The Best Point Guard-Chapter 44 - 42: The Terrifying TJ Ford

"Jack, I’m proud of your performance."

McNamara lay on the hospital bed, his ankle ligaments torn. He would need to rest until next season. For someone whose athletic ability was already rather mediocre, this was a massive blow. He had come to the clear realization that the NBA was getting further and further out of his reach.

So, he said to Su Xi, "I saw the Sports Illustrated article. You should sign with an agent immediately, then declare for the draft after the season ends. Once an opportunity like this is gone, it’s gone for good."

McNamara urged Su Xi.

After his injury, he was filled with more and more regret. He felt that he should have declared for the draft last summer. With the title of the greatest high school player from Pennsylvania since Kobe, and at only 18 years old, he would have definitely caught the eye of the scouts.

Su Xi thought so too. It wasn’t that he wanted to ride this wave of media hype, but rather that he felt there wasn’t enough talent in the NCAA to accelerate his talent fusion. He’d heard that the NBA was packed with geniuses, that any player on the bench could dominate in the NCAA.

He nodded. But there was one thing he didn’t really understand. "Where do I find an agent?"

McNamara said, "Don’t worry, agents will come knocking. You just need to pick the one that’s right for you from the crowd."

As they were talking, Huang Xiaoman said, "I can be your agent. I have an agent’s license, too. I just got it."

Huh?

McNamara looked at Huang Xiaoman in surprise. He was clearly unaware of the capabilities of a top student.

"That could work too. Lucy is your girlfriend, so if she can handle everything, that would be for the best," McNamara said. "Even if there are some things she’s not clear on, she can always partner with other agencies."

Su Xi thought for a moment. He was very decisive. He said to Huang Xiaoman, "Do you have time to be my agent, then? I know nothing about the NBA. What about you?"

"Didn’t I tell you I’ve already finished all my courses? If you’re offering me an internship, I’ll gladly accept. I don’t know much about the NBA either, but I’m willing to learn," Huang Xiaoman said.

That didn’t sound very reliable.

McNamara was about to use some tactful words to persuade Su Xi otherwise, but Su Xi just said directly, "Then I’ll be troubling you with it."

Su Xi extended his hand and shook Huang Xiaoman’s.

An agreement was reached.

McNamara was stunned. He thought: ’You’re deciding something this important that quickly? Lucy has zero experience. Can she really handle the media, the tryouts, the commercial activities, and contracts worth millions of USD?’

While McNamara was still stunned, Bill Daffy hurriedly found Carmeron Anthony. He asked Antonio, "Where’s Jack? I want to convince him to enter the draft this year. I can be his agent. I can provide him with the most convenient services."

"That’s great!" Antonio was very happy. "He’s visiting McNamara right now. When he gets back, we can talk to him together."

As soon as Bill Daffy heard this, his anxious heart was put at ease.

The last time he saw Su Xi was before the national tournament. Back then, he had no intention of signing Su Xi at all. He just wanted Su Xi to help share Antonio’s defensive burden, allowing Antonio to play better.

Who knew that after that day, Su Xi would become unstoppable. He called out all the geniuses in the United States on cable television, then proceeded to shatter expectations, playing the role of the team’s savior. In the most recent game, he even put up a 20-10. His draft stock rapidly became clear, and now Sports Illustrated and the Yahoo portal are creating viral hype for him.

Many agents had taken notice of him and begun flocking to Syracuse University. This included many big-name agents on the same level as Bill Daffy.

The economic impact Yao Ming created in the NBA made these agents green with envy. They kept turning their sights to the East, trying to find the next Yao Ming.

Who knew that the new Yao would appear in their own backyard—and as a point guard, no less!

The entire basketball world knew that guards had more commercial value than centers. Even a dominant superstar like O’Neal couldn’t sell as many shoes as an average All-Star guard.

"TJ Ford is a really strong player."

At that moment, Su Xi was chatting with McNamara. McNamara was giving Su Xi an analysis of his next opponent, TJ Ford, the absolute core of the University of Texas Longhorns. "He’s not tall, but his athleticism is astounding. He’s unbelievably fast, has explosive power, and his vertical leap is shocking. If God gave him another 10 centimeters, I’d say he’s even better than Iverson."

"I played against him in high school. It was an exhibition game, and he was a year ahead of me. In that game, he completely dominated me. He blew past me at will, toyed with me... I got crossed over and fell twice. He brought the house down." Recalling that game, McNamara still had lingering fears.

There was a look of fear on his face.

Su Xi latched onto a key phrase and asked, "Does he like to make his opponents fall?"

Making an opponent fall meant entanglement.

And Su Xi loved entanglement.

Because the closer an attacker released their talent at a high frequency, the easier it was to improve the fusion of talents within his own body.

"Not really. It was because I provoked him during that game," McNamara said. "I hit him with some trash talk, he got mad, and then he punished me. So, Jack, it’s best if you don’t provoke him. You can’t keep up with his speed, and his explosiveness is even greater than yours..."

McNamara’s advice made Su Xi’s eyes light up.

"I know what to do now," Su Xi said to McNamara.

McNamara nodded. He also advised Su Xi to use his strength to bully TJ Ford, saying it would be best to knock him over a couple of times.

Su Xi smiled and nodded.

Leaving the hospital room, Su Xi and Huang Xiaoman headed to a Chinese restaurant.

On the way, Huang Xiaoman asked Su Xi, "Aren’t you afraid I’ll mess up, handing such an important job to me?"

"I’m not afraid," Su Xi said. "You’ve already proven your ability. Cameron’s agent is so skilled, yet he didn’t get such big headlines in Sports Illustrated and on Yahoo. I believe in you."

"Then aren’t you worried I’ll run off with all your money? We don’t even have a contract right now," Huang Xiaoman asked next.

Su Xi thought for a moment, then said, "I know you’re not that kind of person. Besides, money isn’t that important to me."

Su Xi was being serious.

For him, the most important things were to get into the NBA as soon as possible, win an NBA championship within five years, find new talents, and fuse them all together quickly.

Money was ranked relatively low on his list of priorities.

Besides, he believed Huang Xiaoman wouldn’t take his money.

What Huang Xiaoman wanted was him.

Xiaoman giggled and said, "You dislike money that much? I remember when we first met, you had to search four pockets just to scrape together 80 USD."

Su Xi started laughing too.

He thought back to the first time they met. ’It really was quite interesting.’

The unnatural distance between them closed, their steps growing closer until Huang Xiaoman was practically hanging off Su Xi’s arm.

Just then, Josh Peis walked towards them.

Seeing Su Xi and Huang Xiaoman again, he immediately became sycophantic. He greeted them enthusiastically, "Hey, Jack. Out for a walk with your girlfriend? We’re counting on you for Thursday’s game. You got this!" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Su Xi nodded.

"When you have a moment, could you sign a few jerseys for me? I know you’re about to go do big things in the NBA, and I have to let my whole family know that Little Sheep Su Xi is my teammate, that we’re like brothers," Josh Peis continued.

Lately, he had become increasingly sycophantic towards Su Xi. Sometimes he would even give Su Xi massages, twist open his drink bottles, and fold his towels... all to show his goodwill.

This was the complete opposite of his attitude at the beginning of the season.

This was the magic of the NBA.

Once Su Xi showed the potential to enter the NBA and gained its attention...

Everything changed.

It meant that he was about to become a true millionaire, a ten-millionaire.

People like Josh Peis couldn’t help but fawn over him.

On campus, too, many people wanted to get close to Su Xi, especially the "easy girls" who, relying on their looks, hoped to climb the social ladder.

Su Xi agreed and sent him on his way.

Then he casually took Huang Xiaoman’s hand and continued walking toward the Chinese restaurant.

At that moment, Huang Xiaoman’s heart felt as if it had been smeared with honey.

...