Basketball miracles

Chapter 10 [Another Superpower]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar praised Xiao Tu in an interview, which surprised and flattered Xiao Tu.

The two barely spoke to each other on the team, but as Magic Johnson said, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar didn't have a problem with him.

Johnson is a player with brains and leadership. On the court, he can build good relationships with his teammates and lead them to victory. Off the court, he is also very good at communicating with coaches and team management, and is a friend to the players.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, on the other hand, was much more aloof and seemed to have no intention of befriending Xiao Tu, treating him merely as a teammate.

As a young man, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar lived through a period of extreme racial discrimination in the United States, and he experienced some injustices. As a result, he was sensitive and suspicious for many years, and this did not change much even after he became a star player.

In fact, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar thought highly of Xiao Tu and didn't dislike him at all. He just didn't like chatting with people or even making eye contact; it was an old habit of his.

He always didn't know what to say, even when he achieved amazing success, he was still speechless.

In a parallel universe, after LeBron James broke the NBA all-time scoring record, he tearfully asked Kareem Abdul-Jabbar what he should say. Abdul-Jabbar was completely dumbfounded, thinking, "I didn't give a speech back then either."

He refused to give interviews for three years and wouldn't see anyone except on the basketball court. He was an unpopular star, taciturn, eccentric, with low media exposure, lax defense, and also a Muslim…

After Xiao Tu joined the team, Jabbar became more relaxed on the court, and he felt it was necessary to say a few words.

Last season, the Lakers' paint area suffered whenever he was off the court, and he often played over 40 minutes in the playoffs. He can play more, but his efficiency will decrease, and he will be at risk of injury.

On offense, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wouldn't mind reducing his shot attempts and sharing some ball possession with Xiao Tu. The 37-year-old veteran, unless he's extremely selfish, can't possibly hog the ball too much; he's reached an age where selflessness is expected.

On the defensive end, he desperately needs Xiao Tu.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar first praised Xiao Tu's defense and rebounding ability.

The reporter asked, "How would you rate Shaw's dunks today?"

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said, "His dunks remind me of a goat, the feeling of being able to touch the top of the backboard. That's how terrifying his jumping ability is."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once praised a player who never made it to the NBA as "the Goat," a term that was both a high compliment and a lament. This player possessed rare basketball talent, but due to gangs and drugs, he was never able to enter the professional league, and even missed out on college basketball.

This is undoubtedly a story of talent being buried. There are many legends about goats in the United States, such as how he easily snatched the coin off the backboard in gambling, how he slammed the ball back 36 times in a row in gambling, and how he "double-dunked" in gambling, etc.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's words were startling, adding a gimmick to Xiao Tu's story in just a few words.

Xiao Tu was very grateful to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; now it would be difficult for him not to become famous. After all, the Goat was a "GOAT" who had been mythologized by Black people in the slums, and even 40 years later, NBA stars were still obsessed with this title, constantly mentioning it.

What does it mean for someone who is 188cm tall to touch the top of the backboard? Their vertical jump would need to be over 150cm to do that. Or, they might have eaten a rubber fruit, allowing them to swing their arms 250cm when they want to reach the top, meaning they could probably touch it with a jump of around 120cm.

Xiao Tu didn't know if his body would ever be able to touch the top of the backboard in the future; it certainly wasn't possible now. In the NBA, only Wilt Chamberlain dared to boast like that.

Coach Pat Riley commented on Xiao Tu, saying, "He will definitely become an All-Star player, probably this season. I think he has the most potential among this year's rookies, not just because he is the youngest."

The reporter asked, "What heights do you think he can reach in the future?"

Riley said, "I can't predict that. It depends on whether he can master the technique. Let's wait and see how he performs in the future."

Riley said what Xiao Tu wanted to say but couldn't. He couldn't boast about his potential, even though his talent was obvious to everyone.

Despite it being just a regular season game, the Lakers management is determined to give Xiao Tu a huge boost. The team's attendance largely depends on his and Magic Johnson's performances, so they need to make him famous as soon as possible.

Riley didn't comment on Worthy's performance in this game, seemingly forgetting about the number one draft pick. Some reporters felt that in the coach's mind, Sebastian Shaw was already the team's third option.

Just looking at how quickly Xiao Tu rose to power, reporters wanted to write extensively about him and keep following his story closely.

The Trail Blazers also held a press conference, with veteran coach Philipp Lahm wearing a somber expression and remaining silent throughout. The team's summer recruitment drive aimed to contend for a championship, but they suffered a crushing defeat in their opening game. Given the performance of their two starting centers today, how can they possibly contend for a title?
Sam Bowie thought the press conference would be a test, after all, he had just played a bad game and the questions from reporters were sure to be less than "friendly".

Contrary to his expectations, the reporters showed no interest in him whatsoever, and no one asked any pointed questions to provoke him.

Only then did he realize that what's worse than being talked about is being ignored.

If someone doesn't have the look of a star, even if they have talent, they might not get noticed, let alone someone without talent. Bo Wei shouldn't have been in the top five of the talent show but became the runner-up; he's destined to be a negative example in the future.

That night, many news stories about Xiao Tu emerged in the United States, with major sports media outlets reporting on them.

Several media outlets coincidentally used the headline "Whites Can Fly Too," which was very eye-catching. A handsome white man dunking more spectacularly than a black man is unprecedented.

No media outlets mentioned that Xiao Tu is one-quarter Chinese; they simply treated him as white. This isn't important, and entertainment media also avoid mentioning that Keanu Reeves is of mixed Chinese and American descent, which is beneficial for publicity.

Xiao Tu appeared on television and in newspapers, becoming famous overnight!
The segment where the reporter asked him to comment on Bowie was broadcast by Los Angeles Sports News. Fans find him arrogant and have an interesting personality, and very few people dislike him for that reason.

Does Xiao Tu's lower draft position mean he has to respect the second-place pick? He already said he doesn't care about his draft position.

To put it bluntly, looks are everything. Xiao Tu's appearance makes everything seem plausible, and if he also had talent, it would be even better.

Fans who watched the live stream were discussing his dunks and said they would follow him in the future.

When a white player completes an alley-oop windmill dunk in a real game, the level of shock is similar to Liu Xiang breaking the world record in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2004 Olympics, breaking the monopoly of black athletes in a single event.

Xiao Tu returned to his apartment and checked his haul for the night only after he was undisturbed.

He achieved a double-double in the opening game, gaining not only popularity but also a bronze chest.

Xiao Tu chose to become a professional basketball player in both worlds, not only because he was tall and liked playing basketball, but also because playing basketball would make him stronger.

Besides being able to travel freely between the two worlds, he has another superpower.

This ability is simple and straightforward: as long as he wins a match in a formal game with referees and scoring, and plays for more than 15 minutes, he will receive a reward.

Previously, he played as many games as possible, whether amateur, NCAA, or NBA preseason, and winning a game earned him a Black Iron Chest reward.

The treasure chest can contain three types of beginner training auras, snacks and drinks with special effects, and other items.

He doesn't have a system panel; he can sense treasure chests appearing in a special space. He can open them if he wants, or store them in that space if he doesn't.

He could instantly know the purpose of the reward, as it entered his mind through a kind of "initiation".

The beginner training aura trains dribbling, physical fitness, and shooting. He gains double experience during training, for a total of three hours. He can freely turn the aura on or off through his will.

This space can also store items that have already been opened, so he doesn't have to worry about the snacks expiring. They appear in his hand whenever he wants, just like magic.

Knowing that there was a reward for winning, Xiao Tu became passionate about games and training, and his progress was rapid. When he first joined the Harvard team, he was just a substitute, but in the second half of the season, he consistently scored 20+10.

The Heat recognized Xiao Tu's potential and invited him to a tryout, believing he could play both the 3 and 4 positions. He only tried out for the Heat once, and was selected unsurprisingly in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft.

Xiao Tu doesn't need to ask anyone to know that playing in higher-level competitions will bring better rewards; he just needs to wait and see after becoming an NBA player to verify it.

Today, his reward was upgraded to bronze, and a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders.

He believed that as long as he frequently obtained high-level treasure chests, his strength would improve even faster...

(End of this chapter)