Chapter 24: The Birth of a Superhero

Fan Xi received unprecedented trust from the head coach within the team, even though before this, people had mistakenly thought that Fan Xi hadn't gained the Zen Master's favor, to the point that the Zen Master had chosen Fan Xi last among the four point guards to go on the court.

The whistle for the second half sounded soon, and the game continued.

John Wall received pointers from Arenas in the locker room, and his mood gradually calmed down.

He played more methodically than before, and his stats slowly increased.

However, at this time, after the Lakers swapped in Pau Gasol, their strength went up another level.

Fan Xi didn't obsess over individual one-on-one play; he kept feeding shells to Pau Gasol.

Gasol had a great advantage when facing McGee, and even when Blatche came up, he couldn't pose a threat to him.

Although Phil Jackson gave Fan Xi the unlimited shooting right, Fan Xi didn't use it. In his view, the ball should be given to teammates with better opportunities.

This point made Phil Jackson appreciate him even more.

He felt that Fan Xi was a talent worth cultivating.

However, when the game entered the fourth quarter.

Fan Xi, who had been silently assisting, suddenly opened fire; he played two consecutive wall-pass combinations with Gasol, first driving into the paint for a layup, and then hitting a shot from the three-point line.

And, finally, he hit a contested three-pointer against John Wall's defense.

When this three-pointer went in.

Fan Xi, who had scored 8 points in a row, had already reached 21 points, and also had 15 assists to his name.

These were the stats of a top-tier point guard.

Most importantly, the Wizards helplessly requested a timeout.

The point difference between the two teams, following this 8:0 run, directly reached 21 points; there was no need to continue playing.

The fans at the scene were almost all gone.

If they didn't announce garbage time and the Lakers continued to strike hard, wouldn't they lose by forty or fifty points?

Cut losses in time.

Although John Wall was a bit unconvinced, the head coach still swapped him and all the main players out.

In this game, relying on his performance in the third and first quarters, John Wall's personal stats were 26 points and 9 assists.

Looking at the stats alone, it was quite good.

But if you watched the game, you would find that Fan Xi was leading him in all aspects.

Fan Xi won everything he wanted in this game.

John Wall, who had originally wanted to step on him to move up, could be said to have lost his wife and his army.

If John Wall had originally relied on the tournament to take down Fan Xi and get the number one draft pick, then today, Fan Xi could be said to have stepped on the number one draft pick to get the money he wanted.

Fan Xi's fame in China skyrocketed, leaping to become a superstar who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Yao Ming.

His three games were more glorious than the last, more shocking to the hearts of his countrymen than the last. Now the fans were already convinced that Fan Xi could make a career in the NBA.

With the hearts of the people gathered, it would naturally shake those sponsors; many brand business managers had already taken planes to come and find Fan Xi.

They were willing to give Fan Xi money; everyone believed that as long as they grabbed Fan Xi, their brand value could be infinitely magnified.

Fan Xi at this time didn't know.

He sat quietly on the bench watching the last 6 minutes of the game; he felt a bit dreamy. When he first entered the Lakers, the thing he hoped for most was to be able to go on the court in garbage time, but now... it was he as the core main player who turned the game into garbage time, watching Shannon Brown and Steve Blake desperately scraping for stats on the court.

The tables have turned!

It wasn't just Blake and Brown who turned.

There was also John Wall.

Wall returned to the locker room early, and this 21-year-old big boy refused the interview from the reporter on the sidelines. He even angrily said to the reporter who asked him questions: "He has already killed the game, and you're still asking me what I think of him? No thoughts! Shut-Up!"

John Wall lost control of his emotions; he cursed.

He clearly already knew that he would become a stepping stone in Fan Xi's story in the media reports.

Fan Xi accepted an interview after the game ended.

The media praised his performance endlessly. And they were very concerned about his next contract issue.

Because Fan Xi's second 10-day contract had already expired.

Fan Xi raised his eyebrows, and he humorously indicated: "The one who should have a headache now is Mr. Ku Pu Qie Ke; he has to struggle with how many zeros to fill in on the check."

A reporter asked him if he was worried that the Lakers wouldn't give him a renewal contract.

He said he wasn't worried at all now.

"Tonight we saw your duel with John Wall was very exciting; you stole the ball from him twice, how do you evaluate your old opponent? Before the game, he said some disparaging things about you."

A reporter asked Fan Xi.

"Sometimes, this world is just like this, always changing. The old me really couldn't defend him, but now, I feel he can't defend me either. Everything is changing; one must learn to look at problems with a developmental perspective."

Fan Xi said in a very certain tone: "I don't know if John Wall will become a superstar in the future, but I, definitely can!"

Fan Xi revealed eight white teeth, showing his powerful self-confidence.

Americans liked confident and flamboyant people.

Fan Xi was very much to their taste.

He could always create topics.

If it were Yao Ming, he might say some humble and humorous things. But the 'dissemination effect' definitely wouldn't be as good as Fan Xi's.

"Then how do you evaluate your compatriot? He didn't seem to play as well as you tonight; he seemed to be invisible." The reporter continued to ask.

Fan Xi said: "He is a good long-range shooter, but he needs a smart point guard to pass him the ball."

"Do you mean John Wall is not smart enough?"

"I didn't say that; that's what you said. However, I think John Wall will soon prove that he is a point guard with a bright future and is very smart."

Fan Xi smiled and provoked the number one draft pick.

This was also an invisible lift for him, letting him carry a psychological burden. In the future on the court, he would definitely pass the ball to Yi Jianlian more.

After accepting the group interview from the media, Fan Xi returned to the locker room.

Just as he returned to the locker room, he heard his phone notification sound ringing continuously.

He walked to the locker and took out his phone.

He had received five emails.

Fan Xi had often sent resumes to the management of various teams, hoping to get a tryout opportunity, but they had all sunk into the sea.

Now, those teams finally remembered. They turned the world upside down to find Fan Xi's email address, and then grabbed this only contact method to hurriedly send their sincerity.

The email from the Houston Rockets showed: "Dear Jack. This is Houston; we are willing to provide you with a two-year fully guaranteed contract, the amount is 2 million US dollars, you definitely won't refuse..."

Screw you.

Fan Xi muttered; Houston was as stingy as ever. Who the hell would care about your 2-million-for-2-years contract? Did you want me to be grateful?

The email from the Golden State Warriors showed: "Fan, we know you are Stephen's teammate; we have decided to build the team around Stephen next. You are his most tacit and favorite teammate. We recognize your strength very much; I believe that if you join together, you will definitely be able to achieve new brilliance. Welcome to call our general manager's phone number; he will issue you a very sincere contract. It won't even be lower than John Wall's price."

After reading it, Fan Xi raised his eyebrows.

I have to say, this was a tempting option. Fan Xi and Stephen Curry were very good friends; they had great tacit understanding together, and Fan Xi would definitely become stronger in the future. If the two joined forces, it might not be impossible to subvert the League's landscape.

Then, he opened the third email.

It was sent by the Chicago Bulls.

"Jack, I am the president of the Chicago Bulls. Having just finished watching your second quarter against the Washington Wizards, I can't wait. Chicago needs your talent; Derek Rose needs a partner as excellent as you. Believe me, you will definitely spark perfect sparks, and you will become the new Jordan and Pippen. We will give you an unexpected contract; Derek said you wanted a contract higher than the number one draft pick's salary, no problem."

Chicago Bulls.

A good option.

This team's playing style also fit him very well, and he would definitely have good chemistry with Rose. Most importantly, the Bulls' current strength wasn't weak; adding him would be icing on the cake, and maybe they could intercept the Miami Heat Big Three in the East.

While Fan Xi was considering, he clicked on the fourth email.

It was sent by the general manager of the Los Angeles Clippers.

This email was written very generally, just saying that they appreciated Fan Xi very much and hoped to have a candlelit talk with Fan Xi, chat about life, and so on...

Fan Xi immediately blacklisted this team.

Any boss who talks to you about ideals but not about treatment should be directly blacklisted.

The last email was from the New York Knicks.

Last summer, after Fan Xi was undrafted, he very much hoped to go to the Knicks for a tryout. Because the Knicks lacked a point guard, Fan Xi felt he had a chance.

He once got a tryout invitation, but the trade involving Anthony disrupted all plans, so it didn't happen, and then he got the Lakers' 10-day short contract.

The Knicks' email was completely different from the Clippers', showing a strong flavor of a domineering president.

"Jack, I am Mike D'Antoni. I am the general manager and head coach of the Knicks; the boss has given me the full power to sign any player. I appreciate you very much; you performed extremely amazingly. I think you will become the next All-Star guard; the Knicks urgently need you to join."

"We will offer a contract you cannot refuse: no matter how much the Los Angeles Lakers or other teams give you, we will add 500,000 US dollars on top of their base. This is our sincerity to you!"

Hiss!

Fan Xi gasped.

The plot that would only appear in novels was happening to him; wealthy and powerful indeed!

Having money is really tough.

Fan Xi was stunned.

Just at this moment, the team leader walked over; he was full of joy and held Fan Xi's hand with both hands: "Jack, congratulations. Ku Pu Qie Ke and Jimbas are willing to provide you with an unprecedented contract; they will personally arrive in New York to complete the signing ceremony with you."

Hmm?

New York?

Oh.

Fan Xi then remembered that the Lakers' next stop was New York.

Isn't that a coincidence?

Should one say that the Lakers and the Knicks are enemies on a narrow road?

The Los Angeles Lakers headed to New York overnight; they would rest in New York for a day. The next night they would compete with the Knicks, and then head to Brooklyn to play a back-to-back game with the Nets.

For the players, it was a severe test of their bodies.

If there were no accidents, Fan Xi wouldn't appear in the game against the Knicks.

Because he was now a completely free agent, and his second 10-day short contract with the Lakers had expired.

This was also why Jimbas and Ku Pu Qie Ke would hurriedly fly from Los Angeles to New York... this was a journey across the entire East and West coasts of the United States.

They were worried that a long night would bring many dreams, fearing that Fan Xi would sign with other teams.

After the battle with the Washington Wizards, Fan Xi's duel with the new number one draft pick John Wall made countless teams jealous.

Although it could still be seen from the game that Wall's talent was slightly higher than Fan Xi's, what Fan Xi displayed was already enough to become an elite player or even an All-Star player.

This was the reason why so many teams were flocking to him.

The New York Knicks even spoke out publicly; their boss, James Dolan, said to the media: "What we lack most now is a point guard, so Jack Fan is our first choice."

James Dolan was known for being wealthy and powerful, and daring to give 'garbage contracts'.

An NBA garbage contract refers to... giving a player who is only worth 5 million a 10-million contract.

Therefore, many bosses were afraid of James Dolan.

If James Dolan went crazy, the duck in hand might really fly away.

Late at night, Fan Xi arrived in New York.

According to the strict regulations of the NBA, Fan Xi was no longer a Lakers player now, so he needed to book a room himself.

The rules of the NBA League were becoming more and more rigid; even the slightest violation of the rules would be investigated, and it would be treated as signing through improper means.

Therefore, even if the Lakers leader really wanted to book a room for Fan Xi, he couldn't do it because of the rules.

Fan Xi raised his eyelids, and he booked a room for himself at the hotel next door.

Although it was a bit expensive.

Entering the hotel, Fan Xi turned on the pay-per-view channel, and then clicked on the latest released "Keeping Up with the Kardashians."

It showed that this episode had already been purchased by more than 500,000 households.

My God.

Kardashian had made a fortune because of this.

No wonder when he just got off the plane, Fan Xi received her call, saying she wanted to treat Fan Xi to a good meal in New York City.

Kim Kardashian had also come to New York; she would soon marry the Nets forward Humphries.

This show was indeed filmed very well, almost entirely revolving around Fan Xi.

It was simply a documentary.

They recorded a very interesting story.

The story of an unknown boarder becoming a superhero to save the entire arena.

From discovering Fan Xi, to the encounter at the training ground, Fan Xi hitting 888 three-pointers. Then to the first game where Fan Xi was suppressed and pressed on the bench.

Everyone felt injustice for Fan Xi, and everyone felt he was very wronged.

In the middle, many arrogant expressions were also edited in.

I have to say the quality of this episode was very high; Fan Xi himself was drawn into it. He didn't expect that under such circumstances at the time, he would have angrily clenched his fists.

Not to mention those viewers in front of the TV.

Americans all had a "hero dream"; all superhero movies were always about the counterattack of a small person.

What this show of Fan Xi displayed was also like this.

Therefore, this was why Fan Xi's stepping forward in the game against the Bulls would cause such a strong resonance.

Fan Xi was also boiling with blood.

In fact, at this time, the entire internet was discussing this show.

Fan Xi was famous again.

And it was fame that went beyond the basketball circle!

Soon, the whole United States would know him.

Know the birth of a superhero.

... ===== CHAPTER 25 =====