"Guys, are you all ready? Today is your most important day... You will kick the butts of those sophomores hard later. I am looking forward to you... ..."
In the locker room, Gary Payton, the head coach of the first-year team in the rookie game, finally appeared.
As a league legend, his voice had already reached the locker room before he showed up. When the young players saw the old man taking action, they quickly stopped playing and focused their attention on him.
Gary Payton entered the locker room under everyone's gaze. His eyes were very sharp. After scanning everyone, he specifically focused on Zhao Feiyang.
His expression seemed a little displeased.
However, he didn't say anything and quickly looked away from Zhao Feiyang.
The game was about to start. After a few brief remarks, Gary Payton arranged the starting lineup and then led the players of the freshman team towards the infield.
Of course, Zhao Feiyang was not in the starting lineup. However, what surprised him was that Steven Scott, who had lost to him, was regarded as a treasure by the old guy Gary Payton and was specially assigned to the second starting position.
In the arena, the lights kept flashing, and when the first-year players came out one after another, the fans at the scene screamed and shouted.
The first person to appear was Michael Carter. He was the most famous among this group of rookies, so he received quite enthusiastic cheers.
"Michael!"
"You are the best!"
"Man, you will definitely be the MVP of the rookie game!"
Michael Carter also raised his head and greeted the audience who supported him with a look like "Labor and management are really awesome".
The next person to appear was Steven Scott.
The applause that greeted him was not much, but some fans who liked him also gave him applause, but there was obviously a gap compared with "popular kings" like Michael Carter.
The third player to walk out is Giannis Antetokounmpo, a Greek player who was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 15th overall pick.
His performance this season was average and his defense was pretty good, but he was lacking in other aspects, averaging only 6.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
He may have top-notch potential, but at this time, he is just a small character who has not yet grown up.
There was not much applause when he entered the stadium, and the reaction from the fans was not big either. Only seven or eight Greek fans sat together in the auditorium holding up signs cheering him on, which was a kind of comfort to him.
Other players walked out of the tunnel one after another, but no more enthusiastic cheers from the fans at the scene.
Until Zhao Feiyang was the last one to walk out of the channel, and the moment his cheek entered the big screen, at least one-third of the fans present screamed.
Especially the Chinese fans sitting on both sides of the tunnel were the most excited. Everyone reached out to Zhao Feiyang, and some female fans even screamed and shouted excitedly, looking like they were about to cry. look.
This scene also caused many players to be surprised.
Michael Carter was originally still complacent about his high popularity, but when he saw this scene when Zhao Feiyang entered the stage, he couldn't help but feel sour in his heart.
"Suddenly I feel...these Chinese fans are really annoying..."
"Basketball should be a sport for blacks and whites, and there should be no such aliens..."
Michael Carter muttered something in his mouth, but he could only avert his eyes and ignore it.
"Flying!"
When passing by the VIP seats, Jiang Qiuyue, who was sitting in the second row, shouted to Zhao Feiyang. Upon seeing this, Zhao Feiyang responded enthusiastically with a wave.
The sophomore team soon appeared on the scene. Compared with the weird scene on the first-year team's side, the formation of the sophomore team was undoubtedly much larger.
The first person to appear was Damian Lillard. As an older rookie who only participated in the draft in his senior year, Damian Lillard was not taken seriously at the beginning, but he proved everything with his strength. His upper limit is very high. Tall, so tall that he can become the heart of the team when he takes off, killing everyone who stands in his way.
This kind of "lonely hero" star style is the most popular among fans, so his popularity is also quite high.
The second player to appear was Anthony Davis. As the top pick in last year's draft, Anthony Davis had high hopes from the beginning.
More importantly, he is a player of the New Orleans Pelicans, so the moment he came on the court, the cheers reached its peak. Countless fans stood up and cheered for him, including the staff and hosts in the arena. They all cheered for him.
The third player to appear was Bradley Beal.
As a shooting guard, he entered the Washington Wizards with the No. 3 pick in the first round. He was quickly recognized by the Wizards as the cornerstone of the team and has successfully grown into the core figure of the team.
There was no shortage of cheers to greet him.
The fourth person to appear was Harrison Perot.
When he walked out, there were endless cheers, and many fans spontaneously stood up and applauded him. Compared with the top three, his performance is comparable. Except for being slightly worse than Damian Lillard in terms of statistics, he can be said to be excellent in other aspects.
Especially when it comes to handling key balls, although there is less "peak cheating" moments like Damian Lillard, there is also a bit more stability and maturity.
Other players appeared one after another.
Zhao Feiyang never moved his eyes away. When Harrison Perot came out, he kept staring at him.
When the opponent walked onto the court, he also took the initiative to say hello.
"Harrison, I can't wait to fight you!"
Harrison Perot looked very relaxed and responded with a smile when he heard this, "Really? Do you want to feel failure earlier?"
"Zhao, you have to understand that this is the All-Star Arena... If you lose, the whole world will see it, including those who support you, and they will definitely mock you crazily... ...Are you sure you still want to challenge me?"
Harrison Perot asked Zhao Feiyang in a condescending tone as if he were an old man facing a junior.
Zhao Feiyang didn't answer him anymore, but walked away.
The grudges on the court should be proved by the performance on the court!
call out.
The referee's whistle sounded and the live game officially started.
Both sides sent their respective starting lineups.
Some Chinese fans at the scene expressed confusion about Zhao Feiyang's failure to serve as the starter. However, the Chinese fans watching the live broadcast on the other side of the ocean were not surprised.
"Gary Payton was the one who least supported Zhao Feiyang's participation in the rookie game. It's not surprising that he didn't let Zhao Feiyang start!"
"Maybe this guy is going to make things difficult for Zhao Feiyang! Now he's just not allowed to start, and whether he can play in the end is a question..."
"It shouldn't be a problem if he doesn't play. Unless the NBA doesn't even want to lose face, or Gary Payton doesn't want to lose face, otherwise the Chinese fans at the scene will have to scold him to death..."
