NBA's King of Talking

After his tryout with the Rockets, Jia Fei immediately went to Los Angeles for a tryout with the Lakers. After that, he went to all seven teams that had invited him for tryouts, thus successfully completing his tryout mission.

By this time, it was already June.

This year’s NBA draft will be held on the 24th of this month at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, and will be broadcast nationwide by ESPN.

Jia Fei stayed in Los Angeles after finishing his tryout with the Lakers. He was born in the Chinatown of the San Gabriel Valley in East Los Angeles. His parents have passed away, and he has no relatives in the city, so strictly speaking, he doesn't feel much of a sense of belonging here.

Arriving at his former residence, a two-bedroom apartment, he found that the lease was still up. After unlocking the door with his key, the original owner's memories returned instantly.

There's still some time before the draft, and I don't have much to do lately anyway, so I'll just stay here for now!

On his second day in Los Angeles, Jia Fei received a call from his agent, Jeff Schwartz. He was incredibly excited when he saw the call; a call from his agent at this time meant something important, and it was most likely related to the draft.

Jia Fei quickly answered the phone, and Jeff Schwartz's mature voice came from the other end: "Hello Mr. Jia, this is Jeff Schwartz."

"Hello, Mr. Schwarz!"

"Mr. Jia, you have completed trials with 7 teams. I will now give you a brief overview of their evaluations of you after the trials."

"Okay, go ahead, I'm listening."

“Your current draft stock is probably in the middle of the second round. According to my sources, the Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Oklahoma City Thunder are the three teams most interested in you, but they don’t seem willing to use their first-round picks to select you. They would prefer to use their second-round picks.”

"Okay, I know!"

"I will use the media to generate buzz for you, hoping to create some more interest before the draft. Don't worry about the arrangements for the draft; I will take care of everything for you."

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Schwarz."

"Don't mention it, Mr. Jia. It's all what I should do. Alright, I won't disturb your rest any longer. Bye-bye!"

"Bye-Bye!"

After ending his call with his agent, Jeff Schwartz, Jia Fei pondered something. Based on the information he'd gathered today, it was adequate—not a huge surprise, but not a disappointment either. From the combine to individual workouts, his performance had likely attracted the interest of several teams, and he'd showcased his current abilities and strengths, which to some extent earned him opportunities. However, it was clear that this wasn't enough to turn things around overnight; his mediocre performance in his NCAA season was still a major hindrance.

Second round is fine. As long as I get selected, even if I'm 60th, it's okay. Who says you can't succeed in the second round? Even top picks often turn out to be disappointing. All I need is a chance.

Jeff Schwartz's efficiency is indeed very high. Jia Fei quickly saw some news about him online, and the discussions on social media seemed quite heated. Interestingly, many fans believe he should have been a lottery pick, or at least a first-round pick, considering that the top pick, Derrick Williams, performed like a complete novice when matched up against him.

The day after Jeff Schwartz called, on June 4th, Jia Fei received a call from Kemba Walker.

Kemba Walker sounded very excited on the phone. He said he had recommended Jia Fei to the Charlotte Bobcats. Bobcats general manager Rich Joe said he was very interested in Jia Fei, this physically gifted Asian man, and wanted to try him out and have an in-depth conversation with him.

Jia Fei was overjoyed. The Charlotte Bobcats—wasn't that the team of basketball legend Michael Jordan? Although the Bobcats were a relatively new team, and Charlotte wasn't a big city, it was still one of the 30 teams in the NBA! And the owner was Jordan. If he could really join, he could learn a trick or two from Jordan, which would definitely help him become stronger!

Jia Fei's calm heart was stirred. It was a pleasant surprise. He checked and found that the Bobcats had two first-round picks this year, one at the 9th and the other at the 19th. In addition, they also had a second-round pick, the 39th overall in the second round, which was also a very high second-round pick.

Jia Fei couldn't help but fantasize. If he could be selected by the Bobcats, and if Kemba Walker was the 9th pick and he was the 19th, that would be incredibly awesome. In his previous life, Kemba Walker was ultimately selected by the Bobcats with the 9th pick.

"Kemba, when can I go for a tryout?" Jia Fei asked excitedly.

"When? Now! You can leave right now. I've already bought your plane ticket. Don't wait, hurry up!" Kemba Walker urged.

Jia Fei was quite touched. This was a true friend and teammate; not only did he recommend him, but he also bought him a plane ticket. No one knew his financial situation better than Kemba Walker; he genuinely didn't have much money.

Jia Fei set off immediately. He didn't have much luggage to pack; he simply grabbed his house key and a sports backpack, then hailed a taxi and headed to the airport. He was just like a young person graduating from university and looking for a job again, unsure of the outcome, trying every opportunity he could find.

Charlotte is located in the south-central United States. Jia Fei flew directly from Los Angeles on the West Coast to Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

Bobcats general manager Rich Joe sent a driver to pick him up from the airport, and he went straight to the team.

In the Bobcats' general manager's office, Jia Fei met Richie Joe.

After meeting with Rich Joe, he also met his former teammate Kemba Walker at the hotel where the team had arranged for him to stay.

The two embraced tightly as soon as they met, truly feeling like they hadn't seen each other for a day! It turns out that men can feel this way too.

Ignoring the fact that this might seem a bit too "bromance," Jia Fei asked, "Kemba, have you been here the past two days?"

Kemba Walker nodded: "I've always been here, and I really like it here. You know what, Ja, I met the owner, MJ! He said he really likes my game, which makes me even more eager to join this team."

Jia Fei could understand Kemba Walker's feelings. Yes, for most basketball players, Jordan was truly like a god. His basketball career was too perfect, and he really influenced a lot of people.