Author: Feng Yuanhua

I originally planned to go shopping in San Francisco with my parents, but on the second day after arriving, work came knocking on my doorstep.

Official NBA activities, brand launches by endorsers, and various activities to give back to fans.

Among the many NBA stars, although Wang Hao is not the most famous, he has one of the most jobs.

There is no way, this is San Francisco after all, one of the largest Chinese communities in the United States.

However, both Wang Jianguo and Liu Mei have studied abroad, and their English is no worse than Wang Hao's. Wang Hao does not need to be a translator throughout the whole process.

What's more, this is San Francisco, there are so many Chinese, especially in Chinatown, they can speak Chinese.

It's just that fellow villagers lied to fellow villagers and deceived them all.

Necessary caution was still necessary, so Wang Hao simply contacted Jeff Schwartz and asked him to arrange for someone to accompany him.

Naturally, Jeff Schwartz would not refuse such a small thing, and he was very active in doing so.

Play basketball with fans, showcase brands on behalf of business partners, and participate in various activities.

Time flies by so fast, and it’s February 10th, the All-Star Rookie Challenge.

Originally, Wang Hao had already been selected for the All-Star Game and was a starter, so there was no need to participate in the Rookie Challenge.

Just like Carter, because the All-Star Game was not held last year, he did not participate in the Rookie Challenge.

By this year, he has grown into an All-Star, and the Rookie Challenge is no longer attractive to him.

Wang Hao can also choose this way, but it's not necessary.

In the All-Star Game, even if he is the starter, even if Gary Payton passes the ball to him, he will not have many opportunities to perform.

After all, with so many celebrities and big names, how much can they do to him?

What's more, as a rookie All-Star starter, he is already a bit eye-catching, so there is no need to stand out again.

On the contrary, in the Rookie Challenge, this is his stage.

This year's Rookie Challenge has changed again. The previous format was that rookies were divided into two teams.

It's just that in some years, the rookies are not that good, and some can't even get stable playing time.

Under such circumstances, it seems unjustifiable to force them to play in the game, and the game will not be exciting.

In the NBA, there is a saying that there is a big year for the draft and a small year for the draft. In a small year, there is very little room for choice.

Now that the All-Star Rookie Challenge has been changed to a competition between first and second graders, there are more options to choose from.

As for whether second-year players have more experience and will have an advantage, that's actually fine.

For most NBA players, half a season is enough time for them to adapt to the NBA.

For the first-year side, the starting lineup is naturally Elton Brand and Odom in the paint, with Marion as the small forward.

As for the outside duo, it's naturally Francis and Wang Hao, a super backcourt pair.

On the bench, there are Wallis Zerbiak, Artest, Andre Miller, Clay Maggette, and James Posey.

The Rookie Challenge follows the NCAA format, with two halves of 20 minutes each.

As for the second-year team, although their best rookie Carter will not play, he still cannot be underestimated.

The 1998 draft was definitely not inferior to the 1996-03 golden generation.

Needless to say, the Rookie of the Year is Vince Carter, as well as the historic Dirk Nowitzki, and then Paul Pierce.

In addition, there are many well-known players, such as Sugar Man, Mike Bibby, Antawn Jamison, Al Harrington, Jason Williams, Reeve LaFrentz, Larry Hugh

Si and old cat Mobley.

After all, it is a Rookie Challenge. The players are from different teams and are not familiar with each other at all.

Therefore, at noon that day before the game started, the NBA specially arranged a training session.

"Hey, Wang, what's up, are we going to teach the second graders a lesson today?"

"Of course, entering the NBA early doesn't mean anything."

"I think so too, we will definitely win this game."

…

When Wang Hao first walked into the training hall, a group of people were already discussing how to win the game.

That's right, among the players who can enter the NBA, even if they are only marginal players, who is not a genius?

Geniuses are arrogant, even when facing sophomores who entered the NBA a year earlier than them.

Wang Hao quickly integrated into this chat atmosphere. Living in the United States for more than a year was very helpful for him to integrate into the NBA.

In addition to Artest, Odom and Brand, I can also chat with others.

Moreover, everyone seemed to be gathering around Wang Hao.

It's no wonder that with Wang Hao's current performance, he definitely has the temperament of a leader in his grade.

As for whether there is that kind of envy, jealousy, and hatred, there definitely is, but no one will jump out of it casually.

Reality is not a novel. There is no strength and achievements to rely on. If you jump out stupidly, others will only think that your brain is sick.

The atmosphere seemed pretty good, which made Wang Hao quite satisfied.

After all, it would be meaningless if you just participated in the Rookie Challenge instead of winning the MVP.

"Hey, little guys, come on over!"

Everyone was chatting happily when they suddenly heard a voice. When they turned around, they saw that it was an old man with gray hair.

The old man was not polite to Wang Hao and others, and said directly: "My name is Bill Burtka, assistant coach of the Lakers.

I am in charge of today’s training session, and I hope I can spend a pleasant afternoon with everyone.”

Wang Hao was a little disappointed not to see Phil Jackson. After all, he also wanted to see the triangle offense.

However, it is obviously unrealistic to allow rookies to understand the triangle offense in one training session.

In fact, All-Star games never have too complicated tactics, there is no need for them.

It's just one game. Next year, the players will change, and maybe the coach will also change.

The training session before the game is mainly to let the players get familiar with each other, and then arrange some simple running and pick-and-roll tactics.

At 19:00 on Friday, San Francisco time, as the referee's whistle sounded, the Rookie Challenge officially began.

The second-year team sent the Candy Man and Dirk Nowitzki as an inside partner, and the height advantage was obvious.

As for the outside line, from the third position to the first position are Antawn Jamison, Paul Pierce and Jason Williams.

The first-year team finally met head coach Phil Jackson, but as soon as this guy came to his seat, he began to close his eyes and meditate.

The work of tactical command and substitutions was basically left to Burtka, and there was no intention to interfere.

The attendance rate of the entire Auckland Stadium is pretty good, about 60-70%, which is very rare.

Although this is also an All-Star game, it is only a rookie game after all, and not many people pay attention to it.

There is a reason why the attendance rate is so high, because of Jamison and Wang Hao, otherwise there would be half the audience.

Sure enough, when Jamison and Wang Hao stepped onto the field, they received the loudest cheers.
Chapter completed!