The Best Point Guard-Chapter 87 - 19: [James’s Rant]

In the end, Su Xi decided against getting a custom-tailored suit. He didn’t have time for the hassle of repeated fittings. Besides, he wasn’t a fan of the baggy suits worn by players like Antonio and James—the kind that made them look like street hip-hop godfathers.

Instead, he went to Armani and bought a suit off the rack. It was a very slim-fitting set that perfectly accentuated his physique. The saleswoman couldn’t take her eyes off him. Su Xi saw her gulp a few times; she was obviously drooling over his body.

O’Connor, standing beside him, told Su Xi, "Boss, from what I know about women, she’s a D-cup. If you just give her your phone number, she’ll show up at your door tonight."

Su Xi said, "Just shut up."

O’Connor took the hint.

After buying the suit, Su Xi had O’Connor order a custom jersey.

After that, he returned to the hotel for an interview with China’s CCTV.

CCTV was taking Su Xi very seriously. His participation in the 2003 draft was a major event for Chinese sports.

Everyone was hoping that the highly-touted Chinese guard would be a high draft pick.

However, it was worth noting that the men’s national basketball team had declined to call up Su Xi, claiming there was still some paperwork to process.

When Su Xi heard the news, he said he understood.

Actually, Huang Xiaoman had already told him that some officials from the basketball association were hoping Su Xi would provide a "sponsorship."

Last year, it had taken a great deal of effort for Yao Ming to join the NBA. The Houston Rockets had to pay a hefty "development fee" and make numerous promises about Yao returning to play for the national team before he was finally allowed to leave.

In Su Xi’s case, however, they couldn’t claim to have had any part in his development, so they could only frame it as a "sponsorship." Su Xi rejected the offer. [Author’s Note: In the 2003 draft, a player named Xue Yuyang was actually selected by the Mavericks with the 57th pick. However, he was ultimately not permitted to leave China. The official reason was that he had "participated in the draft privately without authorization."]

The fans back home were following Su Xi’s journey closely. He smiled and answered all of the CCTV reporter’s questions.

They were all standard questions.

At the end of the interview, the reporter passed on a message from Yao Ming. Yao had already returned to China to prepare for his national team duties and had recorded a video congratulating Su Xi and wishing him an outstanding result in the 2003 draft.

Su Xi thanked the pioneer who had broken down so many prejudices in the NBA for Asians and for the Chinese people, making a huge name for himself in the process.

After the interview wrapped up and the cameras were off, the CCTV crew couldn’t resist gossiping with Su Xi. "Xiaosu," one of them asked, "what pick do you think you’ll be? The projections are all over the place. Last month, they said you’d go around 20th, but now people are saying you could be picked twelfth or thirteenth."

Su Xi shook his head. He really didn’t know.

The situation was a mess right now.

He could only take it one step at a time.

Just then, the reporter pulled out a piece of paper covered with draft predictions and analysis from fans back in China. He said to Su Xi, "The fans and experts back home are hoping you get picked somewhere in the fifth-to-seventh range."

"The Miami Heat are rebuilding. They’re a young squad, and even though they have some perimeter players, you’d still get plenty of opportunities. Their Point Guards are Anthony Carter and Mike James—neither of them could compete with you." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"The Clippers at number six wouldn’t be bad either; the fans back home like them. They say the Clippers’ roster is actually pretty good, with Brand on the inside and Maggette on the outside. The Point Guard, Andre Miller, is making a fuss about a big contract and might leave this summer. If you went there, you could be a starter right away. Plus, it’s Los Angeles, a huge market."

"The Chicago Bulls at seven would be even better. They’ve already rebuilt their frontcourt, with the reliable twin towers of Tyson Chandler and Eddie Curry. And... there was some unfortunate news last week. Their number two pick from last season, Point Guard Jay Williams, suffered a serious injury from a motorcycle accident..."

Su Xi was shocked to hear this.

He quickly asked, "What happened?"

Jay Williams was actually an old acquaintance of his. Jay Williams was New Jersey’s Mr. Basketball before Reggie Williams, and he was a year older than Su Xi. In his senior year, Su Xi, Reggie, and Scott had swept the team he led. Su Xi even crossed Williams up during a game, making him fall.

Back then, his name was Jason Williams, same as the NBA’s "White Chocolate," and some people even called him "Black Chocolate." Later, he changed his name from Jason to Jay and went to Duke. Reggie always joked that he decided to change his name because he was so embarrassed after Su Xi crossed him up.

Su Xi was stunned by the news.

He quickly had Huang Xiaoman look it up on the computer.

As he read the news report, he couldn’t hide the sorrow on his face. The article stated that on June 19, Jay Williams had crashed his Yamaha YZF-R6 motorcycle into a streetlight at the intersection of Belmont Avenue and Honore Street near Roscoe Village. Williams hadn’t been wearing a helmet, nor did he have a motorcycle license for the state of Illinois. Furthermore, riding a motorcycle was a violation of his contract with the NBA Bulls Team. His injuries included a fractured pelvis, a severed major nerve in his leg, and three torn ligaments in his left knee, including his ACL. He would need extensive physical therapy just to learn how to use his leg again.

Reading the report, Su Xi knew Jay’s career was over.

Su Xi was no longer in the mood to gossip with the reporters about the draft. The news about Jay Williams had brought up too many painful memories.