At 9 a.m., Zhang Yang took a taxi to the ATT Stadium and was led by the security guard to the training court, where he saw someone was already there!
Tim Duncan!
Duncan had just played in the All-Star game the day before yesterday and had returned from Los Angeles only yesterday. Though today's training was scheduled for the afternoon, he had come early in the morning.
Having returned to his peak after multiple career-threatening injuries and still being the stabilizing force of the team at the age of 40, Duncan's dedication was unmatched by anyone.
Duncan noticed someone had arrived, saw the newcomer was a handsome young man, nodded at him, and then continued with his training.
Zhang Yang stopped his greeting mid-action, afraid to disturb the other's training.
It wasn't about offending someone, but rather the fear of the evil overlord messing up his hair.
Soon, the security guard helped call over the trainer.
Zhang Yang gave the security guard a 5 US dollar tip.