As the broadcast cameras cut straight to Westbrook, the expression on his face looked slightly awkward.
For a born-and-raised Los Angeles kid to be drafted by the Lakers' archrival, the Celtics, anyone would feel conflicted.
Perhaps his only consolation in that moment was that the fifth overall pick was just one spot shy of the fourth pick he had coveted, and it was still an exceptionally high selection.
Or perhaps it was that he wasn't alone: the Celtics already had someone with the exact same background—Paul Pierce, who also hailed from Los Angeles.
Westbrook quickly composed himself, standing up to hug his parents, his brother, and, of course, Yang Shuai one by one.
"Thanks for the lucky bow tie," he remembered to say as he embraced Yang Shuai.
Next, he took the Celtics cap handed to him by a staff member and strode briskly toward the stage amid cheers.
In this moment, he hadn't just instantly become a millionaire; more importantly, every ounce of hard work he had poured in over the years had finally paid off.
Watching Westbrook take the stage and pose for photos with David Stern, his parents were already moved to tears.
Yang Shuai clapped enthusiastically as well. Westbrook had entered the draft a year early and still landed roughly where he had in the original timeline—in an even stronger draft class, no less. It proved his original decision to bring Westbrook to Wake Forest University had been entirely correct.
Right then, however, something suddenly struck him.
Didn't the Celtics already have Rajon Rondo?
Both Westbrook and Rondo were point guards who lacked a perimeter shot. Soon enough, Yang Shuai recalled facts he had known all along but had momentarily overlooked in the excitement: in this draft, the Celtics had used the fifth pick on Jeff Green, then packaged him to trade for Ray Allen from the SuperSonics, before trading for Kevin Garnett in mid-July to assemble their Big Three.
So was it actually the SuperSonics who wanted Westbrook?
Yang Shuai's question was answered almost immediately. When David Stern walked back to the podium, he first announced that a trade had been completed: the Celtics had sent fifth pick Russell Westbrook, Wally Szczerbiak, and Gerald Green to the SuperSonics in exchange for Ray Allen and a second-round pick.
Westbrook had only just reached the media area. Before the interview could even begin, a staff member brought over a new cap—this one for the SuperSonics.
Westbrook was still a little dazed until Craig Sager, who was there to interview him, clued him in.
Once he realized what had happened, a huge grin instantly broke out across his face.
Usually, being traded on draft night wasn't an ideal situation for a rookie, but going literally anywhere else thrilled him far more than ending up in Boston.
Yang Shuai turned to watch Westbrook's interview, a smile spreading across his face as well.
He hadn't anticipated this outcome either: Westbrook and Durant had become teammates after all, just one year earlier than in history.
Fate really had tied the two together.
The draft pressed on, but Yang Shuai's attention had shifted entirely to Westbrook's interview.
Sager asked Westbrook two questions. The first was about his decision: entering the draft after just one year of college was still a rare move in this era.
The second was about his personal trajectory: rising from a three-star high school recruit just a year ago to the fifth overall pick today was practically a meteoric ascent.
When asked that question, Westbrook glanced down at his right wrist. On such a momentous occasion, of course he hadn't forgotten to wear his "KB3" wristband.
Watching this, Yang Shuai couldn't help but smile with genuine warmth.
Westbrook finally had the chance to share the story of KB3 with the world.
Yang Shuai pulled his phone from his pocket, ready to record this touching moment.
"Yeah, it hasn't been easy. A lot of people helped me along the way, and I'm grateful to all of them. But there's one person in particular I want to thank," Westbrook said, his right hand gripping the wristband on his left wrist.
"I want to give special thanks to Hanson. He's the one who brought me to Wake Forest, and he showed me what I truly wanted."
Yang Shuai froze. He never imagined that instead of sharing Khelcey Barrs's story, Westbrook would single him out!
"That Hanson?" Bad publicity was still publicity, and Sager had clearly heard of Yang Shuai through the media.
"Yes, Yang Shuai. I know some in the media haven't had kind things to say about him lately, but believe me, that's all slander and made-up lies. Every single bit of it. Hanson was the one who brought us together, and he's the reason we succeeded!" Westbrook declared, his expression leaving no room for doubt.
Sager nodded as he listened. He was swayed by the firm conviction in Westbrook's voice and eyes, but more importantly, the very fact that Westbrook chose to speak up for Yang Shuai on such a pivotal occasion carried immense credibility.
Snapping back to reality, Yang Shuai felt his vision blur slightly. He instinctively sat up straight, a tight lump forming in his throat.
Did Westbrook hold him in higher regard than Barrs?
Obviously not. But Westbrook knew the predicament he was facing, so he chose to use this massive spotlight to defend him.
And only Westbrook would do something like that. No one could guarantee he would ever get another platform like this; after all, the NBA had seen plenty of bust number-one picks, let alone fifth overall picks.
Yet that was Russell Westbrook: a man whose heart always led his head!
Once the interview wrapped up, Westbrook was guided out of the interview area by staff, while his family and entourage were escorted out of the green room.
When Yang Shuai caught up with Westbrook, he stepped forward and gave him a big hug. "Thank you."
The gratitude came straight from the heart.
Although his conversation with Cole had assured him that the Lakers' final decision wouldn't be swayed by media chatter, Westbrook speaking out like this was still tremendously important to him.
A voice like this would fundamentally shift how other teams viewed him and turn around his reputation across the NBA. After all, rumors were just rumors, but Westbrook's endorsement was undeniable reality.
"I just told the truth," Westbrook said with a shrug.
"You should have told them the story of KB3," Yang Shuai reminded him.
"I'll have plenty of chances later," Westbrook replied nonchalantly.
Hearing that, Yang Shuai gave Westbrook's shoulder a firm pat. "You will."
Westbrook spoke out of supreme self-confidence, but Yang Shuai knew it would truly come to pass.
Before long, staff members escorted Westbrook away for his press conference. As the fifth overall pick, his day was destined to be a whirlwind.
Yang Shuai didn't follow, choosing instead to find an open seat and sit down.
Westbrook being drafted at this spot meant the butterfly effect had begun, and the rest of the draft was going to get very interesting.
By now, the draft had reached the sixth pick, and the first ripple of the butterfly effect landed: at No. 6, the Bucks passed on Yi Jianlian and selected Jeff Green instead.
This came as no surprise; prior rumors had indicated the Bucks' preferred targets were Horford, Conley, and Jeff Green.
With Green still on the board, their choice was a foregone conclusion.
This piqued Yang Shuai's curiosity even further about where Yi Jianlian would land.
Next, at the seventh pick, the Timberwolves selected Corey Brewer.
With Kevin Garnett on their roster, they had little interest in Yi Jianlian.
More importantly, they had previously tried to invite Yi Jianlian for a tryout, but his agent, Dan Fegan, had refused, making it clear he didn't want Yi playing in a small-market city.
Next up was the eighth pick, belonging to the Bobcats—or more accurately, the Warriors.
When announcing the eighth pick, Stern stated that the Warriors had traded Jason Richardson and a second-round pick to the Bobcats to acquire the No. 8 pick and a trade exception.
The timing of trade announcements wasn't determined by Stern's personal whim, but by when the trades actually went through.
Five minutes later, Stern announced the Warriors' selection.
"With the eighth pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors select... Yi Jianlian, a 2.12-meter power forward from Guangdong, China."
As the announcement was made, the camera cut to Yi Jianlian. He stood up with a broad smile, looking genuinely thrilled.
Though the Warriors hadn't had great results recently, their location in Oakland, right by the Bay Area, definitely qualified them as a big-market team.
Furthermore, according to earlier rumors, both the Hawks and the Warriors had been preferred landing spots for Yi Jianlian.
Yang Shuai felt a strange sensation; he had never imagined his presence would cause such changes.
Still, it made him even more curious about how Yi Jianlian would develop with the Warriors.
While Warriors head coach Don Nelson had publicly expressed how much he liked Yi Jianlian, the Warriors had just pulled off the eighth-seed upset last season and were a playoff team. They certainly wouldn't have as much playing time to spare for him.
Perhaps only time would tell.
The draft pressed on, and Yang Shuai's attention shifted toward the Lakers.
In the end, the Lakers selected Javaris Crittenton with the nineteenth pick—a name on par with Acie Law and Julian Wright in this draft pool.
Yang Shuai's impression of him largely came from after his transmigration: he had been one of the core players for Georgia Tech in the A League, a tall point guard standing 1.96 meters.
As for the second round, besides drafting Sun Yue at No. 40, the Lakers also picked Marc Gasol at No. 48, so their picks hadn't gone to waste.
Tiago Splitter turned out to be the unlucky one. Though he was still drafted by the Spurs, his draft position fell from 28th in the first round to 33rd overall. A drop of only five spots might not seem huge, but it cost him a four-year guaranteed contract.
Yet right up until the end of the draft, Yang Shuai saw no news of a trade between the Lakers and the Grizzlies.
Chapter 40