Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters
Chapter 34: Chapter 31: Heartwarming Big Boy

The Jade Team defeated the Grey Wolf Team with a final score of 54 to 35, claiming a sweeping victory.

Yu Fei crushed DeAngelo Collins just as he had predicted before the game, with Collins' pressure not even amounting to half of what Anthony brought the day before.

In this game, Yu Fei delivered a thoroughly well-rounded performance with 21 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 7 blocks, and 3 steals. Despite committing 3 turnovers, it didn't detract from his game, as his performance was what Collins could only dream of for himself.

This was nearly a career-shattering game for Collins, who only managed 8 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks, showing none of the poise expected from the nation's fifth-ranked high school player.

This battle not only clinched for Yu Fei the title of the best high school senior at this year's ABCD Camp but also disqualified Collins from contesting for that title—each ABCD Camp awards two NovelFirePs for the upperclassmen and one MVP for the underclassmen, with the catch that the upperclassmen's MVPs are picked from both the twelfth graders and eleventh graders who played in the upperclassmen's games, while the underclassmen's MVP is selected from the eleventh and the rare tenth graders who competed in their games.

Before this game, the upperclassmen's MVP was all but guaranteed to be Collins', but after this game, no one felt he was eligible anymore.

Yu Fei now possessed everything Collins used to have.

After the game, even though Yu Fei still had two more games to play, he received warm congratulations.

Anthony, who had faced off against him yesterday, came over to greet him, and James also wanted to get acquainted, not to mention others—everyone wanted to get to know him a little.

Michael Jordan left the Rosman Center quietly after watching the game.

He felt his trip was fruitful, as Yu Fei's performance made a profound impression on him. If this year they drew a lottery pick around 5-10, he would consider using it to draft Yu Fei.

However, if the Wizards ended up with a top-five pick, then it would be unlikely for Yu Fei to be within their contemplation.

That's because there were three high school prodigies confirmed to enter the draft early this year, none of whom attended the ABCD Camp, as there was no need for it—they had cemented their status as early as their junior year, only upstarts like DeAngelo Collins who suddenly rose to prominence would feel insecure.

But in the end, that sense of insecurity comes from a lack of innate talent—if Collins had absolute confidence in his own talent, he wouldn't have attended this year's ABCD Camp.

During the second game of the day for the Jade Team, Yu Fei played for 14 minutes, helping his team establish an absolute advantage before taking a seat and doing an exclusive interview with Gary Smith, the chief writer of Sports Illustrated.

It was a very unexpected opportunity.

Yu Fei wasn't familiar with Smith, but he knew Sports Illustrated, and even more so the significance of being the magazine's chief writer.

So when Smith's first words were, "Frye, I've actually been following you for quite a while now," Yu Fei felt a startling surprise that made his hair stand on end.

Thinking Smith was just being courteous, he politely responded, "It's my honor."

"I didn't mean to pay attention to you," said Smith, "It was by accident. I happened to be on vacation in Seattle, and you happened to be playing there. If I had to pinpoint the reason, I'd say it was God's arrangement."

God's arrangement?

To Yu Fei's knowledge, it was rare for Westerners who often invoke God to truly believe in His existence.

What surprised him the most, however, was that Smith wasn't just being polite; he really had been following him for a while?

"You actually pay attention to such a niche competition?"

Smith, of course, wasn't that idle, so he emphasized, "It was an accident. If things were to happen all over again, perhaps I would have ignored you like everyone else."

"Just like DeAngelo Collins?" Yu Fei joked.

"No," Smith's response finally convinced Yu Fei that the chief writer's long-term attention was not just lip service, "like Jeffrey Dai."

Jeffrey Dai was the first stumbling block on Yu Fei's path to fame, playing the same role in the Seattle regional invitational as Collins did today.

The fact that Smith could name drop Dai showed that his words were true.

"I believe what you said," Yu Fei replied, "and I believe you're serious."

Under such circumstances, this informal private interview began with a formal air.

"After defeating DeAngelo Collins, you've solidified your status as a top-tier high school player in the nation. What's your next plan? College or the NBA?"

Yu Fei asked, "When will my words appear in Sports Illustrated?"

"Not until next month at the earliest," said Smith.

That was fine by Yu Fei; he didn't think there was anything to hide. Besides, leveraging Smith's reputation in the industry to create buzz for himself wasn't a bad idea at all.

"I want to follow in Shawn Kemp's footsteps and take my talent to the NBA," Yu Fei said.

This answer didn't surprise Smith; these days, there are few exceptionally talented high schoolers who don't want to jump straight into the NBA.

After getting that answer, his questions began to drift toward Fei's personal life.

"Did you really never play basketball before eleventh grade?"

"I played casually, but I never underwent systematic training."

"When did you start to feel that you were better suited for basketball?"

"When I was very young."

"But you initially chose volleyball."

"Because I was a weak child," Fei said with a serious face. "I was afraid of the physical confrontations on the basketball court."

With a teasing tone, Smith asked, "So I'm curious, where did that weak child go?"

"He died," Fei answered. "One night a year ago, that weak child had a dream. He dreamt of a future where he was nothing but mediocre, so he aimlessly walked the streets, discovering that the path under his feet had veered away from the main road, leading him to a dilapidated path toward the slums. There, a group of untalented people were playing basketball with all their might, belittling the weak boy, full of anger. They claimed the boy's situation was a disgrace to them, and if they had the boy's talent, they would become millionaires and take their families away from that damn place."

Gary Smith's expression gradually turned solemn.

Meanwhile, Fei continued, "When the boy woke up, tears were streaming down his face. He was contemplating what the purpose of his existence on this earth was."

"That was the day the weak boy died."

Smith had never expected to hear such a moving story from an eighteen-year-old boy. "It sounds just like a remake of 'Good Will Hunting.'"

However, Smith's sentiment was fleeting because Fei nodded and said, "Yes, what I just said was all made up on the spot, inspired by Matt Damon's 'Good Will Hunting.' You can put the story I fabricated into your article as is, since people don't care about the authenticity of a story; they just want to read a moving, inspirational tale."

With a forced smile, Smith said, "You're very considerate."

If only Jeffrey Dai and DeAngelo Collins could think that way about themselves, he thought.

Such an empathetic and warm-hearted big boy is rare to replace these days.

"Would you like to talk about your family?" Smith asked with tact, ready to drop the subject if Fei didn't want to discuss it.

Fei said, "I grew up with just my mom, and I rarely saw other family members... um, my mom runs a Chinese restaurant in Kent City, and business is pretty good."

Smith then asked, "Would you like to talk about your father?"

Fei's face still wore a slight smile, but if Smith had been paying close attention, he would have seen the boy's face stiffen.

It was proof of a sudden drop in emotions.

"There's not much to talk about," Fei said. "He's already dead."

With plenty of interview experience, Smith took only a second to sense the interviewee's feelings about the current topic, so he quickly steered the conversation toward lighter matters.

Like Fei's insights from this training camp, whether Fei had a girlfriend, or how he was preparing for his plans to attend the NBA Draft in June...

Fei was not that protective of his privacy and answered all these questions openly, providing so much detail that even Gary Smith was surprised.

Actually, Fei didn't need to be so candid; for instance, he didn't have to swear up and down that there were no Kate Winslet-type beauties at Kent Meridian High School that he fancied.

Really, that kind of information was unnecessary.

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"Next Stop College/NBA? Frye Yu Shines at ABCD Camp!" — ESPN News Flash

"David Stern officially approves the relocation plan for the Memphis Grizzlies." — Vancouver Times

"King's guard Jason Williams fined for racist and homophobic comments." — Los Angeles Times

"Kobe makes an appearance at ABCD Camp today, presenting the MVP award to Asian basketball prodigy." — Orange County Chronicle

"Good night, Kentites, before rewarding yourself with a beer, you should know that Kent Meridian High School senior, Frye Yu, ranked first at this year's ABCD Camp." — Kent City Broadcast

Thanks to Uncle Pickles, Managing_Pigs_Chuckle, Orange Sonata, Tree Is Thus 12, Desecrator_Ultra, Yeap, Forever Love Pepsi (nice ID, though a bit difficult to pronounce), Ah_You_I_Meet, Happy_Fish, norteor, Listen To My Story of Storm, Michael Reed, Moon Across The Sky, Sad City, and reader 20190418182921404 for their rewards. Thank you, everyone.