with his mediocre talent—not tall and not good at jumping—this dream gradually faded away.

Basketball tests basketball IQ, hard work, and even more so, physical talent.

When you leap up for a pull-up jumper, a 224cm tall, 244cm wingspan player named Viktor Amar stands in front of you, easily blocking your shot without even having to stand on tiptoe. You can only envy God's favoritism towards him.

With an ordinary family background and mediocre physical talent, the door to becoming a professional player was firmly closed to him; let alone the NBA, even the CBA was just wishful thinking.

His youth was spent in mediocrity. Although he made a living in social media by relying on his skillful ball skills and handsome face, regret and dissatisfaction always accompanied him.

Whenever I watch those NBA players on the screen, fighting for the fans' cheers and victory on the court...

Zhou Yi could only feel envy; he longed to become a professional player, even if it was just a slim chance.

Davidson College's Director of Sport, Mr. Murphy, stated: "Ben Eze is an extremely talented player, which is why we strongly encouraged him to join the Wildcats. His addition will bring a significant boost to the team's talent pool. This season, the Wildcats' goal is to take another step forward in March Madness."

The news illustration featured a young Black man holding a basketball, wearing a Wildcats red jersey photoshopped onto his body, and sporting a bright and arrogant smile.

Below the illustration is a scouting report on the four-star high school player who is about to join the Wildcats.

He is 2 meters tall with a wingspan of 213 centimeters. He plays as a small forward and has excellent running and jumping abilities.

The following are the rankings of the three major data websites in the United States.

ESPN: Ranked 37th in the US

Rivals: Ranked 41st overall in the US

Scout: Ranked 35th overall in the United States

08 Overall Small Forward Ranking: 9

At the very bottom of the news article was the newspaper's interview with Ben Eze from half a month prior, which was circled in red by the original author.

Yes, I will bring my talent to Davidson, and the victories will go beyond just one or two...

Is the competition for starting positions fierce in the new season?

I think I'll definitely get the starting position; their job is to support me.

What is the Chinese freshman week at Davidson local high school?

NO! I've never heard of this name, a high school student without a grade?

Haha, I'll easily crush him and show him what a four-star player is all about. His job from now on is to hand me towels.

In the United States, high school basketball players are rated, and those who come from prestigious basketball schools and have outstanding physical talent are often given higher star ratings.

As a team located in a small, unknown city, and composed of Asian players with mediocre basketball talent, Zhou Yi was naturally ignored by several major data websites and given no evaluation.

The newspaper was crumpled by Zhou Yi's hands.

The Davidson Wildcats' guard is Curry, and the forward position already has several players, making the competition fierce. If they were to add another powerful and talented player like Ben Eze, the team's forward position would become extremely crowded.

Without sufficient playing time, one cannot showcase oneself to NBA scouts and teams, and among tens of thousands of players in the NCAA league, one is destined to become an undrafted player "wandering around begging for food".

One doesn't get many chances to change their destiny in a lifetime.

Having been given a second chance at life, with a higher starting point from heaven, Zhou Yi did not want to miss out on his dreams.

This time, he must seize the opportunity to become an NBA professional player and strive for the highest level of basketball, even if that hope is still slim.

Putting down the newspaper, Zhou Yi knew that thinking too much would be pointless.

In the world of basketball, skill reigns supreme. Even Bronny, the chosen one, had to start from the sidelines.

Flipping through my Motorola V3, the calendar shows it's already late August 2008. Tomorrow is the first team training camp after the start of the new school term.

With only an afternoon left, Zhou Yi decided to use it to warm up and try to perform well in the team's first training session tomorrow.

After changing into his sneakers, Zhou Yi found a basketball and prepared to head to the court.

The moment his fingers touched the basketball, a white screen appeared in front of him without warning.

[Basketball GOAT System]

The basketball slipped from Zhou Yi's hands. He shook his head, but the screen didn't disappear. Looking at the screen, he knew that his chance to change his fate had arrived.

This white screen, called the Basketball GOAT System, is extremely simple and can be operated with thought. It displays only three functions.

Task: The host can obtain reward packs or exchange points by completing the system's season tasks, stadium tasks, and random tasks. The reward packs will be sent to the system mailbox.

At this point, only one task is displayed in the task list: Become a starter for the team this season (incomplete).

Shop (Unlocked): The host can accumulate exchange points through tasks and redeem shop gift packs.

Virtual Training Ground (Unlocked): The host can use exchange points to conduct simulated match training, which can simulate historical teams and current season teams.

In the upper left corner of the screen, a red dot was flashing in the system mailbox, indicating that a gift pack had already been sent to Zhou Yi.