Basketball Terminal

Chapter 44 Application
Mark rarely heard Nash swear, but just now Nash had used an F-word on him. Mark wasn't angry; instead, he felt amusement. He wasn't a masochist, but rather he appreciated Nash's long-lost rudeness. The Nets needed a rough edge; in the NBA, being polite and refined wouldn't cut it.

Li Wei's rough edges also impressed Max, especially in contrast to Jamie Lin, who was far too mild-mannered. Why is racial issue so sensitive in American society today, but primarily affecting Black people? Because Black people have fought for a long time, even shedding blood.

In the face of discrimination, Black individuals will resist, and as a community, they will unite. This often involves excessive and extreme actions, but sometimes going too far in trying to correct a wrong is counterproductive.

Asian Americans are so well-behaved, and Jamie Lin is the most well-behaved part of that group—a Catholic on the island. Whenever he encounters unfair treatment, such as being choked by Kobe Bryant or having his hairstyle mocked by Martin, Jamie Lin always endures or forgives in the name of God, never making a real comeback.

On the surface, things might seem to have passed, but in reality, in the cutthroat world of the NBA, those beasts in human skin will look down on you from the bottom of their hearts. Jamie Lin created a remarkable underdog legend in New York, only to be quickly ostracized by his teammates and kicked out.

Imagine if he were a Black or white player, would the outcome have been the same? Or, if he had been more assertive and used his fame to fight for his rights, would his fate have been different? Nobody knows.

Max doesn't think Jamie Lin has a problem with his character. His humility, low profile, and hard work made him who he is, and his unwavering faith was a necessary factor in his success. It's just that the NBA is a cruel world with its own rules. Follow them, and you can climb up; don't, and you'll be trampled.

Lin was trying to get a chance to return to the NBA through the G League, which has the same rules as the NBA, but is even more brutal. When faced with racial provocations, Lin did not choose to retaliate on the spot, but instead "tattled" after the game.

Max, who has been in this industry for many years, could guess what would happen next. Long after the incident, probably after the end of this season's G League, the league would issue a statement announcing a high-profile investigation into the matter and strongly condemning the act of racial discrimination.

Players who make discriminatory remarks are identified, but their names are not revealed; they apologize privately. Jamie Lin would choose to forgive, and the matter would be over—a happy ending for everyone. However, if the player who was discriminated against is Black, things would never turn out this way. The Los Angeles Clippers even changed ownership because of it.

On the same day, Victor Lee's response was swift and decisive: he settled scores on the spot. "You discriminate against me, I'll fight you, the league will suspend me." This is a very fair and just logic, easily understood by many simple-minded people. Furthermore, if you retaliate every time, then I won't dare discriminate against you—it's that simple.

When Mark received Nash's call, he was worried that Nash had reservations about Levi's behavior, and that the head coach might be concerned that a player with such a troublesome personality would disrupt the locker room atmosphere. But judging from the results, he had worried unnecessarily.

Max first called Long Island Nets general manager Ricardi, asking him to prepare Levi's relevant information and inform him that Brooklyn was going to promote him. Ricardi clearly approved of this move; Levi's excellent performance would be attributed to his achievements.

Then, Max called Levi directly to tell him the good news.
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Meanwhile, Li Wei was in the gym, having just finished a set of core strength training. He was lying on a bench, admiring the image of Tian Di Zhenli doing barbell squats across from him.

"Luckily, I inherited the leg shape genes of white people. If I had bowlegs, it would be too ugly... It's a beautiful and full curve."

There were no matches today, and even if there were, he couldn't play. After the morning training session, Li Wei didn't do any extra training. Instead, he went back to the hotel to release some energy with strength training and also to look at some pretty girls to pass the time.

As a Japanese-American, Mari is fortunate to have inherited the best features of both races; her appearance and figure are, overall, impeccable. That's how it is with mixed-race people—the good-looking ones are incredibly good-looking, but the bad ones can be shockingly ugly.

Truth had grown accustomed to Levi's unbridled gaze. If it were anyone else, she would have called the police for sexual harassment. But back at the Bronx Sports Center, when she first noticed Levi's gaze, she didn't feel particularly resistant.

Three parts anger, seven parts secret pleasure. While a great physique can be enjoyable, it takes away a lot of fun without the attention of the opposite sex.

"Hey, have you seen enough? Are you done practicing?"

"You can never get enough of something before you have it."

"Once you get it, you'll have seen enough?"

"Once you get it, you'll enter the next stage, which will be a completely different experience."

Truth leaned against Li Wei and asked him, "Aren't you worried about the suspension? Was that punch too impulsive?"

Li Wei said, "He was indeed impulsive. I couldn't help but see his arrogant attitude and he kept saying things that looked down on people. So what if he played in the NBA?"

"Didn't he insult you, saying it was COVID-19?"

"No, I made it up after the match so that I would have a more legitimate reason to hit someone."

Truth looked surprised. Li Wei said, "This is great news material. If you write another report and publish it, this matter will become interesting."

Truth shook his head and said, "I wouldn't do that. We're friends, aren't we? But I still want to ask, why lie?"

"This world is all about slander. No one says that only others can lie and then we have to clarify, right? Why not take the initiative? Those who are forced to clarify will always suffer."

The conflict between Li Wei and Jordan Bell was a normal violent altercation between players. Bell was drafted by the Warriors in 17 and won the 18 championship with the team. As the Warriors were the most popular team at the time, he received a lot of attention.

Both are bench players, but the amount of media attention they receive is completely different depending on whether they sit on the bench of a dynasty team like the Warriors or a smaller team like the Hornets, Magic, or Jazz. So Bell came to the G League with a sense of arrogance; he had a championship ring and felt superior, deigning to play against them.

During the match, Levi faced off against Bale, but Bale completely disregarded him. In several exchanges, Levi easily neutralized Bale's attacks. Enraged, Bale began trash-talking and resorting to dirty tricks.

At first, Li Wei didn't bother with him, but Bale thought Li Wei was a coward. In the second half, Bale pressed his face against Li Wei's, hurling insults and even spitting on Li Wei's face. Li Wei finally lost his temper. Without saying a word, he channeled his power into his right fist and delivered a single punch that sent Bale to his death. There was no technique involved; it was all about the sheer force of his fist.

Levi was sent off, and Bale was carried off the field.

In a post-game interview, Li Wei had a sudden inspiration. Remembering Jeremy Lin's complaint to the organizing committee that some players used COVID-19 to discriminate against Asians, he immediately pinned the blame on Jordan Bell.

This incident escalated slightly, and Li Wei's actions were now considered justified. Bale quickly clarified that he hadn't mentioned COVID-19 to Li Wei, that he had only made some casual remarks. The G League officially stated that they would investigate the matter, but this might have to wait until after the G League season ended, as it was inconvenient to do so within the bubble.

Regardless of whether the league investigates or not, if the investigation concludes that Bell didn't mention COVID-19, then he either misheard or is overly sensitive due to the Jeremy Lin incident. However, online, the accusation that Jordan Bell said COVID-19 discriminated against Asians is unlikely to be removed.

This guy already had a bad reputation, and he had several outrageous behaviors during his time with the Warriors. The most infamous incident was when he signed Mike Brown's name on a hotel bill, which was discovered after the security footage was reviewed. The bill was only $15, and netizens suspected that he had watched pornography in the room and was trying to avoid paying by blaming the coach.

It was later discovered that he had bought a candle as a prank. The prank was anything but funny, and the end result was that Bale was suspended for one game by the team.

He also had a heated argument with head coach Steve Kerr during a game, with Curry and Durant both trying to mediate. At the time, he was a second-year player, averaging 3.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. He was subsequently released by the Warriors and did not re-sign in the summer of 2019. It seems perfectly reasonable for a player with such a temper, reputation, and questionable judgment to insult Li Wei about COVID-19 during a game. And what the truth really is, not many people really care, because Li Wei certainly doesn't.

He was just wondering when he could sign with the Nets. If the Nets weren't interested, he'd have to settle for Dallas. Of course, Portland or Miami wouldn't be bad either; those two teams had recently contacted him.

The phone rang, and Li Wei answered it. It was Sean Marks calling.

Without mincing words, Marks informed Rewi of the Brooklyn Nets' management and coaching staff of their decision over the phone: to offer him a 10-day trial contract. Since the Nets were currently playing in Los Angeles, he was asked to travel there immediately to sign the contract in person and then join the team.

The long-awaited result suddenly fell from the sky, leaving Li Wei dizzy. He reminded himself that this was just a small step, only a 10-day contract, and he shouldn't be too happy yet; he needed to stay calm.

But in his heart, the joy of accomplishment, the reward for his efforts, and the divine intervention echoed repeatedly. This was not merely the result of Li Wei's efforts over the past two months, but the culmination of more than a decade of arduous pursuit across two lifetimes.

Seeing Li Wei's stunned expression after finishing the phone call, Zhenli assumed he had encountered something bad, such as being cut by the Long Island Nets or receiving a more severe punishment. She cautiously asked, "Um...did you receive some bad news?"

Suddenly, Levi picked up Victor, supporting her bottom, and spun her around seven or eight times. Caught off guard, Victor screamed and clutched Levi's head. When he finally put her down, she was flushed and panting, saying, "What's wrong with you, Victor! Are you crazy?"

Li Wei said, "The Brooklyn Nets have decided to offer me a 10-day contract, so I can now play for an NBA team!"

"Oh! Congratulations, really congratulations, you actually did it."

"Yes, I did it! I'm so happy! I... Holy crap, can I kiss you?"

"can."

They were the only two people in the gym at noon, and they started kissing passionately under the exercise machine. It was like when news of the victory in World War II reached America, men and women on the street, whether they knew each other or not, couldn't help but grab each other and kiss.

After all, happiness needs to be shared, and sharing can double it.

The kiss didn't last long; once they both calmed down, Li Wei wiped his mouth and said, "I need to go to the airport immediately to fly to Los Angeles. Can you arrange a car for me?"

On the way to the airport, Truth sat next to Levi, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him. Levi, however, was thinking about the scene of parting with his teammates. Ebua had actually cried, and Shannon Scott had told him to perform well and not waste the $800 used car.

Brett's expression was the most complex. The lottery ticket he'd won had ultimately been snatched away by his superiors. He didn't even know if it was worth tens of thousands, millions, or tens of millions. Only by moving him to a higher stage could he realize his full potential; the Development League's pool was too small to hold this fish.

“You can miss us, but it’s best not to come back, never,” Brett said, his farewell to Levi.

On the way, Levi called Scott Mitchell again to inform him in advance that he would be signing a 10-day contract with the Nets. The two had kept in touch during the Disney bubble games, and Mitchell had written several reports about Levi's performance, which garnered some attention.

Donnie Nelson noticed Levi because he accidentally saw a post-game report by Mitchell.

Mitchell was incredibly excited on the other end of the phone, because if Levi successfully signed the 10-day contract, it would mean that his story had reached a significant conclusion. Like writing a novel, the first part of the story had ended and could be published. As for whether there would be a second or third part, that depended on how well the first part sold.

"Yes, the story can end here for now, but don't worry, I'll let you know as soon as I get the papers signed in Los Angeles."

As for Li Yue and Luo Ping, needless to say, they will find out soon.

As they approached the airport, Tenchi Sensei suddenly said to Levi, "Victor, in a while, I'm going to work at the NBA headquarters in New York."

"Really? Congratulations then. It seems you're no worse than me and are also making progress."

"Yes...that's right. I will choose to report from the front lines. I look forward to collaborating with you in the future. Please give me your guidance."

"Don't be so polite. By the way, Zhenli, which department does your family member work in?"

During their time together, Li Wei had learned that Zhenli's father was an NBA executive, but their father-daughter relationship seemed to be something that couldn't be made public.

"He's in the draft office, in charge of the draft process."

"That's quite a coincidence. I'd like to ask you a favor."

"You said."

“When I first graduated from college, I participated in the draft and sent an email to the NBA. I knew I had no chance of being selected, but I sent it anyway, and I got a reply with a form to fill out. Of course, I didn’t get drafted. But now I’ve made it into the NBA. Could you find someone to find the email and form on file, take a picture of it and send it to me as a memento?”

Truth nodded hurriedly and said, "This is a very inspiring story, of course I can help you find it."

"Thank you so much. Meeting you is my luck. Thank God."

Li Wei's words were sincere; he was truly grateful to God and felt incredibly lucky to have met Zhenli. However, to Zhenli, these words sounded ambiguous, and her heart pounded wildly, like a deer's tail.

Li Wei was wondering whether he should thank the person who helped him forge his draft application. Without her joking gesture, Li Wei would not have been able to sign with an NBA team according to the rules, and the original Li Wei would never have participated in the draft.

But it was because of her that the original Li Wei stepped into the abyss of death, and that the current Li Wei came to be.

Therefore, no matter what, he needs to know this person's true identity. He needs to see the application; the signature and address on it definitely don't belong to Li Wei.

(End of this chapter)