Chapter 215: Chapter 32: The All-Stars Have No Room for Su Xi

The shockwaves from Su Xi winning the Rookie Challenge MVP were still rippling through the basketball world.

The game had spawned a plethora of discussion topics.

The entertainment world was buzzing about the rumored romance between Su Xi and Hilary Duff.

The Asian community was condemning Stadumier for his racism.

The basketball world was debating whether Su Xi was truly the best player of the 2003 class, and whether Kenny Smith should be allowed to stick out his tongue—would that draw the ire of animal rights activists? Would they dispatch experts to assess the psychological damage Kenny’s kiss would inflict on the jackass?

Furthermore, the Rashomon-like statements from Su Xi, James, and Collins sparked the media’s intense curiosity.

The morning after, on the second day of All-Star Weekend, photos of Su Xi hoisting his trophy were on the cover of every sports publication in the country. Every sports channel was filled with discussions about him.

Hollywood’s gossip scene also erupted into a frenzy. They began to build hype for a new "character in the drama," with Hilary Duff now positioned in their minds as the third key figure in Su Xi’s love life.

The Disney Little Princess had a sweet smile and immense popularity; everyone agreed she and Su Xi would make a perfect couple—a talented man and a beautiful woman. Even MTV publicly declared, "Why should the actresses have Jack all to themselves? The female singers of the entertainment world need to step up!"

Instantly, the gossip fans had a new obsession.

The next day, Su Xi slept in until ten in the morning.

Since his first event of the afternoon wasn’t until around 1:00 PM, Su Xi decided to just stay in his hotel. He called Mike O’Connor and asked him to bring up a nutritional meal. Then he started watching TV.

As soon as he turned on ESPN, he saw Stadumier. "...I apologize to everyone who was offended by my action. There was no discriminatory intent behind it; I was just using that gesture to wipe away my sweat."

The excuse was the kind that made Su Xi sick to his stomach.

Public opinion was now overwhelmingly against him. Both his sponsors and the Phoenix Suns were feeling immense pressure, so Stadumier had no choice but to come forward to apologize and clarify his actions.

It might have some effect, as it gave the public a semblance of an explanation.

But after this incident, his commercial value had taken a massive hit, and his future chances of becoming an All-Star were now incredibly slim. With similar stats as another player, he’d definitely be passed over. Even if his stats were superior, he would struggle to get selected... because he was now a designated troublemaker for All-Star Weekend.

His hatred for Su Xi had reached its peak; he believed this was all Su Xi’s fault.

But he didn’t say that to the media. Instead, he said, "I’ll find a chance to talk to Jack. I’ll let him know I wasn’t intentionally targeting him; I just really wanted to be an All-Star. I apologize to him for my previous offensive remarks. His All-Star spot is well-deserved. He’s the cream of the crop among us new-generation players!"

Stadumier was putting on an incredibly humble front. He just wanted the media storm to pass.

This earned him sneers from the commentators in the ESPN studio. Mike Brin bluntly called him out for being arrogant before and obsequious now, saying the man had no backbone.

Su Xi changed the channel to Time Warner’s sports channel.

"If Jack isn’t the best of the new generation, then who is? He’s gotten a quadruple-double, has the most triple-doubles, is the league’s steals leader, just won the Rookie Challenge MVP, and has led the Pacers to the best record in the league."

The commentator continued, speaking with confidence, "A lot of people will say LeBron has more raw talent, or that Cameron is a more powerful player... but if that’s true, why aren’t they the ones doing all this?"

Exactly!

Mike O’Connor walked in and declared, "I hate it when people talk about ’more talent’ and ’unrealized potential.’ What’s the difference between that and a guy who can’t perform saying he’s just having an off night and will be stronger next time? You either have it or you don’t! Why make excuses?"

A scornful look was plastered on O’Connor’s face.

Su Xi reached out and changed the channel.

"Boss, we’ve landed you another endorsement deal. They originally thought our asking price of 6 million USD for three years was too high. But after last night’s game, they sent us an email overnight."

O’Connor said, "It’s a digital camera company. They’re inviting you to shoot a commercial with Jackie Chan."

Jackie Chan?

Jacky Chan!

Su Xi was shocked. Jackie Chan was his idol; he loved watching his kung fu movies.

’I can’t believe I’ll actually get to shoot a commercial with him one day.’

Then again, Su Xi’s popularity these days probably wasn’t much lower than Jackie Chan’s. His global recognition was still a level below, of course; the influence of Jackie Chan’s films was just too massive.

Su Xi agreed without hesitation.

While he was eating his nutritional meal, the TNT Channel was discussing how to select the jackass. O’Connor was watching with great relish, so Su Xi took his food and went to eat in the other room.

As arranged by O’Connor, Su Xi attended an All-Star Weekend community outreach event.

The NBA staff were pretty mischievous.

They put Sam Cassell and Su Xi in the same group.

With the two of them standing side by side, the full spectrum of human diversity was on display.

Cassell’s ugliness was on another level. Standing next to him, Su Xi’s already handsome features seemed to be enhanced severalfold.

Everywhere they went, it was Su Xi’s fans who swarmed them.

Su Xi got all the cheers and camera flashes, while Cassell looked just like his bodyguard.

This made him very uncomfortable.

Nobody likes being ignored.

Cassell entered the NBA in ’93, starting his career surrounded by and learning from superstars like Olajuwon, Drexler, and Barkley. He had long ago proven himself to be a top-tier point guard in the league, but he was always unlucky. He was repeatedly snubbed for the All-Star game, even when he was putting up stats close to 20 points and 8 assists.

This season, after being traded from the Bucks to the Minnesota Timberwolves, he had a powerful resurgence under Head Coach Sanders. He, Garnett, and Spree Wells formed Minnesota’s ’Big Three,’ surpassing the Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs to claim the best record in the West.

And because of that, he finally made the All-Star team.

This was the 10th season of his career.

Looking back, his journey had been filled with bitterness. When he saw Su Xi being voted in as an All-Star starter in his very first season—relying on votes from fans of female celebrities, no less—the more he thought about it, the more indignant he became, and the more he felt that fate was unfair.

When he attended the event with Su Xi and everyone crowded around Su Xi, his dejection grew even heavier.

So, on the way back, he didn’t say a single word to Su Xi.

When a staff member mentioned Su Xi’s great performance from the previous night, he actually let out a scoff.

Su Xi gave Cassell a long, hard look.

Seeing the expression on his boss’s face, Mike O’Connor couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. ’Cassell, you’ve just dug your own grave.’

...

In reality, it wasn’t just Cassell who was unhappy. During the promotional photoshoot for the Eastern Conference Team, besides his Pacers teammates, few others even cracked a smile at Su Xi. The feeling was a repeat of the Rookie Challenge locker room, only this time it was even more obvious.

The players who make it to the All-Star game are basically feudal lords in their own territories.

They’ve all had incredible records and put up amazing stats.

Getting them to respect a rookie like Su Xi was damn near impossible.

Even after Su Xi’s suffocating defense and incredible game-winner last night, they still didn’t accept that he deserved to become the all-time All-Star vote leader.

So, when it was time for the photos, they naturally squeezed Su Xi out to the edge of the group.