The head coach of this year’s rookie team was Doug Collins, and the assistant coach was A.C. Green. Both were former players.

Collins, born in 1951, was the more senior of the two. During his playing days, he played for the 76ers alongside Julius Erving and was a four-time All-Star. He later started his coaching career as an assistant in college basketball. In ’86, he became the head coach of the Bulls, accompanying the God of Basketball through his formative years and helping him grow into the number one player in the league. In 1989, he was fired for being unable to help the God of Basketball get past the Pistons in the playoffs.

It’s worth mentioning that starting in 1995, he became the head coach of the Pistons. He was there for three years, mentoring the successor to the God of Basketball, Grant Hill. Under his guidance, Hill became the top All-Star vote-getter and even topped the regular season MVP projection lists for a time. Collins also became the head coach for the All-Star Game in 1997. However, after Hill was injured in ’98, Collins was fired.

Then, in 2001, when Jordan joined the Wizards, he brought this coach with the "kingmaker’s touch" to Washington. Doug Collins coached for two years and was fired when Jordan retired for the third time.

Now, he was a commentator, a job that was all talk. He worked for MSG Network. A familiar name, right? It was the television channel owned by James Dolan.

The league’s invitation for him to coach the Rookie Challenge was, to some extent, a nod to his "kingmaker’s touch." His lifelong specialty was elevating swingmen to their peak, and the league’s current golden boy, LeBron James, happened to be a swingman with the potential to reach the very top.

During his playing days, assistant coach A.C. Green was an excellent championship role player, earning the nickname "Iron Man." He was one of Pat Riley’s most trusted players, an important member of the Showtime Lakers, and was selected to the All-Defensive Team as well as being an All-Star starter.

Unlike his former teammate Magic Johnson, who was notoriously promiscuous, he was a devout Christian. How devout? Not only did he abstain from smoking and drinking, but he even refused to spray champagne for the cameras after winning a championship. What’s more, he was the NBA’s only known virgin. In ’89, he even founded the A.C. Green Youth Foundation to advocate for premarital abstinence.

In 1985, a famously promiscuous Lakers superstar allegedly sent a sexy woman to tempt him and test the purity of his faith. The result: he resisted the temptation, and his faith shone all the brighter.

In this regard, A.C. Green was truly hardcore. Born in 1963, he entered the NBA in 1985, retired in 2001, and only got married in 2002. This just goes to show how steadfast his faith was, and how incredible his girlfriend, Veronique, must have been.

So, it made perfect sense that he would be stern with Su Xi and refuse to let him leave the practice court early.

The All-Star Rookie Challenge still involved some tactical practice. Typically, after the photoshoot, the players would run a few simple laps, and the head coach would set up a few familiar plays that everyone knew. It was just a matter of going through the motions.

But A.C. Green insisted on keeping Su Xi on the court.

In contrast, Doug Collins, who was overseeing LeBron James, was much more easygoing and had let James leave early for his commercial engagements.

This action made many of the rookie players realize that Su Xi was in for a rough Rookie Challenge.

They were all secretly delighted.

This ridiculously lucky guy had finally run into a snag.

’How could someone like A.C. Green possibly like a playboy like him?’

’The man waited until he was 39 to break his vow for the sake of his faith. You’re a rookie messing around with two Hollywood starlets at the same time. Of course he’s going to teach you a lesson.’

"Jack, you’re a very good defensive player. You should focus your energy on defense. If you over-indulge in carnal pleasures off the court, it will affect your performance on the court, and you’ll never reach the heights you’re capable of."

After the gym had emptied out a bit, A.C. Green approached Su Xi to talk. He mainly wanted to impart some personal experience. "You’re a good kid, and I want you to be even better. If you were an arrogant person, you probably would have stormed off long ago. You’re a hot-shot star right now; there’s no reason for you to listen to the instructions of a retired player like me who lost his influence long ago."

Uh...

’I didn’t realize I could have just left.’

"Sir, almost all the other players have left. My boss has a commercial shoot to get to, and a large crew is waiting for him. Every minute you delay him here costs the crew hundreds of man-minutes," Mike O’Connor said, walking over to put pressure on A.C. Green.

A.C. Green was a man of principle. Even though O’Connor seemed arrogant and impatient, he had a point.

’I can’t waste so many people’s time.’

"Go on, Jack! You must remember, lust is the root of all evil. Abstinence is a form of spiritual cultivation!"

A.C. Green admonished Su Xi as he was about to leave.

Su Xi smiled politely and left.

Mike O’Connor walked a few steps with Su Xi, then turned back. As a former "Nevada Giant Cannon" and a superstar in the adult industry, he couldn’t help but weigh in on the topic with A.C. Green. "Buddy, I don’t really get why you do this. But I’ll tell you what, if you want to completely abstain from sex, you should just indulge yourself wantonly. After a while, you’ll find you’ve completely kicked the habit, just like me now."

O’Connor was sharing some of his personal experience.

As for whether A.C. Green would accept it, that was his own business.

...

Su Xi finished shooting all the commercials that had piled up in one go. The workload wasn’t high for most of them. After all, the ads just needed his face next to the product, or at most, they’d have him play a little basketball.