Yuuto shook hands with the host before they both took their seats.
These kinds of shows weren't exactly rocket science—basically just a Q&A format. Everyone followed the script, and an episode could be wrapped up without much effort.
The studio audience were seasoned veterans too. Sure, they weren't on the level of those crying-on-command extras from talent shows, but they knew exactly when to laugh on cue, how to provide the perfect reaction shots, and how to flash the right expressions whenever the camera panned their way.
These people have to be paid actors, Yuuto thought. Way too damn professional!
Back to the show.
While there was a script, Yuuto had no intention of following it. His head was bursting with ideas.
When asked about his past experiences, Yuuto shared his "personal story" with the audience.
"When I first came here, to Indiana, my classmates would deliberately call me Bruce Lee, or Jackie Chan."
"I love them—more than most fans do—because we share the same skin color. But I don't enjoy those kinds of pranks at all."
"My coach told me to ignore it. Some people just can't help making jokes that aren't funny. Later, I realized this wasn't unique to Indiana. Similar things happen across every state. He told me to focus on basketball."
"Now I know he was right. His advice was prescient."
"To many people here, all Asians look the same. They don't care if you're Chinese, Japanese, or Korean—they'll call you Bruce Lee regardless."
"Is that necessarily a bad thing? Not always. But when you see the upturned corners of their mouths, those unpleasant smiles... you realize it's mockery. A game where they entertain themselves at your expense."
"We love Bruce Lee. But that doesn't mean I like being called Bruce Lee."
"It's like my teammate and good friend Walker—he doesn't like being called 'Michael Jordan' either. It's disrespectful. We're all individuals. We fight for ourselves. We're responsible for ourselves."
"We work hard to prove ourselves, to earn real acceptance. But sadly, many people here have never truly accepted us."
Yuuto's speech left even the studio audience unable to laugh.
These habits they took for granted—calling every Asian guy Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan—turned out to cause real harm.
Without realizing it, they'd become part of the problem.
Walker applauded vigorously from his seat in the audience.
He knew ninety percent of this was probably fabricated by Yuuto, because this guy had never actually been discriminated against. His rise had been too meteoric—teammates who initially looked down on him were thoroughly dominated before they could act on their prejudice.
Walker found it hard to believe Yuuto had ever been bullied at school and just chose to ignore it.
But regardless, Yuuto's improvised performance was powerful.
Walker had fully embraced his role as agent. He knew exactly what this episode would bring Yuuto.
"I'm glad you came on my show, Yu," Ellen said after recording wrapped, personally seeking him out to express her thoughts. "This is the most serious—and best—episode of my talk show ever."
She thought Yuuto was something special. He didn't really need the scripted format; his natural charisma would've been better served by a live broadcast.
"I'll air your words exactly as you said them. I promise we'll show America the Asian community. Let's work on this together."
"That's exactly what I wanted. That's why I came on Ellen—because this is a place where voices can actually be heard."
Yuuto wasn't about to hold back on the flattery.
After all, media could be disgusting sometimes—taking things out of context, twisting your words. Having his statements aired unedited was crucial.
Ellen had no intention of cutting a single frame.
She had a feeling this episode would blow up.
And it did.
Yuuto's "personal experiences" moved countless viewers. The justice warriors raised their anti-discrimination banners once again, demanding the NCAA deal with that damn referee.
In the end, bowing to public pressure, the Pac-12 Conference's athletic committee had no choice but to terminate the officiating referee.
Whether he'd actually been discriminatory no longer mattered.
Yuuto had already defined the narrative.
He was famous now.
Explosively famous.
Fans and netizens alike turned their attention to him. Everyone expected him to do something great.
Like becoming the national champion.
Then joining the NBA stage.
This kind of American Dream story could make their blood boil and bring tears to their eyes.
Of course, this also brought Yuuto some minor headaches.
At least his emotionally-invested teammates had been giving him "we're here for you" looks lately.
And then—
March Madness, the annual basketball extravaganza, officially began.
...
March 16th.
The first day of March Madness had finally arrived.
UCLA, as the Pac-12 Conference's top seed, would face the Weber State Wildcats today.
The Wildcats were no strangers to the Big Dance—they'd consistently been a high-level program in the NCAA.
More importantly, they had a player ESPN projected as a certain top-ten pick: Damian Lillard.
The one we all know as Dame!
Dame was considered the most NBA-ready player in this draft class.
This was already his third year in college.
His freshman performance hadn't been spectacular—he scored in double figures in only 20 of 31 games. As a guard, his assist numbers weren't impressive either, averaging just 2.9 per game with 5.5 points.
That wasn't enough to impress NBA teams.
So Lillard chose to stay in college.
By his sophomore year, his scoring average jumped to 19.9.
Then in his third year, a foot injury kept him out for a full season, making this technically his fourth year—though officially he was listed as a junior.
This season, Lillard had taken another leap: 24.5 points per game, 5 assists, and 1.5 steals. He was mature across the board.
That's why ESPN considered him the most game-ready prospect in this class.
This was undoubtedly Lillard's breakout year—he'd posted multiple 40-point and 30-point performances.
He'd also won Big Sky Conference Player of the Year for two consecutive seasons.
With both teams featuring prospects projected in the top ten, the showdown between Yuuto and Lillard became the hottest topic of discussion.
...
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