After a fierce battle with Barkley, Su Feng—who unexpectedly racked up two million iron hits—said goodbye to Phoenix.
It's worth mentioning that when Su Feng left, the Suns' management asked him to keep his "friendly exchanges" with Barkley during training camp confidential.
Su Feng understood that the Suns had already made up their minds and didn't want other teams catching wind of it.
Still, if he were to be drafted by the Suns in the future… wouldn't Nash—
Forget it. Have you ever heard a great man say something like that?
As the saying goes: "The old man is dead, but not gone."
"Su, here's my contact info."
Before leaving, Nash—older than Su Feng—had become his number one fan after the "Sock Diplomacy" and the "Blood Night Slaughter of the Flying Pig."
"Alright, Steve," Su Feng said with a smile, patting Nash on the head.
Gotta say, Nash's passing is pure magic!
Especially with Su Feng's current off-ball movement—paired with Nash—it's a match made in basketball heaven.
Ah, it's just perfect.
Soon after, at the Minnesota training camp, Su Feng…
On the first day without Nash, missed him.
No surprise—after all, in the NBA, not everyone is named Steve, and not everyone is as good as Kobe.
At Minnesota's camp, Su Feng felt frozen—like his whole body had stiffened.
His performance was as awkward as when he first saw a bold blonde in a certain adult film—completely rigid.
The only thing that comforted Su Feng was seeing the future warrior and retired CEO, Kevin Garnett, in this icy Minnesota setting.
Maybe because Su Feng was still a high schooler, Garnett felt a kind of kinship toward him.
Emmmm… don't be surprised. In the '90s, high school players were still rare and underappreciated.
In Su Feng's past life, when Kobe first made the All-Star Game, Garnett was the one who chatted with him the most.
There's warmth in wildness. Seeing Su Feng struggle, Garnett patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him: "I really like your defense and your shooting."
Su Feng smiled. Turns out his fate wasn't so bad…
Because even though he was a year younger than Garnett, in a few seasons, they'd be considered part of the same generation.
"Or should I go to Akron and let a hotshot call me uncle?"
Su Feng remembered that when Curry and Carter faced off, Curry called him "Uncle Carter."
Anyway, although his tryout was average, the Minnesota front office was still interested in Su Feng.
Not because they were being friendly…
Su Feng knew it was because their current top star, Isaiah Rider, had become a major headache for the team.
Rider was widely seen as a troublemaker in the league—not just notorious, but practically a walking disaster.
He fought with fans, and when he couldn't win an argument, he literally spat at them.
He was constantly late, skipped team practices, missed flights, and even once tried to fight Timberwolves staff.
The Timberwolves were fed up with Rider but couldn't find a trade partner.
So the front office figured: if we're already feeding one high schooler, why not feed two?
And with Garnett and Su Feng chatting and laughing at camp—well, the Timberwolves had already begun grooming Garnett as their future cornerstone.
Of course, it was impossible for them to use a top-10 pick on Su Feng.
Instead, they planned to trade Rider for another first-round pick to try and draft Su Feng.
…
After leaving Minnesota, Su Feng's training journey continued.
In Salt Lake City, Su Feng's performance was decent, but Coach Jerry Sloan didn't show strong interest in acquiring him.
It wasn't that Sloan doubted Su Feng's physical talent—rather, the Jazz already had Hornacek on the wing at the time.
Sloan's concern was that Su Feng wasn't yet a reliable contributor.
He knew very well that the current Jazz roster was truly championship-caliber. If they couldn't win a title in the next few years, this team would fade into history.
And if they wanted to draft Su Feng, the Jazz front office believed they'd need to trade up to secure him.
Because in the latest draft projections, Su Feng's floor was already at the end of the first round.
Since the Jazz saw potential in Su Feng, other teams surely did too.
But to trade up and gamble on Su Feng's upside—did the Jazz even have enough assets?
"If he falls, take him," Sloan told the front office.
"If he doesn't, don't force it."
And so, Su Feng's tryout tour continued…
Next stops: Oakland and Sacramento.
Unfortunately—sorry to poke at Warriors fans—this was before the LOGO man arrived in Oakland, before Don Nelson drafted Curry…
At this point, the Warriors were not only a bottom-tier team, but their front office IQ desperately needed a reboot.
Su Feng's physical measurements were impressive, but the Warriors weren't interested in his athleticism.
In fact, they told Su Feng's agent, Bill Duffy, that they weren't optimistic about his future.
Bill Duffy, ever the straight shooter, was furious. He confronted the Warriors:
"If you're not interested, why invite him to train?
You're just wasting his time."
What neither Duffy nor Su Feng knew was that the Warriors invited him purely because of the large Chinese population in San Francisco.
Oakland is close to the Bay Area, and many Warriors fans were Chinese.
These fans were hoping the team would draft Su Feng—but in the 1990s, the influence of the Chinese market wasn't as strong.
In short, the Warriors were just trying to appease the local fanbase.
Before the ownership change, that's how the Warriors operated…
So this training invite was just a PR move to silence Chinese fans.
"Oh, look—we gave him a shot, but he's not good enough!"
Thanks to the Oakland media's cooperation, Sloan—who had nearly given up on Su Feng—suddenly felt rejuvenated.
"Oakland's lost their minds!
Su may be Asian, but his physical data is among the best of all wing players this year!"
Recalling Su Feng's impressive measurements during training, Sloan was intrigued.
Years later, the Jazz would draft a player similar to Su Feng: Andrei Kirilenko, future chairman of the Russian Basketball Federation.
For a player who defends well and thrives off the ball—how could Sloan not be interested?
Among old-school coaches, most—except Larry Brown—were willing to give young players a chance.
Although Sloan believed Su Feng would need time to develop, he saw value in preparing for the eventual retirement of the team's aging stars.
"I really hope Su's next tryout is far away from Oakland," Sloan silently wished.
Unfortunately, Sacramento didn't give Sloan that chance.
Because Su Feng's performance during the Kings' tryout made them question whether they even needed to wait for Peja Stojaković.
In Su Feng's previous life, the Kings had the No. 14 pick in 1996, which they used on Peja.
But Peja had to stay in Europe for a few years due to his contract with his parent club.
From the Kings' perspective, with Su Feng's excellent measurements and his role as a shooter, why wait for Peja when they could develop Su Feng right away?
And if the Kings wanted him, no other team could beat them to it at that draft position.
So after Su Feng's tryout, even the Kings' front office thought Oakland had lost it…
"Has Oakland developed a taste for getting punched?"
"I can't guarantee Su will become a star, but if he maintains this tenacious defense, even if he doesn't reach his full potential…
His floor won't be low," said Kings coach Gary, puzzled by the situation.
…
"Su, your training performance is amazing."
After leaving Sacramento, Bill Duffy felt like his vision had been upgraded with a titanium-alloy laser.
Su Feng smiled. In truth, he wasn't surprised by how well he performed.
His goals had been clear from the start.
He had defensive talent—and in the 1990s, even if you lacked other skills, as long as you could defend, there was no shortage of teams that would want you.
Although Su Feng seemed like a "ball-dominant" player, under Frazer's guidance, he rarely held the ball too long during tryouts.
Even in isolation plays, he focused on showcasing his strengths.
While the term "3&D" wasn't widely used in the '90s, Su Feng's static measurements—combined with his defense—were enough to leave an impression.
Not to mention, the NBA had shortened the three-point line during this period.
And last summer, Su Feng had corrected his shooting form under Frazer's guidance—so from this range, his accuracy was no joke.
The 1996 draft class was stacked with legendary talent, but after putting up stats alongside Kobe throughout their senior season, Su Feng's youth—just 18 years old—was still a major draw for many teams.
Looking at the teams Duffy had selected for Su Feng's tryouts, most were clearly willing to bet on high school prospects.
So it wasn't that Su Feng's performance was unexpectedly good—it was that he'd always been on the right path.
Hey, look at Kobe—charging into Chicago full of confidence, only to get stunned by Ray Allen?
Su Feng had spoken with Kobe just yesterday and already knew he'd been humbled.
Su Feng also knew that Kobe had planned to take Brandy to the grove during the graduation party—but that plan hadn't been executed yet.
So, for now, he was still "intact."
Cough—back to the point.
In his previous life, Su Feng noticed that when Kobe fell to the 13th pick, it was partly because the teams he trained with weren't ideal—either they had picks too high or too low.
Plus, with Jerry West working behind the scenes, if Kobe had been picked before 13th, it would've been a miracle.
Honestly, every path is carved by people.
Once the wave of high school players in the '90s paved the way, when a certain "hotshot" joined the league later on, even using his high school status to fool teams wouldn't work anymore.
…
Time flies. On June 3, after flying across the United States for weeks, Su Feng arrived in Seattle.
As Su Feng recalled, this year's NBA Finals featured the Bulls and the Supersonics.
At first, he was surprised to receive a solo training invitation from Seattle.
Because, in his memory, the Supersonics didn't even have a first-round pick this year.
And just to clarify—before the homesick owner moved the team to the oklahoma village—it wasn't the Thunder's Supersonics, but a franchise that was once a magnet for star players.
In 1996, Fortune magazine named Seattle the "Best City to Work In." By 1998, it was also rated as the U.S. city with the highest quality of life.
Unfortunately, city officials repeatedly rejected Supersonics owner Howard Schultz's plans for a new stadium.
So, after clashing with Commissioner Stern, Schultz angrily sold the team to the homesick businessman from Oklahoma, Clay Bennett.
And because Bennett had promised not to relocate the team when he bought it…
When the Supersonics eventually left Seattle, furious fans cursed the Thunder with a legendary hex:
"I hope you never reach a climax…"
No—"I hope you never win a championship!"
In Su Feng's previous life, many keyboard warriors debated:
If the Supersonics hadn't moved, would Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook have become teammates?
The answer? There is no answer.
Because you can't rewrite history with hypotheticals.
Still, although Su Feng was surprised by the Supersonics' invitation, the more he thought about it, the more appealing it seemed.
Before Shawn Kemp's decline, he was still the "Rain Man," and "The Glove" Gary Payton was at the peak of his powers.
And unlike Reggie Miller's eternal nemesis, Payton was a tough guy—fearless and capable of going toe-to-toe with "The Old Rogue" himself.
In the '96 Finals, after Jordan torched Seattle in the first three games, Coach George Karl reluctantly assigned Payton to guard him.
Payton did his best, and with Seattle's terrifying forward rotation, they managed to hold Jordan to 27+ points per game over six games…
But limited his shooting percentage to just 41.5%.
Many fans later claimed Payton could "lock down Jordan like he did Kobe."
But that's not quite accurate—it should be said that Payton and Seattle's frontcourt collectively slowed Jordan down.
This Supersonics squad was one of the few capable of challenging the Bulls. And with Kemp and Payton set to decline in a few years…
Wouldn't that be Su Feng's chance to rise?
Put it another way: settling in Seattle, where you can watch anime just by stepping outside—what's not to love?
"Forget it… it's been a decade since Ti…"
Su Feng knew he wasn't in a position to choose his team.
After what happened in Oakland, it was clear that not every NBA franchise was ready to believe in Asian players.
Of course, every generation sees things differently.
At least during this period, many NBA teams were genuinely interested in Chinese players.
Why were so many optimistic about the Chinese market?
Beyond market potential, many believed in the golden generation of Chinese basketball.
And who gave them that reputation?
In 1994, China's men's team reached the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Championship. In the 1996 Olympics, they reached the quarterfinals again.
Though they didn't make it in 2000, they still won two group-stage games. Their failure to advance was largely due to being placed in a "group of death."
In 2000, China defeated strong teams like New Zealand and Italy in the group stage.
They also lost by just 16 points to European powerhouse Lithuania. And against eventual runner-up France, China even held a big lead at one point.
By 2000, Commissioner Stern was eager to see Chinese stars join the NBA.
Even Hu Weidong received an offer to play in the league that year.
If not for a serious injury at age 30, he might've become the first Chinese guard in the NBA.
So yes, setbacks happen—but now that Su Feng was in Seattle, he had to show his true strength.
After all, this "100-million-dollar" training plan wasn't just hype…
Wait—hold on…
Just as Su Feng was preparing to impress Seattle's front office, he never expected—
That in Seattle, aside from the physical exam, there was only one training activity:
"Come on, kid. Let me see your defense."
When Gary Payton—nicknamed "The Glove"—smiled at him, Su Feng was completely stunned…
What?
Are NBA superstars this free nowadays?
Are they lining up to bully rookies?
I just left the Novice Village, and you're throwing me straight into a boss fight?
Okay…
Fine.
Bring it on!
No holding back—please beat me!
With the system's voice echoing in his mind and this being Seattle's only training activity, Su Feng took a deep breath and prepared for a…
Crazy harvest.
Actually…
Su Feng didn't know that Seattle's interest in him was no less than the Lakers' interest in Kobe.
Why?
Because the Supersonics were absolutely willing to bet on high school players—they'd already done so with Kemp.
As for Su Feng being Asian?
Simple—let Payton test him. One look and you'll know what he's made of.
Coach George Karl knew that in this era, if you wanted to win a championship, you needed someone who could "tackle" Michael Jordan.
So when he saw Su Feng's height—201 cm (with shoes)—and wingspan of 219 cm, Karl knew Su Feng was the type of player he wanted.
And as for time?
Seattle could afford to wait.
Because Payton and Kemp were still in their prime.
Two or three years? No problem.
If no one can stop Jordan, what's the point of rushing?
Just like every future team will need a "meat shield" center, in this era, any contender needs elite perimeter defenders to stand a chance against the Bulls.
Otherwise, Jordan will stomp you, while Pippen and Rodman swing their big sticks and slap you silly…
"Bring it on!"
Staring at Payton, Su Feng instantly locked in.