Chapter 50

Fan Xi's game-winner became the climax of the night; that lethal three-pointer killed Miami's last hope after flying over Dwyane Wade's head.

No one would have guessed this result before the game.

Everyone thought this was a dialogue between Kobe and James; everyone felt this game would produce the handover of the NBA's highest scepter... because LeBron James surpassing Kobe Bryant was already a settled fact in many people's minds.

However, Fan Xi's appearance broke this process.

Kobe Bryant left the game early due to injury.

Fan Xi escaped from the joint double-team of The Flash Wade and Little Emperor James, and then counter-attacked, extinguishing the Heat at the final moment.

He stepped on the heads of the Big Three and became famous with one shot.

From Taylor Swift's hug.

McBlin's shouting.

The irrepressible sigh of the American Airlines Arena.

And the excited roars in front of the televisions.

The hoarse pride from across the ocean.

Fan Xi's popularity reached its peak since his debut.

To others, this was just a game.

But to him, it was a springboard to a higher platform.

His All-Star votes climbed at an unstoppable speed; within three minutes of the game-winner, he broke the 900,000 mark.

And it was still soaring at an even crazier speed.

The heat of this game, full of superstars and metaphors of power succession, was all absorbed by Fan Xi alone.

Countless fans automatically campaigned for Fan Xi on the internet: If this year's All-Star Game doesn't have Jack Miracle Child Fan, it would be simply too boring.

David Stern was dumbfounded in his office; he couldn't calm down for a long time. For this game, the biggest topic he had originally arranged was the generational battle between Kobe and James. He didn't expect that in the end, it would be the rookie Fan Xi who completed the game-winner and stole the spotlight.

As Fan Xi's votes exceeded 900,000, Fan Xi becoming an All-Star starting point guard was a done deal. He began to think: Why not invite Jack to participate in the Three-Point Contest? He could bring his miracles to every night of All-Star Weekend... from Friday's Rookie Game, Saturday's Three-Point Contest, and then Sunday's All-Star Game.

David Stern even felt he was being a bit over-eager.

…

Fan Xi finally struggled out of Taylor Swift's enthusiastic hug, and then he was surrounded by his teammates; they excitedly tossed this game-winning hero into the sky.

Phil Jackson was accepting an interview with ESPN, and he said with feigned calmness: "I'm not surprised. This kid's ability has always been excellent; this is a very normal operation. Obviously, Miami underestimated him."

"Of course he is qualified to be an All-Star. I'm not saying he is better than Stephen Nash, Chris Paul, or Deron Williams. However, everything he has now is something these stars haven't had either."

Phil Jackson continued.

In memory, Phil Jackson was not a person who liked to use point guards. But now, he could only say: Truly fragrant!

One side happy, one side sad.

While Phil Jackson was being interviewed and Fan Xi was surrounded by teammates, Wade and James left the court with ashen faces; they were very depressed.

Being hit with a game-winner by a rookie in your face is an unacceptable thing.

"We made some arrogant mistakes in this game," James said to Wade in the locker room.

Wade nodded.

If they had chosen to attack aggressively in the last 35 seconds, the final possession would have been in their hands. But they didn't do that at the time because they were confident they could defend against Fan Xi.

"If time could be rewound, that rookie wouldn't have a single chance," Wade said. "But now, he's enjoying hero-like treatment. The most regrettable thing is... our good brother Chris's All-Star starting spot might be gone."

This sentence made James feel regretful.

In the NBA, The Flash Wade, Little Emperor James, CP3 Paul, and Melon Anthony are the famous Banana Boat Brothers; they often train together during the off-season.

Their friendship is often reported by the media.

So, they all care about each other. Now that Fan Xi's fame has risen due to the game-winner against the Heat and he is about to break the 1-million-vote limit to become the Western starting point guard, Chris Paul's All-Star starting spot has flown away.

Both brothers blamed themselves.

At the same time, Chris Paul was also staring at his computer webpage.

The moment Fan Xi hit the game-winner, when McBlin was crazily shouting and begging for votes for Fan Xi, he panicked.

When he clicked on the webpage and watched Fan Xi's votes break the 900,000 mark overnight and fly toward a million.

He had a feeling that the situation was lost. Because his current votes were only over 600,000, and being in New Orleans, he couldn't compare his exposure to the red-hot Fan Xi.

An All-Star starting spot is a very big honor.

It is an achievement that can be listed on a star's resume; it represents this star's commercial value in many ways.

Chris Paul entered the league in 2005; although he quickly became the leader of the Hornets and led the team to the playoffs.

However, he was in the powerful West. He didn't make the All-Star team until 2008, and that was as a reserve.

In '09, he finally became an All-Star starter, but in '10, he was snatched back by veteran Stephen Nash based on his amazing performance on the court.

So, although he is called the NBA's number one point guard by some, there are still voices saying he hasn't completely taken the scepter of the number one point guard from Stephen Nash.

This season, he worked painstakingly; he thought he could successfully complete the handover of the number one point guard and prove his appeal on and off the court with the All-Star starting spot.

Yet he didn't know where an undrafted player suddenly popped out from, not only signing an unprecedented rookie contract but also having shockingly high popularity. The NBA opened the green light for him, and he actually galloped all the way, creating all kinds of miracles, and now he has even hit a game-winner against the Heat.

"Wade has ruined me!"

Chris Paul watched Fan Xi's votes exceed 960,000; it was a foregone conclusion, no more luck. He closed the computer and sighed long.

At the same time, Fan Xi was accepting a post-game interview with ESPN on TV.

"Jack, tonight you hit another game-winner, and it was completed over superstar Dwyane Wade. How do you feel?"

The reporter asked Fan Xi.

Fan Xi showed a confident and charming smile, and he said: "I feel the people around me are more excited than I am. Actually, I am very calm. Maybe because this isn't the first time I've completed a game-winner."

This sentence was not a pose.

But a truthful report.

Although his emotions had a strong fluctuation after hitting the game-winner, the amplitude wasn't enough; it didn't produce bioelectricity, nor did it trigger new energy in his mind.

Frankly speaking, he was a bit regretful.

When he confirmed that the energy halo hadn't been triggered, he even muttered with a frown: The Big Three? Is that it? Not as good as a kiss from Taylor Swift.

If Wade and James heard Fan Xi's inner thoughts, they would definitely be furious.

"We saw that you and the returning Kobe Bryant had a very tacit interaction in this game. May I ask if you have been practicing on the training ground? And we saw that after Kobe Bryant left the game, you still maintained a vigorous fighting spirit. You had the determination to win at that time, right?"

"I haven't practiced much with Kobe, but I've watched many of his tapes; I know his habits. And he is more willing to share the ball than I imagined, so our cooperation was very pleasant and handy. Regarding the fighting spirit and the determination to win, frankly speaking, from the moment I stepped onto the court, I never thought about losing."

Fan Xi said to the media very calmly.

Finally, the media asked him: "Currently, your votes have quickly broken through 900,000 and are climbing at an amazing speed. You will become the first player in history to enter the All-Star starters as an undrafted player, and in your first season at that. Are you excited?"

"Thanks to the friends who voted for me, thank you for supporting me," Fan Xi said with a smile and a cupped-fist salute.

This is the etiquette of the Chinese people.

It was very well-received by the viewers watching the live broadcast.

Therefore, they called on more people to vote for Fan Xi.

The moment Fan Xi finished the interview, his votes broke through 1 million and were still climbing. Currently, the number one on the All-Star voting list is Kobe Bryant, who has 1.58 million votes; the second is Dwight Howard with 1.55 million; LeBron James, because of his televised decision to join the Heat, saw his popularity decline, ranking third with 1.51 million votes.

Fan Xi soon entered the top ten.

According to this trend, he is very likely to break into the top five.

This is definitely an NBA historical record; no undrafted player has ever had such amazing popularity.

Compared to when Yao Ming was selected for the All-Star team, the vast majority of Fan Xi's votes come from within the United States, because the NBA has calculated overseas votes separately, and the weight is very low.

These data are what sponsors are flocking to; many people almost blew up the Lakers public relations manager's phone.

Because Fan Xi has no agent, they can only contact Fan Xi through the Lakers club.

The Lakers public relations manager was almost going crazy; he works at the Lakers, earning less than 15,000 US dollars a month, but recently, what he hears in his ears are offers of millions or tens of millions of US dollars.

Before he walked into the locker room, he received a call from the Adidas marketing department; the person on the other end claimed to be the Adidas global vice president, and he actually said he wanted to give Fan Xi a 5-year, 80-million-dollar sponsorship contract.

This made the PR manager, Doug, almost fall to the ground.

He had never seen so much money in his life; he even wanted to be Fan Xi's agent.

And in fact, the agents of the Lakers players were also crazily calling their players; they recommended themselves, pressing the commission to an unprecedented low; they wanted to be Fan Xi's agent so badly.

Even Kobe's agent, Pelinka, talked to Kobe, asking Kobe to help him invite Jack to dinner after returning to Los Angeles.

Kobe said he would ask Fan Xi's opinion.

He politely refused him.

Kobe didn't want his relationship with Fan Xi to be involved with money, and once Pelinka became Fan Xi's agent, possessing two absolute cores of the Lakers, he could almost become half the general manager of the Lakers.

That doesn't sound like a bad thing.

But the Lakers would certainly find it hard to accept his occurrence.

When Fan Xi walked into the locker room, Kobe hugged him; his wound was still bleeding, but he insisted on waiting for Fan Xi to return in triumph before going to the hospital for new stitches.

"Jack, I am proud of you. Your performance tonight was at a superstar level. Although your game-winning shot release point was very low, it's hard to replicate such a miracle again. But it has already happened."

Kobe said to Fan Xi: "Back in Los Angeles, I will specially train your shooting."

Fan Xi smiled and said, thank you.

Then, Bryant analyzed with him why the Heat failed.

Kobe is such a person; his focus is always on the game itself.

Fan Xi agreed with Kobe's analysis: The Miami Heat underestimated the enemy at the final moment, and both James and Wade made wrong choices.

So, Kobe said: "Next time you meet, they will definitely deal with you more viciously. Because you not only stole their light but also made them lose face."

Fan Xi said: "Next time we meet will be the Finals. At that time, I will definitely be stronger than tonight."

Fan Xi's words made Kobe very happy; he was also looking forward to meeting the Miami Heat in the Finals.

However, he reminded Fan Xi: "You will also meet at the All-Star Game. However, I have to remind you, you have one more enemy, Chris Paul."

"He is the best point guard in the league today."

"Based on my understanding of him, he will strike hard when he meets you; he will absolutely not let you go, because you stole his All-Star starting spot, and he has always wanted to be a superstar who achieves great commercial success."

Fan Xi spread his palms, and he smiled and indicated: "I am regretful. But I am not afraid."

Kobe smiled and patted his shoulder; this is why he appreciates Fan Xi so much.

Fan Xi has powerful self-confidence and a tenacity that does not fear battle.

When Kobe left the locker room for the hospital, Fan Xi was also called to the press conference by the PR manager to accept a collective interview with the media after the game.

Fan Xi talked eloquently at the press conference; he performed with ease.

Both confident and appropriate.

People were convinced they were seeing a superstar rising.

…

Fan Xi's name resonated across North America with this game-winner, and of course, Taylor Swift's kiss and the passionate hug after the game.

The thing that made the entertainment media crazy was that Taylor Swift boarded the Lakers' private plane.

Usually, NBA team private planes do not allow other people to board.

But if it's a family member, it would be permitted.

So, has Taylor Swift officially announced it with Fan Xi now?

Is the pop princess who dominates the sales charts in the US really together with the rising basketball superstar Jack Fan?

Then what about Disney princess Selena? What about the Kardashian family's little sister Jenner?

Entertainment media are also crazily paying attention to this matter.

Fan Xi slept beautifully on the plane; at this time, he didn't know that important people were already waiting for his return in Los Angeles.

…