Draft Night, 2001.
As Green Room invitees, Link, Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, Eddy Curry, and Kwame Brown—whose draft stock had slipped recently—were all favored by major mock draft media as likely lottery picks. They were invited to the scene not just by themselves, but with their families and friends.
Link didn't invite many people...
On the family side: Link's parents traveled from China to the United States, along with his aunt's family of three.
On the friend side: Chris Bosh, Matt Babcock, and his rumored girlfriend, Sophia Clarke.
Leonard, the coach of Lincoln High School, had also planned to come, but he was delayed by matters and couldn't make it to the scene.
On the other hand, since Link's parents couldn't speak English, they couldn't communicate with Bosh or Sophia.
However, what surprised Link was that Sophia Clarke, who usually had a bit of a "wild" personality, was exceptionally quiet tonight.
...
...
Although there were many Green Room players invited, the most shining one was undoubtedly Link.
Even the New King of Europe, Pau Gasol.
And the talented interior players Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry.
They had all been left half a step behind by Link.
...
...
Spotlights focused on the stage. The audience was a mix of cheers and boos. Stern was often booed due to labor negotiation controversies, though when he retired, there was deafening applause.
The ESPN camera panned across the nervously waiting young players and their agent teams.
Stern, dressed in a dark suit and a red tie, walked slowly onto the stage with an envelope, his signature smile carrying a calm sense of control over the situation.
In the next instant, the scene fell silent.
Link's friends and family were all showing signs of nervousness.
Link's mother didn't even dare to look, leaning into her husband's embrace.
As a media reporter, Sophia Clarke also subconsciously clenched her fists, staring intently at the stage.
As the person involved, Link was also a bit nervous, but not as exaggeratedly as his family and friends. Furthermore, having a "third overall pick obsession," he really didn't want to be selected by the Wizards with the number one draft pick.
The next second.
David Stern's voice rang out.
"With the first pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, the Washington Wizards select..."
When he reached this point, Stern paused deliberately.
Hmph...
As the shrewd businessman who pushed the NBA globally, he naturally knew how to build suspense.
"Link, a 6'8" Point Guard from Lincoln High School!"
When Stern read Link's name, rounds of applause erupted throughout the arena, though mixed with some sounds of surprise.
No one expected the Wizards to actually use the number one draft pick to select Link, this oversized Point Guard from China.
Those watching the live broadcast on TV saw the camera switch to the Wizards' management.
Michael Jordan, in a suit and tie, nodded slightly. Although there was a smile on his face, he didn't look very excited. Clearly, for him, he wasn't entirely satisfied that the team chose Link instead of Kwame Brown.
The camera switched again to outside Madison Square Garden, where a fan commotion was occurring.
"Fuck!"
"Stupid management! Did they just pick an old clunker for our team just for the Chinese market?"
Some Washington Wizards fans were very dissatisfied. They felt Kwame Brown was the better choice—Center size with wing-level athleticism. With proper development, he would surely be a future NBA star. As for being bullied by Link in the McDonalds All-American Game, that was normal; after all, Centers have a long development cycle.
Link was just tall; his Speed was so slow. Some Washington Wizards fans really didn't have high hopes for him.
However, there were just as many Washington Wizards fans who were optimistic about Link.
"I think you guys are the idiots. Link is a slightly less athletic, better-shooting version of Magic Johnson. Michael is coming back this new season. Can you imagine the scene of Magic and Michael joining forces?"
"Exactly... Link's biggest flaw is just being a bit slow, but haven't you read the news reports? He's still in his golden growth period."
The Washington Wizards using the number one draft pick on Link wasn't exactly what the people wanted, but it was about fifty-fifty.
...
...
Link, wearing a black suit, stood up and hugged his family and friends. When it came to Sophia Clarke...
The latter was a bit embarrassed, looking like a completely different person from the one who had given Link his "first kiss" on the court.
In the end, Link pulled her over. While hugging her, he gave her a kiss-time. It was very short, less than three seconds, but it again drew thunderous applause from the crowd.
Next, Link hugged Jordan, who handed him a baseball cap.
Jordan gave Link a meaningful look but didn't say much.
Link walked toward the stage, adjusting the baseball cap with the Wizards logo on the way. He looked very calm and composed.
After he stepped onto the stage, Stern proactively reached out his hand: "Make us proud, young man..."
Just some encouraging words.
"Thank you," Link smiled.
Link didn't break down in tears on stage like many NBA players. However, he did thank everyone he could think of.
This wasn't an act; Link was naturally a grateful person.
On the other hand.
Tianchao Channel 5, Sports Studio.
fans watching the draft broadcast were also cheering and jumping for joy.
Tonight, Link not only became the first high school number one draft pick in NBA history.
He was also the first number one draft pick from Asia in the NBA.
"Director Zhang, I feel like Link is a bit too calm. This is the number one pick after all..." Tianchao Sports commentator Mr. Sun Zhengpin said with a smile.
"Our station's reporters interviewed Link privately. From the conversation with him, it seemed we could sense that he actually wanted to be the third overall pick. Now that he's been given the number one spot, it's reasonable that he's not that happy..." Director Zhang smiled.