Eve

Eve After the athletic testing, the technical drills, and the live scrimmage against Eddie Jones had all ended, Jerry West did not call a stop. He stepped forward and proposed one last segment: an interview. NBA interviews are usually meant to assess a player’s basketball IQ and tactical understanding, but one subtle fact made this invitation seem different—at this point, the Memphis Grizzlies did not have a head coach. West seemed to see through the other man’s doubt and calmly added, “Please rest assured. Most of what I want to ask has nothing to do with basketball.” Leon Rose, Xu Ling’s agent, frowned instinctively and was about to decline when Xu Ling simply nodded. “No problem.” The interview was indeed quick. West’s questions were direct and clear. They stayed far from the tactics board and on-court strategy, touching more on mindset, choices, and adjustment off the court. Xu Ling answered each one candidly, with almost no pause between question and answer. Finally, West leaned slightly forward, his hands folded on the table. His tone still carried little warmth, yet he made an unexpected invitation. “I’m not yet sure of your schedule, but if time permits, I would very much like to have dinner with you and Mr. Rose tonight. At the very least, let me act as your host.” At that, the corners of Xu Ling’s mouth curved slightly, and he replied with a joke. “Of course, Mr. West. Just don’t suddenly set me up for a one-on-one with the waiter at dinner.” A rare smile appeared on Jerry West’s face. It was not a forced courtesy, nor the mechanical, distant politeness he had shown at their first meeting. It was subtle and genuine, even drawing faint lines at the corners of his sharp eyes. In the ever-refining “Xu Ling personality profile” in his mind, West quickly added another note: natural sense of humor, relaxed demeanor, easy to get along with. Almost immediately, almost unconsciously, he added a sharp contrast after it: the complete opposite of Rudy Gay. When the meeting ended, Xu Ling and Leon Rose temporarily took their leave and went into the city to book a hotel for their stay in Memphis that night. Only West and Eddie Jones remained in the gym. Jones had just wiped off his sweat and changed into a clean T-shirt. West turned to him, his voice calm as always. “Eddie, what do you think of Eli?” Jones answered almost without thinking, the words blurting out. “That kid is great, Jerry. I’m not saying it just because he destroyed me. His game is too complete. He doesn’t look like a rookie at all, and his fundamentals are frighteningly solid. Not to mention his talent—an extremely quick first step, the change of pace before he explodes, the release point on his shot. Every single one is top-tier!” “Do you think we should pick him?” West asked. “Honestly, if I were the general manager of the Seattle SuperSonics, I’d take him with the No. 2 pick.” Jones said this decisively, then solemnly added, “But if he really does fall to No. 3, we absolutely, absolutely cannot miss him.” After saying that, Jones paused for a moment, as if suddenly recalling something. His voice lowered, tinged with complexity. “But if we really pick him… I might have to worry for Rudy.” West listened quietly, his face expressionless. He neither agreed nor objected. Jones said nothing more. He picked up a bottle of water, twisted it open, and took a sip. His gaze drifted over the empty court, and his thoughts were pulled back many years. He seemed to see again the figure in a Los Angeles training gym, bandages wrapped around him as he practiced shooting with his off hand—that aloof young man who, with an unstoppable force, had slowly squeezed him out until he had completely replaced him. That night, at dinner, West formally made a draft promise on behalf of the Grizzlies: they would select Xu Ling with the No. 3 pick in the first round. Xu Ling thanked him, but Leon Rose said, “No. 3 is very high, but I don’t think you can count on Eli still being there at that spot.” West replied, “We’ll do everything necessary.” Then, the day after the Grizzlies workout, Xu Ling’s team suddenly announced that, effective immediately, he would enter closed training and accept no further workout invitations. Everyone familiar with the draft process understood what that usually meant: he had already received a draft promise from a team. Looking back at his workout path—first Portland, then Seattle, and finally Memphis, where the entire process had suddenly been halted—anyone paying attention could infer that the promise almost certainly came from the Grizzlies. The Atlanta Hawks quickly caught the signal. They had the media float the story that their head coach, Mike Woodson, greatly admired Xu Ling. Given that Woodson came from the Bob Knight coaching tree, and even though Xu Ling had not worked out for them, the Hawks still wanted to explore every possible option to get him. Next, general manager Billy Knight also publicly expressed his favor for Xu Ling and extended another workout invitation. Xu Ling’s team decisively declined again. The undercurrents before the draft did not stop. The phone lines of every front office remained busy. Beyond the probing between the Grizzlies and the Hawks, several other teams were actively exploring trades. The Boston Celtics held the No. 5 pick, but general manager Danny Ainge could hardly sit still. He believed Xu Ling had the potential to become the next Kobe Bryant. He called the Hawks and the Grizzlies, one after another, to discuss the possibility of trading up, hoping to snatch the future superstar he saw in Xu Ling. Michael Jordan, the Charlotte Bobcats’ part-owner and de facto operator, had also witnessed Xu Ling’s strength firsthand during March Madness. Though the team’s pick was low, the “Flying Man” admired Xu Ling enough to make him consider trading up. Not everyone, however, could easily join this game. Isiah Thomas of the New York Knicks had set his sights on Xu Ling as early as the Big 12 Conference tournament. At that time, Xu Ling had at most lottery potential, and if the Knicks had gone all-out, they could still have landed a 2007 lottery pick. But when March Madness ended, Xu Ling had firmly anchored his draft stock in the top three. And in a draft class widely regarded as loaded with superstars, top-three picks were essentially off-limits in trades. Aside from Portland and Seattle, Thomas called every team office holding picks from No. 3 to No. 6. In the end, no one seriously entertained him; the Knicks simply did not have attractive enough assets. Meanwhile, developments surrounding the other top prospects were also drawing attention. The most surprising news was that Kevin Durant had failed to complete even one repetition at the NBA’s standard bench-press weight in the strength test, causing some teams to question his physical maturity. Greg Oden, the heavy favorite to go No. 1, had only worked out for the Trail Blazers, yet he had displayed startling agility for his size. Despite obvious injury concerns and athletic testing that even showed his legs were different lengths, the outside world—especially the Trail Blazers’ management, which was firmly set on him—did not seem to view these issues as insurmountable. It was also worth noting that Brandan Wright, once a top-six favorite and an interior player from North Carolina, had publicly spoken disrespectfully about Texas Tech during March Madness and had even taken the initiative to provoke Xu Ling through the media. At the time, some scouts thought it might be a “Jordan-esque” display of competitive fire. But after Xu Ling completely dominated North Carolina in the quarterfinals, especially in an overwhelming win over Wright in their direct matchup, Wright’s draft stock plummeted. Even more damaging, his poor performance in that crucial game cost him the favor of his fellow North Carolina alum, Michael Jordan. With only a few days left before the NBA draft, Xu Ling and his team went to New York to have custom suits made. At the same time, his core team underwent another round of expansion. Business invitations, media requests, and potential partnerships kept pouring in, and Leon Rose and Roderick Craig alone could no longer handle the growing workload. To address this, the team first hired Sean Rodgers—a tough, experienced retired veteran—to serve as Xu Ling’s personal security and travel director, ensuring his safety and order during the intense period of public exposure. Next, they formally signed Lin Zhijie, a Chinese-American lawyer from a well-known Wall Street law firm. He would oversee Xu Ling’s legal affairs, including contract review, protection of commercial rights, and management of intellectual property. In the final days before the draft, Xu Ling’s schedule in New York was filled with a crucial business negotiation: endorsement deals with sneaker brands. Early in the workout phase, the Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning had been the first to show sincerity, offering a four-year endorsement contract worth $50 million and showing how much importance they attached to him. However, at that time Xu Ling’s team had been fully focused on team workouts and adjusting his competitive form, so they had not rushed into commercial cooperation and had temporarily shelved the talks. Now, with his draft position becoming clearer and his market recognition established, they finally had time to seriously address this key issue. And Xu Ling was not the only one; the entire sneaker market had entered its final sprint before the draft. Brands everywhere were pushing hard, determined to lock down the newcomers they favored before draft night. Reports said that Greg Oden, the heavy favorite for No. 1, had quickly reached a multi-year endorsement deal with Nike after meeting with them in Portland. With Oden already secured early, other brands turned more attention and resources toward Xu Ling, who also had tremendous market potential. Li-Ning, Nike, and Adidas all sent teams to prepare for formal negotiations with Xu Ling.