Chapter 161: All-Star Game

"Huh, I'm a little nervous. I need to read a book," Jiang Hai muttered to himself. Holding the ticket in his hand, he made his way to the first row of the basketball team's Barclays Arena. Looking around, his palms began to sweat nervously, and he wiped them on his pants.

Although Moses Adams sat next to him, he was a lawyer. Even though they had a good personal relationship, he also knew a lot of people. As soon as they entered, Moses greeted everyone. Jiang Hai, on the other hand, arrived first and sat down. Despite having a ticket in hand, it was his first time in such a prime seat, and he felt a bit intimidated.

"Hi, is this your first time watching a game?" As Jiang Hai scanned the arena, a white man approached and sat down next to him. The man seemed to be slightly older than Jiang Hai, though not by much. He wore the same Western Conference All-Star uniform as other fans, but what surprised Jiang Hai was how fully geared up he was. Despite the cold weather outside, the man didn't seem bothered by the chill.

"Yeah, it's my first time watching a game up close," Jiang Hai replied, somewhat embarrassed. He didn't want to admit he'd never attended an NBA game before, so he just said it was his first time sitting this close.

"Haha, then enjoy it! The All-Star Game is about fun, not nerves!" The man patted Jiang Hai on the shoulder and smiled. His friendly demeanor helped ease Jiang Hai's nerves a little.

"Are you Chinese?" The man asked after noticing Jiang Hai's expression relax. He took a seat next to him and continued chatting.

"Yes," Jiang Hai responded. He was a little surprised the man recognized he was from China, as in the U.S., although Chinese people make up the largest Asian group, Americans often mistakenly think someone is from an island country or Korea. They rarely ask if someone is from China, as there's not much goodwill toward either country, though their outward politeness is recognized.

"Oh, I've been to China before. It's where I really made a name for myself. I visited Taiwan, actually. Where are you from?" The man became more enthusiastic as he spoke.

"No, Taiwan is the southernmost part of China. I'm from the northernmost city," Jiang Hai corrected him with a slight shake of his head.

"Oh, that's a pity. But Taiwan is a lot of fun! Great food, decent weather—not too hot—but the girls there are very friendly and their voices are so funny." The man continued, though Jiang Hai had never been to Taiwan either.

"Hey, Pera, it's time to warm up!" Just as they were chatting, a voice from across the arena shouted, grabbing the white man's attention. He quickly stood up in response.

"Are you playing in the game?" Jiang Hai asked, curious as the man got up to warm up.

"Yeah, after chatting with you, we're friends now. Don't forget to cheer for me later!" The man said with a grin and ran off to take some warm-up shots.

At that moment, Moses Adams, having finished greeting everyone, returned and sat down next to Jiang Hai. He glanced at the white man, clearly surprised. "Do you know Robert Pera?" Moses asked, eyeing Jiang Hai.

"Robert Pera? Who's that?" Jiang Hai furrowed his brow, unsure of who the person was.

"The guy who just talked to you. Robert Pera, the owner of the Grizzlies. He's a bachelor from the IT industry," Moses explained. "You're chatting away with someone you don't even know?"

Jiang Hai smiled awkwardly. It was better to have someone to talk to than sit alone, after all. Still, after hearing Moses's words, he pulled out his phone to look him up.

What Jiang Hai found shocked him. Robert Pera was truly an impressive figure. In comparison to Jiang Hai's own "golden finger" (talent), Pera's rise to success came through sheer ability. Born in 1977, Pera was only 11 years older than Jiang Hai. In 2003, he joined Apple as a hardware engineer, where he worked on IFI base stations. In 2005, he quit his job and used $30,000 to start his own company from his apartment. With just a prototype and a website, he received 3,000 pre-orders worth $240,000 in prepayments. He flew to Taiwan to work with hardware manufacturers and created his first wireless networking product, which he called Youbikuai. After listing his company on NASDAQ in 2011, his fortune skyrocketed, and now his net worth stands at a staggering $9.2 billion.

Jiang Hai was impressed. At least Robert Pera didn't have to worry about money for the next few years. The reason Pera was involved in the game was twofold: his identity and his position as the owner of the Grizzlies. The team's rise in recent years could be attributed to him.

It was a true blessing for an NBA team to have an owner who genuinely loved basketball—whether it was Mark Cuban or Robert Pera. They were willing to invest in the team.

"Who else is in this celebrity game?" After reading up on Robert Pera, Jiang Hai nudged Moses and asked curiously. Although he didn't recognize most of the people, Moses seemed to know them well.

"Hey, did you see the two coaches for the Eastern Conference?" Moses smiled, noticing Jiang Hai's confusion.

"I know them—Carmelo Anthony and Spike Lee. I watch the broadcasts, okay?" Jiang Hai rolled his eyes at Moses. As one of the NBA's top stars, how could he not know Anthony or Spike Lee, a die-hard New York fan?

"Haha, you know the East, but you probably don't know the West coaches. The Western Conference head coaches are Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg, hosts of ESPN's 'Mike & Mike' show. The black guy there is Kevin Hart, an actor from Meet the Fockers and Scary Movie." Moses chuckled awkwardly before continuing, introducing more people. Sure enough, Jiang Hai didn't recognize many others, though he knew Scary Movie—but only remembered the heroine, not the rest of the cast.

"That's Anthony Anderson, an actor from Scary Movie... Over there is Ansel Elgort, who played Carrie—he's not the best actor, but he's handsome. Tsk, tsk, and that's Chadwick Boseman, another actor, though you probably haven't seen his performances. That Indian guy is Abhishek Bachchan, known as the Brad Pitt of Bollywood, but I doubt you've seen his movies either. And there are a few NBA stars. That older guy is Chris Mullin, and next to him is Alan Houston, the mid-range shooting king from New York." With Moses's introduction, Jiang Hai started to understand who these people were.

The Celebrity Game is more about fun than competition, with no one taking it too seriously. The participants include retired NBA stars and those looking to boost their popularity, which is why the attendance for these games is lower than for official ones—barely 60%. During the game, cheers were sparse.

In the end, the Western Celebrity Team won 57-51. Jiang Hai watched just for the fun of it.

Jiang Hai often had short bursts of enthusiasm. He remembered how he once built a basketball court after watching others play, only to use it less than expected. After all, his current physical abilities were enough that with practice, he could easily outplay anyone one-on-one. He wasn't planning to enter the NBA; it was just for fun.

After the game, Kevin Hart, with 15 points and 2 rebounds, was named MVP for the fourth consecutive time, which seemed to confirm his popularity.

Once the celebrity game ended, the court wasn't quiet for long, as the cheerleaders took the stage. The teams were from the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks, and they put on a sizzling performance. After their show, it was time for the All-Star Rookie Game, and the attendance quickly surged as fans eager to see official NBA players, even rookies, took their seats.

While watching celebrities play might be entertaining, there's nothing quite like seeing future NBA stars in action—especially when tickets to the rookie game are much more affordable than the official games.

(To be continued...)