บท 22: Chapter 19 The Interesting Young Man
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The ABCD Camp was held at the Rosman Center, which is the home venue for all sports teams at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Today, 220 basketball players from the 2001, 2002, and 2003 high school classes gathered here.
Sonny Vacarro gave his speech, which he had tirelessly repeated since 1986, talking about the present, the future, about the high school students themselves, and how significant this stage was for them.
Anyone who had seen the second part of "iPartment" would surely remember Zhang Wei, the head of an orphanage, who told the same story at every charity evening. He must have told it a million times, so he could recite it with genuine emotion. Vacarro did the same, listing three recent examples to resonate with the high school stars in the audience.
For Fei, it was the same old spiel.
He mentioned Garnett, whose massive contract needed no introduction; every person in the room dreamed of becoming a billionaire.
Then came Kobe, the hottest young superstar of the moment.
Finally, he brought up McGrady, who just last year signed a commercial endorsement that brought him an eight-figure annual income, a sum that was only a small part of his limitless financial prospects.
What was the most exciting event of the day?
It wasn't Vacarro's speech, but the arrival of a legendary figure.
The appearance of Kobe Bryant, the protagonist of Vacarro's stories, caused a stir on site.
For Fei, this scene was particularly stunning.
Because he came from 2023, even though the shadow of Kobe's passing had cleared, it was still one of the most impactful social events he had experienced in his previous life.
Surprisingly, Kobe, who entered the NBA straight out of high school, actually advised the young attendees to carefully consider skipping college: "Don't put all your eggs in one basket. I may have succeeded now, as have KG and T-Mac, but we've all faced challenges you can't imagine."
Hearing Kobe say this, Vacarro, who had just finished his impassioned story, almost turned black with irritation.
Vacarro had a dream, and that was to destroy the NCAA.
However, the NCAA, a behemoth in American society, was too big to fail, so his second dream was a compromise—to make NCAA basketball dull and lacking in star power.
It wasn't that Vacarro inherently clashed with college basketball; their feud had a long history going back to the mid-80s. As time progressed and their disputes sharpened, Vacarro vowed to send all the talented players to the NBA.
Unexpectedly, Kobe began to sing a different tune, but Vacarro couldn't say anything. How could he? Kobe was the most popular superstar of the moment. The Associated Press had said he matured, a perfect team player, and he would affectionately call him "Uncle Sonny" when they met. What could he do when the kid was being immature? Just laugh it off and cover it up.
Afterward, Kobe invited the high schoolers in the audience to ask him questions.
"Here's your chance, Fulai!" Roy whispered.
This was the first time Fei learned that there was such a thing as an "opportunity" here.
"What opportunity?"
"I'm gonna tell Kobe I'm his fan and get him to sign my jersey, shoes, underwear, socks…" Roy teased Fei.
Fei couldn't help but chuckle, "You could ask him to sign your butt, you might have a better chance at that."
Roy eagerly raised his hand, and his ambition caught Kobe's attention.
So, Kobe pointed at him.
"Yo, Kobe, I'm your fan."
Yo your mom, can you be normal?
Fei felt sad that he had to be friends with this idiot.
Seattle was so big, why did he have to know this person?
"Thank you, what's your question?" Kobe said, unfazed by Roy's flippancy.
Roy asked, "Can I get your autograph?"
Everyone at the site laughed.
Kobe couldn't possibly agree because once he did, everyone would make the same request.
"Only if you become the number one player in the camp."
Roy sat down and started muttering, "I knew he'd reject me. Good thing I'm not really his fan. I don't even like the guy; he's just a jerk protected by Shaq."
Exactly, spot on. Fei nodded with a smile.
A moment later, DeAngelo Collins, the most attention-grabbing player of the camp, raised his hand.
He was the type who naturally drew attention, even as the one asking a question, he was highly regarded.
Collins didn't act like a fan; instead, he saw himself as a star. So, he said, "Kobe, can you play one-on-one with me?"
"Not now," Kobe was aware of what he was thinking.
Collins persisted, "When can we?"
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Kobe Bryant had left a legend at the ABCD Camp of blowing away active NBA players, and if DeAngelo Collins could perform well in a one-on-one with Kobe, it would be a huge boon for him.
Kobe, with a smile on his face, told Collins, "When you enter the League, I'll beat you in every way possible,"
Apart from Collins' request for a one-on-one, the Q&A session was boring.
Yu Fei even wished for more prodigious youths like Roy.
Unfortunately, in a camp predominantly attended by black players, the Q&A session gave Kobe the feeling of being in a job interview.
He had a desire to break this dull deadlock.
So, he suddenly raised his hand.
"You want an autograph too?" Roy sneered, "I, the 58th ranked high school player in the United States, don't have one, so how could you, ranked 16th, get one?"
"Just a reminder, your ranking is from last year, and this year you've already fallen out of the mainstream rankings," Yu Fei responded.
"That's because they're blind!"
Roy exclaimed in a low growl, while Kobe nodded towards Yu Fei, who he also found quite special.
This was the only Asian face in the crowd.
"Hello, Mr. Bryant," Yu Fei deliberately projected the image of a nerdy Asian.
As he spoke, Yu Fei felt his pretentiousness skyrocket, wishing he had worn a pair of non-prescription glasses to complete the look.
"Hello," Kobe replied.
Kobe liked polite youngsters, as he had always been courteous since he was a child, and did not take to the black-style banter.
"May I ask you some questions about yourself?" Now, Yu Fei embodied the persona of an innocent and naive big boy.
Kobe, from years of dealing with the media, was cautious, but looking into Yu Fei's seemingly pure and admiring big, glistening eyes, how could such a youth set a trap for him?
"As long as it doesn't involve privacy..." Kobe played it safe.
"Umm..." Yu Fei still had the same demeanor, seemingly a fan who just wanted to know something he didn't, "Mr. Bryant, I have always been a loyal fan of yours, and I think you are the best player on the Lakers team. But Shaquille O'Neal is so annoying; he just stands in the paint and asks for the ball. He is lazy and fat, with no professional spirit. When are you going to replace him as the best player on the Lakers team?"
Sssss...
Brandon Roy wasn't the only one sucking in a breath of cold air.
He stared with wide eyes, trying to convey a message to Yu Fei: There will never be a "loyal" fan like you again!
Originally, Kobe's public disruption of Sonny Vacarro's event was irritating enough, and the Q&A was lulling to sleep. Unexpectedly, a pure-hearted big boy emerged from the crowd, playing his cards so unorthodoxly it gave Kobe a fierce gank.
"Who is that kid?" Vacarro asked, holding back a laugh.
"Er... from the looks of it... he should be the Kent boy Chris recommended."
Sonny remembered now, "Frye Yu?"
"Yes, that should be him."
The place fell silent, everyone holding their breath, waiting to see how Kobe would respond.
Kobe looked at Yu Fei seriously and asked, "Kid, what's your name?"
"I am Yu Fei from Kent." When Yu Fei said his name, he didn't use English but perfectly normal Chinese.
Kobe inwardly agreed with what Yu Fei had just said; that was exactly what he resented about Shaquille O'Neal.
But now, he couldn't just come out and say it. Otherwise, all the hard work the media had put into building his shining image would be wasted, wouldn't it?
Such are the hardships of being seen as a perfect team player made of paper, just so you know.
"The young man from Kent, you've asked a good question," Kobe hadn't a clue of Yu Fei's name, but he surely wouldn't forget his face, "If one day, Shaq says to me, 'Kobe, I don't want to carry the burden every night, you have to help me.' I'll tell him I'm ready, and that will be the beginning of becoming the best player on the Lakers team."
The pure-hearted big boy continued to ask, "What if Shaq never makes such a request?"
"That's okay, I'm only 21," Kobe suddenly turned into the most magnanimous second-in-command in history, "When I'm 28, how old will Shaq be? 40? My time will come!"
Yu Fei suddenly felt that the Associated Press's praise of Kobe was too restrained. They should see this—Kobe was fully into his role, believing himself to be the best second-in-command ever, pretending to have the patience to wait for Shaquille O'Neal to age, and feigning youth to miscalculate Shaq's age.
Let's delete from our memories how Smush Parker once set Kobe up, for Kobe's memory was not good at all!
"Thank you, I have no more questions," Yu Fei said.
Yu Fei sat down.
What an interesting young man! That's what Kobe thought at the time.
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