genius nemesis: Cause at least 5 five-star high school recruits in the nation to have a mental breakdown!
Damn, it's a good thing I'm at the ABCD Training Camp; otherwise, how could I possibly find five of them in a single week???
Link quickly discovered the "key point" of this mission.
At least 5 five-star high school recruits... wouldn't that mean the more geniuses I break, the more generous the rewards will be?
Making an opponent's psychological defense collapse—what's known as a "breakdown" or "going red-hot"—is no easy task. With my current strength, it's hard to achieve through standard means; I'll need some off-court tactics, like trash talk.
...
...
After the game, players from both sides hugged and greeted each other, a long-standing tradition in competitive sports.
A broken and fuming Dajuan Wagner walked coldly over to Link, his tone dripping with sarcasm: "Kid, you got lucky today. May God bless you so that you never run into me again, hmph..."
Wagner had been anxious and impulsive in tonight's game, failing to show his true strength, which left him with a belly full of fire.
"I hope God hears you. To be honest, I don't want to play against a defeated opponent twice either; it's just not challenging enough."
"Not only did you lose to me in the outcome, but you also lost in individual stats. You had 16 points, while I had 18; you only had 1 assist, while I had a whopping 1; even in steals, I have one more than you."
"Honestly, we aren't on the same level. Matching up against me must have been really hard on you."
Link wasn't provoked; instead, he solemnly compared their statistics.
This made Wagner's teeth ache with rage.
"Shit! Stop talking big, you nobody. You just stepped in dog shit!" Wagner snapped, unable to contain his anger.
"The weak always love making excuses!" Link said flatly.
*Huff!*
*Huff!*
*Huff!*
Wagner kept taking deep breaths, forcibly suppressing the rage inside him.
After all, many media reporters and scouts were present.
If he were to strike Link, he would surely be labeled as "emotionally unstable" by the outside world, which would be extremely detrimental to his "professional basketball prospects."
...
...
Games at the ABCD Training Camp are divided into two halves, each lasting 20 minutes with a 20-minute break in between. Thus, including various timeouts, a game lasts no more than an hour and a half.
After the game, the team's head coach, Grant, let Link and the others have free time, suggesting they get a good nap at noon to have the energy for the afternoon games.
"Guys, there's a great game on the court next door. Lots of media, scouts, and even shoe sponsors are there," said the well-informed Matt Babcock.
"Oh, Matt, are you talking about Lamine Kook?" Josh Smith asked.
"Yeah, that's him, the MVP of the 2000 ABCD Training Camp," Matt Babcock nodded with a smile.
Lamine Kook—many self-media outlets in his past life called him the "LeBron James of a parallel universe." He became famous young and was the number one high school player in the nation last year. Back in 2000, he was already a hot prospect on the draft boards.
However, Lamine Kook's emotional intelligence, basketball IQ, and self-discipline were too poor. The media exposed a slew of personal life issues, causing his draft stock to plummet. To stabilize his popularity and maintain exposure, Lamine Kook, who was already the MVP last year, returned to the ABCD Training Camp this year.
In his past life, Lamine Kook declared for the draft in 2002. He should have been a lottery pick, but due to excessive personal issues, he went undrafted. Forced by circumstances, he went overseas to play and even spent time in the CBA. When he first arrived in the CBA, he truly did "slaughter everyone," resembling a parallel-world LeBron James. But before long, his old problems resurfaced; he refused to follow team arrangements and had conflicts with the coaching staff, leading to his dismissal from the CBA.
After winning their game, Link and the others went to watch the game where Lamine Kook was playing.
Firstly, it was to observe potential future opponents; secondly, they needed to rest after their own game.
...
...
Lamine Kook's team was named [Black Storm]. Although Lamine Kook was the only five-star high school recruit on the team, everyone else was a four-star recruit.
The opposing team consisted of three-star and four-star players, creating a clear gap in strength between the two sides.
During the game, the 198cm tall Lamine Kook, with a 212cm wingspan and weighing 95kg, was like a light armored vehicle, driving into the paint at will to finish. On the defensive end, he used his vertical and Explosiveness to easily snatch offensive rebounds over the opposing center's head, drawing gasps of amazement from the spectators.
Lamine Kook's talent was indeed terrifying; after all, during his time with the Shanghai The Big Shark in his past life, he even filled in as the team's center despite being under 2 meters tall.
But honestly, Link didn't think Lamine Kook's talent truly rivaled LeBron James'. Born in 1982, Lamine Kook was nearly 19 this year; in the context of the ABCD Training Camp, he was practically a "veteran" who had fully physically matured. Meanwhile, LeBron James was born on December 3, 1984—more than two years younger than Lamine Kook—and his body was still developing.
If they were the same age, Lamine Kook's basketball talent would be at least a tier lower than James'. Otherwise, those NBA front offices, who were craftier than foxes, wouldn't have let him go undrafted.
Lamine Kook used his physique, which surpassed his peers, and top-tier skills to demolish his opponents.
Chris Bosh and Josh Smith, both future NBA All-Stars, couldn't help but marvel at Lamine Kook's talent.
However...
At this moment, Link's attention wasn't on the one-sided slaughter of a game, but on the filming crew on the sidelines.
"Matt, is there a director specifically filming a documentary for Lamine Kook?" Link asked curiously.
"Yeah, I heard from my uncle that the founder of the ABCD Training Camp, Sonny Vaccaro, hired a camera crew specifically to film a documentary for Lamine Kook. Besides him, there's another crew filming... LeBron James from Cleveland."
"In the entire camp, only those two get this kind of treatment."
Matt Babcock, the well-connected one, said with a hint of envy.
Link's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
If there's a dedicated documentary, it can maximize a player's hype.
Even if one doesn't make the NBA, a spot at a top NCAA university would be secured.
"Matt, do you know any way to intercept his documentary filming crew?" Link asked suddenly after pondering for a few seconds.
Matt Babcock froze for a moment, then looked at Link in surprise and said, "Link, you're really kidding! He's the high schooler famous across America—Lamine Kook!"
Link didn't answer but looked at Matt Babcock seriously.
"Link, honestly, in competitive sports, strength is everything. If you can defeat Lamine Kook head-on, maybe Sonny Vaccaro would change his mind. Of course, I'm just saying it's a possibility," Matt Babcock analyzed with a smile.
Link nodded.
At the same time...
The cold, mechanical electronic voice of the system rang in Link's mind again.
[Ding! Triggered random mission—Intercept the Documentary Filming Crew!]
[Mission Description: In one week, intercept the documentary filming crew of either LeBron James or Lamine Kook.]
[Mission Reward: 300 Goat Points; "Random Superstar sparring partner card" x1]