Chapter 214: Chapter 31: [Will Jack Be the True Chosen One of the ’03 Class?]

Barkley and Smith’s shouts added a great deal of humor to the tense, exciting moment.

This was no Rookie Challenge MVP award presentation. It was clearly the ceremony for the ’One-Time Use of a Donkey’s Left Buttock and Lips’ prize.

David Stern, well-versed in the Chinese saying that "great men are slow to speak," smiled and surveyed his surroundings before beginning.

Only then did he announce, "The MVP of the 2004 NBA Los Angeles All-Star Rookie Challenge is..."

He paused.

The fans in the Staples Center couldn’t wait any longer: SU! SU! SU!

The TNT cameras cut to a split screen of Su Xi and LeBron James. Su Xi’s face was a picture of confidence, as if to say, ’The MVP should be mine. It’s only right.’

LeBron James’s expression was more complicated. Though he managed to crack a smile, anyone could see the displeasure and anxiety on the nineteen-year-old’s face.

The unified chants of the Los Angeles fans made him uncomfortable. He had always been the absolute star of any event he attended, but now Su Xi had stolen his spotlight and the crowd’s cheers. ’And of all people, it had to be him—the guy I picked to be my sidekick, a defensive player, a Pippen. Why does *he* get all this adoration?’

David Stern didn’t drag out the suspense.

He said, "The winner of this year’s Rookie Challenge MVP is the guard from the Indiana Pacers, Su Xi!!"

MVP! MVP! MVP!

The Los Angeles fans erupted in excited, unified cheers.

Amid the roaring approval of the crowd, Su Xi, the clear fan favorite, walked to the center of the court.

As Su Xi shook hands with Stern, Barkley was shown on TV dancing in the broadcast booth. He was ecstatic, absolutely thrilled—a level of joy that rivaled the day he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers.

’Finally, I won’t be the only one who’s had to kiss a donkey.’

Previously, he had lost a bet with Kenny Smith over a Chinese player, costing him a kiss with a donkey. Now, thanks to another Chinese player, he had won back that ’kiss’ with interest.

Kenny Smith, on the other hand, was miserable.

He never would have dreamed that Su Xi would actually get the MVP.

When he had proposed the bet, the idea was pure fantasy. Su Xi hadn’t looked like he stood a chance.

But first, Su Xi had ruthlessly shut down and physically punished Stadumier, the sophomore with the best shot at MVP. Then, his stats started catching up as his team pushed forward. Most importantly, Doug Collins provided the ultimate assist at a critical moment by benching James, allowing Su Xi to make a brilliant assist and sink a miraculous game-winner in the final seconds.

Now, Su Xi’s MVP victory was seen as entirely deserved.

Stern gripped Su Xi’s hand firmly, visibly thrilled.

Su Xi was exactly the international superstar he had been searching for all these years. His off-court influence and his sway in Asia left Stern overjoyed.

Tonight, Su Xi had once again demonstrated his dominance on the court, leaping past all his peers.

Although Stern didn’t like Doug Collins’s decision to bench James, he was satisfied with the result. Whether James or Su Xi won MVP, it was a massive victory for the NBA.

The two of them were the players Stern prized most from the 2003 draft class.

"Congratulations, Jack. I was thrilled by your performance," Stern said, handing the trophy to Su Xi. He added, "Keep working hard. Keep moving forward."

Su Xi smiled and nodded.

Then, he raised the trophy.

Reporters swarmed him, cameras flashing. CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!

The image of him raising the trophy was frozen in time, the perfect conclusion to the Rookie Challenge.

This trophy also signified that tonight, Su Xi was the best player from both the 2002 and 2003 draft classes.

Under the fierce glare of the camera flashes, Su Xi’s star power wasn’t just illuminating the Staples Center; it was sending shockwaves through the basketball world in the United States and across the globe.

This was the first ’showdown’ between Su Xi and James since their split. Su Xi had won, and James had lost.

"How are the Cleveland fans going to feel about tonight’s result? Do they still think they got the better end of that trade?" Barkley said on TV, going for the jugular.

Steve Kerr added with a sarcastic edge, "If New York traded Jack because they didn’t know what Su Xi was capable of, that’s excusable. But for the Knight to insist on the trade even after Jack broke multiple historical records... that’s just baffling. It’s like... people don’t mock the Houston Rockets for not picking Jordan in 1984. But for the Portland Trail Blazers to pass on Jordan? That’s just absurd."

Kenny Smith was silent as the grave. The joy around him had nothing to do with him; he just thought it was all too loud.

At that moment, Su Xi was already surrounded by a forest of cameras and microphones.

TNT’s first question was about his thoughts on winning the Rookie Challenge MVP and how he felt after hitting the final game-winning shot.

"I’m very happy. But it’s also what I expected. After all, I’m the only All-Star from the 2003 class. An All-Star playing in the Rookie Challenge, that’s supposed to be a completely one-sided beatdown."

Su Xi delivered the incredibly arrogant words with unapologetic confidence.

He had no intention of being humble, nor did he care much about anyone else’s feelings. ’If they don’t like it, they can come and get some. Bring your talent and your anger!’

Reporters loved interviewing Su Xi. Compared to the other rookies who gave safe, bland answers, he always provided explosive soundbites. And every time he called an opponent dogshit, he would go out and prove that they were, in fact, dogshit.

It was very cool.

"How did I feel about the game-winner? I’m thrilled. But you should really be asking Manu that question. I’m sure he has a lot to say," Su Xi replied to the second question, a bit more relaxed.

"Manu actually anticipated my move, which is why he backed off early," he said. "But he didn’t expect me to just pull up and shoot. And he certainly didn’t expect Deng Liwei to not step up and apply pressure."

"So, it was an easy shot for me to make."

"Just like how I felt the entire game," Su Xi said.

"But during the game, we saw you going at it with Stadumier. You knocked him to the floor multiple times, and he eventually left the game injured and bleeding. Can you tell us what happened there?" a reporter asked.

Su Xi’s expression turned serious. "There are cameras all over the court. You can go watch the replay. I was sitting on the bench when he made some disrespectful remarks and an extremely offensive gesture toward me. Of course I was going to teach him a lesson. And it’s not just for tonight. From this day forward, every time I see him, I’m going to beat him down."

"You can wait and see."

Su Xi laid the whole thing out for the media, with no intention of hiding or sugarcoating it.

Let the public decide who was right and who was wrong.

In fact, audiences across the United States had already seen Stadumier’s gesture during the game. The internet was in an uproar, and Stadumier was being universally condemned as a foolish and malicious public figure, facing backlash from all over the world.

His public image was shattered. His future chances of making an All-Star team were slim unless he could put up some absolutely explosive numbers.

But Su Xi was definitely going to keep coming after him.

When it came to basketball, Su Xi was a man of his word. If he said he was going to mess someone up, he did it. He never held back, and he never put on a fake show of righteousness.

"LeBron James didn’t play in the final moments tonight. Was that because of bad blood with you? It’s well-known that you and LeBron had a falling out. You were teammates before you were traded..."

Su Xi quickly waved the question away. "There’s no bad blood between us," he said. "Him not playing at the end was a strategic decision by the coach. Look, the strategy worked, and we won the game. That’s what’s most important."

"So, Jack, can you tell us about Hilary Duff? We saw her hug you twice tonight. Especially after you hit the game-winner, she was practically hanging off of you. Are you two very close? Or, to put it another way, have you started dating?"

This question came from the Los Angeles gossip media.

Su Xi gave a wry, helpless smile and shook his head. "We’re just friends. During halftime, we were discussing work. We’re planning on releasing a song together. I admire her talent, and she thinks I have a decent voice. As for the celebration after the game-winner, you know how passionate sports can be. Cameron even lifted me up in the air, but you didn’t mention that. That’s not very fair to Melo, is it?"

Su Xi responded earnestly, trying to shut down the reporters’ wild imaginations.

But gossip is never that easily squashed.

The American media was skilled at spinning a story out of a picture, and in this case, they had video evidence to work with.

Finally, TNT asked one last basketball question: "Jack, you won the MVP in the Rookie Challenge tonight. With the main All-Star Game coming up, have you thought about winning the MVP there too? If you win both MVP trophies in the same All-Star Weekend, you’ll make history once again."

Su Xi laughed heartily. "I honestly hadn’t thought about it until you just asked. But now... hmm, I’ll consider it. You know me, I like collecting trophies. But if I don’t get it, that’s perfectly normal too. After all, this is my first All-Star Game. You guys should be a little nicer to the new guy."

After answering that question, Su Xi concluded the interview.

He walked back to the locker room with his trophy, not forgetting to raise it to the Los Angeles fans on his way, which drew another round of thunderous cheers.

Just then, TNT aired another interview.

It was with James.

"Congratulations to Jack. He played great, and he absolutely deserved the MVP trophy. I’m proud of his progress."

"It was my decision not to play in the final moments. My knee was feeling sore, and even though I knew this game was important, I have to think about the upcoming regular season and my career as a whole," LeBron James told the camera with a smile. "Besides, I had faith that Jack, Cameron, and Dwayne could get the job done."

"And as it turns out, they didn’t disappoint me."

James had high emotional intelligence, and his rhetorical skills were truly impressive.

That one phrase, "they didn’t disappoint me," subtly placed him in a superior position.

Worthy of the name ’The Chosen One’.

However, Doug Collins’s response was quite different.

"It was a carefully considered decision. Jack has more of a killer instinct. He’s more cold-blooded and decisive in crucial moments, so of course I chose him."

Collins said very seriously, "And the facts prove that my judgment is consistently correct."

Then, he added, "A young Jack always reminds me of Hill and Jordan."

That statement ended the debate.

It was the most sensational final verdict on the Rookie Challenge.

He was the first person ever to compare Su Xi to Hill and Jordan.

And this was a coach who had once coached a young Hill and a young Jordan extensively.

It carried a lot of weight.

It sparked a frantic debate: Could Jack be the *real* Chosen One of the 2003 class?

After all, he had not only outshone the competition to win MVP, but had also truly made a name for himself.

He had also earned the endorsement of the NBA’s premier "kingmaker" coach.

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