Chapter 34

Michael Jordan was hopping and cursing at the old fox, while Pat Riley on the other side had already lit a victorious cigar. Amid the rising smoke, he wore a victorious smile. Although he had paid a high price, he had no regrets at all. He even felt that this choice was more important than drafting Michael Beasley with the second pick.

At the same time, Yang Mo was still standing in shock.

He really didn't expect this. Looking at the surprised people around him, he just sat there, stunned. Many scenes flashed through his mind, from the moment his father gave him his first basketball, to the daily practice, to being rejected by the CBA youth team, to making the winning shot in the CUBA to lead Nanhua University to the quarterfinals, to being defeated on the street, and so on.

The scenes of the past played like an old movie in his mind, and tears involuntarily welled up in his eyes.

By the time he stood up, it had been almost ten minutes since David Stern announced the result. This was definitely an exception in draft history. Even after the trade was announced, Yang Mo hadn't gone up to the stage to speak.

Now Yang Mo was in an awkward situation because he didn't know which cap to wear. If he wore the Bucks' cap, he was now a Miami player. If he wore the Heat's cap, the Bucks had drafted him.

In a dilemma, Yang Mo simply wore both caps, the Bucks' cap on his head and the Heat's cap on top of it.

Seeing Yang Mo wearing two caps, there wasn't much surprise in the audience. After all, being drafted eighth was already a huge surprise.

Yang Mo walked up to the stage, and David Stern greeted him, shaking his hand: "Welcome to the NBA family."

"Thank you," Yang Mo smiled slightly, walked to the front of the stage, took the microphone, and looked at the people below with various expressions—some were congratulating him, some were dismissive, and some were booing.

Yang Mo smiled slightly and said slowly, "I know that for everyone, my being drafted here is a surprise. In fact, it's a surprise to me too. A month ago, I was still worried about my future, not knowing what job I would have after graduation. Now... I've actually gotten one of the best-paying jobs in the world."

After Yang Mo finished speaking, there was a murmur in the audience, and some scattered applause.

"It's very normal for people not to recognize me now. I hope that in the near future, people will recognize my abilities, and then they will give me a thumbs up and say: Oh! That Chinese Yang is amazing, that was definitely a great pick for Miami in draft history." Yang Mo continued calmly.

Yang Mo's composed attitude made the audience slightly quieter.

"Thank you, Milwaukee, for choosing me, even though I've never played for you. I also thank the Heat for bringing me to Miami. I hope my talent can help the team improve. Finally... thank you to those who have always looked down on me. The stones you throw at me, I will build into the most magnificent castle. Your insults will be honed into the sharpest weapons, helping me to conquer and sweep through the ranks, moving forward."

With that, Yang Mo bowed and left the stage.

If Yao Ming left the impression of being kind and humorous to Americans, then Yang Mo left the impression of being resilient and sharp.

Walking off the stage, TNT, which had the exclusive broadcasting rights for the draft, immediately invited Yang Mo to the studio, where several hosts were waiting for him.

This was a league-mandated interview, and Yang Mo didn't resist. It's just a TV interview, so why not?

Sitting down in the studio, host Felts quickly began: "Let's welcome this year's eighth pick, the power forward from China, Yang Mo."

Before he finished, Yang Mo corrected him: "Actually, I can also play small forward, but I prefer to stay in the paint on defense."

"Oh, I see," Felts smiled and turned to the two guests beside him, asking, "Chris, Jeff, what do you think?"

Chris Webber smiled and said, "I know nothing about Yang. I've never seen him play, so I can't analyze him for the fans yet. But my gut tells me this kid will be a good player. His speech up there really moved me."

After Chris Webber finished, Jeff Van Gundy took over, not directly evaluating but asking Yang Mo, "Yang, can you tell us which team you played for in China? I coached Yao, and I've been to China a few times, so I have some understanding of it."

"I have no professional team experience," Yang Mo shook his head and said frankly, "I'm a student."

"Oh, that's surprising," Jeff Van Gundy was taken aback and then asked, "Three outstanding point guards campaigned for you today. Are you very good friends?"

"Of course," Yang Mo nodded, and in his heart, he even considered them brothers.

"So it was your skills that won them over, not other reasons that made them promote you so hard?" Van Gundy continued.

"Yes. We played a game in the Orlando training camp. I think that's when we formed a deep friendship. They thought I might not get drafted, so they helped me out," Yang Mo said without hesitation.

"Are you surprised to be the eighth pick?"

"Of course. I thought I might be drafted in the second round or the end of the first round, but the reality shocked me. I was in a daze for ten minutes after the draft."

"Okay, let me ask you a professional question. As is well known, your height is not outstanding for an interior player. How do you plan to survive in the paint?"

"I think height is not the only determining factor in the paint. Positioning, strength, wingspan, basketball IQ, and understanding of the rules are all important. And I happen to be very good at these," Yang Mo said confidently.

"Alright, I'm done with my questions. I hope you have a wonderful NBA journey. Felts, anything to add?"

"No," Felts shook his head and continued, "Alright, thank you for coming to our studio. I wish you all the best in Miami."

"Thank you, goodbye," Yang Mo waved to the three of them and the camera, then quickly left the room.

After Yang Mo left, the three of them continued to discuss.

"Is Pat Riley crazy? Is the Chinese market that important? Last year, Yi already proved that Yao Ming is irreplaceable, and this year he actually drafted a small interior player," Felts said very confusedly.

"No, I disagree with you. I think this kid might surprise us," Chris Webber immediately countered, "Pat Riley has never messed up in the draft. He wouldn't take such a big risk if Yang didn't have something special."

"I also lean towards Chris's view. I agree with Yang's perspective on the paint. I think he's a smart player," Van Gundy was also optimistic about Yang Mo's future.

This left Felts a bit embarrassed. He was just a host, responsible for controlling the flow and livening up the atmosphere. In terms of professional knowledge, he was just a half-baked expert. Just then, the ninth pick, DJ Augustin, who was selected by the Bobcats, walked over, and he quickly changed the topic: "Alright, now the ninth pick, DJ Augustin, is walking into our studio..."

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