Philadelphia. When Mills rushed to Su Feng's training base, the future coach of Bolt nearly burst out with a Jamaican curse.
"You, you, you…"
Upon meeting Su Feng, Mills felt like he was losing his mind.
Especially after Su Feng flexed his hips, thighs, and calves, then did a short sprint — Mills couldn't take it anymore.
Sin!
"You're wasting talent!
You're throwing gold into rubble without realizing it!
You're spoiling and cheating yourself!"
Mills' Jamaican English wasn't exactly fluent, but the translated meaning was roughly that.
Mills was furious.
In his eyes, if given just four years, he could get Su Feng onto the Olympic stage.
If Su Feng gave him eight years, he could turn him into a medal-winning athlete.
Sure, Mills admitted that this idea might be a bit exaggerated — even suggesting Su Feng should switch to sprinting full-time.
But with his unique vision, Mills instantly saw Su Feng as a one-of-a-kind sprinter.
Although no Chinese athlete had ever broken the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters at that time, Mills firmly believed in his judgment.
He believed Su Feng was sent by God to show the world: Asians can fly too!
Don't doubt Mills' eye — after all, he's the one who coached the famously lazy Bolt into greatness.
And ever since the system granted Su Feng elite speed talent, Su Feng himself had felt the changes in his body.
Generally speaking…
Mills' judgment was spot-on.
Because Su Feng's speed template matched that of the Jamaican flying man who would one day shatter human limits.
"No! You must not play basketball — it's a waste!" Mills shouted.
He swore he had to convince Su Feng to train for sprinting.
Forget basketball — breaking human limits was the true meaning of life.
Su Feng was helpless. Seriously, he hadn't expected Mills to be such a dreamer.
"I won't train for sprinting," Su Feng said, looking straight at Mills.
The short Mills was on the verge of tears…
He turned to Mancias, Fraser, Alan Stein, and Ben Wallace (who was making sandwiches): "You all be the judge!
He… he's a hidden gem!"
At that moment, the three assistants looked up at the sky in silent agreement. Huh?
What's sprinting?
If Su Feng stopped playing basketball, who would support them?
Forget the sprinting dream — basketball is king!
As for Big Ben…
When he noticed Mills staring at him, the confused Wallace looked back and said, "Su… Su is right!"
Mills: "…"
Heaven and earth!
Why did Mills have to discover such a sprinter — only for him to choose basketball?
For Mills, who had dedicated decades to sprinting, his lifelong dream was to train a man who could break human limits.
But now…
It was painful. So painful.
"Alright, let's get down to business. I want to improve my short-distance sprint speed," Su Feng said, patting Mills on the shoulder.
"Mainly the sprint speed over three-quarters of the court."
"What?" Mills was stunned. With that kind of talent, you're only training…
For something so short?
"I play basketball, not track. What's 100 meters?
What's 200 meters? I'm not interested."
Su Feng's voice was calm, but to Mills, every word felt like a dagger to the chest.
Su Feng knew Mills would meet another sprinting prodigy in the future.
So he smiled and said, "Well, I promised you before — how about I double it?"
Mills' eyes lit up. He instantly tossed aside his dreams.
"This short-distance sprinting… I'll teach you everything."
And just like that, under Mills' guidance, Su Feng's joyful "sprint" training began.
…
A week later, as the 76ers Summer League team was about to begin, Su Feng couldn't hide his joy while watching his speed attribute skyrocket.
A sprinting prodigy with terrifying natural talent — yet no formal sprint training.
Combined with the effects of the system's supreme nutrient solution…
Before Su Feng departed for Long Beach, his sprint training results stunned every member of the "Iron Team."
"The host's current speed attribute is 80 [120], with the following breakdown:
Off-ball running speed: 82
Ball-handling acceleration: 75
Max sprint speed: 83"
Su Feng understood exactly what this wave of improvement meant.
Given the massive gap between his current ability and potential, such a surge was expected.
After all, with Mancias' help, Su Feng had already built a solid physical foundation.
Frankly, his athletic talent had long surpassed the traditional ceiling for Asian players.
It's worth noting that Su Feng's speed attribute had already increased by several points even before Mills arrived.
However, this time, his off-ball running and max sprint speed saw significant gains. His ball-handling acceleration, though, remained limited by his dribbling and ball control — still below the 80 threshold.
Su Feng planned to spend another month and a half pushing his off-ball speed and max sprint speed toward 90 after returning from Long Beach.
As his current ability level rises, further improvements become harder to achieve.
But after reviewing the speed attributes of "The Old Rogue" and Iverson, Su Feng realized that a speed rating of 90 is a critical benchmark in the NBA.
Su Feng's current speed ranks as excellent among NBA perimeter players — but not elite. (This refers to current ability, not potential.)
So whether he can leverage his extraordinary speed talent to break the 90 barrier this summer is crucial.
Without switching to full-time sprint training, Su Feng estimates that his future speed will max out around 100.
Especially since he'll need to gradually increase his weight to 100 kg.
In a well-balanced system, ability values are interconnected. That's why Su Feng believes the best path is comprehensive development with focused specialization.
And as the saying goes: if Su Feng can reach a speed rating of 100, he'll be a jet in the NBA.
It's worth mentioning that Mills was heartbroken again watching Su Feng leave the training base.
Su Feng understood Mills' feelings perfectly.
It was just like the coaches who watched Iverson and Big Ben choose football over other sports.
Unfortunately for Mills, Su Feng's love for basketball — in both his past and present lives — was unwavering.
This year's 76ers lineup for the Long Beach Summer League could only be described as stacked.
In addition to Iverson, Su Feng, and Big Ben…
There was also the towering Mark Hendrickson, selected with the second pick of the second round in the 1996 NBA Draft; Frank King, a small guard who played for the Lakers last season; and journeyman forward Joe Connett, who had bounced around multiple NBA teams. (The Sixers had two second-round picks in the 1996 draft — the other was traded to the Hornets in the deal for Su Feng.)
In short, this lineup was so loaded that in the Summer League, you could say: "Whoever finishes second, just rank yourselves."
Su Feng remembered that in his previous life, the 76ers had won the Long Beach Summer League championship.
In this life, with him and Big Ben now on board, Su Feng felt that winning the title wouldn't be difficult. The only matchup he truly looked forward to was the game between the 76ers and the Lakers.
Why?
Because beating Kobe — even just once, and with dignity — would be pure bliss for Su Feng.
It's worth mentioning that, as Su Feng recalled, the Chinese men's basketball team would also be participating in the Long Beach Summer League.
They were scheduled to face the Lakers before flying to Atlanta for the Olympic Games.
In Su Feng's previous life, the Lakers' popularity in China wasn't without reason.
In fact, Jerry Buss was one of the first league owners to respond to David Stern's call to expand into the Chinese market.
In 1997, the Lakers would go on to play an exhibition game against the Chinese national team.
The Mavericks, by comparison, were late to the party — only making their move after Don Nelson joined the franchise.
Nelson was a unique kind of coach. In his eyes, whether a player was Asian, African, European, or American…
If he could run, he was worth a shot.
In 1998 and 2000, the Mavericks extended two invitations to Hu Weidong. Compared to Wang Zhizhi, Nelson was more intrigued by Hu's raw talent.
Take the 1996 Summer League, for example. The matchup between the Chinese national team and the Lakers wasn't just Kobe's breakout moment — it was also the game where Hu Weidong stunned American reporters.
Su Feng had read the coverage and felt that Chinese and American journalists were essentially exchanging admiration.
Chinese reporters — led by Xu Jicheng, Zhang Weiping, Su Junyang, and others — believed that the 17-year-old Kobe Bryant had limitless potential.
Meanwhile, American journalists agreed that the 26-year-old Hu Weidong absolutely belonged in the NBA.
And in the upcoming Atlanta Olympics, Hu Weidong would once again validate their belief.
In a game against Team USA, Hu pulled off a steal and followed it with something rarely seen for years to come:
A Chinese guard dunking on the international stage.
Su Feng wasn't one to exaggerate, but truth be told — if not for his own presence, Hu Weidong was undoubtedly the ceiling for Chinese guards.
In the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Hu averaged 24 points in just 24 minutes per game.
His shooting percentage was a staggering 72%, and his three-point accuracy reached 47%.
To put it in perspective, his field goal percentage was only two points lower than his free throw percentage.
During the golden generation, there was a running joke in Chinese basketball: "Liu Yudong for domestic games, Hu Weidong for international battles."
Hu's elite physical traits allowed him to hold his own against European and American defenders. And his signature fadeaway was a thing of beauty.
In his previous life, Su Feng had watched American commentary from that era. Even back then, analysts believed Hu Weidong had a place in the NBA.
And years later, at age 35, Hu would still drop 55 points in a CBA game, dominating younger players.
That's why Su Feng believed Wang Shipeng's future complaints were justified — some players simply don't deserve to be compared to legends like Hu.
While Su Feng and the others headed to Long Beach, Klaus was venting to Berlin Berg in the 76ers' front office.
"Strange… why did the Chinese national team accept the Lakers' invitation?"
After learning that the Chinese team would join the Long Beach Summer League, the 76ers had also extended an invitation.
Although Klaus wasn't particularly optimistic about the Chinese market, he figured that with Su Feng on the roster, a game against the Chinese team would be a good marketing move.
Too bad Su Feng didn't know about Klaus's plan — otherwise, he would've told him: there's no way the Chinese national team would accept the 76ers' invitation.
Why?
Because if they lost, the domestic media would tear the Basketball Association apart.
"Why didn't you recruit Su Feng for the Olympics?"
The Association wasn't foolish. At that time, the national team was still operating under a long-term training system.
This group of players had been working together for years, and the Association had to balance the interests of various provincial sports bodies.
After all, in the 1990s, the Olympics were a matter of national pride — and entangled with many sensitive factors.
So the Association couldn't afford to make changes, and naturally wouldn't agree to the 76ers' proposal.
Thus, despite all the twists and turns, history continued on its original path.
Only…
Su Feng's appearance quietly triggered a massive butterfly effect.
…
On the 14th, after the team arrived in Long Beach, the two assistants — Jason and Rick — had a clear division of labor. Jason was responsible for training Iverson and Su Feng, while Rick handled the rest of the squad.
It made no real difference — the assignments reflected status.
Some of the temporary players recruited by the 76ers were even greeted by Rick personally. During games, anyone who dared not pass the ball to Iverson or Su Feng was immediately benched.
After all, if those guys messed up, the next ones to get cut would be Jason and Rick themselves.
While training separately, Su Feng glanced at Big Ben with a hint of reluctance…
What was this feeling?
The iron value of labor and capital!
"Coach, I've been feeling a little tired these past couple of days. Can I rest?" Iverson asked, looking at Jason.
"When… of course!" Jason replied gently.
Seeing this, Su Feng recalled a funny moment from his previous life, when Larry Brown first joined the 76ers…
According to the schedule, Iverson was supposed to meet Brown in the morning. But morning came — and no Iverson.
Then it was said he'd show up at noon. Noon passed — still no Iverson.
By evening, it was confirmed: Iverson wasn't coming at all that day.
"Coach, Allen's just joking. Don't take him seriously."
Oh, if Iverson skips training, where will I find another toolman?
Su Feng dragged Iverson to the training hall.
Jason was stunned. "You two… aren't you in conflict?"
"It's fine, coach. Allen and I get along well."
Su Feng knew that Iverson was the sunshine and beach of Long Beach — so he didn't give him a chance to resist.
And with Su Feng's big elbows, Iverson couldn't even beg for mercy, let alone argue.
"Alright, Allen. I know you're not the lazy type. I actually wanted to ask you something."
After dragging Iverson into the gym, Su Feng smiled at the reluctant AI.
Iverson, still a bit annoyed, perked up when he heard Su Feng needed help. In Iverson's mind, a brother's problem was his own problem.
"I want you to teach me two breakthrough moves," Su Feng said curiously.
"I didn't already teach you the crossover and—" Iverson began, but Su Feng cut him off.
"I know, but… I want something more practical and simple!"
Su Feng blushed. His dribbling potential had recently risen to 64. It was decent for the Summer League, but what Su Feng really wanted to learn…
Was how to use his speed to shake off defenders as efficiently as possible.
Because… the 76ers were about to face the Lakers in the Summer League!
"Simple and practical?" Iverson stroked his chin, then suddenly had an idea.
"Su, can you catch the ball with one hand easily?" he asked.
Su Feng nodded, grabbed a basketball off the floor, and casually tossed it into the air a few times.
"Alright, then stand like this. Yes, when attacking, use your left or right hand to catch the ball.
Make sure to catch it behind your body. If the defender lunges at you, you do this…" Iverson demonstrated.
In addition to that move, Iverson also taught Su Feng a few other simple and aggressive techniques.
"These were my favorite tricks when I was just starting out," Iverson said, winking at Su Feng.
Su Feng: "..."
Come on, Allen. Do you have to be so smug?
Su Feng felt a pang in his chest.
But strangely enough, he also felt… happy.
Maybe this is what they call "painful joy."
…
After a few minutes…
"Your speed's improving pretty fast…"
On the court, Iverson watched Su Feng practicing his "one step ahead" move and spoke with surprise.
Back when Su Feng started working on his extreme sprinting, he had let Iverson off the hook — after all, he already had a training partner.
But after witnessing Su Feng's explosive three-step drive with the ball today, Iverson felt compelled to teach him another trick.
"Su, come here. I've got a move to show you."
That's just how Iverson was. Su Feng realized that it wasn't that Iverson disliked training — he simply valued freedom more than discipline.
In other words, Iverson only trained when he felt like it.
Recently, as their friendship grew stronger, Su Feng had tried to "bribe" Iverson with sandwiches.
Unfortunately, it didn't work. Not because Iverson was greedy — but because his craving for freedom outweighed any snack.
Still, after a bit of teaching, Iverson got the itch to play. He looked at Su Feng and said, "Let's run two rounds of one-on-one."
Su Feng nodded, thinking it was the perfect chance to test out his new breakthrough techniques in real action.
And just like that, Su Feng may not have realized…
He was walking further and further down the path of charging into the paint like a live explosive.
…
Two days later, the 76ers played their first game of the Long Beach Summer League — against the Suns.
The Suns' biggest star? Su Feng's "sock brother," Steve Nash.
It's worth noting that before tip-off, Nash and Su Feng were chatting and laughing like old friends.
But once the game began, Su Feng took full advantage of a pick-and-roll with Iverson, catching Nash off guard with a sudden burst.
Nash, even if you scream your lungs out — Marion's not coming to save you!
Su Feng was having a blast. Thanks to his newly forged steel bond with Iverson, let's just say Iverson fed Su Feng plenty of sweet passes throughout the game.
Maybe this is the magnetic pull between iron kings?
Big Ben also got 20 minutes of playing time — courtesy of his connection with Su Feng.
And as the saying goes, gold always shines. Once Big Ben stepped onto the court, assistants Jason and Rick were stunned: this guy was a full-on "Roar Daddy!"
Su Feng had been instilling a brutal mindset into Big Ben during training.
After accepting Su Feng — who was four years younger — as his new big brother, Big Ben believed every word Su Feng said.
So, the once awkward-looking Ben Wallace would now roar every time he grabbed a rebound or blocked a shot.
Forget the stats — his sheer presence was intimidating.
Opponents didn't even dare approach the 76ers' paint when he was around.
"This guy really has two lives," Coach Jason said, amazed.
"Let's give him more minutes. Look how well he meshes with Allen and Su Feng," Rick added.
Honestly…
With Big Ben's style, how could he not fit with Su Feng and Iverson?
You miss a shot, I grab the board. I pass it back, you miss again — I'll grab it again.
The Suns' interior defense was a soft, 210 cm, 120 kg big man with a 5 cm vertical and a marshmallow body. How could he possibly stop Big Ben?
And just like that, the 76ers crushed the Suns 112–80 in their opening game.
Box Score Highlights:
Su Feng: 30 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block, 0 assistsIverson: 31 points, 10 assists, 4 stealsBig Ben (20 minutes): 0 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals, 3 assists, 5 fouls
After seeing the stat sheet, Su Feng was glad there were no "keyboard warriors" around — otherwise, he'd be wondering what kind of nicknames fans would slap on them.
Su Buchuan, Ai Langtou, no offense…
Still, the 76ers' Summer League "iron triangle" was surprisingly effective.
After the game, Nash was visibly down — he had only scored 8 points with 4 assists and had a rough outing.
"Steve, don't overthink it. You've got to believe in yourself!"
To preserve their "sock diplomacy," Su Feng comforted Nash with a friendly pat on the head.
Nash nodded, slightly deflated.
...
After finishing the game against the Suns, Su Feng sat down for an interview with Su Junyang.
There wasn't much to say about the interview itself — Su Feng figured that Su Junyang, good old "Su Su," would mostly just hype him up anyway.
However, at the end of the interview, Su Junyang curiously asked whether Su Feng planned to watch the men's national team play against the Lakers the next day.
"I'm not going to watch it. I'll be training tomorrow," Su Feng replied.
In his previous life, Su Feng had already seen all the highlights and GIFs from that game. He knew exactly how Kobe and Hu Weidong would perform.
And ever since Iverson helped him unlock the door to dribbling — revealing a whole new world — Su Feng had been busy chasing his own treasure…
No, not One Piece — he was busy preparing a surprise for Kobe.
Besides, Su Feng didn't want to "add pressure" to the Basketball Association leadership. This summer was a critical period for his personal growth.
Su Feng understood clearly: even if he were to join the national team, their ceiling at the Olympics would still be a top-eight finish.
So, reasonably and respectfully, Su Feng — who knew how to weigh priorities — continued to give the Basketball Association his full support.
When Su Junyang heard that Su Feng wouldn't attend the national team's game, he initially wondered if there was some kind of misunderstanding between Su Feng and the squad.
But after seeing the sincerity in Su Feng's wide eyes, Su Junyang realized that Su Feng wasn't the type to hold grudges.
"I really hope to see little Su wearing the national team jersey one day," Su Junyang thought to himself, moved.
…
The next day, just as Su Feng remembered, the Chinese men's basketball team faced the Lakers in the Summer League — and their entire backcourt was torched by Kobe.
Although Kobe still had areas to improve at this stage, his offensive arsenal was already taking shape.
By the end of the game, Kobe had dropped 36 points, leaving Chinese reporters on the sidelines stunned.
Hu Weidong, just as Su Feng recalled, scored 30 points — the lone bright spot among Chinese guards in an otherwise lopsided performance.
But unlike Su Feng's previous life, this time, his presence had changed things. Xu Jicheng and Zhang Weiping had already studied Kobe's talent in advance.
So in the post-game news coverage, alongside phrases like "earth-shaking" and "unprecedented forward," Da Xu added a pointed remark at the end of his article:
"This is Kobe Bryant, Su Feng's high school teammate. Wearing No. 32 — once worn by Magic — in the Summer League, he can do everything."
Clearly, Da Xu was frustrated that the Basketball Association hadn't recruited Su Feng for the national team.
In Xu Jicheng's view, if the Chinese guards couldn't even contain Kobe, how could they compare to Su Feng?
Zhang Weiping, knowing the full story, chose not to comment — he simply sighed quietly.
It's worth noting that after the game, the Chinese coaching staff debated internally. Head coach Gong Luming ultimately decided to stay and watch the upcoming matchup between the 76ers and the Lakers.
Not to make changes, but to see for himself: this high school teammate of Kobe, the No. 13 overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft — just how good was this "fairy" Su Feng?
While Gong Luming stayed behind, the rest of the team headed to Atlanta for the Olympics. On the court, Hu Weidong — who had picked up a few words of English — approached Kobe.
"Hi, hello, Kobe." After the game, Hu Weidong put on his glasses to get a clear look at Kobe's face.
"Hello." Though Kobe didn't know Hu personally, he remembered Su Feng — so he greeted Hu politely.
"You're really great, Kobe," Hu said, giving him a thumbs-up.
Amused by Hu's clumsy English, Kobe smiled. "You're great too. Those turnaround jumpers were cool."
"Kobe… I heard Su Feng beat you one-on-one?" Hu asked curiously.
Kobe's expression shifted.
That question brought back some unpleasant memories.
Especially the time Su Feng "embarrassed" him on camera — and their recent phone call, which Kobe still hadn't forgotten.
But…
Seeing Hu's genuine curiosity, and still wondering why Su Feng hadn't been recruited by the Chinese team, Kobe decided to let it go — for now.
"Yes, he beats me often," Kobe replied after a pause.
Classic.
Often?
Hu Weidong was stunned.
After playing against the Lakers, he had learned from Da Xu and Zhang Weiping that Kobe was only 17 — and that this Lakers squad was just a Summer League team, far from the real NBA.
So when Hu realized Su Feng had actually beaten Kobe in one-on-one matchups, he suddenly felt the urge to stay.
After chatting with Kobe, Hu turned to Gong Luming and said, "Coach, I'd like to stay too."
Gong Luming thought for a moment. He knew Hu was interested in the NBA, so he simply said, "Alright, you can stay as a reference."
Hu Weidong nodded, now eagerly anticipating the upcoming game between the Lakers and the 76ers.