Chapter 485: Chapter 146: I Want a One-on-One with Him! (7K Subscription Request)_3

Without immediately answering, Zhang Hao looked at Glenn Rice, Ewing, Reggie Miller, and Moning on the opposite side, and suddenly felt his emotions surging...

"Hmm."

Zhang Hao just replied with one word.

But the Magician heard it; Zhang Hao no longer seemed indifferent to this game as before.

Too calm! Although the Magician also knows that Zhang Hao won’t have many opportunities to showcase himself in this year’s All-Star game, even if the Western Team’s coach is their Lakers’ coach Del Harris, willing to give Zhang Hao playing time, Zhang Hao still may not have too many chances to perform.

But Zhang Hao is a bit too rational, lacking the feeling of youth.

It was time for the Western Conference All-Stars to come in as substitutes.

In an instant, Zhang Hao felt quite different; over on the Eastern Team, among the 7 All-Star substitutes, there are 3 that Zhang Hao isn’t that interested in.

But the Western Conference All-Star substitutes made Zhang Hao really want to join the other side and have a match with these folks!

Richmond, Payton, Stockton, Kemp, David Robinson, Malone, Kidd...

After all the substitutes came onto the court and took their seats, it was time for the All-Star starters to appear.

When the Eastern Conference All-Stars took the stage, Zhang Hao’s desire to join the Eastern Team vanished; having a match with these five would be so exhilarating!

Anfernee Hardaway, Pippen, O’Neal, Jordan, Grant Hill appeared amid the frenzy of cheers from the audience!

Each player spent over a minute being introduced before coming out to enjoy the applause; after 20 minutes or so of waiting, it was finally time for the Western Team starters to come in.

The host first introduced the Western starters with the lowest vote count—the Magician.

The Magician patted Zhang Hao’s shoulder: "Get ready to enjoy the game, our king of votes!"

After speaking, the Magician walked out of the player tunnel, and the venue boiled once more.

Drexler, Olajuwon, Barkley went on stage one after another.

Zhang Hao listened to the audience’s reactions as each star appeared, and finally, it was his turn!

"Ladies and gentlemen, this year’s All-Star weekend has created another miracle! Last year, we had the first player to receive over one million votes for the All-Star king; he was a rookie..."

The lights at this time shone on the Eastern Conference king of votes—Grant Hill.

"This year, our All-Star voting reached new heights! The first superstar to obtain over two million votes has emerged! 2.18 million votes! Furthermore, he’s also a rookie... Before the All-Star weekend, in the games he participated in, he averaged 26.3 points, ranking third among all league players while averaging 2.3 blocks, ranking ninth, and helped the Lakers achieve a 38-9 record, leading the Western Conference. Welcome, the genius rookie from China, the All-Star king of votes, Aix..."

On the big screen above the court, instead of the video clips that play when other stars enter, it directly showed Zhang Hao’s registered trademark—an X with a bold purple and gold glow!

At this moment, the cheering sound in the venue grew even louder!

Zhang Hao was initially worried that leaving Los Angeles might make his entrance as king of votes fall flat, but these cheers have restored his confidence!

The spotlight shone at the entrance of the player tunnel, Zhang Hao took a deep breath, no longer worried, his emotions surged with excitement, but kept a straight face as he walked out of the player tunnel...

The cheers from the audience, the different expressions from the other 23 All-Star players, Zhang Hao listened and saw.

There was jealousy, like Malone... and across from him, O’Neal seemed displeased with the young players’ high popularity compared to theirs.

There was envy, like Kidd, David Robinson, and... Pippen?

Zhang Hao remembered that Pippen had expressed dissatisfaction with his low endorsement fees in an interview two days ago, stating that his endorsement fee shouldn’t be tied to his salary, a well-timed remark right after Nike announced Mr. Zhang had received a bonus of 2.5 million US Dollars from the All-Star incentive clause, making Nike’s cumulative endorsement fee for him reach 6.5 million US Dollars this year.

There were those indifferent, like Stockton, Anfernee Hardaway, Grant Hill, and so on...

Jordan’s sneer caught Zhang Hao’s sight, mirroring the expression of a Little Blacksmith in the front row of the tech table across him, eager to rush onto the court to show the world who he is.

Arriving on the court, he received the All-Star Ring presented by guest presenter Donnie Briscoe.

While showcasing the ring with other All-Star players and taking group photos, Zhang Hao’s thoughts changed...

"To be happy however possible, but now, grabbing the spotlight seems to make me even happier?"

...

The All-Star appearances finished, but some All-Stars like Terry Brandon, may not be well-known nationwide, getting into the All-Star just once or twice to promote themselves in this type of game is significant; it greatly strengthens the desire of the locals in Cleveland to come see the games live because "our team has an All-Star now."

If multiple appearances are made as an All-Star, even as a substitute, that becomes a ticket-selling emblem.

Before the game, Eastern Conference All-Star coach Phil Jackson and Western Conference All-Star coach Del Harris made final adjustments.

Even if it’s just 40 minutes of preparation in the afternoon and pre-game tactical explanations, the coordination may not be a big issue.

Apart from those pure defensive All-Stars, the other players selected for the All-Star game have substantial strength and tactical literacy, which, if willing to actively cooperate, are far superior to role players by countless times.