The stars who were going to participate in the game arrived in San Antonio one after another and checked into the same hotel. People who were not playing could also join in the fun, but they had to buy their own tickets.
The SuperSonics' role players didn't come, and they took this opportunity to rest at home. The Bulls' role players also didn't come, because they wanted to recover their strength, maintain their condition, and hit the NBA regular season record in the second half.
Friday morning is media day, and stars go to designated venues one after another for interviews. The current All-Star Weekend is relatively easy for players. In the future, there will be three consecutive days of activities, which will consume a lot of energy from the stars.
The stars have to come. This is the best opportunity to increase exposure. Only when stars perform well will they have the opportunity to endorse big brands, which can increase a lot of income.
Yang Jian is the most popular star among stars after Jordan, attracting a large number of reporters. He is a kind of fresh blood for the NBA, and is an unprecedented sensation at home and abroad.
Because he is a rookie and even undrafted, how amazing is it to be the star vote leader in the Western Conference now? Even if he is still a starter in the Eastern Conference, his votes are higher than Anfernee Hardaway.
And this is different from the parallel world where Yao Ming became an All-Star starter in his rookie season. Yang Jian received votes from North American fans. Currently, Chinese fans have no way to vote.
After leaving the hotel, cameras and reporters would follow Yang Jian wherever he went. When he arrived at the press conference, Shaquille O'Neal weirdly acted as a bodyguard for him at the door to disperse the reporters.
"Yang! Don't you hate these things? Brother, put the camera away! The interview hasn't started yet." O'Neal said, waving his hand and pretending to take pictures of the reporter's camera.
As soon as he entered the league, this person was a live treasure. He would make jokes whenever he got the chance, and he especially stole the spotlight.
Yang Jian wore a calvinklein blue suit and looked like an entertainment star about to walk on the red carpet. He didn't go to the venue with his two SuperSonics teammates, so he didn't expect to run into O'Neal.
"Thank you, brother, nice to meet you." Yang Jian shook hands with O'Neill.
"You know me?" O'Neill pretended to be surprised.
"How could I not know you? Shakur, your dominance in the penalty area is unparalleled. I am your number one fan, and I most admire you for starring in a djinn who forces children to make wishes!" Yang Jian said with a smile.
"Haha, did you know that I starred in a movie last summer? In fact, I starred in another one recently."
"I also know about this movie. There are reports in the news that you played Superman's friend Colossus."
O'Neill felt that he could talk to Yang Jian very well and asked: "Do you have a mobile phone number? We can leave each other's phone numbers."
"certainly."
The two exchanged phone numbers and let reporters take photos. Yang Jian looked very thin standing next to O'Neal, but he didn't mind. He is not a player who relies on his height to play. If he were an opponent on the court, O'Neal would also defend him.
Very uncomfortable.
The two stars from the East and West met in a very harmonious atmosphere. After chatting at the door for a while, they decided to enter the venue for a separate interview. The reporters couldn't wait.
"Contact me when you have time, although I know you are not my number one fan. My number one fan is in Orlando. He wears underwear with a shark head on the front. He likes to wear only underwear under the basket when watching games to interfere with the opponent's free throws."
"Okay, he won. I think your fans are not disturbing but sexual harassment..."
The reporters at the door felt lucky. The video and conversation between the two were broadcast as news, which was very interesting.
As long as Yang Jian doesn't go to the Lakers and compete with O'Neal as teammates for the boss, he likes this fat man very much. O'Neal is a dark man with a height of 216cm and a weight of more than 130 kilograms, but he has a funny heart and is a very nonsensical person.
It would be fun to be friends with such a person, but being a teammate would affect his historical status. No matter which team he played for when he was young, O'Neal would always be the team's big brother, not the little brother.
O'Neal is also the target of the league's strong support. Except for the idiots in the Magic management team and the fans of Anfernee Hardaway, almost everyone knows this.
Yang Jian came to Star Weekend to play, and immediately thought that asking O'Neal to perform on the court would be more eye-catching. In this way, not only would his team have someone to cooperate with him, but his opponents would also have them. Their ruckus for one or two rounds would not affect the outcome of the game.
Negative, the fans will definitely like it.
After Yang Jian found a seat and sat down, reporters immediately surrounded him.
There were so many cameras and reporters around him. Only one Asian player in the world could receive such treatment in the United States. There were cameras pointed at his shoes and some pointed at his fingernails. It was really crazy.
The reporters all wanted to dig up news about him. TV reporter Guo Zhen and the cameraman were stunned and could only stand on the outside. Fortunately, they could interview Yang Jian exclusively, so there was no need to worry.
A reporter asked: "Now that the season is halfway through, you are still competing with Jordan for the scoring title and regular season MVP. What do you think?"
"It doesn't matter. What I'm most happy about is that the SuperSonics are currently ahead of the Bulls. If we get the best record in the league in the regular season, we will always have home court advantage entering the playoffs. My goal is the championship, not the scoring title and the regular season.
mvp, if Jordan finally wins the personal honor and I win the championship, I believe he will want to trade with me."
Another reporter asked: "Do you have any special feelings about participating in the All-Star Game for the first time?"
"My impression is that this is my first time participating. I will definitely participate many times in the future until I retire." Yang Jian showed extraordinary self-confidence.
Reporters immediately felt that he was comparing himself to Jordan. After Jordan entered the league, except for the seriously injured season and the mid-term comeback in the 1994-95 season, Jordan was selected as an All-Star and started every game.
If you are not a person with great confidence, who dares to say that you will always participate in the All-Star Game in the future? The player's condition will decline.
This is big news, and reporters are planning to report Yang Jian's true words. If he does it in the future, he will be a superstar. If he doesn't do it, the media can mention the old story again in the future and talk about today's events.
A female reporter asked: "Will you go all out in the All-Star game? Which star do you most want to challenge?"
Yang Jian said seriously: "I most want to challenge Shaquille O'Neal. Many people say that I can't post up and my strength is overestimated. Therefore, I want to prove myself by playing behind O'Neal in the game."
The reporters all laughed, this answer was so funny.
Players participating in the All-Star Game for the first time will be asked this question. Almost all of them will talk about their senior stars in the same position, praise other players, and be polite first.
Yang Jian's answer was quite innovative. They couldn't imagine what it would be like for Yang Jian to hit O'Neal from behind. If it really happened, the scene would be absolutely hilarious.
Isn't this more interesting than challenging Jordan and Hardaway? Reporters are somewhat expecting him to do this in the main game.
The reporter asked: "Will you compete for the All-Star Game MVP?"
Yang Jian shook his head. "I won't deliberately fight for anything. I am the youngest player in this All-Star Game, and everyone has more experience than me. I will try my best to create opportunities for my teammates, especially David Robinson, who is here
’s home ground.”
Reporters all feel that Yang Jian understands the culture of the NBA very well. There is an unwritten rule in the All-Star Game. Home stars will get more shooting opportunities, because the home fans definitely want to see their stars perform well.
David Robinson was last season's regular season MVP and the only player selected by the Spurs. He should take more shots.
Local reporters also mentioned Sean Elliott. He averaged 20 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game but was not selected for the All-Star Game. "Some people say that you squeezed him out of the Western Conference All-Star Team. What do you think?"
"He is a small forward, how could I squeeze him out? He is very strong, but when we played against the Spurs, I almost never played against him. The substitute lineup was selected by the coach. It really has nothing to do with me.
"Yang Jian won't take this kind of blame. What should I do if the home fans don't like him?"
The Chinese reporter asked: "Do you have anything to say to the Chinese fans?"
Yang Jian immediately changed to speak Mandarin and switched seamlessly. "The Rookie Game and All-Star Game are very exciting. Please pay attention to watch on time. There will also be a dunk contest tomorrow. I will do a dunk action that has never been done by anyone. If you like dunks,