In the blink of an eye, the news of the Lakers' championship victory over their rival Celtics—and Zhou Yuan's Game 7 buzzer-beater—spread across Los Angeles, the United States, and the entire world.
Even though the NBA ranked at the bottom among America's four major sports leagues, the Lakers, being the second-largest market and having Kobe Bryant as a superstar, still carried immense influence.
Not to mention, basketball was a global sport, with over a billion fans watching worldwide.
Los Angeles Times: "Chinese Player Zhou Yuan's Game 7 Three-Point Buzzer-Beater! Lakers Crowned Champions!"
New York Times: "Bench Player Saves the Lakers, Avenges Their Rival!"
TNT: "Possessed by God! Tonight, God's name is Zhou Yuan!"
CCTV-5: "Leading the Team to Victory! The Greatest Athlete in Chinese Sports?"
UC Headlines: "Shocking! A Chinese Player Did THIS on the NBA Stage!"
…
After the locker room celebration, Zhou Yuan showered and got ready to head home.
Before leaving, he received a $200,000 bonus.
NBA players didn't earn salaries during the playoffs; they fought purely for the dream.
But each playoff series came with prize money.
As champions, the Lakers' bonus was substantial.
Normally, with less than a minute of total playing time, Zhou Yuan would've gotten next to nothing.
But Kobe, Gasol, and the others willingly gave up their share and passed it all to Zhou Yuan.
Kobe even gifted him a Patek Philippe watch and a G-Wagon.
After all, without Zhou Yuan's shot, Kobe's legacy wouldn't have risen to the top-10 conversation.
The teammates invited Zhou Yuan to join them at the nightclub.
The team had already arranged plenty of women to "celebrate" with the players.
But Zhou Yuan refused.
Instead, he first exchanged some money into RMB, wired 300,000 yuan to his parents, and shared the joy of winning the championship with them.
Then, he drove home in the G-Wagon with two sweet, innocent-looking fangirls.
Life for NBA players varied dramatically.
Superstars lived in mansions with countless cars.
Bench players often struggled on non-guaranteed contracts, barely making ends meet.
Zhou Yuan was renting a cheap apartment near Staples Center.
Bringing fangirls back to such a place was embarrassing—
but luckily, they were very understanding!
Having transmigrated into this world with a system, Zhou Yuan had no intention of playing the role of a "good man."
Even if he didn't aim to become the next Wilt Chamberlain,
at least being a "Zhou Three-Thousand" didn't sound too bad.
…
Inside the apartment—
Ding! Achievement unlocked: Game 7 Finals Buzzer-Beater, Championship Victory. Reward: Peak Magic Johnson's Ball-Handling and Playmaking Ability!
The system's delayed reward left Zhou Yuan stunned.
Right now, with Giannis's freakish athleticism and Durant's unstoppable scoring package, Zhou Yuan was already a deadly weapon.
But he still had glaring weaknesses in many areas.
Zhou Yuan was ambitious.
His goal wasn't just to become an All-Star or land a max contract.
With the system here, he had only one target—
to fight for the title of the Greatest of All Time!
The more skills he gained, the closer he got to the throne of the gods.
After fusing the new skill, Zhou Yuan immediately felt a huge difference—
his vision of the game, his sense of passing, even his feel for the ball—everything was elevated.
[Host may now view full attribute panel.]
Zhou Yuan frowned slightly: "View."
Host: Zhou Yuan
Age: 20
Height: 210 cm
Wingspan: 238 cm
Weight: 110 kg
—
Mid-range: 99
Inside Scoring: 95
Free Throw: 96
Three-Point: 90
Driving: 90
Post Footwork: 80
Post Moves: 78
Rebounding: 94
Blocks: 94
Steals: 92
Passing/Assists: 99
—
Looking at the long list of numbers, Zhou Yuan finally had a clear grasp of his strengths and weaknesses.
Many stats were nearly maxed out.
But he still had plenty of shortcomings—
driving could improve, three-point shooting wasn't elite, post play was lacking, and more.
With the height of a big man, the speed and handles of a guard, Zhou Yuan could play inside or outside.
In some games, he might even need to fill in at power forward or center.
These were areas that urgently needed growth.
…
Time flew by.
Before long, July 1st arrived—the free agency market was open.
During this time, Zhou Yuan spent almost all his days in the gym, training.
Even with system skills, he couldn't skip practice.
Only through endless reps could those skills truly come alive.
Otherwise, he'd end up like Zhang Wuji—overpowered in theory, useless in real combat.
And the moment the market opened—
Zhou Yuan received three contract offers right away.