Chapter 1: The 21st Pick

"First pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs select Tim Duncan from Wake Forest University."

Xu Liang, who was still not fully awake, heard a loud English voice in his ears.

What puzzled Xu Liang was that he, who had always been terrible at English, could understand it perfectly and without any difficulty.

"Next, the Philadelphia 76ers will have five minutes to make their decision for the second pick."

It was only then that Xu Liang realized he was sitting in a suit in the middle of a conference room.

Additionally, Xu Liang recalled the name he had just heard: Tim Duncan.

Suddenly, he realized he was at the NBA Draft and seemed to be one of the prospects in the green room.

What's going on? Then Xu Liang looked at his hands, which were clearly much larger than his original ones.

I, I've traveled through time, and I've even become an NBA player.

What's my name in this life? Xu Liang was extremely excited.

After all, in his previous life, Xu Liang was a basketball player in the Chinese second-tier league, and he was a rare excellent guard in the Chinese basketball scene after the 21st century.

Of course, due to his height, although Xu Liang performed brilliantly in the second-tier basketball league, averaging 35 points, 3.5 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game, these stats were from the second-tier league.

Even in the CBA, let alone the NBA, Xu Liang's performance would have significantly declined.

Moreover, standing at only 1.75 meters, Xu Liang was not highly regarded by the CBA, and his peak period was limited to the second-tier league.

However, Xu Liang's peak period was after 2014, so he still earned a substantial income playing in the second-tier league, though it was far less than what CBA star players earned.

As an MVP-level player in the second-tier league, earning several hundred thousand to a million yuan annually was quite easy and comfortable.

Xu Liang had also dreamed of making it to the CBA or even the NBA with enough effort, but reality told him that such thoughts were just dreams.

Xu Liang found it strange that the person he had traveled into seemed to have a good height, possibly even over two meters.

For Xu Liang, who had always been 1.75 meters tall, the difference between 1.9 meters, 2 meters, and 2.1 meters was not significant because he had never experienced such height and its advantages on the basketball court.

From his assessment of his current body, it seemed to be that of an Asian, but he couldn't tell if it was Korean, Japanese, or Chinese.

Xu Liang couldn't determine his current identity because, although he was in the green room, no one had accompanied him to the NBA Draft, which made his heart skip a beat.

If he were Chinese, a player who could participate in the NBA Draft would certainly be a star, and in 1997, Chinese basketball players were mostly system-trained talents. If someone could participate in the NBA Draft, there would be many accompanying personnel.

As Xu Liang cautiously investigated his current identity, the next team's selection was submitted to the young David Stern.

"Third pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics select Chauncey Billups from the University of Colorado."

Hearing that it was already the third pick and that the selection was Chauncey Billups, a player Xu Liang admired, he snapped back to reality, realizing he was still at the NBA Draft.

He didn't know the subsequent selections, but as the draft progressed, Xu Liang remained tense, not knowing his name or when he would be called.

However, since he was at the draft, he assumed his draft prospects were decent, not necessarily a top-13 lottery pick, but at least a first-round pick.

As the draft continued, Xu Liang's anxiety grew. By the 20th pick, no name had been called that seemed to be his.

"21st pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, the New Jersey Nets have traded their pick to the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have five minutes to make their selection."

Wait, the Spurs have two first-round picks this year? That doesn't seem right. Has history changed?

Xu Liang's hope surged. For the current Xu Liang, the San Antonio Spurs seemed to be the best choice. As an international player, he didn't know his height, physical condition, or basketball skills, but the Spurs were known for developing international players in his previous life.

Xu Liang believed that if given enough time to adapt to the NBA, with his original skills and current height and physical condition, he could stand his ground in the NBA. He might not start, but being a regular rotation player should be achievable.

Although it might seem like a lack of ambition, in his previous life, Xu Liang had never even touched the CBA, let alone the highly competitive NBA.

After the five minutes of tension, Stern returned to the stage.

"21st pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs select Xu Liang from Jiangsu, China."

Wait, Xu Liang, is that my name now?

Am I Chinese and a professional player from Jiangsu?

Why is no one around me? This isn't the scene a Chinese basketball player should have at the NBA Draft!

Confused, Xu Liang stood up, walked to the stage, accepted the San Antonio Spurs' cap, and shook hands with Stern for a photo.

Next, he had to give a speech. From the bits and pieces he had gathered, he knew he should thank the Jiangsu Basketball Association, his parents, and the San Antonio Spurs, though he wasn't sure if the association existed.

After completing these actions in a daze, Xu Liang walked to the aisle and saw a young Gregg Popovich approaching him.