For most players, scoring 60 points in a single game is an incredibly rare feat.
In fact, Wade has achieved this remarkable feat an astonishing 13 times, surpassing Kobe Bryant and ranking second in NBA history.
The only player ahead of Wade is the ancient beast, Wilt Chamberlain, who has scored 60+ points 22 times.
However, considering that Wade has not even completed two full seasons in the league, and even including the playoffs, he has played less than 200 games and has already achieved 13 60-point games. Wade's scoring ability is unparalleled in history.
After this game, Wade's average points per game increased by a full point, surpassing LeBron James to top the scoring leaderboard.
"A player like Wade..." Duncan muttered after the game, seemingly lost in thought.
Parker didn't quite catch Duncan's words and asked, "What did you say?"
"I said..." Duncan paused, then continued, "I'm planning to retire after this season."
"What??" This time, the entire Spurs team heard him.
Popovich's face turned serious, and he remained silent. Even if Duncan retired now, he would still be considered one of the top ten players in NBA history, perhaps even the greatest power forward of all time.
"Thank you, Uncle Wade!" As Wade walked towards the players' tunnel, the little girl with the Barbie doll approached him and apologized, "I miscalculated, Uncle. You had already scored 60 points earlier."
"Hehe~" Wade ruffled the girl's hair and continued walking towards the tunnel.
This little girl not only had poor math skills but also lacked common sense. There were no Barbie dolls sold in the arena, yet she had one right after the game ended. It was clear that her mother had prepared the doll in advance, regardless of whether Wade would score 60 points or not, ensuring that the girl would get her beloved Barbie doll.
It was quite bold of this Suns fan to show up at the Spurs' home court.
...
In mid-January, the All-Star voting concluded, and the starting lineup was announced.
This year's All-Star starters were somewhat surprising yet not entirely unexpected.
The Western Conference starters were Wade, Huang Yu, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, and Kevin Love.
The Eastern Conference starters were LeBron James, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Kyrie Irving.
In the third round of voting, Huang Yu surpassed Kobe Bryant in votes, becoming the second-highest vote-getter among Western Conference guards. In the Eastern Conference, the starting guards were not confirmed until the fourth round, when Irving's votes surpassed Chris Paul, making him the Eastern Conference All-Star starter.
Kobe Bryant has been plagued by injuries in recent years, resulting in a significant decline in his performance.
Although he was initially among the top three scorers at the beginning of the season, he has now dropped to sixth place. However, Kobe has a massive fan base, and making the All-Star starting lineup should have been a given.
Unfortunately, Kobe and Huang Yu's positions overlapped.
Chinese fans are incredibly passionate. In the past, when Yi Nan didn't make it into the top 60 voting list, fans almost voted him into the All-Star game. Now, with Huang Yu leading the Warriors to a fourth-place standing in the Western Conference, the fans' enthusiasm is even higher.
Huang Yu has become the third Chinese player after Yao Ming and Wade to establish himself in the NBA.
Of course, compared to Wade, Huang Yu still has a long way to go. However, this didn't stop Chinese fans from rallying behind Huang Yu and voting him into the All-Star starting lineup.
If it weren't for Li Pei and Gu Qi not even making the top 60 voting list, the fans would have voted them into the All-Star game as well.
As for the Eastern Conference, Derrick Rose suffered a knee injury during a layup attempt in the middle of the season. Doctors advised him to rest for at least 2-3 months, and he wouldn't be able to return until the end of the season. This injury also affected his All-Star votes.
As for Chris Paul, his situation was quite unfortunate. Last year, in the Western Conference, he couldn't make the All-Star starting lineup due to the presence of Wade and Kobe.
This year, in the Eastern Conference, he should have easily made the starting lineup based on his popularity. However, in the final stages of voting, his votes were surpassed by the flashy Kyrie Irving.
...
On January 22nd, the Suns hosted the Milwaukee Bucks.
Before the game, all the Suns players were notified to arrive at the arena in the morning.
For home games, players usually arrived at the arena in the afternoon on non-training days, warmed up briefly, and then waited for the evening game to start.
"Why are we coming to the arena so early?"
"Are we getting some benefits?"
"I think we're filming something... Look, the cameras are all set up."
"Chatter, chatter..."
"Mumble, mumble..."
Wade arrived at the arena with Li Jiajia. The day before yesterday, Li Jiajia had come to Phoenix with Wei Hua to spend the Chinese New Year with Wade.
This time, they brought a large group, including Wade's grandparents, great-grandparents, and even Li Jiajia's family... Wade's villa was suddenly filled with over ten people, making the spacious villa feel crowded.
This made Wade think about getting a bigger house.
"What are you all chatting about?" Wade asked as he held Li Jiajia's hand and walked over with a smile.
"Good morning, Brother Dong! Good morning, Sister-in-law!"
"Good morning, Brother Dong! Good morning, Sister-in-law!"
"Good morning, Brother Dong! Good morning, Sister-in-law!"
The teammates greeted Wade and Li Jiajia enthusiastically. Durant said, "We were discussing why we were called to the arena so early today."
"What could it be?" Wade asked.
"We want you to send New Year's greetings to all Chinese people worldwide," Wade replied.
"Oh, I see." The Suns players finally understood.
With just a few days left until the Spring Festival, many NBA stars had recorded greeting videos for the Chinese audience, including LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, and Russell Westbrook.
As the 'Chinese Team,' the Suns needed to record a greeting video as a team.
At around 8 a.m., Coach Zhang arrived at the Western Arena, accompanied by a female host. She was tall and slender, with a sweet appearance. According to Wade's scoring standards, she would easily score 80 out of 120 points.
"Good morning, Brother Dong!"
"Good morning, Sister-in-law!"
The girl stood behind Coach Zhang and greeted Wade and Li Jiajia enthusiastically, secretly admiring Li Jiajia's stunning beauty in her heart.
Coach Zhang introduced her, "This beauty is our field reporter, a fresh university graduate. You can just call her Xiao Bei."
"Hmm..."
Wade nodded slightly, not paying too much attention to the girl named 'Xiao Bei.'
The Suns players were already dressed in red sweaters with the Wade Sports logo and the Suns team logo.
"Hello to all Chinese fans! I'm Kevin Durant, wishing you a happy new year and happiness for your families!"
"Hey, here's Curry wishing you all success in the new year!"
"..."
"Happy New Year, and may you achieve all your goals!"
Finally, the entire Suns team stood together to send their New Year's greetings for the Year of the Horse.
...
At 7 p.m., the Suns hosted the Pelicans at home.
"Beep!!!"
The game began with the sound of the referee's whistle.
...
"Beep!!!"
The game ended with another whistle from the referee.
The final score was 113-90!
The Suns easily defeated the Pelicans at home.