"Are you going to retire?"

After returning to the United Center after the championship parade, Xu Yong was a little surprised when he heard O'Neal tell him that he was going to retire.

Because O'Neal has controlled his weight well this season, there should be no problem for him to play for another year next season.

"Five is enough, and I don't want to be on tiptoe when I retire," O'Neal joked with a smile.

Hearing this, Xu Yong understood immediately.

Injury is an athlete’s biggest enemy. After retiring, Nowitzki walked with a limp because he persisted for too long.

Besides, O'Neal didn't get much playing time in the finals against the Mavericks, so he probably wanted to leave in a decent way.

"Aren't you afraid that Kobe will get the sixth one?" Xu Yong asked with a smile.

"If he can do it, then congratulations to him, although I know he doesn't have much hope." O'Neal sounded magnanimous, but still did not forget to make a sacrifice.

However, from the perspective of Xu Yong, a reborn person, Kobe's career did end with five championships.

The biggest reason is that Kobe is getting older and his competitive state has begun to decline significantly.

You have to know that in the history of NBA, excluding ancient times, there are only two players who can lead their team to win the championship after the age of 35, Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

In addition to the outstanding personal strengths of these two people, another very important reason is that the team is also strong.

So unless something deviates from history, in this world, O'Neal will have the same number of championships as Kobe.

"Oh, by the way, my Bengal tiger just gave birth to a cub recently. Do you want it?" O'Neal asked.

It was obvious that this was his reward for Xu Yong's feeding him delicious food for a season.

"...Male tigers can also get pregnant? Transgender tigers?" Xu Yong was stunned.

He had seen those two tigers. The Bengal tiger had even come to sniff him. He had seen the sturdy little tiger with his own eyes.

"What? No, no, I have two Bengal tigers, kept in separate captivity," O'Neal explained.

Xu Yong understood immediately.

Then he gladly accepted this special gift from O'Neal.

It would be a great experience to have a tiger as a pet.

However, if O'Neal retires, Yao Ming's substitute next season will become a big problem.

In the finals, O'Neal Jr. served as Yao Ming's substitute more often. However, O'Neal Jr. signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Bulls last summer, with a player option for the second year. Now that the team has won the championship and he also performed well in the finals, he will most likely opt out of the contract and seek a long-term contract.

You have to know that he is only 32 years old, has size and shooting, and there are still teams willing to take a chance on him.

So Yao Ming's backup next season will be Asik? This sounds a bit far-fetched.

If this problem is not solved, Yao Ming will be forced to play more games and then get injured, which will be a big problem.

However, Foreman performed so well last summer, I believe he will do well this year as well.

Just when I thought of Cao Cao, Cao Cao came.

Foreman was about to go to the office, but when he saw Xu Yong here, he pulled him aside to chat.

"I heard that when you were at Arizona State, you played against San Diego State?" Foreman asked Xu Yong a very detailed question.

Xu Yong nodded. Although that happened two years ago, he still had some impression of that game.

Because in that game, there was a future superstar Leonard.

Leonard's skills at that time were very rough, and his type and playing style were basically the same as Draymond Green who had played against him before.

The only difference may be that his hands are much bigger than Green's.

However, this characteristic may not necessarily be a good thing for him.

Because his dribbling ability is really average, which makes his big hands look like Rondo/O'Neal type rather than Jordan type, and he may not be able to develop shooting.

"Do you remember Kawhi Leonard?" Sure enough, Foreman was really asking about Leonard.

Xu Yong nodded.

"How do you think he compares to Jimmy Butler?" Foreman then asked.

The reason why he asked Xu Yong was that after two months of investigation, he found that Butler and Xu Yong's descriptions were almost exactly the same.

This doesn't sound strange, the seniors understand the juniors.

But the problem is that Xu Yong has never played basketball with Butler, and except for training together for a month or so during the offseason, the two rarely see each other.

This made Foreman feel that Xu Yong had some vision in judging people.

So when I ran into him, I just wanted to ask Xu Yong for his opinion. If I finally chose someone that Xu Yong also values, it would help to bring the two of them closer together.

"If Jimmy is 8 points, then Kawhi is 10 points." Xu Yong made a comparison.

The contrast surprised Foreman.

"Okay, I understand." Foreman didn't ask any more questions, but patted Xu Yong on the shoulder and left.

This made Xu Yong stunned. It seemed that... he gave a high score?

However, Foreman's sudden appearance made him focus his attention on this year's draft.

It’s hard to say who the team will choose this year.

Although Forman was asking about Butler and Leonard just now, what the Bulls lack most right now is actually inside players.

Some of the opportunities Asik was given last season were too buttery. His stats were okay in weak teams, but he was unable to handle the heavy tasks in high-intensity games.

Although they can sign players in the free market, the Bulls don't have much salary space, so they still have to rely on selecting players for their future.

I don’t know if Butler can really come to Chicago.

After the championship parade, Xu Yong gave himself a short vacation.

The cows plowing the fields need to rest for a few days. They have played basketball for two lifetimes and won the championship. Can’t they enjoy themselves?

What he mainly does these days is shopping. He usually doesn't have much time to accompany his parents, and now that his parents rarely come to visit, he spends all his time shopping.

Although he can actually just transfer the money directly to his parents, many times what parents need is not money but your presence with them.

He even bought his father a Ferrari sports car that he had always wanted and took him for a ride, and secretly took him to visit nightclubs in Chicago.

This is probably the most meaningful thing between father and son.

Another thing he did was collect sports card.

As the name suggests, sports card is a card with images of celebrities printed on it. The earliest can be traced back to the end of the 18th century. Of course, it became popular in the 1950s. It was originally a gift from tobacco companies, and later evolved into candy and toys.

It's just like collecting instant noodle cards when you were a kid, except that its collection significance and value are higher.

This is Xu Yong's special personal hobby. In his previous life, he had a thick book of star cards, but he gave up this hobby in order to make up for his regrets in this life.

But now, I have money, free time, and the conditions.

So he spent money to buy as many as he could, and then planned to ask their original owners to sign them when the new season comes, and then frame them, so that when he retires he will have several walls filled with them.

After finishing all these and sending his parents back home, the draft was about to begin, so he also went to New York.

Mainly to support his junior Jimmy.

Regardless of whether Butler eventually joins the Bulls, this junior who came to Arizona State University because of his advice also wants to know where he will end up.

The second most important thing is to experience the draft again.

Two years passed in the blink of an eye, but the experience of the draft is still vivid in my mind.

This is similar to the feeling that most people, after graduating for many years, always want to go back to the campus to take a look as if it was just yesterday.

But this time he didn't have the chance to sit in the green room, but had to wait in the stands with Butler and his adoptive parents.

Little Jimmy looked at Xu Yong with admiration.

Senior, champion, sophomore FMVP, Satan who created the God-killing War, Xu Yong has too many halos worthy of his admiration.

Moreover, Xu Yong specially came to the scene to support him, which made him even more moved.

After Xu Yong chatted with Butler for a while and told him not to be nervous, he turned his gaze towards the small green house.

There are many old acquaintances in the green room this year, including Kemba Walker, who just led his team to win the championship, Leonard, who he played against in the previous invitational tournament, and Klay Thompson, who competed in the PAC10 league during his sophomore year.

Oh yes, there is also Jane Wesley, the "Czech Yi Jianlian" who he and Sandek had joked about kissing his girlfriend.

One thing I have to say here is that the NBA and the players' union have to sign a contract that will stipulate many rules such as the salary cap, maximum and minimum salaries, transfers, etc., which is also called the labor-management agreement.

The collective bargaining agreement is time-limited.

Therefore, when the old labor agreement expires, the league will often be shut down because the new labor agreement cannot be reached in the first time.

All the shutdowns you know about are due to this reason.

This is easy to understand, because labor-management agreements are signed for several years. With the increase in NBA revenue, players naturally hope for a collective salary increase, but how can capitalists easily agree to such a thing?

This year happens to be the time when the old labor agreement ends.

So the NBA is expected to be suspended next season.

Yes, you read that right, most people already knew this before the NBA officially stopped.

Therefore, the direct result of this is that many people who could have been selected did not participate in the draft this year. From the perspective of Xu Yong, the 2011 draft, which produced many talents, was actually a weaker year for the draft than 2009.

A weak draft year means that draft picks are worthless and many unexpected things will happen.

At this moment, the photographer on the scene scanned the stands and Xu Yong appeared on the large LED screen.

There was a burst of cheers at the scene.

With his brilliant performance in this year's finals, Xu Yong's popularity swept across the United States like a hurricane.

His appearance undoubtedly adds rich color to this year's small year of talent shows.

And on this occasion, fans on social media couldn't help but drag the Grizzlies out and whip them again.

"The Grizzlies made the greatest trade of the 21st century in the draft two years ago. Unfortunately, they don't have a first-round pick this year. What a shame."

"Xu is already a champion and FMVP winner, while Thabeet averaged an astonishing 1.2 points and 1.4 rebounds for the Rockets last season. The Hornets' trade for Kobe is nothing compared to this."

"If the Grizzlies had Xu Yong last season, I even think they could beat the Mavericks, but the Bulls don't have Xu Yong, so... the Grizzlies win the championship!"

"You guys are going too far. I have to say a few words for the Grizzlies. The Bulls asked for Xu Yong. If it weren't for the Bulls, the Grizzlies would definitely use their No. 2 pick to pick... Thabeet."

"That's true. If that's the case, Xu Yong will go to the Thunder. The Thunder champion?"

…

Just as fans were making fun of the situation on social media, Stern stepped out from behind the scenes and officially began the 2011 NBA Draft amid the fans' daily boos.

His expression looked a little haggard at this time. The impact of the NBA shutdown on the league was obvious. He would be busy on July 1st.

The first pick belongs to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

After James and O'Neal left one after another, they left the Cavaliers with a mess, and they were even unable to strengthen the team due to salary issues.

In addition to Yao Ming's own willingness, another important reason for the Rockets to get Yao Ming was that they did not want to accept the Cavaliers' contract.

So they had no choice but to give up, dive into the lottery, and take the second-to-last place.

Although they did not have the worst record, they finally received "Stern's blessing" and won the No. 1 pick.

There is not much suspense in the selection of this pick.

Kyrie Irving hasn't let himself go yet.

Irving only played 11 games in college and was injured, but his talent is obvious to the naked eye and his ability to combine with the ball is at a historical level.

If it was a big draft year, he might fall out of the top three due to the sample size of the games, but in a small year like this, there is no suspense.

In fact, the lottery results were pretty much the same as what Xu Yong knew.

Jan Vesely kissed his beautiful girlfriend after being selected by the Wizards, while Kemba Walker went to Charlotte as Jordan's only draft pick.

Then the Bobcats also selected Bismack Biyombo with the 7th pick through a three-way trade, forming an inside-outside twin star in the best reconstruction model.

It was this transaction that sent Fredette, the "lonely god" who would later dominate the CBA, to the Kings.

The Warriors successfully picked Klay Thompson with the 11th pick, and the Splash Brothers were officially born.

However, I don't know if it's because of the upcoming lockout that the managers of each team are not willing to spend too much energy on the draft. Unlike the frequent trades in 2009, there has only been one trade this time when the lottery is about to come.

Until, the 13th pick.

This draft position became magical because of Kobe, and this time, a deal that surprised Xu Yong also occurred at this draft position.

This pick originally belonged to the Suns, but the Suns sent Carter and this pick to the Mavericks through a trade.

The Mavericks paid the sign-and-trade of Brendan Haywood, Caron Butler, and this year's No. 26 pick.

Carter scored 13.5 points with a shooting percentage of 42.2% for the Suns last season, which was a career low. His performance was also struggling. He still has a super-large contract of 18.3 million for one year in the new season, not to mention that he is already 34 years old.

These are basically players who have no other options except being bought out.

Although Caron Butler was out for the season last season, he is only 31 years old.

Of course the most important thing is that he is cheap. The new contract is 24 million for 3 years, or 8 million a year, which is exactly a fraction of Carter's.

Although Haywood, who was added as a bonus, also has a bad contract, next season is the last year, and this type of contract is easier to handle at the trade deadline.

Therefore, the trade will strengthen the team and allow Nash to make a push in the last year of his contract next season, and save them nearly $10 million in expenses. The only cost is to change their No. 13 pick to No. 26, which is a very cost-effective deal.

You have to know that Jennings, whom they selected two years ago, did not even perform as well as he had in history due to competition and was mediocre.

After getting the 13th pick, the Mavericks selected Kawhi Leonard from San Diego State University.

Yes, the Mavericks intercepted Leonard!

Xu Yong was a little confused, so the ultimate goal of this transaction was Leonard?

But the Mavericks already have Marion, why would they choose Leonard?

No, why would they be interested in Leonard? !

But in fact, the most shocked person at this moment was not Xu Yong, but everyone in the Spurs draft room.

Popovich was completely dumbfounded.

They have already negotiated a deal with the numbers guy at No. 15 and are just waiting to make the selection.

You have to know that Leonard's draft prediction is in the middle of the first round, and this pick is enough for them to secure Leonard.

But the Mavericks actually traded a lottery pick directly!

Leonard was also a little confused.

He had already spoken with the Spurs, and he thought he was going to Texas.

The result was to go to Texas, but to Dallas.

Cuban, who was present in person at the Mavericks' draft room, breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Leonard was selected.

The key to their selection of Leonard lies in Foreman.

The Bulls' championship changed a lot of things.

For example, their team mode of forming top-level talented youngsters and current superstars directly swept away the Heat, which gave inspiration to many teams.

You have to know that the salary cap is constant. If you give it to the Big Three, your role players will be worse.

The direct impact of that is that once one of your giants performs poorly, you are nothing.

But the Bulls' model has superstars and a strong rotation to ensure the lower limit, while talented young people push the upper limit.

That's why there were rumors that the Thunder might trade Westbrook.

But Cuban saw more. He also saw Foreman's vision in the draft.

Selecting Rose may have been a blind choice, but selecting Xu Yong, James Johnson and Taj Gibson in 2009 shows their level.

There is no need to say much about Xu Yong. Johnson started for the Grizzlies last season and he made an indispensable contribution to the Grizzlies' victory over the top eight. Gibson also started in many games last season.

So Cuban has been keeping an eye on the Bulls' draft dynamics this year.

Whatever you, Forman, like, I, Cuban, will definitely take a look at.

So when Forman set his sights on Leonard and tried to trade up for a draft pick, Cuban took action after fully understanding Leonard.

There is a big premise here, that is, the draft at this time is not as thorough as in the future, otherwise it would be impossible for the Spurs to take Leonard at the 15th pick in history.

The audition was still going on, and Xu Yong slowly came back to his senses.

In fact, judging from Jennings' experience, players may not necessarily perform well if they change their environment.

Leonard's growth is closely related to the culture of the Spurs, and it is still unknown how he will develop in the Mavericks.

If they can really grow up, the Mavericks will be very competitive in the future.

Moreover, Nowitzki's playing style remained at the end of its peak for a long time, and it was not until 2016 that it declined sharply.

History has a wonderful turning point here, which is interesting.

When Butler saw Xu Yong's expression at this time, he couldn't help but look at Leonard on the court.

In a trance, an idea popped into his mind: Will this be his future lifelong enemy?

The draft kept going down and soon reached the end of the lottery.

When the draft came to the 28th pick, the Bulls traded the 30th pick plus some cash to the Raptors, acquired the pick that originally belonged to the Heat, and selected Jimmy Butler.

The main purpose of this operation was for Foreman to prevent the Spurs, who were picking 29th, from intercepting him.

When he was selected, Butler could not hide his excitement on his face. He stood up and gave Xu Yong an excited hug.

On the one hand, it’s because he went in the first round, and previously his projection had always been in the early second round;

On the other hand, and more importantly, he actually went to the Bulls and played with his respected seniors!

Xu Yong also patted Butler on the back.

Ever since Noah was traded, he has been lacking a younger role in the team, and Butler, who also comes from Arizona State, is a perfect fit.

And if Butler can grow into the level he has historically been, it will be very important for the Bulls' future.

You have to know that if Rose doesn't listen to the advice, his injury may break out at any time, and Yao Ming won't be able to keep playing.

Moreover, the 28th pick is more compatible with Butler than the original 30th pick.

After hugging Xu Yong and his adoptive parents, Butler took the Bulls hat handed to him by the staff and trotted onto the stage.

His happiness was evident in every move he made.

The Bulls fans at the scene also cheered.

Although their understanding of Butler is limited, the fact that Xu Yong personally came to support him, and he is Xu Yong's junior, is definitely worth looking forward to.

And as a rookie selected by the defending champion, Butler has also attracted a lot of attention on social media at this time.

However, most people's reactions to the Bulls' choice were completely different from those of the Bulls fans at the scene.

"1.98 meters in height, 2.01 meters in wingspan, 81 centimeters in-situ jumping ability, 99 centimeters in running jumping ability, 3.57 meters in standing reach. To sum it up: no static talent, no dynamic talent either."

"Aren't the Bulls short of an inside player? Why did they pick a swingman? They have Tony Allen as a shooting guard substitute and Battier as a small forward. This is really hard to understand."

"And Butler played basketball at a technical college in his freshman year, and was on probation for a year in his junior year. Just because he was Xu's junior? This is definitely a relationship!"

"It is said that the Bulls originally wanted to draft Kawhi Leonard, who was a backup."

"Leonard's dynamic talent is poor, but his static ability is at a historic level, and he also has a pair of big hands. It's better not to have this spare tire."

"I hope Foreman hits me in the face again, but I think it's almost hopeless. This is really the worst draft the Bulls have had in the past decade!"

…

"I'm excited to join the Bulls. We just won a championship. I know our goal and I'm going to give it my all."

Butler was also full of expectations when he was interviewed by reporters off the stage.

Although, perhaps few people take this seriously.

At the end of the first round, the Heat paid a large amount of cash and bought back the No. 30 pick from the Raptors, which belonged to the Bulls, and then picked Norris Cole.

So this wave can be regarded as an indirect trade between the two opponents, the Heat and the Bulls.

After Butler was selected, Xu Yong took him to a nightclub in New York to celebrate.

"Do you know the impact of the shutdown?" Xu Yong asked him while smoking a cigar in a private room of the nightclub.

Butler shook his head. To be honest, he was only focused on training. Although he had heard about the lockout, he didn't know the details.

"Three aspects. First, your summer league and preseason are gone, which means you guys don't have time to adapt to the NBA this year."

Xu Yong's first sentence stunned Butler. He had been thinking about competing with Leonard when playing against the Mavericks.

"Second, your income is gone. The team cannot sign contracts or pay salaries during the lockout."

Now Butler is even more confused. Who can you turn to for justice if you have no income after being selected by the NBA?

"Third, you can't use the team's stadium, and the same goes for me. Players and teams have no relationship during the lockout."

Butler was really confused now.

"There are two solutions." Xu Yong said and put down his cigar.

Butler was all ears.

"First, go to the Drew League. There should be a lot of NBA players going there this year. If you want to train, you can go to Tempe."

Butler nodded after hearing this. The Drew League is quite famous in the United States, and he had heard of it.

"And the second one?"

"Go to overseas leagues, but sign with a team that has an NBA opt-out clause." Xu Yong was very patient in his teaching.

Just because you are the other party's senior, will the other party be willing to be your younger brother?

The answer is no. The relationship between people is not that simple.

If you want others to trust you, you have to help them when they need it most.

The reason why Rodman was willing to be Jordan's younger brother was not only because Jordan was strong enough, but more importantly, it was because Jordan recommended Rodman, who was ignored at the time, to the Bulls, giving the latter a chance to continue playing in the NBA.

"I choose the first one." Butler said after thinking for a while.

"The right choice." Xu Yong nodded.

Butler is just a rookie now and he won't get a big contract if he goes overseas.

And this year's suspension will not last too long, the season will start around Christmas.

"What about you, senior? Will you also play in the Drew League?" Butler couldn't help but ask.

Xu Yong nodded.

He actually also considered returning to the CBA to play for a few months, just like Yi Jianlian, to increase the influence of the CBA.

Although CBA has restrictions on foreign players, there are no restrictions on domestic players.

But in the end he gave up. The reason was very simple: the level of the CBA league was too low.

A player's condition needs to be maintained through high-level matches. Bullying weak opponents will ruin their condition.

Moreover, his exchanges with Yao Ming actually inadvertently revealed their coincidental ideas.

Due to problems with the grassroots and education system, it is not realistic for men's basketball to take the popular route.

A very crucial factor is that the popularization of professional sports is a byproduct of economic development.

When you are under great pressure to survive, it is impossible for you to devote the next generation to sports.

This means that the men's basketball team can only take the high-precision route, which is why he and Yao Ming are thinking about sending good seedlings to places like the United States and Europe, rather than promoting the opening up of foreign aid.

When Butler heard this, a smile instantly appeared on his face. If that was the case, he and Xu Yong could compete on the same field.

You have to know that he is a rookie. Regardless of whether there is a lockout or not, he would not have many opportunities to play in his rookie season, let alone play with Xu Yong, so this is really rare.

After talking about business, Xu Yong also ordered some girls.

What was both unexpected and reasonable to Xu Yong was that when Butler went to the next room to practice ball handling, he brought three big-breasted girls with him.

The 28th pick is indeed a good match for him.

…

The draft ended, and the Bulls only made a selection in the first round and sold the second round pick directly.

A player selected in the late second round in a weak draft year will never get a chance on a championship-contending team.

In contrast, it is obviously better to target the subsequent free agent market.

Of course, due to the lockout this year, it is unknown when the free market will open.

Fast forward to July 1, and as the owners and the players' union still could not reach a consensus, the NBA officially ushered in its fifth lockout in history.

Just as Xu Yong and Butler described, at this moment, all players, whether they have a contract or are free agents, are free.

For example, Deron, who was traded to the Nets last season, immediately went to play in the Turkish league.

Obviously, knowing that the lockout would come, capable players had already thought of a way out.

Moreover, stars like Deron all have opt-out clauses, which are basically aimed at increasing the popularity of other countries' leagues.

Xu Yong did not go to participate in the Drew League immediately. He first returned to Tempe with Butler and started training there this summer.

Grover also arrived in Tempe at the same time, and he would help Xu Yong with intensive training in the summer.

In addition to consolidating his original skills, this time he will also focus on strengthening two basic abilities: physical fitness and passing.

Although he had long anticipated that he would be beaten for playing under Thibodeau, the reality still exceeded his expectations.

Can you believe that the finals lasted 44 minutes?

Although his cruelty only targets young guys, unfortunately he is one of them.

Therefore, he still needs to work on his physical fitness. If he doesn't train well enough to play 44 minutes in the finals, he will not be qualified.

And with Grover around, it's not impossible to do it. He just has to bear more responsibilities.

Then there's the passing aspect. His passing is not bad, but how good it is depends on the game.

In the game of the finals where he performed poorly, he made a lot of mistakes because of his bad touch and being double-teamed. Even if you count the entire finals, his average number of mistakes per game was not low.

This is normal. If a second-year player is efficient and has few mistakes in the finals, it would be like playing a video game.

So he still needs to practice more in this area.

Vision and reading do not require training, but passing strength and angle do need to be strengthened through training.

All in all, it was another fulfilling summer for Xu Yong.

Time flies and it is mid-August. Xu Yong and his group of five left Tempe for Washington to prepare to participate in the Drew League.

That’s right, not only Xu Yong and Butler, but Harden and others will also join in.

There are many NBA players coming here to play this year, and this is also an opportunity to test the results of their training over the past month.

Regarding the Drew League, some necessary knowledge needs to be popularized.

First, except for the front row of the spectator stands, which is the circle of seats on the sidelines, tickets are sold through the community, and the rest of the tickets are free. Players will not receive any income from the games. It is a "pure" basketball league.

Secondly, also based on this "pure" principle, violent elements and street basketball players with bad records will not be allowed to participate in the competition. There will be special people to review them, so it is a safer league compared to street basketball;

Third, the competition starts in June every year, with regular season and playoffs, and the finals in mid-September, but the players of each team are not fixed and only need to be determined before the game starts. It is precisely because of this regulation that it is possible for NBA players to participate in the Drew League;

Fourth, the league will not promote the participation of NBA players. For those fans who line up early in the morning to watch the game, it is an absolute surprise to see NBA stars in the game, and it is a close contact.

From these knowledge points, you can actually understand why it is so popular.

Before this, in early August, James and Durant had already used a peak showdown to advertise this year's Drew League.

James came on the scene and played a very personal triple-double of 33 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists, but lost to Durant who scored 59 points.

In that game, James showed the results of his post-up training, which was a significant improvement compared to last season.

Xu Yong’s previous judgment was correct, James really put in an effort this time.

Then, Xu Yonghui and Butler joined a team called Cheaters II to play against the Home team led by Kobe.

Harden, DeRozan and Ayres will join another team and they will face Durant's team later.

At 8908 May Avenue, Washington Park Arena, there were only about a hundred fans on the scene, crowded on both sides of the arena. Except for a few people who paid for tickets and had seats, everyone else had to stand to watch the game.

At this time, they didn't know who would come to the venue, although because of the sudden appearance of James and Durant, many of them came to try their luck.

Then, they got really lucky.

When Xu Yong brought Butler in from the door, Satan's shouts were already heard at the scene.

As the new FMVP, he is absolutely extremely popular now.

After entering the venue, Xu Yong also adapted to the local customs. After greeting three other basketball enthusiast teammates, he turned around and performed a windmill dunk for the audience, instantly igniting the entire audience.

Speaking of which, he didn't have much chance to dunk in the intensity of the finals, but he was ready to enjoy it today in the Drew League.

And soon after he finished warming up, the stadium was boiling again because Kobe came.

Kobe's appearance triggered another round of cheers at the scene. Although the Lakers were swept last season, Kobe's popularity as the top active player is not to be underestimated, and is no less than Xu Yong.

Along with Kobe comes this year's No. 2 pick Derrick Williams.

There have been news reports that Williams became Kobe's apprentice this summer and has been training with Kobe for two and a half months.

After Kobe came in, he walked towards Xu Yong. When Xu Yong saw him, he also walked forward with a smile.

The two bumped shoulders and hugged, then talked about their summer training.

In fact, it was quite a pity for Xu Yong that he didn't get to play against Kobe in the finals. After all, they now have two common masters: Olajuwon and Jordan.

And he knew that if nothing unexpected happened, Kobe would never make it to the finals again.

"Senior, let me defend Kobe." When the warm-up was almost over and the game was about to start, Butler took the initiative to volunteer to Xu Yong.

"Are you sure?" Xu Yong asked with a smile. He knew Butler was very competitive, but asking him to defend Kobe would destroy his self-confidence.

Butler nodded firmly, his eyes full of desire.

Xu Yong thought about it and agreed. After all, Butler had defended him during training before.

Soon, the competition began.

Williams jumped for the ball for the Home team.

Kobe didn't ask for the ball at first, but stood aside and watched Williams play.

This was obviously because he wanted to see how successful his disciples' training was.

Unfortunately, Kobe didn't see it in the end because the person defending Williams was Xu Yong.

Xu Yong did not give any face to the rookie who was also the second pick. He immediately stole the ball, then ran down the court and performed a practical 360-degree turn and slam dunk.

The opening scene made the fans in the stadium excited.

Xu Yong can play in the main competition and also in the exhibition match.

Kobe was unhappy when he saw this. He said, "When it comes to beating a disciple, you have to look at your master. Since you are so direct, I won't be polite either."

Because it was a show-like game and there was no double-team, Kobe played against Butler one-on-one.

Then Kobe soon discovered that Butler's defense was much stronger than he expected, especially in confrontation, which was higher than the level of ordinary rookies.

And just as he turned around and broke through, Butler cut the ball with such quick speed.

This moment caused a burst of exclamations from the audience.

However, Kobe's reaction was really quick. When he felt the ball was cut, he immediately reached out to get the ball back. He then used a strong confrontation to push Butler away, turned around and drifted towards the baseline to make the shot.

This moment ignited the whole audience. His reaction ability and stability in shooting after strong confrontation highlighted his handsomeness.

After scoring the goal, Kobe looked at Butler, trying to find frustration from the latter.

But in the end, he didn't find even a trace.

Butler even went to the baseline to serve as if nothing had happened.

"Interesting." He thought and couldn't help but look at Butler a few more times.

A late first-round pick in a weak draft year would not be taken seriously by him even though he values ​​young players very much.

But at this moment he suddenly felt a little dazed.

Why does this guy look so much like the boiled egg on the poster on the wall of his home when he was a child?