Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog-Chapter 628: Julian Barker

The boys were back in the buffet now. Their table was filled with so much food that other athletes turned toward their way.

"Is their tournament finished?"

"I think they still have one more game."

"Dang, it must be nice to be young and have a fast metabolism."

The boys ate without minding the others' stares. Swimming got them very hungry—even more so than when they play basketball.

"Are you sure you've never played volleyball before?" Max asked. "You had a pretty good receive."

Kai shook his head. "I've never had any interest in other sports. The Shizi Snakes tried to recruit me several times before, too, but I refused every time."

"The Shizi Snakes?" Max exclaimed. "Then, you must be good at it. Justin does not play with football."

Kai shrugged. However, the others continued to grumble.

"I really am an incomplete athlete," Jian muttered. "I have a long way to go."

Jimmy sighed and leaned against his seat. "I don't even want to say anything."

Max placed his hand on Jimmy's shoulder. "I've been there too," he said. "I thought I could beat Kai, but this dude transforms into a complete different person every time I play with him."

Kai chuckled in amusement as he listened to their conversation.

They continued to eat when suddenly, Zheng made a strangled noise. His mouth was full, so he pointed to his phone without saying a word.

"What?" Jian asked, glancing at him.

Zheng quickly swallowed his food before gesturing for them to come closer.

"Julian Barker is being interviewed right now," he said.

"Julian Barker," Kai muttered. It was a pretty famous name. In fact, it has become a household name for the past two years.

He wasn't called a legend like Steven Murr, who had been playing for 21 seasons in the international league. He also wasn't all-star like Romeo King.

Julian Barker was a relatively new name. He was the youngest recruit for the New York Nobles, the reigning champion of the most popular international league in the entire world.

He was fresh out of high school when he was recruited, and he had become a starting player starting last year. At the age of 21, he had cemented his name in the basketball world.

However, along with that was his cocky attitude. He was a fairly good-looking guy and had been going around dating Hollywood starlets. They had heard some pretty juicy stuff about him—how he was entitled, hopped from one girl to another, and made some pretty discriminatory remarks.

However, some of them didn't have tangible evidence and were presented as hearsay. Most of all, those issues were overshadowed by his basketball skills.

"So, you have become a key player even if this is your first Global Games," the interviewer started off.

A smirk made its way to his lips. "Well, that is expected, right? We've always placed in the Global Games. In fact, we're the reigning champions for how many seasons now?"

"12," the reporter answered.

Julian chuckled, leaning against his seat. "Just what I thought."

Max clicked his tongue. "I don't like this guy at all," he muttered. "He's acting like he was the one who bagged those championships."

"Yeah, I hate this guy," Jian said, crossing his arms in front of her chest. "What a show-off."

That led the other guys to look at him.

Jian turned to them with raised eyebrows. "What?" he asked. "Did I say something wrong?"

Jimmy sighed and shook his head. "You were like that before, cocky bastard."

Jimmy was met with the same stares.

"It's the blind leading the blind, I tell you," Zheng muttered. "The two of you were like that before we went to the Global Games."

"Jimmy was like that until the last game, though," Max chimed.

Jimmy clicked his tongue. "Stop lying. We're as annoying as this guy right here?"

Kai, Max, and Zheng nodded without any hesitation.

Jian pursed his lips as he stared at the screen. "You know what?" he muttered. "I'm actually happy you defeated us," he said to Kai. "If I was like this before, then I deserved a good beating!"

Kai shook his head in amusement.

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"Shh," he said. "He's being asked another question."

"Now, what do you think about your opponent for the finals? I know it has become a controversial topic. Nobody expected Team China to make it this far. However, you guys are set to play with them tomorrow. How do you feel?"

Jian's cocky expression didn't change. In fact, he raised his chin even higher.

"Oh, it's Team China we're competing with?" he asked.

"Weren't you aware?" the interviewer asked, perplexed.

Julian shook his head. "I don't even monitor the other games. All I know is that we'd devour anyone who would come our way. Although, I was expecting either Australia or France to be competing against us in the Finals."

"However, this is actually good news," he smirked, leaning against the table. "It just means we will have an easier time in the finals. I've actually been pretty tired because of the hectic schedules. Aside from that, I have to go back to the US after the awarding ceremony to join my team in the off-season."

"So, you don't feel threatened at all?" the interviewer asked.

"No," Julian smirked, causing the five young men to narrow their eyes.

"Should we be offended?" Max asked.

Kai shook his head. "It's his opinion," he said, not minding it. "We should respect other people's opinions."

However, his response to the next question made Kai swallow his words.

"At this moment, the hottest basketball athlete is Kai Guo. He has been making a lot of noise this couple of days. What can you say about his playing style?"

Julian's face turned serious. "Kai Guo? I've heard of him."

"However, he's honestly not worth mentioning. I don't know if the standard of basketball in other countries has gone down. However, to be beaten by a kid like that—one who looks like he hasn't even reached puberty yet—they should be ashamed."