Su Feng had seen a meme about Black Mamba in his previous life.
It showed Kobe raising one finger, which meant:
"Everyone clear out—I'm going one-on-one."
But in this life, after two years as Kobe's teammate, Su Feng could pat his chest and say:
"These black guys are truly outrageous—they're cryptic even to each other."
Because at Lower Merion, when Bryant raised one finger, everyone knew it meant:
"Everyone clear out—I'm about to drive. Su Feng, be ready to catch the ball!"
When Bryant raised two fingers, it meant Su Feng should come over for a pick-and-roll, ready to receive the ball off movement.
Three fingers meant the other players should stay put—Kobe was going to pass to Su Feng for an isolation play.
Four fingers meant should space out, and everyone should focus on Su Feng.
As for five fingers...
Well...
When Kobe raised five fingers, it meant he really was going one-on-one.
At Civic Arena, the Eastern squad was on offense. After seeing Kobe raise two fingers, Su Feng happily ran toward Kobe's dribble.
It's worth mentioning that, under Kobe's control, the Eastern squad's height advantage became more apparent on the court.
Bibby was nicknamed the "White Devil," but he was only 180 cm tall...
Bryant used his iron elbow to carve a path—an old-school move passed down by Joe Bryant not long ago.
Don't be surprised. This style of play was common in the '90s.
You elbow me, I elbow you...
One elbow for freedom, one elbow for death. The elbow awakens desire. Blood stains the floor. Faces bear wounds. No one remembers your name.
Bibby kept up with Kobe using sheer speed.
But then, seeing Su Feng's massive elbow waiting ahead, Bibby felt hopeless.
Too tough. To Bibby, this felt like unspoken bullying.
To avoid turning his "White Devil" nickname into "Blood Demon," Bibby chose to follow his heart.
And the Philadelphia duo seized the moment to execute a brilliant pick-and-roll.
With Su Feng's screen breaking through the Western squad's perimeter defense, Kobe delivered a slick behind-the-back pass to Su Feng, who had slipped into open space.
Now!
Su Feng finished with a smooth, elegant jumper.
15 to 23!
"This is classic Lower Merion basketball!
Kobe's playmaking has really improved since last year...
Now, many Philly fans even call him the 'Philadelphia Magician!'" Commentator Sean smiled courtside.
Back on defense, the Western squad attacked. Bibby had just started sprinting when O'Neal snatched him with a unicorn-arm block.
Can O'Neal be considered ordinary?
Before his major injury, O'Neal was a beast—explosive and dominant.
In Su Feng's previous life, during the 1996 McDonald's All-American Game, O'Neal had thrown down countless dunks and was active on both ends.
Don't be fooled by his cute looks.
On the court, Jackson grabbed the rebound and passed to Kobe.
After watching Su Feng feast on easy buckets, the other Eastern players couldn't sit still.
On offense, everyone started moving and cutting.
At that moment, Kobe looked like a futuristic superstar!
Four teammates kept running, hoping for a pass from His Majesty.
Keep in mind—even O'Neal could step out and shoot.
This time, Kobe's eyes were sharp. Spotting Jackson open, he made the pass.
Jackson took the shot and nailed a deep two-pointer!
15 to 25!
Goodness! The scouts in the stands were stunned because...
Under Kobe's leadership, the Eastern squad was actually running a motion offense!
"Kobe's leadership is impressive. I used to think he was just a scorer."
"Wake up—he averaged 10 assists per game his senior year."
"I think Kobe's a lock for the top ten. With his playmaking, he's no Harold Miner."
"I agree."
"Seconded."
In the stands, hearing the chatter, Lakers scout Martin felt a wave of panic.
In Su Feng's previous life, Kobe's drop to 13th in the draft was partly due to his underwhelming performance in this very McDonald's All-American Game.
Alongside the LOGO man's strategy, the Lakers landed Kobe and smoothly cleared salary cap space. These two moves? Absolutely textbook.
Back when Su Feng was just another keyboard warrior, he used to debate with fellow netizens whether the LOGO man had time-traveled.
Because many of his decisions might seem ordinary in hindsight...
But if you look closely, this guy was basically a walking dynasty-builder.
Take the 1996 draft, for example. Before it began, the Lakers didn't even know who they wanted to pick.
It wasn't until five minutes before the draft ended that the LOGO man told the Hornets they'd be selecting Kobe on his behalf.
Then, he traded Vlade Divac—who was having a solid season—to the Hornets.
First off, it was an offer the Hornets couldn't refuse. They didn't need another guard; they needed a center like Divac.
Second, the LOGO man had already sensed a shark heading west.
After Jordan's revenge tour, O'Neal had issues with the Orlando media.
Plus, Magic management believed O'Neal's contract shouldn't exceed Hardaway's...
So, whether the rumors were true or not, Jerry West keenly realized it was time for the Lakers to clear cap space.
To be honest, the LOGO man didn't time-travel—he just liked to plan ahead, always thinking three moves in advance.
Before Su Feng crossed timelines, even a team like the Clippers—who couldn't hold a lead if their lives depended on it—looked vibrant under his influence.
On the court, the Eastern squad, stacked with talent, played better than Kobe himself. By halftime, Kobe had torched the Western squad.
45 to 65—the East led by a whopping 20 points.
Su Feng remembered that in his previous life, the East only beat the West by 15 in this game. But now, things had subtly shifted...
Eastern players who used to play selfishly were now thriving under Kobe's leadership.
At halftime, Kobe had only scored two points—but racked up 14 assists.
Of course, Su Feng was the biggest beneficiary of those dimes.
After all, once the game ends, Kobe's going to need to eat...
People are made of iron, rice is steel—you go hungry without food.
But during the break, Kobe wasn't exactly thrilled.
In his eyes, the rest of the squad was nowhere near Su Feng's level.
Several times, Kobe's passes were on point, their positioning was fine—but this group...
Why did they have to dribble twice, ruin the play, and go solo?
That kind of "pie-spitting" behavior made Kobe furious.
To him, every assist was a gourmet dish—and they'd wasted so many!
Su Feng, who had scored 23 points in the first half, knew exactly what Kobe was thinking. So he said:
"It's fine. In the second half, indirect assists count as yours too!"
Kobe instantly lit up. "Maybe after the draft, you'll cook me a full-course meal?"
Su Feng looked at him, puzzled. "Why?"
"Think about it—once I sign my contract and we've got the money, we can buy top-tier ingredients.
The taste of premium ingredients is way better than the cheap stuff," Kobe laughed.
Su Feng: "..."
You really are a little genius.
…
After the halftime break, the second half of the game turned into full-on SHOW.TIME for the Eastern squad.
Now, even passing became contagious.
And you know what? Under Kobe's leadership, although the Eastern players barely knew each other before, during the timeout they were chatting and laughing—the team atmosphere was far better than the Western squad's.
Kobe had clearly become the darling of the Eastern Force.
In Su Feng's previous life, Steve Nash was a similar case.
During his back-to-back MVP seasons in Phoenix, even though Nash's defense was a black hole that couldn't get any darker, whenever the Suns lost, no one ever blamed him.
In fact, when Nash was targeted, guys like Stoudemire and Marion would get furious.
"What kind of international joke is this? Why are you bullying my Steve? Who else is gonna feed me cake like that?"
The camera returned to Civic Arena. With his teammates hyping him up, Kobe's passing game hit another level.
And hey—even if you don't care about stats, isn't it fun to stand out?
As a result, the second half of this McDonald's All-American Game became a complete blowout.
Final score: 134 to 101. The Eastern squad crushed the Western team by 33 points.
Su Feng emerged as the biggest winner. Although he missed out on a ton of "iron value" due to his hot shooting hand, he scored a game-high 43 points.
And Kobe? A jaw-dropping stat line: 8 points and 24 assists.
In the second half, Jackson and O'Neal even begged Kobe to score.
During a fast break, Jackson—who had a clear path to the basket—actually stopped, waited for Kobe to catch up, and handed him the ball.
Jackson's a loyal guy. He felt Kobe had been feeding everyone all game and hadn't shown off himself.
And O'Neal? Even more dramatic.
He was already airborne for a dunk, but instead bounced the ball off the backboard just to "force-feed" Bryant a bucket.
"I must be dreaming. I must be playing this All-Star Game in a dream!"
After the game, Su Feng looked at Kobe—laughing and joking with everyone—and couldn't believe this was the same Kobe Bryant he'd always heard about.
It's worth noting that while the Eastern squad thought Kobe hadn't scored much, the judges weren't blind.
When it came time to choose the MVP, they debated for a while and ultimately decided to award it jointly to Su Feng and Kobe.
In the McDonald's All-American Game, co-MVPs aren't uncommon.
For example: Blanche and Sherod in 1981, Washington and Bennett in 1983, and more recently, Weber and Bronson in 1991...
It's worth mentioning that Su Feng and Kobe Bryant winning MVP together...
Marked the seventh time in the history of the McDonald's All-American Game that the award was shared.
"..."
During the award ceremony, Kobe said he'd simply done what a guard should do, and Su Feng said he'd just done what a forward should do.
In short, the Philadelphia Gemini duo casually flexed their Wave 13 swag—like two stylish horsemen riding off in a Lamborghini.
At Civic Arena, the people of Pennsylvania watched the "humorous" duo at center court. If the fans' voices were heard, they'd probably be saying:
"Ah! My poor heart!"
…
Su Feng had to admit—the way the McDonald's All-American Game unfolded was far beyond his expectations.
Originally, he just wanted to play casually and put in a decent shift...
But the result was surprising: his and Kobe Bryant's performance in the game was widely praised by the media.
Two days later, in the latest draft projections, Kobe Bryant had cracked the top ten.
And Su Feng's best-case scenario now placed him in the first round, around the 20th pick...
Bill Duffy called Su Feng to congratulate him: "McDonald's wants to partner with us now.
And more and more teams are requesting workouts."
At this point in the 1990s, there wasn't a standardized, league-wide pre-draft workout system like there would be in the future.
If players wanted to improve their draft stock or join their preferred teams, participating in team-organized workouts was one of the most important paths.
Generally, NBA team workouts came in two formats: individual workouts, or multi-player group workouts organized by a team.
In Duffy's plan, Su Feng's workout schedule would begin in May—once the regular season standings were finalized.
Although the exact draft order wouldn't be set until June, the introduction of the lottery system in 1985 meant that teams' approximate picks could be predicted based on their regular-season records.
Duffy told Su Feng that his worst-case scenario was now an early second-round selection.
So as long as Su Feng didn't completely flop in workouts, he was basically locked into the first round of the legendary 1996 draft class.
"Oh, Su—Taylor told me that NBC wants to do an exclusive interview with you before the draft.
Also, several Chinese media outlets are hoping to interview you," Duffy said over the phone.
"Any advice?" Su Feng asked.
"For the NBC interview, I suggest scheduling it after your workouts.
They might ask some tricky questions, and I don't want that affecting your performance.
As for the Chinese media, I recommend doing those interviews at the end of this month.
Interest in you is skyrocketing over there.
A friend of mine in the media told me that China Sports News is even considering opening an overseas bureau," Duffy advised.
Su Feng nodded. Duffy was a reliable and straightforward agent, so his advice was usually the safest bet.
"Let's go with that," Su Feng said.
After hanging up, he turned around and threw himself back into his joyful battle with the iron—aka, the weight room.
…
New York, Fifth Avenue, Olympic Tower.
David Stern felt that only his heart could describe what he was witnessing.
He thought back to the cold winds blowing outside the Datianchao TV station building...
Totally worth it.
This season, the Chicago Bulls had dominated, and NBA ratings were soaring.
Most importantly, Datianchao TV station had actually offered to broadcast this year's playoffs and Finals.
You have to understand—back in previous years, Stern had to personally knock on doors and ask for broadcast deals.
Even Chinese journalists covering the All-Star Game had most of their expenses sponsored by the NBA.
From Stern's perspective, the situation could only be described as excellent.
He knew it was only a matter of time before this bridge to China was fully built.
Especially now that Su Feng had decided to skip college and declare early...
And he...
Might actually get drafted!
Although Stern had quietly supported Su Feng behind the scenes, even he was surprised by how rapidly Su Feng had developed.
To put it bluntly, NBA teams no longer looked down on Asian players. And with someone like Su Feng right in front of them, they weren't stupid.
The difference now is that, unlike Yao Ming who played in China, Su Feng had competed in the American high school system.
Pennsylvania might not be the most intense battleground, and Su Feng wasn't some Harvard prodigy—but his teammate was Kobe Bryant!
If American scouts dared to say Su Feng wasn't good, it would be like admitting they didn't understand basketball at all.
Of course, Stern knew that Su Feng was just the beginning—a gateway to the Chinese market.
He expected the NBA wouldn't start seeing real returns from China until around the year 2000.
So when negotiating with Datianchao, Stern stuck to his business philosophy: give first. If it's free, don't talk about money yet.
However, Stern's approach sparked controversy among the league's top brass. After all, not many were optimistic about the Chinese market.
But Stern's strength wasn't just in praising people—it was in standing firm and saying what others wouldn't.
What kind of international joke is this?
The league worked hard to produce the tapes and begged for airtime. The bridge to China was halfway built, and now you want to charge for broadcasting rights?
Many would later say Stern ruled like a dictator, but how many in the league had his vision?
Stern wasn't just thinking about China—he was thinking globally. He knew sports were different from other industries: sports have no borders.
As long as you manage the loose tongues in the league, the NBA could thrive in China regardless of political tensions between "rabbits and bald eagles."
During Stern's era, what annoyed him most was people preaching about freedom of speech—because Stern knew better than anyone that some topics weren't for athletes to discuss.
Most NBA players were straightforward and could be easily manipulated by those with agendas.
Stern understood that once certain lines were crossed, it wasn't about free speech anymore.
"David, did you watch the video Speed sent over?"
"Su Feng is insanely talented. He might become the most valuable rookie McDonald's has ever signed," Mark said, smiling in Stern's office.
"Yeah, I saw it," Stern replied. He actually enjoyed chatting with Mark these days.
"Right now, he's projected to go in the first round. Should we help promote him further?" Mark asked.
"No need," Stern said firmly. "We take it step by step."
If Su Feng was already a first-round pick, then all he needed to do was enjoy the spotlight.
"I didn't expect this year to be such a golden generation!
And in this kind of draft class, he still made the first round," Mark said with admiration.
Stern nodded. Honestly, he hadn't expected Su Feng to be such a basketball prodigy.
"This kid's definitely part of the plan to build that bridge across the sea," Stern thought quietly.
"What a fascinating kid!"