The Best Point Guard-Chapter 90 - 20: The Draft Begins

Most importantly, Su Xi’s promotional video was censored with a mosaic blur!

Can you believe it? A mosaic blur!

The blur was there because when Mike O’Connor said he was taking the videotape to a TV station, Su Xi told him to blur out the opposing player, Banks.

Without the blur, no one would have paid much attention. With the blur... everyone knew exactly who it was.

And the fact that this videotape appeared on an adult channel was, in itself, a hell of a thing.

Who would have thought that after watching a spectacular clash of bodies, you could then watch an equally spectacular basketball promo?

"You can even watch basketball on Playboy TV. David Stern should give Jack an award for Best Basketball Salesman."

Su Xi turned on the TV. He wanted to watch some news about the draft, since he was participating in it tomorrow.

Then, on the TNT Channel, he saw the commentators laughing their heads off.

Kenny Smith said, "Without a doubt, this is a genius idea. I have a friend who was bored out of his mind last night and turned on channel 974. When he saw a basketball promo, he was completely stunned. He thought he was seeing things... but without a doubt, this is a stroke of genius. Little Sheep Su Xi. Good, I... that friend of mine remembered the name."

"He’s the GOAT of adult channel content. I’m telling you, Michael Jordan always wanted to be on the cover of Playboy; he wanted to show off his sexy side. But he never managed it. Now, seeing Little Sheep Su Xi, he’s deeply moved. Finally, a basketball player has done something he couldn’t." Charles Barkley was also joking about his friend Jordan.

Only Earl Johnson was being serious: "Without a doubt, this was a fantastic promotion. It’s better than many players who go around making big claims and provoking various NBA players. This is perfect exposure for Jack’s draft prospects. His team has once again proven they are skilled at packaging players and closing the distance between players and ordinary fans."

"Don’t underestimate this promotion. Most fans are subscribers to late-night pay-per-view channels, and the more die-hard the fan, the more likely they are to pay. This was a vertical promotion directly targeting the basketball fanbase. After this exposure, the name Little Sheep Su Xi has gained more recognition than if he dropped 50+ points in an NBA game."

"..."

Su Xi’s phone rang. He checked it. It was a message from Allen Goodwin: "Jack, your team is incredible. This is an unprecedented promotional case. It’s penetrated deep into the fanbase, something no NBA star has ever thought of. This has surpassed the effect of Nike’s two weeks of promotional packaging for LeBron."

Uh...

Su Xi was stunned.

Half an hour later, he appeared in Mike O’Connor’s room.

O’Connor was extremely excited. He said to Su Xi, "Boss, look! I received an ad offer from Durex."

Huh?

Su Xi was caught completely off guard.

"My friends told me it was a huge success. At least 10 million paid subscribers across the country saw your basketball promo. Everyone remembers you vividly."

"Playboy wants to invite you for a promotional photoshoot to feature in their magazine for women. What do you think? Boss, wasn’t that a beautiful play? We nailed the male and female demographics in one go," Mike O’Connor said smugly.

Su Xi thought for a moment, then said, "Hmm, not bad."

He forgot that he had come over to chew O’Connor out.

It had to be said, this promotion had achieved truly disruptive results.

When LeBron James saw Su Xi again, he couldn’t help but say, "Bro, why didn’t you include me in something this cool?"

Su Xi reached out and patted his head. "You’re the Chosen One. You shouldn’t be associated with adult channels. It would be bad for your image."

James thought about it seriously, then nodded.

If Su Xi had told him about it beforehand and asked him to join, he definitely would have refused. After all, who could have known it would be this effective?

Besides, a big reason for the promotion’s success was Su Xi’s good looks.

The audience for adult channels is very picky about looks.

Some viewers won’t even watch performers with tattoos.

With James’s looks, if he appeared on an adult channel, he could only play a monster in the fetish category.

"The draft is tomorrow. Are you nervous?" James asked Su Xi.

Su Xi said, "I’m alright, not nervous. You?"

"I’ve already figured out what I’m going to say when I’m the first one to go up," James said with a smile. Then he said to Su Xi, "I think you should also prepare a speech for when you go on stage. You should probably mention my name. There might be a surprise, you know."

"You’re so cocky," Su Xi said, rolling his eyes at James in annoyance.

Just then, Wade and Anthony came over.

The four of them were reunited and chatted happily, teasing Su Xi about his adult channel promo for a bit. Then, filled with ambition, they began to look toward the future. James, Wade, and Anthony were full of drive, each convinced that once they entered the NBA, they would take the league by storm, shatter the old guard, and establish a new world order.

Su Xi, in contrast, remained much more low-key. He said his current goal was just to make it into the league, compete against as many superstars and prodigies as possible, and focus on improving his own skills.

"You still want to be the Genius Ender." Even Wade knew Su Xi’s nickname and joked, "Just don’t you go ending me, I’m no genius."

If Little Elf weren’t dormant, Su Xi really would have asked it to run a scan on this humblebragger.

James made the final declaration: "Brothers, the four of us have to lock down four spots on the All-Rookie Team next season. I’m sure we can do it."

...

At 3:30 PM on June 26, 2003, Su Xi, dressed in a suit and followed by a CCTV camera crew, walked into the Madison Square Garden Theater with Huang Xiaoman, Mike O’Connor, and Qin Xing.

Reporters weren’t allowed backstage. Su Xi soon ran into Larry Bird, who secretly shot him a meaningful glance, confirming his certainty that something incredible was going to happen tonight.

Su Xi nodded back.

Before signing the sponsorship deal with Nike, he hadn’t really considered joining any team other than the Pacers. He felt the Pacers were very strong, and with him on the team, they could definitely win a championship within five years. Moreover, Bird’s ’Super Distance Talent’ made him drool.

However, after signing the contract with Nike, Su Xi began to feel that going to a strong team might be detrimental to his personal development. Strong teams all play within a system, and if he didn’t have the power to transcend that system, rashly joining one could easily turn him into a utility player.

And the clauses in the Nike contract included: making the All-Rookie Team in his first season, being named Player of the Week at least three times in his first two seasons, making the All-Star team within his first three seasons, and being named Player of the Month at least four times in his first five seasons.

To meet these clauses, being just a team player wouldn’t be enough.

So, after entering the venue, Su Xi felt a strange sense of unease.

He had no idea what kind of turn his destiny would take tonight.

Would it be the Pacers, or some other team?

Time slowly ticked by, and a war without gunpowder was also beginning.

For rookies like Su Xi, this was a make-or-break moment that could change their lives forever.

For the NBA teams choosing them, it was also a huge gamble that would decide their future success or failure. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The decisions they made tonight would be judged by time and history.

Who would be the one to pick a true hidden gem, and who would be nailed to the pillar of shame and ridiculed?

The annual draft began.

...