No.1 in basketball scoring-Chapter 119 - 87. Is it that he can’t teach? It’s those useless trash who can’t learn themselves!_3

Chapter 119: 87. Is it that he can’t teach? It’s those useless trash who can’t learn themselves!_3

He approached Gerald Wallace and asked, "Gerald, do you like basketball?"

For an NBA player, that question was a bit offensive, but seeing that it came from a 17-year-old kid, a sense of social responsibility welled up in Gerald Wallace.

Gerald Wallace thought for a moment and replied cautiously, "Whether I like it or not, once you take on a job, you should devote all your passion to doing it the best you can. If you do like it, you should work even harder. Otherwise, you’ll regret it when you grow up."

Zhang Yang: "Hmm, so that’s a no. What profession did you originally want to pursue?"

Gerald Wallace was briefly at a loss for words and asked, "Jack, are you doing a survey for your social studies class?"

Zhang Yang: "That’s a good idea. I remember the business school has a social survey assignment. Gerald, you’re a great interview subject. I already have my assignment topic—The Impact of Preferences on Work Attitude."

With a resigned smile, Gerald Wallace said, "My initial dream was to become a police officer. Then I fell in love with football. My high school coach said I had the talent to play in the NFL, but the basketball coach also approached me, saying I had the talent to play in the NBA. After checking, I found that the average NBA salary was higher, so I switched to basketball, and eventually, I made it into the NBA."

Zhang Yang had heard that the pay for lower-tier NBA players was the best among the four major leagues, like how NFL rookie contracts are only 50%-60% of equivalent NBA rookie contracts. However, top NFL players earn very high salaries, especially with contracts that are notably long—early this century, some quarterbacks received 10-year contracts worth 200 million dollars, with top players also able to add up to 60% of their salary in various bonuses. Jordan’s salary of 30 million US dollars in the ’90s was exceptionally high compared to that of other sports during the same period.

Moreover, an NFL team has far more players, and they have to divide into first and second teams... The average salary figures really do look less attractive compared to a maximum of 15 players in the NBA.

Zhang Yang: "Thank you for clearing up my doubts."

It was somewhat abrupt but very polite... Gerald Wallace found Zhang Yang to be a quite unique 17-year-old kid.

Gerald Wallace had a very good impression of Zhang Yang, but another star player on the team gave Zhang Yang an uncomfortable vibe—Emeka Okafor.

When Zhang Yang first met Okafor, he sensed a kind of unspoken arrogance from him.

Okafor was very polite when he spoke, a rarity in the team, but since returning to the team a few days ago, he had always kept to himself. Despite invitations from teammates to dine or hang out, he politely declined... as if he were saying you aren’t worthy to be with me.

If Zhang Yang were not in need of favor, he would never flatter someone who was cold to him. He initially didn’t think about getting on good terms with Okafor, considering him just another colleague.

It wasn’t until the end of August, after a training session, while Zhang Yang was in the locker room reading an economics textbook, that Okafor, who came to the locker room to read as well, started a conversation with him. Once he learned Zhang Yang had skipped his senior year of high school to go directly to college, his attitude changed 180 degrees.

Only then did Zhang Yang realize his initial feelings were not mistaken; Okafor indeed looked down on teammates who couldn’t even get a college degree.

And the one he looked down on the most was Zhang San; Okafor thought he didn’t even have a high school diploma.

Okafor’s contempt for others had a basis; after ending his junior year in college, he entered the NBA prematurely because he had completed his thesis defense ahead of schedule during his first semester junior year, securing his bachelor’s degree in finance a year early from UConn. Otherwise, he would have chosen to finish college, and he was currently self-studying for a master’s degree, following his idol, Tim Duncan, who earned his master’s degree in psychology in 2002 through self-study.

Learning that Zhang Yang was not only not a dropout but an actively self-studying college student even while in the NBA, Okafor became much more amicable.

But even though his attitude had changed, Zhang Yang still found Okafor difficult to get along with. The inherent disdain for the ’uneducated’ that seeped from his bones made them inharmonious companions. He chose not to get closer and maintained just a collegial, casual friendship instead.

Although Duncan might seem harder to get along with on the surface, and perhaps truly was, he harbored a nonconformist spirit. Zhang Yang planned to wait a couple of years for the nonconformist era to pass and then select some photos to send to Duncan.

However, Okafor had one trait that made a deep impression on Zhang Yang; they had a meal together, and he saw that Okafor’s appetite was almost three times his own... and he was a 17-year-old still growing!

The team’s other notable player, former Yugoslavian center Brezec, was extremely cautious. A big guy at 218 cm, the tallest in the team, yet he had a face that looked easy to bully and a soft personality, lacking any of the typical Slavic fierceness. As for other impressive teammates... there were no others.

Brevin Knight—Zhang Yang couldn’t quite decide whether this teammate was impressive or not. Except for his speed, Zhang Yang didn’t see any impressive skills during training, but that couldn’t be all that bad since last season he averaged nine assists per game. Even though it didn’t seem to help the team’s offense much, getting that many assists still required skill.

Zhang Yang didn’t like Brevin Knight because he once suggested taking him to a nightclub... to work as a bouncer.

After getting to know all his teammates, he felt that Deng was the most suitable to be friends with; just out of college, Deng always had such a pure, clear look in his eyes...

Other teammates either treated him like a kid, were irked by his age, or ignored him... it was quite a revelation of the different personalities among NBA players.

Oh, right, there’s also Deng’s new protégé—Alan Anderson, whose eyes were also so clear and pure.

Anderson came from the prestigious University of Michigan. He went undrafted this year, but after showing promise in the summer league, he secured a one-year, 400,000 US dollar non-guaranteed contract with the Bobcats.

He was 198 cm tall and weighed 93 kg, had reasonable physical fitness, and very solid defensive fundamentals.

Zhang Yang and Anderson sparred once. It wasn’t much of a match, but Anderson’s offense was spectacularly bad; even against Zhang Yang, he couldn’t perform well, and it took them over ten minutes to score ten points.

After that sparring session, Zhang Yang considered Anderson the most suitable sparring partner, and Anderson likewise enjoyed competing against him...

Zhang Yang and Alan Anderson reveled in the thrill of their intense matches, hopelessly addicted, while Felton was speechless at the sight, calling them both scrubs!

Felton was also a bit disgruntled—"Jack! You need to explain why you’re always bickering when playing one-on-one with me, but you’re so polite with this scrub? You don’t care about the boss’s feelings, do you?"

...

...

Seeking monthly votes! Seeking recommendation tickets! freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Follow current novels on freewe(b)novel.c(o)m