Link already had a clear career plan, but it was contingent on waiting for tomorrow's national high school rankings from Sports Illustrated and Rivals. If he could break into the top ten of the Class of 2001, Link would immediately and high-profilely announce that he was taking his talents to the NBA.
As the MVP of the ABCD Training Camp, the possibility of entering the top ten was high, but not absolute. After all, the evaluation criteria for these media outlets varied. Besides actual combat ability, physical talent actually accounted for a significant proportion.
Link's static talent, even if placed in the NBA, would belong to that of a big Point Guard. However, his athletic talent made it difficult for him to play the Point Guard position, which was also within the consideration of these authoritative media outlets.
In addition, there were three other dazzling star players in the Class of 2001, whom the outside media referred to as the "high school big three."
They had been ranked first in the predictions of many media outlets.
The high school big three were:
Kwame Brown, the future bust of a number one draft pick.
Eddy Curry, the fourth overall pick in the 2001 draft.
Tyson Chandler, the second overall pick of 2001.
Due to their high popularity and excellent draft prospects, these three did not participate in the 2001 ABCD Training Camp.
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...
After the afternoon team practice match, Link used one special sparring partner card. Firstly, to recover Stamina and reduce the risk of injury; secondly, to manage mental pressure.
Excessive mental pressure would affect the effectiveness of training.
The sparring partner was once again Ran Mouri from the world of Detective Conan.
"Ugh..."
"Even though Ran is quite pretty..."
"But can't it be someone else? For example, Eri Kisaki, whom I crave the most; she knows karate too!"
"The trampoline princess or tennis beauties from the real world would all be fine!"
"I wonder if I can pull them from the next special sparring partner cards?"
...
...
Compared to the last training session, Link had learned how to allocate his time.
The first three hours were for serious learning of fighting techniques.
The last three hours were, naturally, for "Free Mode"...
When Link emerged from the Virtual Space, he was in high spirits; the mental pressure and fatigue brought by the high-intensity training had vanished without a trace.
Although his personal attributes hadn't improved, he had learned some fighting techniques.
To campaign in the NBA, you can't get by without knowing how to fight. Those veteran players love to bully rookies; the more afraid you are, the more they go at you.
When it came to the physical exercise training in the evening, Link drilled himself ruthlessly.
His level of focus was no less than his sparring with Ran Mouri in the Virtual Space.
Countless drops of sweat!
All kinds of gritted-teeth persistence!
It led Link to discover with joy the next day...
His base attribute for Speed +1, rising to 52 (76); Lateral Movement +1, rising to 50 (60); and his base attribute for Stamina +2, rising to 57 (84).
Among these three attributes, the one that satisfied Link the most was Lateral Movement. Damn, training while feeling refreshed really yields extraordinary results.
The talent potential for Lateral Movement was only 60, but it had actually increased by 1 point.
...
...
On the other hand.
Sports Illustrated and Rivals also released their latest national high school rankings.
Class of 2001 High School Rankings (Sports Illustrated):
NO. 1: Kwame Brown.
NO. 2: Eddy Curry.
NO. 3: Tyson Chandler.
NO. 4: TJ Ford.
NO. 5: Link.
NO. 6: Dajuan Wagner.
NO. 7: Desagana Diop.
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...
"Wow... Link, your ranking is climbing so fast, it's like you're on a rocket!" In the Lincoln High School locker room, Bosh and the others, gathered around a newspaper, couldn't help but exclaim.
Link had not only stepped into the ranks of five-star All-Star high schoolers in one bound, but he was also ranked 5th in the Class of 2001. One must know that the top seven people on this list were all future NBA lottery pick players.
However, Link only smiled faintly, appearing as calm as a light breeze.
"But, Captain, that Rivals really underestimated you; they actually ranked you 58th!"
"Yeah, that's just too damn bullying."
"You're the MVP of the ABCD Training Camp... this is just too disrespectful!"
"Exactly... have they even watched the Captain's games?"
"How hateful!"
His teammates all spoke up to defend Link.
Aside from Link, the rankings for other players in Rivals were quite reasonable, which only further proved that the other party truly didn't think highly of Link.
Furthermore, Rivals explicitly stated that although Link had a brilliant performance in the training camp, it was because his teammates were strong and the team lineup was well-balanced—he was just a flash-in-the-pan star.
A flash in the pan!
Rivals had even specifically highlighted it in a larger, bold font.
To this, Link only smiled coldly and didn't voice any radical comments in front of his teammates; but deep down, the urge to immediately register an alt account and argue with them online had already emerged.
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...
Sports Illustrated had ranked Link fifth in the Class of 2001.
And this prompted Link to immediately hold a press conference after the morning practice match.
Facing Link, who had massive traffic and high popularity, the sports media from Texas naturally came running over eagerly.
Dressed in a suit and tie, Link smiled at the media cameras and stated: "I, Link... have decided to skip college and take my talents to the NBA."
The Chinese translation—I, Link, have decided to skip university and bring my talent to the NBA.
As soon as this news came out, the news media on the scene immediately boiled over.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Wow! Wow! Wow!
Applause and exclamations rose and fell one after another.
Link was the fourth player from the Class of 2001 to announce his participation in the NBA draft; well, the first three were the so-called "high school big three."
At the media press conference, besides announcing his entry into the NBA, Link was also asked by the media which team he wanted to go to and who he hoped to collaborate with.
To these questions, Link acted like a press spokesperson, answering very tactfully, showing fairness to all and high emotional intelligence.
Of course, some media also asked Link how he viewed Rivals ranking him 58th among national high schoolers in the Class of 2001.
"I respect anyone's decision!" While thinking about using an alt account to argue with the media outlet, Link spoke with conviction, possessing the demeanor of a scholarly general.
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[The Magic Johnson from China has decided to skip college and enter the NBA draft. Can his dream come true? Can he become a Chinese lottery pick selected by the NBA?]
[As the strongest high schooler who conquered all geniuses in the ABCD Training Camp, can he win the favor of NBA teams?]
[Minnesota's star player Kevin Garnett is very pleased with Link's decision to run, believing that Link will definitely be selected by the NBA; furthermore, KG publicly supported Link, expressing dissatisfaction with the Rivals ranking, stating that Link is severely underrated!]
[The editor-in-chief of Rivals stated that Link does not possess the physical conditions to campaign in the NBA; he runs so slowly, not even as fast as my grandmother!!!]
On the day Link announced his participation in the 2001 draft, it seemed to stir up stormy waves in the basketball world.
And this once again made Link the focus of the media.
Undoubtedly, the upcoming Texas High School 4A Championship will be a key focus of the media's