Carrying an old science teacher with him

Chapter 17: It's not my choice, it's yours.

"Come on, kid. You've only taken 100 shots, and you've only made 56. You know what? Back in my day, I had to train three times a day, and I had to make 100 shots each time before I was done."

"Footsteps, footsteps, footsteps, the most important thing is footwork. If you've ever played soccer, you should know how to find the right footwork. Don't think that footwork is unimportant in basketball because it involves the hands. Footwork is the most basic movement in all ball sports."

"The important thing is the rhythm, not always fast or always slow. You need to change your dribbling rhythm according to the defense. You may feel that you are fast, but in the NBA, there are many people who are faster than you."

"Talent is important, but does having talent mean you have everything? I know many talented players, but they never turned out as good as me. You have to put in the same amount of effort as your talent level, no, you have to put in more effort than your talent level to succeed."

"Do you know Shaquille O'Neal? Yeah, that fat guy. Have you seen his games? Yes, he's great, he's very talented, but he also wasted his talent, so in the end he's not as good as me."

"I hate him? Yes, I do hate him. The reason I hate him is because he's talented but doesn't know how to work hard. If he worked hard enough, we would win more championships."

"If he worked as hard as I do, I wouldn't take the ball from him because the game would be easy to win. But he doesn't work hard at all. Why should I tolerate him? My talent matches my effort, while his effort doesn't match his talent."

"You know what? He used to be very close to me. We talked about everything. He considered me his most important partner and someone he could trust. But he lost my trust. While I was training three times a day and honing my skills, what was he doing? He was recording albums, he was playing around with women, and he couldn't even control his own diet. Why should I tolerate someone like that?"

"I have never regretted breaking up with him, nor have I ever thought about reconciling with him."

These are some of the things that Lao Ke said to Wang Kai during the years they spent together, about shooting, training, basics, and that fat guy.

The relationship between men is sometimes purer than the relationship between men and women.

After a man and a woman break up, they might still be able to go back to sleeping together. But the relationship between two men, of course, can never go back to sleeping together. But often, they will become estranged and never speak to each other again.

After being possessed by Kobe Bryant, Wang Kai witnessed the love-hate relationship between Kobe and that fat guy in reality. He knew Kobe's character and personality very well, and he knew the extent of Kobe's disgust for the fat guy.

However, this is the choice he now faces.

"Kobe, which team do you think I should go to? The Heat or the Suns?"

After Kobe finished explaining the situation of each playoff team in the league, Wang Kai asked Kobe a very serious question.

"Go to the Heat. They're the champions this season, and they have a great roster. You'll quickly become an important member of the perimeter. Plus, I know a lot of that fat guy's secrets. You can build a good relationship with him, which will make it easier and faster for you to integrate into the team. After we win the championship, I can go and save Gigi and me even faster. It's good for both of us."

Old Ke in Wang Kai's space seemed very relaxed as he spoke, as if he had let go of all his emotions about that fat guy.

"Kobe, I know you didn't have much confidence in me at first. You didn't think I could make it to the NBA. You just wanted me to come to America and get closer to who I am today."

"But I also know that you value me a lot now, and you still place your unfulfilled hopes on me."

"I can tell you with certainty now that I love basketball. I love the feeling on the court, I love the sound of the basketball grazing the net, and I love the sense of glory and satisfaction after winning."

"Today, I want to say to you sincerely, thank you, thank you for letting me find basketball—the most important thing in my life."

"I know you've never forgiven that fatso. You despise his laziness and immaturity, and you look down on his attitude towards the game."

From the first time Wang Kai met Lao Ke, their way of getting along was somewhat strange.

At first, Kobe only treated Wang Kai as a tool, but later he had to rely on Wang Kai to save his and his daughter's future. It can be said that Kobe placed himself in a low position from the very beginning.

So when Grandmaster Wang Kai poked at his lungs, Lao Ke would always respond to Wang Kai with a mix of laughter and playful banter.

But after seven years together, even couples get "itchy," not to mention that Lao Ke practically lives in Wang Kai's mind, meaning they've spent far more time together than most couples.

So after seven years of getting along, Wang Kai had figured out what kind of person Lao Ke was. He knew that Lao Ke had always tolerated his offenses and his audacity.

"So what are you trying to say? You fucking want to draft the Suns? Just for my ridiculous pride? Sorry, kid, I've let it go now. What I want most right now is for you to go to that damn Los Angeles, find me now, slap him across the face, and tell that bastard, 'If you ever dare to ride in a helicopter again, I'll break your legs.' Got it, kid? I just want to save my daughter, even though she's not born yet."

Hearing Wang Kai's serious words, Lao Ke appeared very angry and lost his composure.

"I understand, Kobe. You still don't trust me. You don't think I have the ability to change anything. You know the future, so you want me to take shortcuts, to take the path you know. But can you guarantee that this path will actually go the way you know and want it to?"

"Originally, without me in the NBA, I might have continued down that soccer dream, only to suffer setbacks and eventually become an ordinary person, like my dad, running a restaurant and drinking with this person and that person every day. But now that I'm about to join the NBA, do you think my future path will still be the same as you imagined?"

"So, Kobe, the choice isn't mine, it's yours. Do you choose to believe in my abilities, in your years of hard work and dedication, in the skills you've honed by humbly training with me, or do you choose to believe in the story you already know, the future you already know? Choose, Kobe, do you believe I can change the future, or do you believe in an uncertain shortcut?"