Two days later, Zack met with Tim Grover and his team. At Grover's request, Zack demonstrated his shooting, dribbling, passing, and post-up moves on the training court.
"Your release point on your shot is high enough, but your jumping motion doesn't fully utilize your quick-twitch advantage," Grover commented on Zack's shooting.
Then, Grover sharply critiqued Zack's dribbling: "You always instinctively stare at the ball when you dribble. In my opinion, even my grandmother could defend your drive." After a pause, Grover added, "Of course, I have to commend your balance when dribbling. It's incredible. Do you have some secret to training coordination and flexibility? Even Kevin Garnett couldn't be as coordinated as you when dribbling. You dribble like a 6'11" Grant Hill."
As for passing and post-play, there wasn't much Grover could point out to Zack. The former isn't something you can just teach someone. As for the latter, Grover noticed that while he could find many flaws in Zack's post-up technique, in terms of the crucial rhythm, he already looked the part.
"How could ESPN list Andrei Kirilenko as your player comparison? No offense to 'AK,' but based on my first impression of you... that bastard Charles Barkley's assessment of you was far more accurate."
In the training gym, after feeling Zack's arms, which felt like they were forged from steel, Grover, who had a pathological obsession with perfect muscles, said, "From your muscle definition, you must spend a lot of time in the gym." Grover truly admired Zack's physique. Now, examining this handsome Eastern star with sharp eyebrows and eyes like stars, Grover chuckled, "A 20-year-old Michael Jordan was certainly not as majestic and well-built as you are today."
That day, after spending several hours delving into Zack's basketball skills and athletic gifts, Grover wasn't in a hurry to create a training plan for him. Typically, Grover would spend some time getting to know a client's personality and their ambitions. As a legendary trainer, Grover had mentored hundreds of top athletes from the four major American sports leagues. His past experiences had taught him that to help an athlete grow, you need to understand not only their talent but also what kind of athlete they truly aspire to be.
Years ago, Grover saw an insatiable hunger for basketball in Michael Jordan's fiery gaze. Now, after half a day with Zack, Grover was confident he had found another young player similar to Jordan. In this moment, the thought of being able to torment Zack with high-intensity training, pushing him to his limits, made Grover undeniably excited.
Of course, before tormenting Zack, Grover didn't forget his other mission.
"My boss, or rather, my former boss, has already set the time and place."
Although Zack already knew through Rachel's "inside track" that Jordan wanted to meet him, hearing Grover tell him the exact date Jordan wanted to meet still somewhat rattled him.
"What day does he want to meet?"
"Tomorrow." (Note ①)
The Allure of the Game
In 1998, after leading the Chicago Bulls to yet another NBA championship, their third in a row, Jordan famously told the world, "Retirement holds no burden for me. I have nothing left to ask for, otherwise, I wouldn't be thinking of retiring."
But soon, Jordan discovered that life after retirement was completely different from what he'd imagined. Although he had generously stated that there was no such thing as a perfect player, and he didn't believe he was the only "greatest player," he still couldn't control his emotions when the media compared him to rising NBA stars. It was just like when he first retired.
Publicly, he was Michael Jordan, retired from the world of basketball. But those close to him knew that given any chance, Jordan would ask his former Bulls teammate, B.J. Armstrong, about the latest rising stars in the NBA. In fact, whenever Armstrong praised these up-and-comers, Jordan would always ask Armstrong to compare them to himself over the phone. Only when he heard an answer that satisfied him would he stop the endless questioning.
That was Michael Jordan. He never hid his competitive fire.
In the future, there would be many explanations for Jordan's decision to return to play for the Wizards. But one reason, even Jordan himself admitted: people believed the "Basketball God" was spurred by young players like Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter to make his second comeback.
However, looking back at his Wizards career... if time could be rewound, Jordan would surely slap himself. NFL star Ray Lewis later revealed in an interview that Jordan had privately expressed regret more than once about putting on a Wizards jersey.
Now, with a deep gaze out the window, no matter how many cigars he lit, whenever he remembered the pain 2003 brought him, Jordan felt that invisible scar on his chest would never heal. Yes, never heal. On the court, the only thing he proved during his Wizards tenure was that he was no longer the all-conquering Michael Jordan of old. And off the court, things were even worse.
After his complete fallout with the Wizards, Jordan tried many ways to ease his mind. But neither golf, which used to bring him peace, nor late-night parties, nor reckless gambling in casinos, could bring Jordan any relief.
Currently, the only thing that could bring Jordan comfort... might be the upcoming entry of the Charlotte Bobcats into the league. Although he hadn't officially become a minority owner of the Bobcats yet, having already reached a private agreement with Robert Johnson, he at least had another basketball-related activity in his leisure life. That was, using his unique "Basketball God" eye for talent to scout future stars for the new NBA franchise, the Bobcats.
In 2005, no one would doubt that Raymond Felton and Sean May were favored by the Bobcats because of their connection to Jordan, having come from the same alma mater (UNC). In 2006, likewise, no one would doubt that it was Jordan's almost obsessive fascination with the "Bird successor" identity that led the Bobcats to draft Adam Morrison. In short, using his unparalleled eye to select talent after talent for the Bobcats would undoubtedly be one of the things that brought Jordan the most joy for a long time to come.
"Hey, Michael, he's here."
In a private basketball gym in Charlotte, after being interrupted by his assistant, Jordan, who had already changed into his workout gear, subtly curved his lips. "I hope he lives up to Henry James's assessment of him."
A Different Impression
How to describe Zack's first impression of Jordan? From his appearance... Zack noticed that Jordan seemed to have gained another 20 or 30 pounds since he was playing for the Wizards last year. His face was rounder, his waist thicker, and even his thighs felt much beefier.
In the training gym, after observing Zack for a while... Jordan specifically called Grover over first.
Then, Zack, who had no idea why Jordan wanted to see him, quickly got his answer.
"Lynn told me that Henry James said you're an athletically enhanced version of Larry Bird." After finishing his questions for Grover, Jordan looked up and continued to study Zack.
In that moment, Zack immediately understood why Jordan was so eager to meet him. As someone who knew the future, Zack was well aware that the current Jordan was still that Michael Jordan, full of curiosity about the rising stars of the basketball world, especially those dubbed "Bird successors." In time, perhaps Jordan would lessen his focus on these basketball prodigies. But not now.
And Zack knew very well that during this period, if a talent appeared who could genuinely impress Jordan, he would do everything in his power to personally verify it with his unique eye. Especially when he saw those young players flustered upon meeting him, Jordan would always wear a look of satisfaction. For example, when LeBron James was 16, Jordan deliberately orchestrated a "chance" encounter when James was playing in Chicago. James, who was training with Grover in Chicago at the time, was suddenly told by Grover that he needed to wait a little longer after practice. Then, James and his friend Carter were stunned. Because after a luxury sports car pulled into the parking lot, the person who stepped out was Michael Jordan.
This "chance" encounter was definitely one of Jordan's proudest moments. Although in James's own story, this encounter greatly motivated the young him and fueled his desire to play, in reality... this encounter was more like an impulsive "prank" for Jordan.
Jordan liked talented young people. But he also loved watching the incredulous, disbelieving expressions on their faces when they met him.
However... completely different from what Zack had imagined before the meeting, after observing him for several minutes... Jordan found that the young man standing before him today was not only not nervous about meeting him... but his eyes even showed a hint of disappointment?
In the training gym, Jordan felt a pang of unease. It turns out Zack was indeed cut from the same cloth as Tim Duncan. Because when it came to messing with other people's minds, Zack, like Duncan, didn't even need to speak.
"I know the outside world has high praise for you right now, but some things you have to see with your own eyes to discern the truth. So, are you willing to play a game with an old retired man like me?" Jordan decided to pull out his big move early, looking at Zack's calm expression. In Jordan's mind, even though he was retired, if he extended an invitation, half the young players in the league would probably jump at the chance to play him.
But, once again to Jordan's surprise, Zack didn't show the expression he expected. Instead, he asked politely and sincerely, "You want to test my ability through a game?"
"Of course, after all, a game is the best way to test a player's skill," Jordan replied, suppressing his displeasure.
"Then I refuse."
"Huh? Huh?"
The next second, looking at a bewildered Jordan, Zack gave his reason, "If you want to test my ability, then you should at least call a few players who are on my level."
In that moment, Jordan couldn't believe his ears. But then, he quickly composed himself from his shock. "Hey, kid, do you think I'm not qualified to test your ability?"
Zack observed Jordan for a moment before saying, "If it were you in your playing days, then it would certainly be an honor to play against you. But with all due respect, given your current status and position... if I played with all my might, I'm genuinely worried I might injure you."
Jordan: "..."
Note ①: The initial version of Chapter 31 had an issue. The original text was "let himself go to Charlotte this summer," which has now been changed to "let himself take some time to go to Charlotte." This correction is made to avoid misunderstanding for readers who might have followed the book immediately.