After the CCTV interview, Schwartz took Xu Yong to meet Stern again.
Xu Yong and Stern ate at a nearby restaurant for about an hour.
Most of the things they talked about were about life.
Xu Yong's humorous conversation surprised Stern, and of course it also made the old man realize that Xu Yong's appearance was of great significance.
What is interesting is that, instead of hiding this dinner from the media, they allowed the media to film it intentionally.
Obviously, Stern intended this to happen.
Asian players face many challenges when playing in the United States, not only those that Xu Yong has experienced in the NCAA, but also those from referees and the media.
Yao Ming was the No. 1 pick in the draft, and the challenges he faced after entering the NBA were even greater in these two aspects than on the court.
Stern also learned a lesson from his failure and reminded those people in advance: Xu Yong is under his protection, so they should take it easy.
After finishing his meal with Stern, Xu Yong finally felt a little free. He returned to the gym, found a corner to sit down and rest, then began to reply to text messages and phone calls.
With 99+ missed calls and 500+ unread text messages, his phone is much more overwhelmed than when he was in the NCAA.
There's no way around it. Being selected as the second pick is much more important than winning the NCAA championship.
Just as Xu Yong was busy replying to text messages, the 2009 NBA Draft officially came to an end as Tatum announced that the Heat had selected Robert Dozier with the 60th pick.
The lottery picks are as follows: 1. Griffin (Clippers); 2. Xu Yong (Bulls); 3. Harden (Thunder); 4. Evans (Kings); 5. Thabeet (Grizzlies); 6. Rubio (Timberwolves); 7. Curry (Warriors); 8. Jonny Flynn (Knicks); 9. DeRozan (Raptors); 10. Jordan Hill (Bucks); 11. Terrence Williams (Nets); 12. Henderson (Bobcats); 13. Hansbrough (Pacers); 14. Jennings (Suns).
In addition to this, there are a few notable choices: Jrue Holiday, who worked out with the Kings with Xu Yong, was not selected by the digital guys until the 17th pick;
The Timberwolves picked Ty Lawson at 18th overall, but they did not trade him to the Nuggets as Xu Yong knew, but chose to keep him. This was largely due to the chain effect of Rubio not reporting this season and their failure to select Jonny Flynn.
The Cavaliers selected Jeff Ayers with the 30th pick;
The Pistons selected Chase Budinger at 44th overall and sent him to the Rockets;
The Cavaliers took Danny Green at No. 46;
…
Although the draft is over, the social media storm has just begun.
"I am a New York fan. We didn't wait for Stephen Curry or Xu Yong. Our double insurance finally became Johnny Flynn. What the hell happened? Who can tell me when New York will rise again?"
"Excuse me, the best thing you should do is to change the boss and spend money to sign ready-made stars. Why play the draft when you have money?"
"I think the most ridiculous thing about this year's draft is that Xu Yong was picked second. Who the hell is this?"
"Although I also think Xu Yong doesn't deserve the No. 2 pick, but brother, you've overstated it. He was the MOP of the NCAA Final Four."
"Can MOP be used to make a living? How many NBA stars are MOP now? And he's a yellow-skinned forward. I bet my prick that this guy will definitely be the worst second pick in NBA history!"
"I agree. The No. 1 and No. 2 draft picks have always been a dud. Griffin is definitely not a dud. On the contrary, Xu Yong is definitely a dud no matter how you look at it."
"Is there anything worth discussing? The Bulls just replaced their new general manager in May. His name is Forman. He traded away two main players from last season. Isn't this obviously to establish his own authority? Choosing Xu Yong is just another bad move."
"The Bulls are done. That city has been cursed since Jordan left. Let's wait and see the joke!"
"Don't worry, we'll be able to watch the summer league soon. I want to see how good Xu Yong is!"
…
Before Xu Yong's text message came back, Schwartz came over and woke him up again.
Because the draft has ended and the Bulls' draft has also ended, Foreman is going to take all the newcomers to hold a meet-and-greet with the fans.
It was at this time that Xu Yong met the two rookies who were selected with him, and he had impressions of them.
If we really break it down, one is expected and the other is unexpected.
As expected, it was Taj Gibson, who is also from the Pac10 league.
The two hugged each other when they met. They play against each other every year in the NCAA, so they are old acquaintances.
Gibson is definitely an older rookie, he is 24 years old this year, and was picked by the Bulls with the 26th pick.
The unexpected one was James Johnson.
His impression of Johnson mostly stayed in the period with the Raptors and the Heat. He didn't expect that he was selected by the Bulls, and as the 16th pick.
This person is definitely a [heavyweight].
In addition to the regular awards, the NBA also creates some strange lists every year.
There is a list of players you least want to conflict with on the court, and Johnson tops the list every year.
There is no other way but to fight.
This guy comes from a Taekwondo family. His parents have won 12 Taekwondo championships between them, and he and his eight brothers and sisters have been practicing martial arts since childhood.
Moreover, Johnson is the most talented in this area and has swept various competitions since he was a child.
If he hadn't fallen in love with basketball later, he would have been able to win a few national championships.
Therefore, if you really have a conflict with him on the court, it won't be a matter of a few pushes or hits, you really could get knocked out.
However, what surprised Xu Yong was that the Johnson people were very friendly when communicating.
This is simply the American Ma Dong-seok, cruel and cute.
False toughness: waving fists, fighting and retreating.
A true master: I smile at you, but you feel nervous.
And compared to the media meeting, the meeting with the fans seems much more relaxed.
The fans were especially enthusiastic towards Xu Yong.
No matter what fans of other teams say on social media, our own fans are still looking forward to their own players.
After all, only a minority of people boo at the draft.
And Xu Yong is also very handsome. In this society, no matter what profession you are in, you will be popular if you have a good-looking face.
Not to mention that after just a brief contact, Xu Yong's witty and humorous conversation had already made them feel as relaxed as the members of the Devil's team back then.
"Xu, can we make it to the playoffs next season?" At this moment, a fan couldn't help but ask.
There are two mainstream pieces of information related to the Bulls on social media right now. One is that Xu Yong is definitely a fake, and the other is that the Bulls will definitely not make the playoffs next season.
Needless to say, the first one is reasonable. After all, the Bulls will have a group of new players next season after this trade.
Just think about the possible starting lineup: sophomore Rose and freshman Xu Yong will partner in the backcourt, junior Noah and freshman Gibson will form the inside, and only small forward Luol Deng can be considered experienced.
Even this is not good enough in the East!
"Yes, I promise." What the fans never expected was that Xu Yong not only used the word "certain", but also the words "certainly" and "definitely".
What a damn charm! Foreman was already smiling like a flower beside her.
People often say that someone looks like a superstar, but compared to appearance, temperament is much more important.
So even though he hadn't played an NBA game yet, he was already certain that Xu Yong had the qualities of a superstar.
He couldn't help but look forward to it.
…
Many sponsors have already approached Schwartz and are preparing to ask Xu Yong to sign an endorsement contract.
A Chinese No. 2 pick, and a forward-guard swingman at that, it’s not just media people like Yang Yi who know his value.
Xu Yong will definitely get these done in the summer, but he is not in that much of a hurry.
Because he doesn't have time now.
On the night of the draft, when the fan meeting ended, Foreman told them about the next steps.
The Bulls are one of the participating teams in this year's Las Vegas Summer League, and he asked all three rookies to participate.
The summer league will start only half a month later.