Who would have thought that those two clumsy players forgot about their head coach when they poured drinks on Zhang Hao!

"They’re actually slacking off! Catch up to them! Beat them!"

Zhang Hao and the two of them were horsing around, and in the eyes of their teammates, it seemed like their rookie finally showed a bit of youthful spirit. It was rare.

At this moment, Pierce and his mom pushed in a multi-layered cake they had bought earlier that afternoon. There were also two girls, warily eyeing each other from time to time, but for now, they stayed silent.

The reporters had already gathered at the entrance of the visitor’s locker room, capturing the scene of Zhang Hao singing, dancing, and being drenched by his teammates until he was thoroughly soaked.

After that, it was all good vibes. Zhang Hao got to taste just one bite of the cake before Aprile Clark directly smashed it into his face... Then cake was flying everywhere!

In the end, they still had to do an interview.

The reporters stood outside, their suits smeared with cream, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was the interviewee standing before them!

Seeing Zhang Hao revert back to his indifferent expression... with cream on his nose not yet wiped off, what kind of indifference was that!

Originally, the reporters were used to Zhang Hao’s childish face always looking serious, but now, seeing the cream on Zhang Hao’s nose bridge, they truly felt he was still just a kid.

The questions still had to be asked: "Aix, today is your birthday. I won’t bother asking about your performance; I’m sure you’re very happy. How do you feel about your first birthday as a professional athlete?"

Friendly indeed, no wonder they’re reporters from American Cable TV Station — they’re always kind to anyone who beats the Knicks.

Zhang Hao replied, "I can say my $60,000 on this birthday night was well spent. Thanks to the Knicks for preparing such a great birthday surprise, party-time!"

...

...

The Lakers booked a bar in New York to celebrate Zhang Hao’s birthday!

Downing milk on a birthday night while watching others drink booze... this was Zhang Hao’s first time experiencing that.

Might as well head back to the hotel with Pierce and secretly crack open a bottle!

But it was really lively, and Zhang Hao, along with a few other under-21 kids drinking milk, still had a blast.

While they celebrated the birthday night and their victory, the basketball world had already exploded!

If in the past, Zhang Hao’s 45-point buzzer-beater against Jordan, Rookie of the Month, and 25 points average... these were incredible feats in NBA history by rookies and brought him recognition, boosted visibility due to his talent...

This time was entirely different.

Exploded!

Completely exploded!

Zhang Hao shot 20 out of 32, including 5 out of 8 from the three-point line, and a perfect 15 out of 15 from free-throw, storming into 60 points!

And he did it all in just three quarters!

With 22 points in the first quarter and 25 in the third... it was simply explosive!

By the end of the third quarter, with the game still not over, sports channels that weren’t broadcasting started interrupting their programs with reports about Zhang Hao’s performance in this game.

Previously, the American Cable TV Station had revealed that the Knicks planned to humiliate Zhang Hao. Zhang Hao had also stated before the game that he hoped the Knicks wouldn’t backtrack on their words, making this match highly anticipated under the media’s spotlight.

Some expected Zhang Hao to be crushed, while others anticipated his breakout.

Yet even those who expected a breakout performance from Zhang Hao didn’t imagine it would be this ferocious.

With two seconds left in the third quarter, one of Wilt Chamberlain’s records was gone! And it was that record deemed impossible to break that vanished!

Zhang Hao’s 60 points broke Chamberlain’s rookie season single game record of 58 points, becoming the first player in NBA history to score 60 points in a single game during their rookie season!

Beside that, there was something even more terrifying — Zhang Hao, in addition to scoring 60 points, also had 11 rebounds and 11 blocks!

In NBA history, there have been six occurrences of 50+ triple-doubles. Chamberlain had two: one with 51 points, 29 rebounds, 11 assists and another with 53 points, 32 rebounds, 14 assists. Baylor also had two: one with 52 points, 25 rebounds, 10 assists and another with 50 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists. Jabbar had one: 50 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists. Galen had one: 50 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists.

But there had never been a 60+ triple-double!

It’s possible that Chamberlain had achieved double-digit blocks alongside sixty or seventy points and twenty or thirty rebounds, but blocks weren’t recorded back then; without statistics, it’s like they didn’t exist.

Zhang Hao became the first player in NBA history to achieve a 60+ triple-double!

And it was a 60+ triple-double in three quarters. Zhang Hao transformed a record considered virtually unbreakable into one that might truly be unbreakable!

As the game ended, practically simultaneously, multiple TV stations across the U.S. pushed or interrupted broadcasting to air the news of Zhang Hao’s three-quarter 60+ triple-double bloodthirsty revenge against the Knicks!

...

A night passed.

From last night’s TV news, Zhang Hao scoring 60 points and a triple-double in vengeance against the Knicks became the hottest topic in the sports world across Asia and North America.

However, not everyone watched the game last night, and not everyone had time to catch the multiple replays on TV news throughout the evening.

Online forums were buzzing, but at that time, only so many people were surfing the internet.

It was not until the next morning, when newspapers were delivered to thousands of households, that the incident truly reached its peak of notoriety.

In the North American region, nearly every newspaper with a recognizable name headlined Zhang Hao’s performance last night in their sports news, and some newspapers even reported it in their society and entertainment news sections.