Chapter 15 [Full of gimmicks, reporter interviews]
After the big victory, the SuperSonics players were very excited, and they spoke much politely to Yang Jian in the locker room. The main theme of the NBA is to worship the strong, not the kind-hearted.
Yang Jian has won the respect of everyone with his strength. No one in the team will look down on him because of his skin color. This person is not only strong, but also not selfish. Who doesn't like this kind of teammate?
Everyone could see that if Yang Jian wanted to take more shots, the coach would definitely have no objection. Yang Jian did not do so. He took less than 10 shots in total in the game and was willing to create singles opportunities for his teammates from outside the three-point line.
If Yang Jian plays like this, everyone can get good data. Otherwise, he will be in the limelight alone, and everyone else will be a foil.
Players who participate in the summer league are not guaranteed to get a contract if they have good statistics. Their record is also something that the team must evaluate. Those who take too many shots may produce good statistics, but they will destroy the tactical system. There are many such people.
The SuperSonics have a super dunker like Yang Jian, and his teammates can follow him to gain some exposure. Even if he cannot get a contract with the SuperSonics, he may still get a basic salary from other teams, such as the Timberwolves.
They defeated the losers like the Timberwolves. If the Timberwolves want to sign marginal players, wouldn't signing them be better than signing losers?
After chatting with his teammates for a while, Yang Jian and Snow left the locker room together.
"If you were the fifth pick, a reporter would definitely be interviewing you right now." Snow said, looking around for someone who looked like a reporter.
"It doesn't matter if there are no interviews in the summer league. There will be interviews in the regular season." Yang Jian said confidently.
Although the NBA is a bit xenophobic, the media cannot be all idiots and fail to report news. Yang Jian is full of gimmicks in playing in the NBA and is the first Chinese player in history to play in the NBA.
In the history of the NBA, there was only one Asian player, Wataru Misaka. This 170cm tall Japanese played in the ABA league, the predecessor of the NBA. In the 1947 ABA draft, he was selected by the New York Knicks in the first round. He only played
After scoring a total of 7 points in three games, he was fired from the team.
Strictly speaking, Yang Jian is the first Asian to play in the NBA. He is definitely also the first Asian to gain a foothold in the NBA. One game is enough to prove his strength.
The Salt Lake City reporter thought the same way and stopped Yang Jian when he was leaving the arena.
"Hello, excuse me, I'm a reporter from the Salt Lake City Times. Can I take a moment to interview you?" Peter, who is 170cm tall, stood in front of Yang Jian, looking very short.
"Of course, I'm honored." Yang Jian wants to increase her popularity and will not refuse any interview.
People without exposure cannot become stars. Fans in this era do not check the Internet for information and pay attention to the results of every NBA game. Some rookies are already local celebrities in college and high school, and when they enter the NBA, they are just a sidekick that no one cares about.
Yang Jian was unknown in college. If he wanted to be known by fans, he had to be in the news frequently.
Seeing someone interviewing Yang Jian, his teammates were all envious. But they couldn't play as fast as Yang Jian. Even if they posted the same statistics, they wouldn't be able to attract reporters.
Peter asked: "Qing, please introduce yourself first?"
"My name is Yang Jian, from China, I am 19 years old."
Peter didn't expect that he was only 19 years old. He was stunned for a moment and then asked: "Are you a professional player in China?"
"No, I came to the United States to study and joined the basketball team at Harvard Business School. I have never played a professional basketball game before." Yang Jian said truthfully.
According to the historical development trajectory, the CBA League will only be established in the second half of this year. Where can Chinese people become professional players?
Peter asked: "Did you participate in the draft? As far as I know, there are no basketball scholarships at Harvard University."
"I participated in this year's draft and was not selected. Later, because of my excellent physical test data, I got the opportunity to try out with the Sonics and come here to participate in the summer league." Yang Jian answered fluently and did not need to draft.
Peter didn't expect Yang Jian to be an undrafted rookie, and was even more surprised. "You performed very well in this game and your physical fitness is amazing. You can break through dunks and shoot three-pointers. How could you fail to be drafted with your ability?"
"My performance was not that good when I was in college. My statistics were very poor, so it was reasonable for me to lose the draft. However, I have made rapid progress and I am confident that I can prove myself in the NBA." Yang Jian said with a smile.
You can't get good statistics while playing at Harvard University, an underdog in the NCAA, but you have the confidence to prove yourself in the NBA? What kind of approach is this?!
Peter felt that there must be something hidden behind this. It sounded like...a college student couldn't get any advantage in fighting with his peers in college, so he decided to enter the boxing ring and prove himself against Tyson.
Is this something that can be explained by the rapid progress? Unless this person has the ability to PK Tyson, it is logical.
Peter is very happy. People with stories attract more attention, and sports news has to be written.
"Can you tell me about your time in college? I don't believe you didn't perform well in college. Even the rookies of the Timberwolves couldn't do anything to you today. Garnett, the No. 5 pick, didn't perform as well as you." Peter asked.
"I'm sorry, I don't want to talk too much about the past. Let it pass. What matters is what height I can reach in the future." Yang Jian always smiled.
Talking about college? How does he know about the past? He has to get rid of his unwillingness to talk about the past first. After he becomes famous, there will definitely be many people asking him to talk about the past.
He can only achieve this level. As for what the Harvard coach will do... how his classmates and teachers in elementary school, high school, and college will evaluate him. He doesn't know and can't control it. He just hopes that the system will not arrange random stories for him. He hopes that the system will not give him random stories.
The original person's interpersonal relationships were extremely simple.
The other party didn't want to say that Peter had no choice but to change the topic. "No Chinese player has ever played in the NBA before. If you join the SuperSonics, you will make history. How do you feel about this?"
"I'm very happy because the NBA is the highest level basketball league in the world. I'm eager to compete with the best players in the world. It's very interesting."
"Are there many people in China with such strong physical fitness as you?" In this era, Easterners and Westerners don't understand each other unless they go abroad to see for themselves.
Yang Jian shook his head. "I was not a professional athlete in China, so I don't know. It took me a lot of hard training to reach this level. Asians with my quality may exist, but they are definitely very rare."
He said this modestly. It is impossible for Asians to have stronger physical fitness than him. In the future, it may happen that in the 1990s, yellow people could not reach the finals in Olympic track and field events, and their explosive power was obviously not as good as that of blacks and whites.
Peter asked: "Are there many excellent basketball players in China?"
"Chinese basketball is still in the exploratory stage. I know some talented players. I hope that more and more Chinese players will come to the NBA to play high-level games in the future, so that the Chinese team can achieve better results in the international arena.
score."
Yang Jian will definitely join the Chinese men's basketball team in the future. He wants to lead the national team to win the championship and become a national hero.
He has no relationship with the Chinese Basketball Association and doesn't know how to go through the procedures. He often mentions the national team during interviews. If someone from the Basketball Association takes the initiative to contact him, he may be able to become the boss of the national team in the Olympics next year.
In the future, Yao Ming will be his younger brother in the national team, which makes him feel happy when he thinks about it. If he just becomes a star in the NBA, it will definitely not be enough, and domestic fans will also have opinions.
Peter asked: "Today you helped the team beat the Timberwolves and beat the fifth pick Garnett. How do you feel about it?"
"Winning is a team effort. Garnett and I don't match up. It's not appropriate to compare us. I'm more looking forward to facing off against star outside players."
Peter asked: "Do you have any long-term goals in the NBA?"
"Of course, I hope to be selected as an All-Star and help the Sonics win the championship. My short-term goal is to improve my shooting skills and become stronger at the start of the regular season."
Peter asked: "You had four dunks today, three of which were at the dunk contest level. Have you ever thought about participating in the dunk contest?"
"As long as there is an official invitation, I will definitely participate in the dunk contest. I like dunking and am willing to participate in the dunk contest every year."
Yang Jian is not afraid of others saying he is a dunker. In this era, becoming the dunk king is the most popular thing. Kobe and Carter are so popular. In 1998, Kobe averaged 15 points per game and served as a substitute for the Lakers. Both were selected.
Western Conference All-Star starter.
In recent years, the NBA has had the fewest dunkers, and any self-throw and dunk can score 50 points. Yang Jian is confident that he will win the dunk king, which will surprise everyone.