NBA: The Basketball Miracle

Two days after Lee finished his tryout with the Lakers, agent Arn Tellem and Kobe Bryant also completed their tryout with the Lakers at the YMCA gymnasium.

However, this tryout was arranged by Arn Tellem, an agent who accepted the reality that teams with the top 10 picks would not select high school guards.

The risk is too great. Currently, no one will use a high draft pick to scratch the lottery ticket.

Unlike Lee, Kobe is indeed a 17-year-old boy. His childhood dream is real. He even dunked during the tryout and showed off!

As a second-generation player, Kobe's draft stock is not bad. After the tryout, Michael Cooper gave his opinion:

"His skills are not very advanced, probably because he didn't go to college, but he has great talent. It's obvious that he likes Michael Jordan."

Mitch Kupchak thought Kobe performed well. He looked through the information in his hand and gave his own opinion:

"His performance in the McDonald's High School Game was mediocre, but in this tryout, he showed his talent. Don't forget, he is not yet 18 years old."

Jerry West heard the discussion and finally said,

"We should select him. The team will be reorganized during the offseason. This is an opportunity!"

Everyone was a little surprised. Dave Wall, who had just joined the Lakers as a senior scout last year, had been silent until now. At this time, he couldn't help but say:

"Lee's performance was better. Even sophomore Allen Iverson was not as efficient as him in the NCAA. I watched his performance in the tournament and he is definitely underestimated!"

Seeing the puzzled expressions on the faces of several people, Jerry West responded calmly:

"Kobe Bryant is 6 feet 6 inches, and we have no shortage of point guards. Of course, Lee is still the first choice at 24th pick."

Dave Wall still shook his head but said nothing more. He didn't believe that Lee would fall behind.

There was still no one from the coaching staff of the tryout team. Dave Wall felt that Harris would not like high school players and sighed in his heart:

"I hope this is not the wrong choice."

Before the draft, Mark Bartelstein and Lee were still running for tryouts.

The Warriors' home arena, the Oakland Coliseum, is undergoing extensive renovations, and tryouts are being held at the HP Arena in San Jose.

However, unlike the warm hospitality of the Knicks and Lakers, the Warriors were more perfunctory.

Lee didn't care about this. After all, he was not a US dollar and could not be liked by everyone.

His tryout with the Kings did not go well, and the opponent did not give him too many opportunities to show himself.

Mark Bartelstein was very dissatisfied with the attitudes of the two teams, and the subsequent tryouts of the Suns made the agent furious:

"Fuck! You told me there is no air conditioning in the arena?"

"Damn it! Don't even think about letting my players finish training here!"

The Suns staff didn't care, and several assistant coaches gave awkward explanations:

"There was a problem with the air conditioning in the arena these past two days, Mark, this is definitely not intentional!"

Lee shrugged. He could see the arrogant expressions of the staff members, and also noticed that the people nearby were gloating:

"Let's go, Mark! Phoenix doesn't welcome us, there's no need to wait any longer."

Mark Bartelstein restrained his emotions, tugged at his tie, and whispered,

"You will regret this!"

The Warriors hold the 11th pick, the Kings have the 14th pick, and the Suns have the 15th pick.

The tryouts in the past few days have not been smooth. Several teams have obvious biases. When Mark Bartelstein returned to the hotel, he couldn't help but curse a few times.

Lee planned to write down these teams in a small notebook so as not to forget them later. He looked at the schedule again, touched his chin and said:

"After we go to Charlotte, the tryouts will be almost over. Then we'll go to Chicago for a walk and watch the Bulls' championship parade!"

Mark Bartelstein was relieved to see that Lee was not affected:

"There is also the Brooklyn Nets. New head coach Calipari has invited us. Lee, this is also an opportunity."

Lee didn't care about the Nets' invitation to try out. It was impossible for them to choose him at the 8th pick:

"It's just on my way. It won't be a big deal to go to the Nets to have a look. However, I think it's a no-go."

"."

On June 24, near the draft, Lee met with Ray Allen in Manhattan, New York.

But looking at the black girl who suddenly appeared, Lee felt like he was being fed a mouthful of dog food.

"Lee, do you want me to introduce you to the pretty girls in our band? You should find a girlfriend!"

Shannon Walker Williams has just met Ray Allen and they have been dating very hot recently. Compared to other black girls, she is very pretty and comes from a good family.

The three of them were preparing to go for a stroll in Central Park. Ray Allen was in high spirits at this time, and he had all the money and girls:

"Shannon's sisters at the band are all very beautiful. Lee, you can think about it. After entering the alliance, it's time to settle down!"

Lee felt that Ray Allen had become a bootlicker at this time. He was already fascinated by her before they even officially started dating.

"Law school is very demanding, and I want to continue my studies. Playing basketball and studying are already troublesome enough, so I won't consider these for now."

Hearing Lee's words, Shannon, who was holding Ray Allen's arm, didn't care. She just winked playfully, and then the two continued to show their affection and pulled the corners of their mouths.

Lee felt like he had become a light bulb. Compared to his stable girlfriend, he still preferred to attend his roommate Ivan's silver party.

At 7 p.m. on June 26, the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey was bustling with people.

The 1996 draft will officially begin in half an hour.

Before the draft, the league also invited 19 players, and each player had 10 spots to entertain family and friends.

After receiving the invitation the day before, Lee was a little surprised. Mark Bartelstein just smiled and didn't say much. Obviously, he already knew the result.

Originally, Lee planned to invite Manuel Varga, his good neighbor who had taken care of him since he was a child. He lost his parents when he came here, and he was able to grow up safely in Albuquerque thanks to this family.

(A/N: Varga from breaking bad. That's right.)

But when he heard that he was going to be on TV, the plan fell through. At this moment, except for his good friend Ivan, the rest of the people around Lee were all his friends from the Connecticut Law School.

There were 5 men and 5 women. When they arrived at the scene, they started chattering excitedly.

This style of painting was totally out of place with the tense atmosphere on the scene, but Lee didn't care about it. However, the family members of the black players at another table kept muttering,

"This is not a college graduation ceremony!"

Li You, who was wearing a light gray suit, tugged at his tie. Ivan beside him jokingly said,

"Lee, are you nervous?"

Before Lee could speak, the blonde girl Melinda, who was wearing a white dress, said with a smile:

"Lee will definitely be selected. He will become a big star, just like MJ!"

Lee rubbed his forehead and slapped away Melinda's dirty hands under the table. These girls all had a negative distance relationship and were so active that it was hard to resist.

"Mark already knows the result, so I won't be nervous!"

After hearing what Lee said, everyone started chattering about which team would choose him.

In addition to the players, there were naturally fans watching the fun. With the advantage of geographical location, the Knicks had the most fans tonight, and many of them were wearing University of Connecticut jerseys.

The entire draft was broadcast live by TNT.

The young Ernie Johnson still had thick hair on his head. In front of the broadcast station, veteran coach Hubie Brown was introducing the situation of each team.

Lee looked around and found that many of the players were familiar faces, including players from Mississippi and Kentucky.

The No. 1 pick was naturally the most eye-catching, with the camera frequently focused on Allen Iverson, and his family members around him also seemed a little nervous.

After the draft officially begins, there is a countdown above. Teams must make their choices within the specified time. If they exceed the time limit, it will be deemed as giving up.

When young David Stern came to the stage with a smile and unfolded the small card in his hand, the scene suddenly became quiet:

"In the 1996-1997 draft, the 76ers selected Allen Iverson from Georgetown with the first pick!"

As soon as David Stern finished speaking, cheers broke out at the scene. Iverson, with tears in his eyes, hugged his mother.

Watching Iverson walk onto the stage with a 76ers cap on his head, Lee in the audience also had a feeling of witnessing history.

Just as he remembered, the Raptors next selected Marcus Camby and the Grizzlies selected Abdur-Rahim;

The Bucks selected Marbury, and the Timberwolves selected Ray Allen.

Lee noticed that his friend's face changed and he forced a smile. Mark Bartelstein's face looked even more ugly.

Not long after the announcement, David Stern took the stage again:

"We have a deal to announce. The Timberwolves traded up and sent Ray Allen and a first-round draft pick to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Stephen Marbury."

The subsequent rankings were the same as Lee remembered, and every time the results were announced, there would be cheers at the scene.

David Stern's smile was particularly bright when he took the stage this time, and he seemed to be in a very happy mood:

"In the 1996-1997 draft, the New York Knicks selected Clay Lee from the University of Connecticut with the 18th pick!"

The University of Connecticut fans at the scene cheered and Lee stood up with a smile, hugged his friends around him, and walked to the front of the stage.

Lee took the Knicks cap handed to him by the staff and shook hands with David Stern on the stage with a smile:

"Lee, welcome to the NBA!"

"."

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