Gary Smith's article had an immediately strong reaction upon publication.
"The Chosen One," this loud title was not the first time it appeared on Sports Illustrated.
The last person to use this title was Tiger Woods in 1996, who then lived up to expectations and became the greatest golfer of all time, ascending to Nike's leading figure after Michael Jordan's retirement.
No one doubted Smith's professionalism, but what puzzled people was why the protagonist of this article was not Kwame Brown, Eddie Curry, DaJuan Wagner, or Tyson Chandler who were ranked ahead of Yu Fei.
In terms of talent, the three centers were undeniably superior to Yu Fei, and looking at immediate strength, Wagner, who had previously scored a hundred points in a single game, was the most powerful high school player of the 2001 class.
Why was it Yu Fei?
Gary Smith's explanation was poetic and romantic, "I only made the same choice as God."
From that day on, Yu Fei never fell out of the top 15 in any major draft prediction.
For Yu Fei himself, the incident was more surprising than to the public.
Did he accidentally steal LeBron James's second most famous nickname?
In the first twenty years of the new century, "The Chosen One" in the United States referred to Woods and James, but in China, golf was a niche sport and nobody cared whether Woods was the dog's bollocks in golf; James was the only "The Chosen One."
And James earned this nickname because of an article published by Sports Illustrated in 2002.
Now, Yu Fei had received this title ahead of James.
He had no special feelings about the name "The Chosen One," but to have stolen one of the best-known labels from James was a little troubling after all, considering the days they fought side by side for the Oakland Sentinels, remembering the Akron pizza James made with his own hands, remembering James saying "Frye is my big brother." Wasn't that a wonderful time? Two fatherless youths joyously sprinting across the court, proudly displaying their talent. How did things get to this point?
Feeling ashamed, Yu Fei chose to go to the most famous tattoo shop in Seattle before leaving town and had "The Chosen One" inked on his back.
Although the whole process was unpleasant and filled with guilt, when it ended, Yu Fei felt his spiritual power momentarily reach the level of Grandfather Yue Fei, who also spent his life living up to the words "serve the country with the utmost loyalty." Now, Yu Fei also had to prove that he was the genuine, undoubted, unquestionably authentic "The Chosen One," and Woods and James better stay away(1).
After this, Yu Fei returned to his hometown.
Gary Smith completely opened up Yu Fei's fame, but this year's NBA lottery drawing was not until late May, meaning there was still half a month before then for Yu Fei to prepare for his tryouts.
With the situation at this point, many issues had been laid on the table, and the first thing Yu Fei had to do was to put his studies on hold and officially form a team.
There were really no signs.
That's typical of a player who peaks late in his career.
Moreover, the skills that allowed Roy to make a name for himself in the NBA were all honed during his college years. If he really went from high school straight to the NBA, would he still have that environment and atmosphere to train tirelessly? Would he still have four years to intensely develop his skills?
The NBA's minor leagues are akin to a battlefield. Every fringe player wants to survive in the world's most lucrative league. Leveling up is something first-round picks worry about; for second-rounders and undrafted players, it's all about immediate performance.
"God is so unfair. Just a year ago, we were at the same starting line. How come in the blink of an eye, you, the guy I left far behind, have run ahead of me?"
Roy complained bitterly.
Yu Fei wanted to laugh but couldn't.
If what Roy said was true, then Yu Fei didn't just run ahead of him; he was already standing on the finish line.
Why? Because, at the very least, Yu Fei was currently projected as a fifteenth pick in the first round.
No matter what, he would make it to the NBA.
While Roy was just struggling to seize the few opportunities he thought he had.
But Yu Fei had just partnered with Roy at the ABCD Camp. Considering Roy's current level of readiness and skill, never mind whether an NBA team would be interested, even if a team irrationally chose him, he would have a hard time establishing himself in the NBA.
The biggest difference between college and the NBA is that college can provide a nurturing environment for late bloomers to level up slowly.
Roy in his previous life was exactly that type of player. What about in this life?
Yu Fei did not want to change Roy's life trajectory, but now Roy was dead set on entering the NBA draft, which made it very hard to dissuade him, so he opted to offer consolation instead.
That night, Yu Fei bought a new calendar and circled the date of May 21st.
That was the day of the draft lottery.
(1)Hmm, it's time to discuss who among Yu Fei, S11's Scout, and Iguodala in 2015 is the true Master of Thievery.
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