Chapter 42: Kobe's Mentorship

Kobe Bryant entered the League in 1996 as a high schooler.

Lebron James entered the League in 2003 as a high schooler.

Today, they are both Nike athletes, and their overall strength—including fame, influence, and basketball skill—ranks in the top two of the League. Moreover, this "top two" is a Schrödinger's top two, because no one is clear on whether James should be first or Kobe Bryant should be first.

Therefore, every duel between them attracts massive attention. This season, the Lakers and the Heat have two games, both of which are nationally televised, and over 248 media outlets worldwide will broadcast them simultaneously.

From this, one can see how astonishing their influence is.

For many years, the League and Nike have hoped for them to meet in the Grand Champion finals, because such a "Mars colliding with Earth" spectacle would inevitably push the heat of the game to an unimaginable level.

It is just a pity that the 23 vs 24 scene never happened in the Grand Champion finals.

Now, they are pinning their hopes on 24 vs 6.

James's new jersey number in Miami is 6.

Kobe Bryant arrived in Miami at noon the next day. After arriving in Miami, he went to find Fan Xi.

This shows the importance he places on Fan Xi.

"Your performance in East Rutherford shocked me, and your performance in Orlando 'killed' me. Jack, you will definitely become the future core of the Lakers."

Bryant never says such things to rookies, lest the rookies become arrogant and complacent.

He is not like Duncan, who often tells young players "the future belongs to you." Lebron James suffered deeply from this; he reached the Grand Champion finals at a young age, only to waste away in Cleveland thereafter, until he simply gave up on himself last summer, moved to a new place, and formed the peak Three Giants to launch another assault on the Grand Champion title.

If other Lakers players were here, they would certainly find it unbelievable.

Because Kobe has always been a proud and arrogant person, even somewhat looking down on others. Early in his career, he even fought bitterly with the League's number one center, O'Neal, for the position of leader. Later, when Bai Na Mu joined the Lakers in 2005, he received the team's meticulous cultivation, but in Kobe's heart, he never truly acknowledged that child with such great physical talent.

Now, in front of Fan Xi, an undrafted player who has only played a few games, he has spoken the words "future successor."

This shows how much he values Fan Xi.

"In today's League, the person I most want to defeat is Lebron James," Kobe subsequently said to Fan Xi. "Because this guy has broken many of my records."

"However, I respect his attitude toward basketball. He works very hard, he improves constantly, and even after gaining unprecedented wealth and fame, he still maintains a humble posture of moving forward. Although I was surprised by his 'cowardly choice' last summer, perhaps this is the direction of the League's future; superstars teaming up will become the new trend."

Kobe was speaking heart-to-heart with Fan Xi very seriously.

Fan Xi sat to the side, nodding continuously. He humbly accepted this nourishing content.

"Tomorrow night's game is of paramount importance. This will be the game with the most attention you have received since joining the NBA, and I hope you can also become a protagonist of the game. In this way, it will become easy for you to break through 1 million All-Star votes, and there are less than ten days left until the All-Star game."

Kobe Bryant continued: "The vast majority of fans are coming for the decisive battle between me and James, and I hope you can take this opportunity to soar."

He places great expectations on Fan Xi.

In the past, Fan Xi's mother told him: How do you distinguish whether a senior is truly mentoring you? Look at whether he is willing to bring you into his circle, push you to the front of the stage, broaden your horizons, and help you stand on your own.

Fan Xi verified this one by one, and he was certain that Kobe Bryant was a noble person sincerely mentoring him.

The upcoming battle between Kobe Bryant and Lebron James is like the duel between Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue at the Peak of the Forbidden City. If another brilliant young swordsman were to steal the show in this decisive battle, then... naturally, he would become famous throughout the world in one fell swoop and enter a new realm.

Stepping into the realm of true elite players, or even the All-Star domain.

Thinking of this, Fan Xi could not help but feel his heart surge.

He was very excited.

But the feeling of excitement was still a tiny bit lacking; it did not trigger bio-electricity, light up the Energy Halo in his mind, or release super-giant talent or techniques.

Kobe Bryant then took Fan Xi to watch the highlight reel of the Miami Heat.

He used his superstar perspective to help Fan Xi analyze the opponent's strengths and weaknesses. Fan Xi's opponent would be Mario Chalmers.

Mario Chalmers was a 2008 rookie. Although he is not very famous, he is a very steady point guard who is very good at winning games. Before the draft, he defeated the future 2008 number one pick, Derek Rose, in the NCAA tournament finals.

His game-winning shot prevented Rose from becoming the second Carmelo Anthony: that is, leading a team to an NCAA Grand Champion title in his freshman season.

Mario Chalmers's fame grew even brighter after the arrival of Lebron James and Ke Li Si Bo Shen, and many people say he will become the second Rajon Rondo.

Rondo became famous relying on the formation of the Boston Three Giants.

"But Chalmers is not Rondo. His basketball IQ is not as high as Rondo's, and his rebounding ability is not as strong as Rondo's. However, his ability to find gaps is quite good, he has three-point shooting ability, and he is an important wing player wandering outside the Three Giants. When matching up with him, you must choke him off, don't let him move around, and don't let him become the liaison officer for the Three Giants."

Kobe Bryant pointed to the key points on the big screen: "He likes to complete back-door cuts in these areas, and his attack mode is relatively fixed..."

Superstars view the game from a unique angle, and Fan Xi benefited greatly; he felt his thinking had evolved.

Before Fan Xi entered the League, he had a superficial, preconceived impression of Kobe Bryant: superb scoring ability, but likes to play one-on-one, and his basketball IQ shouldn't be high.

However, watching Kobe analyze like this, he immediately realized one thing: in the NBA, the top-tier league, how could one become a superstar without a high basketball IQ?

Perhaps the reason he shoots so crazily is because he feels his shots have a higher success rate than others?

After finishing the analysis of Chalmers, Fan Xi asked Kobe: "Is there such a possibility? Miami will use Wade to match up with me and let Lebron James match up with you?"

Kobe raised his eyebrows and said: "Then you better pray for your own luck. Wade is the second-best shooting guard in the League today, second only to me. His strength is superb. Although his strength has declined a tiny bit from his peak due to injuries, he is still in the superstar realm that you cannot reach today."

Bryant said it very bluntly.

Then, he asked Fan Xi: "If Wade really matches up with you, what would your feeling be?"

Fan Xi constructed a scene of such a matchup in his mind, and then his heart began to thump violently.

Wade, the Flash.

A Grand Champion finals MVP he could only watch on TV before; if he really matched up with him, Fan Xi would have the feeling of a dream coming into reality.

Moreover, he would definitely be excited to the extreme.

"I will fight harder as the battle goes on. I will even beat Mario Chalmers so badly that they have to let Wade match up with me!" Fan Xi said seriously.

Kobe heard this and laughed.

He was very happy; happy that Fan Xi is a fighter who enjoys competition.

He is also such a person.

He feels the League needs more people like this; only then will it be interesting.

When Fan Xi and Kobe came out of the video editor's room, a new trade had occurred.

Shannon Brown was sent to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Reggie Williams.

They saw Shannon Brown leaving the hotel with his bag; he looked very lonely, but this is the NBA. Perhaps when you wake up, you will be told to report to another team.

Reggie Williams is a shooting guard on a minimum salary in Oakland, Golden State. He is full of energy.

He played an important role in that game against the Lakers, which is probably why the Lakers value him.

And the Golden State Warriors side had already decided to trade Monta Ellis, so they needed a strong, impactful replacement product. Shannon Brown looked quite qualified, and for this, they even threw in an $800,000 trade exception to balance the salary difference between the two.

Shannon Brown walked over to say goodbye to Kobe and thanked Kobe for his care over the years.

Before leaving, he threw a harsh word at Fan Xi: "I still think you aren't suited for the Lakers. You will soon be like me today, leaving with a bag."

Fan Xi did not engage in fierce conflict with this "loser," but calmly wished him a smooth journey and a wonderful trip.

Fan Xi is a person with distinct personality.

When others show their fangs to him, he will definitely strike back violently. But when an opponent lets out such a loser's wail, he will maintain his composure.

"You have quite a large perspective," Kobe Bryant said to Fan Xi with a smile.

Fan Xi raised an eyebrow.

After Shannon Brown was traded away, Steve Blake showed a pessimistic emotion of "the rabbit dying and the fox grieving." When he came to the Lakers last summer, he was filled with infinite longing and expectation, fantasizing that he could become the glory of the Purple and Gold Legion.

But now, Fan Xi has replaced him in every aspect.

He also suffered a comprehensive defeat in the battle to suppress Fan Xi. Now, Shannon Brown is gone, and he has also entered the countdown.

He hates Fan Xi very much; he believes that if it weren't for Fan Xi, none of this would have happened.

In contrast, Ron Artest was very indifferent.

He was once a man of fierce reputation, but now he is already at the tail end of his career, and the day of retirement will soon arrive.

Therefore, he was very indifferent to being placed on the trading block. He even believed that he had made a positive contribution to the Lakers. If he were traded away like this, at least in the future, there wouldn't be a player of his level making things difficult for Jack, and Jack's status would be established because he was traded.

"In the future, perhaps only Andrew Bynum can threaten you."

Ron Artest even reminded Fan Xi while eating dinner: "He is not a person with a gentle personality. He will completely tear off the mask. Moreover, he hates you deeply."

Fan Xi knew.

From the moment Kobe Bryant said he was the future core, he and Bynum became involved in an internal competition.

Competition exists within any collective. Although Bynum has an inside advantage and is deeply rooted in the Lakers, Fan Xi felt that he could definitely defeat him.

"I know Kobe Bryant will return, but defeating the Lakers is a job we must complete. Because we want our head coach to become an All-Star coach too much."

The TV in the restaurant was playing an interview with Dwyane Wade: "Sorry, Kobe, I know you are returning. But this victory, you won't take away."

Wade's words were half-joking, half-serious.

Fan Xi saw Kobe's expression was cold, like a bronze beast that had not melted for ages.

At this moment, the Black Mamba's heart must be surging with waves; perhaps this Flash Wade who said "sorry" has already "died" thousands of times in his heart.

Just then, Wade on TV talked about himself.

"Jack Fan? I've heard of him. I've watched his games, he looks pretty good. But I think my little brother Mario has enough ways to deal with him. Mario is not the kind of player like Devin Harris who can't defend; he definitely won't get that many opportunities."

"And, brother. The next part is a superstar duel, I don't think that rookie has the ability to influence the game's situation. This is an internal game for the Superstar Club, hahahaha."

Wade is a very temperamental person.

Interviewing him always yields answers different from the "steady and stable" ones of other stars.

Everyone's eyes at the dining table focused on Fan Xi.

They all wanted to see Fan Xi's reaction.

Who knew Fan Xi was particularly calm; he acted as if he hadn't heard it at all.

Mount Tai collapsing before him without a change in color.

This is what Fan Xi's mother had required of him since he was a child.

A man's heart can have a surging river and lake, but he must never let outsiders see it.

Game day arrived quickly; TNT even moved the broadcast studio to the scene, which is usually a treatment only for Christmas games and the playoffs.

But this game of Kobe versus the Three Giants was simply too attractive.

Kobe accepted an interview before the game, stating that his body had recovered to 200% state, and he couldn't wait to fight the Miami Three Giants with Fan Xi and Gasol.

Kobe mentioning Fan Xi's name at this time naturally made the reporter ask back: "So, are the Lakers' new Three Giants you, Fan Xi, and Gasol?"

"You'll know when you watch the game." Kobe smiled slightly, deliberately being mysterious.

It was also to leave room for Fan Xi.

What if Fan Xi didn't perform well in this game?

Swish!

Swish!

Swish!

Fan Xi was practicing shots on the sidelines; his three-pointers were hitting every time. His touch tonight was very good, and the Miami weather was very suitable for his performance.

Moreover, he saw the figure of Taylor Swift.

He felt tonight should be a wonderful night.

... ===== CHAPTER 43 =====