Iron Heart, Kiyoshi Teppei.
A member of the Uncrowned Kings, one of the best centers in high school today.
"I heard he played against Nebuya Eikichi in middle school."
"Yeah, and Kiyoshi Teppei won in the end. Though Nebuya Eikichi has improved greatly since then."
"In that case, Seirin's lineup for the Winter Cup shouldn't be underestimated."
Everyone discussed animatedly.
This year's high school basketball world was different from usual. Although the number of favorites for the championship decreased...
Only teams possessing those few geniuses had a chance. But because of this, the level of these teams was frighteningly high—in the past, they would have been super teams achieving consecutive championships.
Historic-level talent, an undeniable strength.
It could be said that this year and the next two years should be the hardest years for a dark horse to emerge.
Yet Seirin appeared. The competition in this generation of high school basketball was unbelievably fierce.
"You guys got one thing wrong."
"This isn't a problem a champion should worry about. Right now, they are the ones chasing us."
Yamashita Shio was full of ambition. If he could achieve a consecutive championship near retirement, it would definitely be the best retirement gift.
Yes.
He planned to retire after finishing these three years.
Although Seiho had just won the championship, and he had even suppressed Shirogane Eiji tactically in the finals, proving his blade hadn't dulled...
Thinking carefully, without Yuuto, Seiho couldn't possibly have defeated Rakuzan.
It was time for this stubborn old man to retire and leave the stage to younger coaches.
Challenger?
Yuuto muttered the word softly.
Indeed, in Japan today, he was the strongest. Everyone else was a challenger before him.
But what about the other side of the Pacific?
Perhaps he was the challenger there.
"Coach."
"I know what you're thinking. Let's talk about it when we get back."
Fine.
...
After the celebration, Seiho rested for a night in Kyoto and took the bus back to Tokyo the next day.
That day.
When Seiho's bus returned to school, the school gate was already crowded with people. Iwamura and the others had never enjoyed such treatment despite winning the Nationals before.
The students were eagerly anticipating. The moment Yuuto got off the bus with the trophy, everyone raised their hands and cheered.
There was no custom of a championship parade for the Nationals, but this small-scale celebration wasn't bad.
Yuuto raised the trophy high again in front of the whole school, sharing this joy with everyone at Seiho.
Finally, he carried the championship trophy all the way to Seiho's trophy room.
From now on, this generation of players would be forever recorded in the history of the Seiho basketball club.
Done with all this.
Yuuto came alone to Yamashita Shio's office.
"Coach!"
"Come in."
Yuuto pushed the door open and walked in. This was his first time in the coach's office.
Not tidy, but not particularly messy either. Some white hairs fallen from Yamashita Shio's head could still be seen on the desk.
This showed the old man did his job well.
In the basketball coaching profession, as long as you work hard, you will lose hair. A coach who doesn't lose hair isn't passing the grade.
"Sit first." Yamashita Shio let him sit and poured him a cup of tea. Then, before Yuuto could speak, he proactively said, "Since recruiting you last year, I knew what you wanted."
"You aren't interested in the title of a basketball powerhouse like Seiho or even Rakuzan. I guessed early on that your goal is overseas."
Yuuto didn't deny it. He indeed wanted to go abroad to play.
No matter which world, the center of basketball was in the US. That was the holy land for basketball people, possessing the world's largest basketball league, the NBA.
As long as one was a basketball player, no one didn't want to play there.
This was the same as football (soccer) players wanting to land in Europe.
The US was the center of gravity for world basketball.
There were many reasons.
Honor!
It's no exaggeration to say the NBA championship holds more weight than the Olympics or World Championships.
The US dominance in this sport is so strong that Olympic gold medals and World Championship titles often feel less significant than the NBA.
When fans discuss a player's historical status now, they talk about NBA championships, regular season MVPs, Finals MVPs, scoring titles, etc., not how many Olympic gold medals or World Championships they won.
In the minds of most fans, the Larry O'Brien Trophy is the highest honor in basketball.
Olympic champion?
World Championship champion?
Send out the Dream Team, and they can farm as many as they want.
Second, Money!
This is 2009. Leaving aside the salaries of superstars, let's talk about rookies this year.
The number one pick Blake Griffin signed a 4-year, $23 million contract with the Clippers upon entering the league. The average annual salary reached $5.75 million.
Converted to Yen, that's 770 million JPY.
What is the average annual salary in Japan right now?
3 to 4 million JPY!
Does that feel more impactful?
And this is just on-court income. Off-court income like shoes, endorsements, etc... conservatively estimated, earning over ten million dollars a year is no problem...
Keep in mind this is just the salary of a rookie player who hasn't even graduated college.
From the moment Griffin was selected, his income in one year is money ordinary people would need several lifetimes to earn.
And this is just 2009. As times develop, by 2025, the annual income of top stars will be astronomical.
For example, LeBron, at 41, could still get a contract of $52.63 million in the 25-26 season. Counting off-court income, his annual earnings could reach $130 million.
This is all real gold and silver income.
Stepping back, even if you aren't a top superstar, not a number one pick or even a first-round pick.
As long as you are selected, as long as you can secure a guaranteed contract in the NBA, you can easily transform from a poor kid into a millionaire.
Glory, Money. Just these two are enough to make basketball players all over the world flock to the NBA.
Not to mention the NBA has the world's largest spotlight. Once on that stage, it's equivalent to entering the view of fans worldwide.
This is the third undeniable reason for the NBA: Fame!
It can be said that as long as one plays basketball, there isn't a single person who hasn't thought about entering the NBA.
"Do you know Donald Haskins?"
"That black basketball godfather?"
"Correct. That was my teacher when I was in the US."
Yamashita Shio's face carried sadness.
Just last year, this legendary coach known as the godfather of black basketball passed away.
Speaking of this person, his career could indeed be called a legend.
This gentleman was a member of the Oklahoma University basketball team in his youth, but his talent was average, failing to enter the league to play. His playing career honors were lackluster.
But out of love for basketball, this white coach began working as a basketball coach after graduation.
Initially, he coached a girls' high school team. Because of his outstanding coaching results and the strict discipline of the team he led, he was scouted by Texas Western College. In 1965, he became the head coach of the Miners, coaching for a full 38 years.
He led the team to the NCAA tournament 14 times in his career and won the NCAA National Championship once.
It was this championship that made him famous worldwide.
Why?
...
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