Who Goes First?
"Alright, Jerry.
"Let's go during the off-season."
"Sure, Coach."
Somehow, Stackhouse felt happy that John Lucas had accepted his request.
"Some people are destined to be the big fish. Things will always go smoothly for them.
"And I'm one of them," Stackhouse thought to himself, smirking.
Stackhouse had decided that after they had arrived at Lower Merion, he would tell John Lucas that observations alone were insufficient to reveal Kobe and Su Feng's full potential.
After that, hahah…
Stackhouse would unleash his true power and crush those two brats on the court!
"Well, I shouldn't be too mean. They are still young."
Although Stackhouse was not much older than Su Feng and Kobe, he had to maintain a presentable image as an NBA professional player.
After all, it would be a huge embarrassment if people found out that Stackhouse had intentionally bullied some high school students.
…
Back at the Lower Merion High School indoor basketball court, Hery Catholic High School had long since surrendered under Su Feng and Kobe's collaborated attack.
In the end, the game ended with a score of 46 - 88. Lower Merion had won the match against last year's first runner-up with a score difference of 42 points!
In the match, Su Feng had scored 14 out of 29 shots, including five out of ten three-pointers, one out of two free throws, summing up to the high-score of 34 points. He had also obtained seven rebounds, one assist, two blocked shots, and three steals.
Kobe had scored 12 out of 21 shots, including one out of three three-pointers, four out of six free throws, for a total of 29 points. He had also accomplished 13 rebounds, 11 assists, four steals, and four blocked shots.
Can't help it. They were fighting against last year's first runner-up!
After all, it was still possible for their opponents to achieve a miraculous comeback after falling behind by 40 points. In order to avoid this greatest tragedy in life, Su Feng and Kobe had to put in their very best.
Of course, Su Feng hadn't been too mean. He and Kobe were substituted in the second half of the fourth period.
Otherwise, Su Feng had the confidence of scoring another 40+ points today.
Needless to say, bullying rookies with his near-perfect skills was so… refreshing!
The reporter trio were stunned by the game. Other than Su Feng, Kobe had left a deep impression in their minds too.
"That Kobe is such a gem. He's clear-headed and I can see that he has an impressive foundation. He doesn't look like a 17-year-old boy at all!" Zhang Weiping exclaimed.
"I agree! And most importantly, he's not the typical type of American player that we expected. You see, he loves passing the ball to Su Feng," Su Junyang said smilingly.
After the end of the game, Su Feng told Kobe that he couldn't make it to the extra training that evening because he had to attend to the reporters from China.
He thought that Kobe might get angry, but…
"Haha, Su, you are finally one-tenth as famous as me!
"Go on, then. Remember what I told you. Don't be arrogant during interviews," Kobe said, laughing out loud as he patted Su Feng's shoulder.
Su Feng felt that something was off when he saw Kobe's strange smile.
But he didn't give much thought to it because understanding Kobe's logic was nothing new.
When Su Feng turned to walk towards the reporters, Kobe whispered, "Date night today. Would have missed it if you had insisted on the extra training!"
"Okay. I get it. You wanna be all lovey-dovey with your girl."
…
"Thank you for waiting. I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long."
Su Feng said with the utmost politeness as he looked at the reporter trio under the basket.
"No worries. Not long at all," Zhang Weiping said with a grin.
"If that's the case, may I know what you would like to eat?" Su Feng asked.
"How can we ask you to treat us? Tell us what you want to eat and we'll treat you," said Zhang Weiping.
Su Feng smiled. "Why not come to my place and let me cook for you? It's so hard to find authentic Chinese dishes in the States."
The thought of authentic Chinese food immediately made the reporters' mouths water.
Who doesn't love Chinese food?!
When they first arrived in Philadelphia, they had been captivated by hamburgers and soft drinks. But after a few days of fast food, they had started to miss Chinese food.
"I didn't know you cook!" Zhang Weiping was amazed.
"Sichuan, Shandong, Catonese, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hokkien, Hunan, or Anhui
Well…
In fact, his pretty face would have been enough.
Therefore, after the reporter trio had thanked the Philadelphia Evening Post journalist Markson for bringing them there, they had set off to continue on their interview (or maybe food) journey.
…
To be honest, food was not the main focus of their trip to Su Feng's house.
In their opinion, their job was to obtain the material that they wanted.
When Zhang Weiping wanted to decline Su Feng's dinner invitation, Xu Jicheng secretly gave him a light kick.
"The child means well. It's rude to simply reject him," Xu Jicheng told Zhang Weiping in a soft voice on their way to Su Feng's place.
Zhang Weiping understood what Xu Jicheng was implying at once—Su Feng knew that it was too expensive to eat out, so he had offered to have dinner at his place.
"Our main objective is to understand Su Feng's basketball skills. Now we're almost halfway done. We should leave a good impression on him," Xu Jicheng added.
Su Junyang was impressed by how thoughtful Xu had been for Su Feng.
"I should learn from him," Su Junyang mumbled and nodded.
But…
After they had reached Su Feng's house, the reporters were held in awe at Su Feng's expert-level "knife techniques".
Remember, it was the 1990s then. Although the reporters knew how to cook one or two dishes by themselves, it would be their wives who took care of the kitchen most of the time.
"Red braised pork belly, Kung Pao chicken, sweet and sour pork ribs, fried beef slices with celery, mapo tofu…
"Would you like any more dishes?"
Su Feng looked at his guests, who were frozen in shock at Su Feng's incredible cooking skills.
"This is more than enough," Xu Jicheng said as he wiped off the sweat on his forehead,
"What on earth!
"This child is a monster!"
Following the Chinese economic reform, the standard of living in China had been steadily improving. Many single children born in the 80s and the 90s hadn't even washed a bowl before graduating from high school, let alone cook.
That's because their parents' generation had had a rough time, which explained their desire for their children to have a more carefree life.
In fact, Su Feng had learned all the cooking skills from his university roommates.
Why? That's because all six young men in his dormitory had more girlfriends than one could count with one hand!
No choice. You have to be a good chef to make your girlfriend stay. That's the new rule in the 21st century!
"It's so delicious!!"
Zheng Weiping exclaimed after he took a bite of the red braised pork belly. He almost bit his tongue off by chewing too fast.
"Su Feng, do you usually cook your own food?" Xu Jicheng asked in curiosity.
Su Feng smiled and replied, "Of course. I'm preparing for the NBA now, so I have to watch over my diet."
Strictly speaking, what he had just cooked couldn't be considered as a "healthy diet". But thankfully, he had nutrient fluids, which allowed him to loosen his dietary requirements once in a while.
"Su Feng, can you tell us the difference between basketball training in China and in the US?" Zhang Weiping asked.
Su Feng nodded. Then he told the reporters about the way of training, including the meal plans taught by the three instructors over summer.
"That's so advanced. A healthy diet and a professional training regime, complemented with each other. Look at Su Feng's muscles. He's as strong as me back in my golden days!" Zheng said.
During mealtime, the reporters asked Su Feng even more questions.
They asked him why he had decided to pursue his basketball career in the US, when he had come to the US, and about his future plans…
Su Feng didn't avoid those questions. He knew that even if he had refused to answer them now, he would probably face them again when he became famous in China after joining the NBA.
Therefore, Su Feng thought it was time to start preparing for his future fame.
"Mr. Zhang, Mr. Xu, and Mr. Su, Honestly speaking, I didn't know that I was talented in basketball.
"I met Coach Gregg after I came to the States, and he told me that it would be a waste if I didn't play basketball.
"Hence, I started practicing, but never had I imagined that I would become a genius like the local newspapers describe.
"As for my future, I've thought it through. I will skip college and participate in the NBA draft pick next year!" Su Feng said.
His explanations seemed sensible.
Zhang Weiping sighed. "I see. That means our sports system back home is still far from perfect.
"What a shame, we've missed a genius like you."
"By the way, Su Feng, you said that you want to skip college. How confident are you about getting selected for the NBA?" Xu Jicheng asked out of curiosity.
At that time, there was little information about the NBA in China.
Su Feng recalled that a significant number of people actually thought that it was no considerable feat when Yao Ming became the No.1 pick.
They had no idea how incredibly amazing you had to be to be the first overall NBA draft pick.
Please, mate, that's the frigging NO.1 NBA DRAFT PICK that we are talking about!
"Well, about the draft pick, the main criteria are…"
Su Feng didn't intend to hide what he knew. He had a good knowledge of the NBA draft pick system by surfing through numerous forums in his former life.
But after he had explained the system to the reporters, Su Junyang asked with a worried face, "If it's so hard to get picked, why don't you finish your college studies first…"
"That's because I want to play against Michael Jordan before he retires. To be frank with you, my friend Kobe has the same thoughts."
Su Feng knew that bringing Michael Jordan out would definitely solve the issue, since it was hard to continue lying this way.
Zhang Weiping couldn't help but start to admire Su Feng even more.
After that, they talked more about basketball.
The three of them couldn't like Su Feng more.
After all, who wouldn't like a friendly, able, and polite young man? And most importantly, he knew how to cook well!
Before the end of the interview, Su Junyang asked Su Feng another question. "Su Feng, do you think it's appropriate to translate Kobe Bryant's name as 'Kebi'?"
Xu Jicheng laughed. "That's a good name. Very unique."
Unique? Certainly…
Who else would name their son after
Su Feng didn't object. He recalled that in his former life, it had also been Su Junyang who had suggested the Chinese name for Kobe, and Xu Jicheng who had approved with great enthusiasm.
In order to avoid changing the way Kobe would be known among his Chinese fans, Su Feng nodded. "I agree, Mr. Su. It's a good name."
Su Junyang laughed. "We have the same surname. It sounds too cold to call me 'Mr. Su'. Please, call me Old Su."
Zhang Weiping added, "Sure. From now on, we'll call Su Junyang Old Su, and Su Feng Little Su."
Xu Jicheng nodded. "Sounds good."
Su Feng had a new nickname just like that.
Before the reporters returned to their hotel, they told Su Feng that they would stay in Philadelphia for about ten more days and they hoped to have more time to observe Su Feng's matches and daily training.
"No problem at all. I'll give Coach Gregg a heads-up," Su Feng said with a nod.
There was no internet or social media back then. Su Feng knew that it was important to publicize himself in China through these three key figures.
As an Asian, Su Feng understood that the rapid rise of China in the upcoming decades would give him significant help in excelling in the NBA.
As a result, in the next few days, the Chinese reporter team had become frequent visitors at the Lower Merion indoor basketball court.
…
It was November 23rd. A sunny day.
The Philadelphia 76ers were taking a day off.
Having scored a whopping 22 points in the game against the Houston Rockets the day before, Stackhouse was in a perfect mood.
Today was the day when the chief coach, John Lucas, and the assistant coach, John Davis, would bring Stackhouse to Lower Merion to watch the damn Philadelphia Twin Towers' training.
"They are merely attention seekers! They've formed a pair just to attract media attention!"
Stackhouse believed that he would have been even better than the Philadelphia Twin Towers if he had had a teammate like that.
After all, he was Jerry Stackhouse, Michael Jordan's junior. He believed that he was the chosen one.
He had even thought about what kind of first impression he would give.
When they met, Stackhouse would first do a cool pose and then look at Su Feng and Kobe in the eye…
"Who goes first?"
…