Chapter Thirty-six: Refusing to Comment

"If only I had been drafted by the Clippers," Paul thought to himself, unable to suppress the idea of leaving the Hornets as he watched He Xinghui bask in the adoration of the fans. Yet, that was easier said than done. He was now considered the cornerstone of the team, and the Hornets would never let him go.

Despite the win, Paul didn't feel much sense of accomplishment. Instead, he found himself envying the losing side. It was probably the most unsatisfying victory of his life. Meanwhile, He Xinghui was grinning and joking with the fans on the sidelines, as if he were the one who had won the game. That carefree attitude, treating victory and defeat as nothing, annoyed Paul to no end. Unable to watch any longer, Paul turned and left the court.

At the press conference, a reporter asked, "The scouting report said He has average athleticism, yet he delivered a spectacular dunk tonight. What's your take on that?"

Paul wanted to curse. He had just won the game, yet no one mentioned it. The first question was about He Xinghui.

"No matter how flashy, a dunk is only worth two points. I focus on winning, and that's what we did tonight," Paul replied.

"What about that baseline shot? Do you regret going for the help defense? If you hadn't, he wouldn't have scored such a beautiful basket," the reporter pressed on.

"There are no 'ifs' in life or in basketball. I don't regret going for the help defense—it was the right decision. Please, could you ask something about our team? We are the ones who actually won," Paul answered angrily.

What's there to ask about the winners? The reporter was baffled. Every NBA game night, there are several matches, several teams that win. Games never end in a tie. A team winning a game—how is that news?

"How would you evaluate He as a player, then?"

"I refuse to comment," Paul gritted out.

…

After the game, on the official NBA website, the Top Five Plays video saw a significant spike in views. Of the five best plays, He Xinghui alone accounted for three.

His between-the-legs dunk after a steal was ranked number one. These Top Five and Top Ten highlight videos only fueled He's rising popularity. Many casual fans either didn't like or didn't have the time to watch full games; they usually just watched highlights and the Top Five Plays. There was no doubt that players with a flashy style who frequently appeared in these highlight reels were able to win this group of fans. As for shooting percentages and efficiency ratings, casual fans hardly cared about those.

Though the Top Five Plays video had high viewership, it was not the most watched. On the 19th, the most viewed video on the site didn't have much to do with basketball itself. It had gone viral, shared across video sites and by countless individuals. In it, a mascot taunts a player with a dance and ends up getting KO'd by the player instead—the plot was simply too amusing. Even more so since the player who KO'd the mascot was none other than the currently red-hot He Xinghui.

The comment section under that video had surpassed a hundred thousand messages, many of them quite entertaining.

"I'm only playing basketball because I can't find a dance opponent."

"If you can't dance, you can't take down a mascot."

"Mascot: This job is impossible."

…

"This guy, why is he always the center of attention?" Carlos complained as he browsed the sports news. Having failed to sign He Xinghui, the team at Adidas could only hope his fame would be short-lived. Unfortunately, things were not going their way. Never mind He's on-court performance; his ability to generate news remained remarkable. Just one video of him KO'ing a mascot had thrust him into the mainstream spotlight.

That was real mainstream recognition. Other players, no matter how well they played, could only win over basketball fans. But He's humor and charisma made him a hit across all walks of life. At the very least, plenty of dance enthusiasts had already become his fans.

"Boss, I think you should watch this show," an assistant said, pulling up a talk show where Cindy and several socialites and influencers chatted with the host. Though the program thrived on gossip and chasing trends, its ratings remained strong. After all, the average viewer didn't care for highbrow content—relatable shows were their preference.

"Ninety-five million—if it were me, I'd choose Reebok over Nike too," the host remarked.

Cindy replied, "No, that's not why he chose Reebok. In fact, Nike's offer was just as sincere as Reebok's. He simply enjoys a challenge. In his words, working with an industry giant like Nike holds no appeal. He prefers the thrill of toppling the number one."

Her words immediately prompted a chorus of "wow" and "cool" from those present. Seeking profit and currying favor with power are the norms of society, so this willingness to challenge the strong came across as especially impressive.

"So, what's it like to be the girlfriend of a billionaire?" the host continued, fishing for gossip.

"In fact, we're just good friends. He just started in the NBA and faces fierce competition—he needs to focus on training, not romance. And I only just graduated from college…" Cindy was well aware that she and He Xinghui were nothing more than close acquaintances; there was nothing romantic between them yet.

Still, she didn't mind the ambiguity. On one hand, He Xinghui was outstanding, and she enjoyed his company. On the other, being known as He's rumored girlfriend brought her plenty of benefits. Several low-budget productions had already reached out to her. Riding on He's fame, Cindy was savvy enough to help build his image as hardworking and ambitious during the show.

The episode was well-received, especially among young people, who admired He's boldness in wanting to take down Nike.

At Nike headquarters, CEO Robinson was fuming. He didn't truly believe He Xinghui could ever topple Nike, but he couldn't deny that He's remarks had cast a shadow over the company's reputation. Missing out on He had cost them dearly.

"Do something to steer the public narrative. We can't let him make the All-Star Game," Robinson ordered.

All-Star voting had officially begun a few days ago. The only notable Clippers were Brand and Cassell, so even though He had only played a few games, the Clippers had already pushed him as a nominee. Robinson did not underestimate the power of Chinese fans. If left unchecked, He could very well overtake Kobe Bryant in the starting lineup this year.

Kobe was Nike’s leading star, and for him to be bumped from the starting lineup—like Shaquille O’Neal once was—was something Robinson could never accept. Thus, he tried to influence public opinion and manipulate the voting process so that overseas votes wouldn’t all be counted.

Topple Nike? Robinson scoffed inwardly at the thought.