Behind The Spotlight Chapter 280
The next day, three people visited the Lakers Los Angeles gymnasium: Lila, Amelia, and James. Mrs. Kobe had wanted to come, but James told her it wasn't necessary. He was no longer a child who needed constant hand-holding.
"Lila, it's nice to meet you."
One of the Lakers' assistant coaches greeted Lila and her companion, then glanced at the towering man standing behind them.
"Hello, Mr. Turner. Where is Mr. Moore?"
The head coach of the Lakers Los Angeles was Phil Moore, though the players preferred to call him Coach Moore.
"The head coach is currently on the court, watching the players train."
"I see." Lila raised an eyebrow slightly, a gesture that made Turner a bit nervous.
In truth, the head coach had zero intention of personally meeting Lila. Whoever this guy was, she was trying to force him onto the team, and Coach Moore despised that kind of interference.
Coach Moore had seen it all before, shareholders using their leverage to meddle with the roster, decisions that almost always backfired on the team.
So, Coach Moore had assigned Turner to handle the situation instead. If the player Lila brought in failed to meet their standards, they would reject him outright. If by some miracle he performed well, they might offer him a spot on their D-League affiliate.
At best, they wanted to do the bare minimum just to appease Lila. As for drafting James straight onto the main franchise roster, that was utterly out of the question. Breaking into the NBA was brutal, and everyone who made it was the absolute elite of the elite.
"Well then, let's take James to the court and evaluate him," Turner said, leading the three inside. At the very least, James possessed the height for the job.
Standing around 6'7", he had the frame to play as a small forward or even a power forward if he had explosive athletic ability.
In the NBA of 2001, standard positional heights looked like this:
Point guards stood at least 5'11".
Shooting guards stood at least 6'3".
Small forwards stood at least 6'6".
Power forwards stood at least 6'8".
Centers stood at least 6'11".
These were the strict criteria most franchises followed.
When they reached the gymnasium, they found a massive facility capable of fitting three full-sized basketball courts side by side.
Numerous players were running drills on one court, while the 15 players on the official roster were playing on another.
James stared at the players on the court, clenching his fists as his palms grew sweaty. He was terrified... This might be the most important moment of his entire life, the ultimate turning point.
Today would determine whether he would soar into a completely different world or crash hard back to Skid Row to keep selling drugs.
It was no wonder he was shaking with fear. He couldn't afford to mess up and throw away the single greatest opportunity he had ever been given.
'Man, I ain't got no reason to be nervous. I ain't got no reason to be nervous!' He chanted internally, but it wasn't working. It only made his muscles tense up further.
"Are you nervous?"
"Huh?"
James looked at Amelia, the talent agent assigned to manage his career.
"... Is it bad if I say yes?"
"So you are nervous."
"Yes, I'm nervous," James admitted, his hands trembling slightly.
"That's good." Amelia nodded.
"What you mean? Ain't it better for me to keep my cool?" James asked, confused.
"If you're nervous, it shows you're taking this situation seriously," Amelia replied. "I'd be worried if you were completely calm right now. That wouldn't even be human."
"..." James didn't know how to respond. Every instinct told her logic was backwards, but Turner interrupted them to announce that the court was ready for evaluation.
"All right, James, you can get started."
James wore full basketball gear, complete with brand-new basketball shoes his mother had bought him the day before. She had insisted he needed a proper pair of shoes to show off in front of the coaches.
"All right," James muttered. To his surprise, he realized the nervousness and fear had completely evaporated. His brief chat with Amelia had cleared his head, leaving him completely dialed in.
Three coaches stepped up to put him through his paces. They tested his shooting from various distances and instructed him to throw down some dunks.
As the workout progressed, the team's head coach caught sight of him from across the floor, recalling that a shareholder's daughter was trying to sneak a new face into the franchise.
"Is that the guy?" Coach Moore watched James with mild curiosity.
"His shooting form looks clean, but can he sustain it under pressure?" he muttered.
James followed every direction, sinking shots from the free-throw line with ease. Then he moved out to the three-point arc, draining shots from every spot, and even hit a deep half-court shot without missing a beat.
"... Now that's interesting." Coach Moore decided to step closer to get a better look at the assessment.
Minutes later, the shooting drills concluded, with James missing only three out of dozens of attempts. Next came ball-handling and agility drills. Even though it was his first time running formal basketball drills, James moved with a natural fluidity that left the assistants visibly impressed.
"Turner, I want to see how he handles live action."
Head Coach Moore walked over, barking his decision directly to Turner.
"Do you want us to set up a game with the D-League squad, Coach?" Turner yelled back.
"No. Put him on the floor with the main roster. Hey you, follow me," Coach Moore yelled at James. James nodded respectfully and followed after him toward the main court where the official team was playing. James recognized Head Coach Moore immediately from watching countless games on television.
"Did you see that..." Amelia watched the unfolding scene alongside Lila, both of them witnessing Head Coach Moore personally hijack the tryout.
[Author's Note:]
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