"Su, can you tell us what dribbling trick you and Kobe used on the court today?"
As the saying goes, "Talk first, drink soup later," Mills asked curiously as he handed the recording device to Su Feng.
Looking at the two middle-aged white men on either side of him—neither particularly tall, both with cameras around their necks—Su Feng initially thought he had encountered the legendary "perverts."
But after hearing Mills' question, Su Feng quickly realized:
Am I being interviewed?
It seems so.
So, Su Feng instinctively stood up. "Are you talking about the move to the right first, then to the left?"
Mills nodded, with Maxon beside him.
"This trick? Kobe and I learned it from a friend in New York. We all call it 'Sam Gold,'" Su Feng replied.
"'Sam Gold'? That sounds like a person's name," Mills asked.
"Yes, because the friend who created this move is named Sam Gold Welsh. He's the captain of the Lhasa Academy basketball team," Su Feng responded.
"Su, the new season is about to begin. May I ask what your school's goal is for this year?" Maxon—who hadn't yet had the chance to ask a question—saw Mills busy jotting down notes and quickly seized the opportunity.
"Our goal this year is to compete for the state championship. You know, we have a talented player like Kobe. He's practically a 'Michael Jordan' on the high school basketball court." Feng glanced at Kobe passing by and added quickly.
"What about your personal future goals?" Maxon asked casually.
"Me?" Su Feng scratched his head. "I want to play in the NBA."
Hearing Su Feng's answer, Maxon was momentarily stunned. He immediately glanced at Mills, who was still taking notes.
Lucky!
Lucky I asked this question!
Big news!
I didn't expect my random question to unearth such a golden opportunity!
Although "Sam Gold" was worth reporting in Maxon's view, there was something even bigger here…
While conducting background research, Maxon had looked into Su Feng's history.
As a professional basketball reporter, Maxon knew that asking athletes standard questions like "What's your name?" "Can you introduce yourself?" or "What do you think are your strengths?" was redundant.
If the interviewee has to explain everything, why even have a journalist?
Even though Mills spoke faster, Maxon—who had an excellent instinct for news—realized that the truly explosive story was in his hands.
This Chinese exchange student… wants to play in the NBA!
And in Maxon's view, it wasn't an impossible dream.
After watching Su Feng's last two games, even Maxon was optimistic about his future.
While Su Feng might struggle to score in the NBA, what if he actually made it?
As a photographer for the sports section of the Philadelphia Evening News, Maxon knew his editor-in-chief, John Song, well.
Song was a gambler through and through—if there was even a 1% chance, he was willing to take the bet.
"The editor-in-chief will definitely approve this news! Sure, this story might be laughed at by our peers for now, but if Su Weiwei actually plays in the NBA… Well, we'll be the first media outlet to break the news!"
Though Maxon was 47 years old, his passion for journalism remained as strong as ever.
He knew that if this news became reality, Philadelphia Evening News would have the first exclusive report—an untouchable scoop.
"Su, can I take a picture of you?" Maxon asked with a smile.
For some reason, Su Feng felt that the reporter's smile seemed oddly mischievous…
But he didn't dwell on it, as both Maxon and Mills had already reported similar interviews before.
Su Feng had read both newspapers since arriving and knew they were legitimate publications.
They shouldn't twist my words… right?
Click!
Just like that, Maxon snapped a photo of Su Feng sitting on the bench, holding a basketball.
Meanwhile, Mills continued the interview with Kobe, clearly fascinated by "Sam Gold."
"Ah... my precious first interview!"
There are many firsts in life.
Su Feng originally thought reporters wouldn't take an interest in him until the season started. But to his surprise, some had already sought him out beforehand.
"Don't overthink it. They're not here to do a special feature on you. Trust me, they're only interested in 'Sam Gold.'"
Kobe saw Su Feng basking in the moment and felt the need to snap him back to reality.
"Fair enough." Su Feng nodded, admitting Kobe had a point.
So, Kobe really is an essential tool for basketball training… cough, an essential partner.
Not only does he help with special drills, but he also provides psychological counseling to keep me grounded.
Su Feng quietly praised Kobe in his heart.
…
Five days had passed since the game between Lower Merion and Chester High School.
New York, Fifth Avenue, Olympic Building—NBA headquarters.
"David, I suggest you take a look at our financial statements and revenue projections..."
"David, if the ratings continue to decline, we might not be able to..."
"David..."
"Alright, let's stop here for now."
After silently cursing the state of the U.S., NBA President David Stern rubbed his temples, staring out the window for a long time...
Another difficult year.
If you had to describe Stern's mood at that moment in a single phrase, it would probably be:
Me... too... difficult...!
For the NBA, which was already struggling to compete against the other three major professional sports leagues in North America, the situation was only getting worse.
Player misconduct on the court was rampant, filled with trash talk and even obscene language, prompting many American parents to publicly declare their intention to boycott the NBA to prevent their children from being influenced.
Stern understood better than anyone—basketball could no longer contend with football or even baseball in the U.S.
The NBA needed a new audience.
It needed a vast overseas market.
So, in 1992, after professional players were allowed to compete in the Olympics, Stern led the charge, encouraging NBA stars to represent their country.
At the Barcelona Olympics, the Dream Team mesmerized the world, showcasing the NBA's brilliance for the first time.
But…
What followed made Stern feel like he had taken the wrong path.
Because instead of stabilizing and expanding every market evenly, the NBA under his leadership faced unexpected chaos.
The European market wasn't evolving as he had hoped. Except for a handful of players, most European basketball stars showed little interest in joining the NBA.
One of the most well-known cases was Dejan Bodiroga—nicknamed the "White Magician"—a king in European basketball.
From Bodiroga's perspective: I can make plenty of money playing in Europe. Why should I go to the NBA?
Even as a European basketball icon, Bodiroga had no desire to join the league. This only demonstrated how limited the NBA's appeal was to European players at the time.
So, yes—Stern had a tough job.
But he wasn't one to give up easily.
If Europe was a lost cause for now, Stern had already discovered a new frontier in the NBA's overseas expansion—
China.
When researching basketball history in China, Stern realized that the country's involvement in the sport dated back almost as long as in North America. In fact, at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, China had already sent a basketball team to compete.
These findings made Stern realize that China had a far deeper basketball foundation than Europe.
While European football overshadowed the NBA's potential influence in Europe, China was different.
So, in 1986, against all opposition, Stern insisted that China would become the NBA's largest market outside the U.S. In a bold move, he sent several boxes of NBA highlight tapes to China's Datianchao TV station.
In Stern's view, while China was still in an era of economic struggle, he had no doubt that the country would rise—and the NBA needed to penetrate the Chinese market as soon as possible.
Then, in 1989, Stern made another daring decision to strengthen ties with China.
This time, the determined Jewish businessman traveled to China alone, carrying more NBA videotapes.
Since he had no prior appointment, he waited outside the aging Datianchao TV station building for two hours before finally meeting the leader in charge of sports programming.
In the end, Stern won them over with his sincerity.
His conversation might have gone something like this:
Stern: "The NBA is fantastic—we have Jordan, big dreamers, sharks..."
Datianchao TV Station: "But our programming is already scheduled."
Stern: "That's fine! If we can't get a broadcast slot, how about advertising?"
Datianchao TV Station: "Advertising, huh? Now you have my attention. So… how much are you planning to pay?"
Stern:ORZ (defeated).
Stern's battle to introduce the NBA to the Chinese market was arduous, yet it proved his remarkable foresight.
In Su Feng's previous life, this Jewish old man—except for not factoring in the decisions made by my emperor—was, for the most part, always right.
Stern didn't possess the power of an all-knowing prophet, but he was undoubtedly sincere.
In the early days of cooperation with Datianchao TV Station, Stern famously said: Don't talk to me about money; talking about money hurts feelings.
Thus, in the 93/94 season, the NBA officially invited Datianchao TV Station to broadcast the NBA All-Star weekend.
From then on, Datianchao TV Station would air the NBA All-Star Game every year.
Until…
In the future, a certain individual—lacking intellectual foresight—decided that this partnership was unnecessary…
"Well, although the cooperation with China has taken shape, there's still a missing bridge between us and the Chinese market."
Although Stern had never read Chinese web novels, he understood better than anyone that if the NBA truly wanted to capture the Chinese market, it needed Chinese players.
Stern, who had immersed himself in Chinese culture, knew that the key was representation.
Like a certain author named Shui Shuqiao, who always writes handsome protagonists—simply to help readers immerse themselves in the story, right?
In Su Feng's past life, besides the well-known Wang Zhizhi, Battle, and Yao Ming, NBA teams also extended an invitation to Hu Weidong, nicknamed "China's Jordan."
Since Datianchao TV Station believed it was necessary to uphold formal diplomatic relations with the NBA, they sent a highlight reel of the newly established CBA to the American league.
After this video was aired, Americans became intrigued by the tall and lean Chinese guard.
With his flashy style and ability to soar and dunk…
Cough… seems like I got off track.
But back to the main point.
Worry!
Worry!
Worry!
Who can truly understand my distress?
As Stern sipped his bitter coffee, drowning in frustration, suddenly…
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Stern straightened his posture. After all, as president, he needed to exude leadership—how could he afford to appear demoralized?
"David… I have a newspaper here. Would you like to take a look?" A senior executive in a gray suit, appearing somewhat Asian, spoke while holding a newspaper.
"Mark, I don't think I'm in the mood to read the paper right now," Stern replied, glancing at him.
"No, no—you need to see this." Mark ignored Stern's reluctance and placed the newspaper in front of him.
"Huh?" Stern's eyes widened at the headline.
"China's First NBA Player?"
Stern blinked rapidly. Was he seeing things? But… he was clearly wearing glasses.
"Philadelphia Evening News?"
"It's not about a player from China's national basketball team?"
"Su… Su Feng? Pennsylvania… Lower Merion?"
Watching Stern bombard himself with endless internal questions, Mark chuckled. "This article is about a Chinese student from Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia."
"The newspaper highlights this student's achievements, his playing style, and his statistics from recent exhibition games."
Stern furrowed his brows. "Exhibition games? What about his sophomore season stats? Why aren't those included?"
"David, this Chinese player named Su has never competed in an official high school league before," Mark explained.
Stern was baffled. "Wait… they dared to publish this without him ever playing a league game?"
"That's precisely the strange part. According to my research, Philadelphia Evening News is a reputable newspaper."
"But after publishing this article, almost everyone in the industry ridiculed them."
"Because, regardless of how talented this Chinese prospect might be, the appropriate approach would've been to report on him after he had completed an entire season."
"And, in the final paragraph, the journalist who wrote the article—Maxon—used nine consecutive 'I think' statements to emphasize his confidence in Su Feng."
"Thus, the industry dismissed this report as unrealistic and mere hype," Mark explained.
In reality…
It wasn't just industry insiders who thought so.
After reading the article and hearing Mark's explanation, Stern felt the exact same way.
"Mark, today is not April Fool's Day," Stern muttered weakly.
"No, David. I wouldn't be surprised if this was nothing but hype—this kind of exaggeration happens often."
Mark pulled out another newspaper.
"Sensational Skills in Pennsylvania High School Basketball—Sam Gold!"
"This article has also been trending for the past two days. ESPN aired footage of it yesterday afternoon," Mark said, retrieving a VHS tape. (Are you Doraemon?)
Soon, inside Stern's office, he played the tape.
The screen displayed an Asian guard executing a dribble move Stern had never seen before—shaking off his defender before sinking a three-pointer.
Moments later, an African-American guard performed the exact same move, successfully scoring again.
"I remember this kid—number 33. His name is Kobe, right? His father, Joe, played in the NBA," Stern remarked.
"Yes, that's right, David. Now, do you know who the first player in the clip was?" Mark asked.
Stern shook his head, then suddenly widened his eyes.
"It's Su—the Chinese high school prodigy mentioned in Maxon's report."
"I don't know if he's NBA material, but after watching this clip, I see something in him."
"But David… I think this could be an opportunity," Mark stated firmly.
Stern knew exactly what Mark meant.
The NBA and the Chinese market had always lacked a bridge.
And now…
If this talented high school student named Su Feng could become that bridge?
From Stern's perspective, even if Su Feng never actually made it to the NBA, it didn't matter.
They could find a way to give him a backdoor opportunity—invite him for an NBA trial, set him up in the Summer League.
Suddenly, Stern's mood brightened.
And at that moment, Su Feng—practicing hard in Philadelphia, one-on-one against Kobe—could never have imagined that…
His name had just been written in someone's notebook.