At that moment, Kobe was absolutely stunned.
Looking up at Zack, he couldn't believe Zack would greet him with such an aggressive opening line... But what left him truly speechless was that he had no idea how to even refute Zack.
After a long silence, Kobe's eyes finally sharpened: "What are you trying to say?"
Zack shrugged: "I'm just expressing my true feelings about you being here to watch the game today."
True feelings?
Kobe stared intently at Zack, then snorted, "You think what you just said makes you unique? In my eyes, you're no different from those other people."
Based on Kobe's recent experiences, Zack could pretty much guess who "those other people" were.
However, Zack felt Kobe had misunderstood him. So, looking directly into Kobe's piercing gaze, Zack said, "Unique? Are you talking about yourself? That pathetic guy in the Lakers whose teammates don't even want to talk to him?"
After the Eagle County incident, with the Los Angeles media fanning the flames and constantly churning out stories about Kobe, it was no secret that he was currently isolated within the Lakers team.
But...
In Kobe's eyes, why would Zack care so much about his "dirty laundry" if he wasn't a hater?
Kobe didn't want to continue this conversation.
Just like he had recently blocked Shelly Smith.
He never liked explaining himself, especially to his haters.
"Let's just leave it at that. Pretend I wasn't even here today," Kobe said impatiently.
Zack shook his head: "But you were here, and I can assure you, news of you coming to Wake Forest to watch the game will be all over tomorrow's headlines."
Kobe looked at Zack again, noticing that this young face had a completely different personality from his compatriot, Yao Ming.
Yao Ming spoke gracefully and would actively consider the other person during conversations.
But Zack...
You... Why do you keep bringing up sensitive topics?!
"So what? So I've been stripped of my right to watch college basketball?" Kobe sneered.
Zack shook his head again: "Of course you have the right to watch college basketball, but I also have the right to diss you."
On the sideline, Kobe was once again left speechless by Zack.
Holy cow! So you just wanted to talk smack to me, huh?!
At this point, Kobe, deciding he shouldn't stoop to the level of a young player, said, "Everyone has the right to criticize others, but it's best not to jump to conclusions before you know the truth."
Looking at Kobe, Zack felt like Kobe had misunderstood him again.
"What truth? Do you think I care about the truth of that so-called Eagle County incident? No, I don't care at all, and I'm not curious about how you plan to change your public image next. The reason I want to diss you has nothing to do with the Eagle County incident. In my opinion, you don't deserve to be called a man." Zack said to Kobe, finally getting a chance to rip into him face-to-face.
After the Eagle County incident, Skip Jackson, who was on good terms with Kobe, said that Kobe made mistakes because he never had friends who would tell him the truth or advise him at critical moments.
But in Zack's view, that was complete nonsense.
Because at this point, Kobe was 26, not 18.
"Why don't I deserve to be called a man?" Kobe snorted.
"You can ask yourself that. How are you acting like a man when you're constantly running away and avoiding things?" Zack shot back.
Since the Eagle County incident broke, Kobe's way of dealing with problems, in Zack's eyes, could only be described as a complete mess.
In his panic, he blurted out in the police report that Shaq had encountered similar situations.
When this statement was leaked by the police to the media, Kobe not only severely damaged the atmosphere within the Lakers team at the time, but he also completely lost the support of his teammates.
Then, to help Kobe with public relations, Vanessa even attended all press conferences and related events concerning the Eagle County incident.
Although Kobe later compensated Vanessa with a 4-million-dollar diamond ring, Kobe's subsequent self-isolation and refusal to communicate led the media to directly target Vanessa.
As for on the court, let's not even talk about it...
In the 04-05 season, although he briefly led the Lakers to a 14-11 start, Kobe, who had become a pressure cooker, would soon use his pervasive turbocharging to completely overwhelm the entire Lakers team.
In February 2005, then-Lakers head coach Rudy Tomjanovich, exhausted and overwhelmed, would voluntarily submit his resignation.
"Kobe's endless high standards and strict demands on everyone eventually broke him," many years later, Gary Dastidar revealed the inside story of Tomjanovich's resignation.
This was the real Kobe in the 04-05 season.
If you had to sum it up in one sentence, it would be:
—Everyone wanted to diss him.
That day, Kobe, who had been left speechless by Zack multiple times, felt his hands tremble uncontrollably even after he walked out of the arena.
Kupchak called Kobe immediately: "So? Did Zack impress you?"
Hearing this, a bewildered Kobe almost fainted.
"His skill is legit... He's definitely going to be next year's number one pick, no surprises there." Forcing down the rising frustration in his chest, Kobe gave an objective and rational assessment.
On the phone, Kupchak laughed: "A reporter said you two had a great conversation courtside after the game tonight?"
Great conversation?
If nearly getting into a fight counts as a great conversation, then in Kobe's opinion, he and Zack indeed had a great conversation.
After a pause, Kupchak continued on the phone: "Kobe... I want to discuss something with you."
Seeing this, Kobe, knowing what Kupchak wanted to say, replied: "Mitch, I won't allow the team to tank."
"But, what if we could get a higher pick by tanking..."
"Mitch, do you really think I don't know Lamar's true value? Believe me, with Zack's current performance on the court, even if you offered ten Lamar Odoms, they wouldn't agree to a trade with you."
On the phone, Kupchak sighed deeply and said: "I think you're right, Kobe, I was indeed wishful thinking before."
That night, the Lakers and Kupchak completely abandoned their plan to revive the team through Zack.
Because, as Kobe said...
At the draft six months later, no team would be foolish enough to trade away the first overall pick.
However, after hanging up the phone with Kobe that day...
Kupchak couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
"Since the Eagle County incident, this might be the first time Kobe has said so much to me?"
Subsequently, his wife Vanessa also sensed that something was different about Kobe.
Perhaps it was being left utterly speechless by Zack that truly made Kobe start to reflect. Or perhaps it was Zack himself, plunging those sharp blades of truth into his chest, that ultimately led to Kobe's rebirth. But most importantly, when Kobe returned to Los Angeles overnight, he immediately noticed that Vanessa's condition... seemed genuinely quite bad.
Historically, due to choosing to isolate himself and escape reality, Kobe would express his guilt more than once in the future about his lack of care for Vanessa at the end of that year.
In fact, after accompanying Kobe to one press conference after another and trying everything to help him save face, Vanessa, who was pregnant at the time, was already mentally and physically exhausted.
Therefore, when the Los Angeles Times aimed their arrows directly at Vanessa in December of that year...
Vanessa inevitably broke down.
As "Mrs. Bryant," she didn't know what more she could possibly do to satisfy the media and fans.
After the Eagle County incident, she never publicly blamed Kobe.
Kobe was the one who cheated, yet she had to bear everything alone.
Granted, her current affluent life and social status came from Kobe.
But it was precisely because she had to swallow this injustice alone that it ultimately led to Vanessa's mental breakdown and the miscarriage of her child with Kobe.
"We need to go to the hospital immediately," Kobe said that day, looking at Vanessa's heartbreakingly憔悴 face.
"But... but you have a game," Vanessa said, nestled in Kobe's arms.
"That's not important. I'll ask the team for leave."
At this moment, recalling Zack's soul-searching questions directed at him, when the usually stubborn Kobe discovered that besides basketball, he also had family in his life...
His destiny had quietly begun to change.
"According to official news from the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe will miss the team's next two weeks of games due to the serious illness of his pregnant wife, Vanessa." — Los Angeles Herald
"Latest court news: After consecutively defeating the Hawks, Bucks, Magic, Raptors, Warriors, Hornets, and Trail Blazers, the New York Knicks, led by Stephon Marbury, are soaring, currently ranking fourth in the Eastern Conference." — ESPN Court Dispatch
"When asked about his thoughts on his compatriot Zack having already secured next year's NBA top draft pick, Yao Ming, who just put up 20 points and 14 rebounds in a game against the Bobcats, said he hopes Zack's future NBA debut isn't like his, with only two rebounds to his name." — Houston Chronicle
"Michael Jordan was again photographed meeting with Bobcats management; it's rumored that Michael will officially become a minority owner of the Bobcats after the New Year." — Charlotte Observer
"According to Coca-Cola executives working closely with LeBron James, LeBron is very likely to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest at the Denver All-Star Weekend." — Cleveland Plain Dealer
During the Christmas break that year, besides keeping up with major and minor events happening outside...
With his Observation and Prediction attributes meeting the requirements, Zack officially completed the first prerequisite for the [In the Name of Legacy] quest.
The moment this prerequisite was met, Zack's previously lit [Paint Dominator] badge automatically upgraded to [King of the Paint]. (Note ①)
Compared to [Paint Dominator], [King of the Paint] not only starts at a Professional level...
But this badge also provides a certain status boost after Zack completes a certain number of inside attacks on the court.
However, unlike other badges, this one can only be upgraded through the prerequisites of the [In the Name of Legacy] quest.
Currently, Zack has to wait until he enters the NBA to unlock the next stage of the [In the Name of Legacy] quest prerequisites.
Additionally, as Zack's Passing and Vision stats continued to rise during the new season, Zack finally unlocked a hidden quest related to passing bonuses during this year's Christmas break.
"Hidden Quest [Dime Dropper] has been triggered.
You are now a player skilled at passing to teammates on the court.
However, to become a true magician, you still have a long way to go.
Quest Completion Condition: Accumulate 300 assists in NBA games.
Quest Completion Reward: [Dime Dropper] badge.
[Dime Dropper]: This badge has a certain chance to trigger when the host delivers a brilliant pass to a teammate. When triggered, it slightly increases the teammate's offensive attributes after receiving the ball."
After successfully accepting the [Dime Dropper] quest, Zack confirmed that if he wanted to unlock hidden badge quests for certain attributes through the [Summit] system, his corresponding attributes had to meet the hidden requirements set by the [Summit] system.
This setting still seemed fair and reasonable to Zack.
The only slight drawback was that Zack's post-up moves currently only had a rating of 74 in the [Summit] system. (Note ②)
Zack was still 1 point short of completing the [That Unextinguished Dream] quest.
Zack was quite puzzled by this, because as the season progressed, his other abilities had seen significant increases compared to the summer...
But his post-up game had consistently failed to reach the standard for acquiring the [Air Chuck] badge.
"When you get into the NBA, whatever you do, don't tell anyone I taught you post-up moves."
That day, after receiving the post-up footage Zack had specifically sent him, Duncan revealed the truth over the phone.
No choice, Zack's evolved physique was simply too effective...
So, when would Zack even get a chance to show off his understanding of post-up rhythm in a normal game?
After all, if you can just lightly bump someone and muscle the ball into the hoop, what need is there for rhythm changes?
In truth, many young players who dominate the paint in college basketball hit a wall when they get to the NBA for precisely this reason.
Fortunately, during this year's Christmas break, under the tutelage of Dave Odom, Duncan's former college mentor, Zack successfully closed that final 1-point rating gap.
"[That Unextinguished Dream] quest completed.
[Air Chuck] badge has been issued to the host's badge wall.
[Charles Barkley's Gift] series of quests has been unlocked.
Note: This series of quests can only be activated after the host enters the NBA."
Having successfully completed the [That Unextinguished Dream] quest and looking at the [Air Chuck] badge, which granted him far greater knee resilience than normal people and could, to a certain extent, reduce the related physical attribute penalties from his weight...
Zack was pleasantly surprised to discover...
This badge was even more broken than he had imagined!
Because its "reduction of attribute loss" could be entirely understood as...
Zack would directly gain those "reduced" attributes.
It's common knowledge that in basketball, gaining muscle and weight will inevitably affect a player's original coordination, speed, and even agility attributes.
That's why in the NBA, most players choose the most suitable weight for themselves based on their own endurance.
But at this moment, looking at his speed, agility, and jumping attributes directly increasing by one to two points in the [Summit] system's visual data, as well as his lateral movement, help defense, and man-to-man defense attributes each increasing by two to four points...
Zack suddenly felt that his decision to play one more year in college...
"I'm so smart, even my decisions are brilliant!"
Now, Zack possessed the steel knees every basketball player dreamed of.
Moving forward, Zack's remaining goal in college basketball was only to lead Wake Forest to win the 04-05 NCAA Tournament Championship!
And then, as a foundational cornerstone...
Boldly step into the NBA!
Note ①: In Chapter 26, [Paint Dominator] was mistakenly written as [King of the Paint], but at that time, Zack had not yet completed the [In the Name of Legacy] quest. This error has now been corrected.
Note ②: Zack full attribute panel will be displayed in a separate free chapter when needed.