in2ebook Chapter 1: Houston Rockets' Undrafted Chinese Player
Chapter 1: Houston Rockets' Undrafted Chinese Player
(brain storage)
2021, April 10.
Windfield Stadium, Houston.
Listening to the deafening cheers from the stadium, Wang Xiucheng still felt a little unreal.
This is his seventh day since he arrived in this world, and he still hasn't gotten used to his new identity as an NBA player.
Everything here is the same as in the previous world, except that my identity is different.
The original Wang Xiucheng returned to China after graduating from the University of Houston. He used the 2 million yuan he received from the demolition of his old house to start a business, but lost it all in less than two years. Then he honestly became a 9-to-5 office worker.
Here, after finishing his freshman year of college, Wang Xiucheng, for some unknown reason, actually participated in the NBA draft.
Given Wang Xiucheng's ability to get into the Houston basketball team through connections, he only played 3 minutes in the entire NCAA season, scoring 0 points, 1 rebound, and 0 assists. If he were to be selected, it would be impossible unless some team owner was blind.
Do you want to stay in Houston?
The blind boss has appeared.
Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta needs a Chinese player to ease tensions between the team and Chinese fans.
This player doesn't need to play; he just needs to be cheap. If he's also good-looking, that would be even better.
Thus, Wang Xiucheng, who perfectly met all the criteria, stood out from several promising young talents from China who were all worse than the last.
Wang Xiucheng's mother is Uyghur, which gives Wang Xiucheng an appearance that combines the exotic charm of Uyghurs with the ruggedness of Han Chinese.
A sharp, sculpted face, a bold, individualistic buzz cut, long eyebrows, deep-set eyes, and a high, straight nose...
Wang Xiucheng's appearance perfectly covers the aesthetic range of both Eastern and Western people, plus he is from the University of Houston.
This is simply the perfect tool for Fertitta.
Besides being the owner of the Rockets, Fertitta is also a member of the board of trustees of the University of Houston, and has donated a lot of money and equipment to the university.
So the signing of the contract was a natural progression.
But looks don't necessarily equate to ability.
In Wang Xiucheng's memory, he only played for 2 minutes in the Summer League and didn't even touch the TM ball.
As for the G League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers, he didn't even know which way the door opened.
His role was to sit on the sidelines and then transmit the news of the return of Chinese people to Houston to every household in China through television or the internet.
"Luckily, Texas doesn't have state taxes," Wang Xiucheng thought to himself as he sat on the bench.
The two-way contract pays approximately 50 yuan in wages, but after paying nearly 40% in taxes, there's still 30 yuan left.
Wang Xiucheng didn't know the exact exchange rate at the moment, but it was worth 200 million Chinese yuan without much problem.
Wang Xiucheng has been making plans for himself these past few days.
Cryptocurrency and real estate have both passed their peak, and I've never really paid much attention to stocks.
Fortunately, I am a football fan, and I will remember the results of several key matches in next year's World Cup.
I'll make a fortune then, and hopefully when the NBA expands, I'll have the chance to buy a stake in a team—that'll be the pinnacle of my life.
Just as he was feeling quite pleased with himself, a metallic, synthesized voice suddenly rang in Wang Xiucheng's mind.
[The Basketball Branching System has successfully loaded; beginner tasks are now being released.]
[Receive your first technical foul of your career. The system will then be officially activated, and you'll be rewarded with a newbie gift pack.]
Wang Xiucheng was stunned for a few seconds. What did "spreading branches and leaves" mean?
He had been wondering a few days ago if he would have a system too, and he never expected it to actually come today, although he still didn't know what kind of system it was.
But how can you get a technical foul when you can't even get on the court? You can't just go up there and start a fight.
Just as he was thinking of giving Christopher a big coin bag, a sudden change occurred on the field.
Today is Houston's home game against the 17-time champion Celtics.
The game proceeded as expected. Even without Jaylen Brown, the Celtics maintained control of the game and held a double-digit lead throughout.
With 2 minutes and 46 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Celtics led 106-90, a 16-point advantage.
The Rockets' second overall pick this year, Jalen Green, dribbled the ball past half-court. Jayson Tatum closely guarded him, and the experienced Tatum seized the opportunity, suddenly reaching out and slapping the basketball, sending it flying out of bounds.
Jalen Green reacted quickly and had the advantage in position. He reached out to grab the ball immediately, but Tatum pushed off with his hips and knocked Green away.
Green instinctively threw the ball back onto the court, but lost his balance and fell face-first onto the bench.
Christopher and Martin on the bench were caught off guard when Green tackled them to the ground, chair and all. Assistant coach Lucas was also caught in the crossfire; had he not grabbed another assistant coach, he too would have fallen.
Gasps of surprise erupted from the crowd, and the referee's whistle blew immediately.
Wang Xiucheng, who was next to Christopher, was fine at first, but suddenly his eyes widened, he jumped up, and shoved Tatum in the chest, making Tatum stumble.
Tatum, who had been pushed back two steps, finally got a good look at Wang Xiucheng. He shoved aside his teammate who was blocking his way and waved his fist, ready to give this short Asian-looking guy a good beating.
For Jayson Tatum, who is at least 2.05 meters tall, Wang Xiucheng's height of 1.88 meters is indeed not considered tall.
The scene was filled with gasps, whistles, cheers, and curses.
"SB, come on, SB..." Wang Xiucheng was also stopped by the people on the bench, but his mouth didn't stop. He spat out a string of Chinese curses.
The coaches from both sides quickly came over to pull the players away, and even the referee stood in the middle, fearing that a real brawl might break out.
"Go back, all of you! Did you come here to fight?" Celtics head coach Udoka shouted, and the Celtics players all returned to their benches. Even Tatum didn't dare to disobey.
Tatum just stared at Wang Xiucheng, nodding repeatedly as he backed away, muttering to himself as if to say: I'll remember you.
Although I don't know what Wang Xiucheng was cursing, I can tell from his expression that it wasn't anything nice.
“Go back, you coward.” Wang Xiucheng said this time in English.
This made Tatum laugh in anger. An Asian player whose name he didn't even know dared to call him a softie!
“Should I say it again?” Udoka asked Tatum, who had stopped.
Tatum turned around and went back, ignoring Wang Xiucheng.
If I were to actually fight this Asian guy whose name I don't know, I'd just be giving him free publicity.
Uduka turned to look at Wang Xiucheng, who was also looking at Uduka.
Grinning at Uduka, whose face was ashen, Wang Xiucheng was then shoved into a chair by Christopher.
Wang Xiucheng knew that Udoka would be the Rockets' head coach in the future, and since he had the system, he might still have to work for the Rockets. It was best not to offend Udoka.
After the dispute ended, the referee began reviewing the video footage to examine the cause of the conflict.
Rockets head coach Silas sat across from the bench, saying nothing, but recalling what owner Fertitta had said to him that morning.
"Since we're going to tank, why can't we give that... what's his name, Wang, a little playing time?"
Silas knew perfectly well that what appeared to be a discussion between Fertitta and others was actually an order.
If I don't do as instructed, I'll be fired before the next competition.
At this point, the referee team had finished watching the video and seemed to have reached a conclusion. The two referees went to the two sides and spoke to the head coaches of the two teams.
Another referee turned on his microphone and announced the penalty and the reasons on the spot.
Tatum, who sparked the conflict, made actions that went beyond the bounds of reason and received a technical foul.
Wang Xiucheng, as a non-participant, escalated the dispute and received a technical foul.
The crowd booed loudly, clearly indicating that the referee's call against Tatum had angered the fans.
After all, this is the Rockets' home court.
Wang Xiucheng received a reward immediately after the verdict was announced.
[New player quests completed. System officially open. Attribute panel and skill interface unlocked. New player gift pack received. Open now?]
Wang Xiucheng didn't listen to what Silas was saying at all and silently chanted "Activate".
[New Player Gift Pack successfully opened. Rewards include 100 System Points, one Skill Card, one Skill Upgrade Card, and the Passing Control Module has been automatically activated, as has the first Skill Card Slot.]
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(Units such as cm and kg are used throughout the text)