Reborn in 96, I started by taking charge of the Dallas Mavericks.

Auburndale, a small town located between Orlando and Tampa.

"Boss, what are we doing here? Who are you taking me to see?"

Kobe looked at Chen Fang beside him with a puzzled expression and asked.

This morning, the two flew to Orlando and then took a three-hour drive to this small town.

The long journey finally prompted Kobe to ask a question.

"You'll know when the time comes."

Chen Fang smiled and brushed it off.

Seeing how mysterious Chen Fang was, Kobe became even more curious about the person he was about to meet.

"Why are you being so secretive? Who are you going to see?"

"arrive."

Chen Fang said something and got out of the car first.

Kobe looked at the somewhat dilapidated open-air basketball court in front of him, feeling puzzled, but Chen Fang had already gotten out of the car, so he could only quickly follow.

As Chen Fang entered the basketball court, he looked around, searching for Tracy McGrady in the crowd.

A short while later, he spotted McGrady squatting on the ground in a corner, and then led Kobe over to him.

"You're Tracy McGrady?"

Chen Fang asked bluntly.

McGrady stared blankly at the strange duo before him, utterly bewildered. "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

Chen Fang smiled slightly but didn't reply. Instead, he looked at Kobe and said something.

"Kobe, this is the person I'm taking you to meet, Tracy McGrady."

Upon hearing this, Kobe also looked confused as he gazed at Chen Fang.

Chen Fang said to the two of them, "Why don't you two have a competition and see who's better?"

Although Kobe didn't know what Chen Fang was up to, Chen Fang was both his boss and his coach, so he could only obediently do as he was told.

McGrady, on the other hand, flatly refused, saying, "Why should I listen to you?"

Chen Fang smiled helplessly and took out a wad of cash from his pocket. "If you win, this money is yours."

"What if I lose?"

"If you lose, take me to see your mother."

"make a deal!"

Like Kobe, McGrady didn't know what Chen Fang was up to, but he agreed for the sake of the money.

After all, he really needed the money; his mother's birthday was next month, and he was worried about not having enough money to buy her a gift.

……

The commotion from the two bullfighting quickly attracted the attention of others in the arena, and a crowd instantly gathered around.

You know, McGrady is widely recognized as the best player on the court, and they wanted to see who was so blind as to challenge him.

"One-on-one, 11 points total. A basket inside the three-point line counts as 1 point, a three-pointer counts as 2 points. No free throws. If a foul occurs, free throws are given again. If a basket is made, the ball is passed to the other team. Any questions?"

"no!"

"I do not have either!"

After briefly explaining the rules of bullfighting, Chen Fang handed the arena over to the two men.

"You serve first, so you won't say I'm bullying you!"

Kobe picked up the basketball from the ground and threw it to McGrady, saying...

As the second overall pick in the NBA draft, Kobe had his own pride.

He didn't want to be accused of bullying a little-known high school student.

But McGrady felt that Kobe was provoking him by doing this, so he immediately lowered his body and started moving quickly after receiving the ball.

Although Kobe was surprised by McGrady's speed, he reacted quickly and immediately blocked McGrady's offensive path.

Seeing this, McGrady smiled and pulled up for a jump shot right in front of Kobe.

The basketball traced a beautiful arc through the air and swished through the net.

McGrady takes the first point, 1-0!

After landing, McGrady looked at Kobe provocatively, as if to say, "You are no match for me."

Kobe, who had originally planned to play casually, was instantly spurred on and picked up the ball to inbound it from beyond the three-point line.

Dribble between the legs, crossover step, change of direction in front of the body.

Kobe cleanly and decisively passed McGrady, but instead of going for an easy layup, he leisurely returned to the three-point line and continued dribbling, waiting for McGrady to come up and defend him.

"hateful!"

McGrady cursed under his breath and lunged forward instantly.

Kobe used the exact same move to shake off McGrady, and this time Kobe shot a three-pointer over McGrady's head.

Swish!

Three point hit!

1:2, Kobe leads by 1 point.

The two sides switched possession of the ball, and McGrady went on offense.

Having just been humiliated by Kobe, McGrady was about to explode; this was his territory.

Being humiliated on one's own turf by someone who comes from nowhere is something even the most good-tempered person cannot tolerate.

McGrady dribbled past his opponent, using his speed to cut to the basket and dunked despite Kobe's interference.

This dunk ignited the crowd around him.

"Well done, Tracy!"

"Beat him up, Tracy!"

"..."

Seeing McGrady's performance, Chen Fang couldn't help but nod in approval.

McGrady's talent was truly explosive. If it weren't for that damn congenital scoliosis, perhaps McGrady's career would have been as brilliant and splendid as Kobe's.

It's worth noting that McGrady at his peak was a formidable opponent even Kobe struggled against.

"You're lucky you ran into me."

Chen Fang looked at McGrady with a smile, then opened the system shop.

Congenital scoliosis is incurable in the modern world, but that doesn't mean the system has no way to treat it.

Chen Fang opened the medicine section in the store and began searching carefully.

A moment later, he saw an item that could not be considered medicine.

[Traditional Chinese Medicine Bone Setting and Massage: Limited-time item. After redemption, the host can perform bone setting and massage on the player to realign their bones. There are no side effects.]

[Exchange Price: Points]

Good grief, a limited-time item costs 2 points! This system is a total rip-off.

But compared to McGrady's health, 2 points are nothing.

Chen Fang currently only has a little over a thousand points, which is far from enough to redeem this traditional Chinese medicine bone-setting massage. Fortunately, McGrady will not enter the NBA until next season, so he has a whole season to earn points.

Just as Chen Fang exited the system store, he saw Kobe Bryant win the 1v1 one-on-one match with a three-pointer.

“Tracy McGrady? You’re better than I thought.”

After the game, Kobe approached McGrady and said, "Don't be discouraged, I'll be waiting for you in the NBA!"

McGrady was about to say something polite, but when he heard Kobe say he was waiting for him in the NBA, he immediately looked at Kobe with a stunned expression.

"What did you just say? Waiting for me in the NBA? What do you mean?"

"Literally, the man in front of you is this year's second overall pick in the NBA draft, Kobe Bryant of the Dallas Mavericks."

"And I am Chen Fang, the owner and coach of the Mavericks."

"Tracy, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Chen Fang approached the two men and said with a smile, "As agreed, you have to take us to see your mother."

"Why do you want to see my mother?" Maddie asked.

Chen Fang smiled and answered irrelevantly, "Tracy, do you want to go to the NBA?"

"With your talent, your stage is the NBA, not this small town."

"Only if you make it to the NBA can you improve your family's situation."