Chapter 3: The Dunk That Shattered the Backboard
Night had completely fallen over the HarborCityStreetCourt.
Bright LED floodlights illuminated the asphalt like a stage, turning the outdoor court into a glowing arena.
The scoreboard flickered.
70 – 71
In just five minutes, the Harbor City Stars had erased the massive deficit and taken the lead.
Across the court, MarcusHale bent over with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. Sweat dripped from his face and splashed onto the ground near his sneakers.
Slowly, he looked up.
Standing across from him was a towering figure.
AdrianCross.
In only five minutes, Adrian had completely taken over the game.
11 dunks.
8 blocks.
The original twenty-three-point deficit had been destroyed.
"Last possession," Marcus muttered, grabbing the ball tightly. "Give it to me."
The timer above the scoreboard flashed.
15 seconds.
Beside him, Tank stepped forward into the paint.
"I'll set the screen," he said through heavy breaths. "You find the shot."
But even as he spoke, his eyes drifted toward Adrian.
His chest still ached from the earlier collisions.
Under the basket, Adrian slowly flexed his wrists.
The power in his body surged like a rising tide. Every heartbeat echoed like a drum inside his chest.
Inside his mind, the system voice spoke.
[Mission Progress: 95%... Complete the final defensive play to receive the reward]
Adrian licked his dry lips.
'Almost done.'
Marcus began dribbling slowly at the top of the key.
He didn't dare attack the rim easily anymore.
Adrian's defense was terrifying.
Instead, he probed carefully with crossovers, trying to create space.
But his defender stayed glued to him.
5 seconds.
Marcus suddenly changed direction and drove to the right.
For a moment, it looked like he had beaten his defender.
But under the basket—
Adrian moved.
Without warning.
Like a truck suddenly accelerating, Adrian stepped sideways and blocked Marcus's path.
His arms stretched outward like a steel gate.
Marcus panicked.
He instantly dumped the ball inside.
"Tank!"
Tank barely caught the pass before spinning for a quick layup.
He had to finish before Adrian recovered.
But the moment he raised the ball—
A shadow fell over him.
Adrian was already there.
Tank's heart skipped.
'This is bad.'
He forced himself to jump anyway.
But a massive hand slammed onto the ball.
BANG!
Adrian pinned the shot and swatted it away.
The ball flew backward.
The entire court gasped.
Adrian caught the loose ball and wagged his finger at Tank.
Then he exploded into a sprint.
Tank stared in disbelief.
Adrian was already streaking across the court like lightning.
The dribble wasn't elegant.
But it didn't matter.
He crossed half court in seconds.
Then gathered the ball.
And jumped.
From the free-throw line.
The crowd froze.
Free-throw line.
Rim height?
No.
Adrian was lookingdownattherim.
Then—
BOOOOM!
But this time the sound wasn't just the rim shaking.
It was something else.
A sharp cracking sound spread across the court.
The moment Adrian landed, spider-web cracks spread across the backboard.
Then—
CRASH!
The entire backboard shattered.
Glass exploded outward like a waterfall of crystals.
Tank was knocked to the ground by the impact, his ears ringing.
When he looked up, Adrian was already stepping away, dodging falling shards of glass.
The crowd erupted.
"What the hell?!"
"He broke the backboard!"
"Did you see that?!"
"Free-throw line dunk and the glass shattered!"
"That guy isn't human!"
Phones lit up everywhere as people recorded the moment.
Screams, whistles, and camera shutters filled the air.
Near the sideline, TaylorBrooks' hands trembled as she held her camera.
In her footage, the ground visibly shook when Adrian landed.
Beside her, MalikaGrant covered her mouth.
After several seconds she finally whispered,
"Even ShaquilleO'Neal didn't break backboards like that…"
Adrian brushed small pieces of glass from his hand and glanced up at the scoreboard.
The clock had stopped.
0.3 seconds.
The score was now fixed.
70 – 73
Inside his mind, the system spoke again.
[Mission Complete! Reward Issued: Chicago Draft Combine Invitation letter has been stored in system space]
Marcus rushed over immediately.
"Bro!"
He grabbed Adrian's arm, eyes blazing with excitement.
"You have to join our squad!"
Tank and the others gathered around as well, rubbing their sore chests but grinning widely.
"Seriously, man. Come play with us. Next time we'll hit the big street tournaments."
"You'll be the main attraction everywhere."
Adrian shook his head calmly.
"Thanks… but I've got other plans."
At that moment, RyanCole ran over with several teammates.
"Dude!" Ryan said excitedly. "If you played college ball you'd dominate. Our university team has regionals coming up—if you joined—"
"Hold on."
Adrian interrupted him.
His eyes drifted toward a giant screen on a nearby building.
Basketball highlights were playing.
Clips from the NationalBasketballAssociation playoffs.
Adrian shrugged.
"Sorry."
"I'm going to the ChicagoDraftCombine."
Ryan blinked.
"…Chicago?"
Then realization hit him.
"You mean the NBACombine?!"
The entire court went silent.
Even the staff cleaning up broken glass stopped moving.
A college freshman… claiming he was going to the NBA Combine?
Just then, Taylor and Malika walked over.
Taylor nearly dropped her camera.
"Wait," she said, eyes wide. "Did you just say the NBA Combine?"
Adrian turned toward her with a faint smile.
"What?"
"You don't believe me?"
He straightened his shoulders slightly, making the muscles under his shirt even more obvious.
"Maybe I'll see you covering my games someday."
"Maybe at the StaplesCenter."
Taylor and Malika exchanged glances before laughing.
They hadn't expected this giant to be so relaxed and confident.
"Then we should start practicing how to praise you," Malika said with a playful smile.
"What's your name?"
"Adrian Cross."
Malika nodded thoughtfully.
"Then maybe I'll say: 'Did Adrian Cross break another backboard tonight?'
Adrian smirked.
"You might also have to explain how many steps it takes to rip the rim down."
Taylor laughed and suddenly squeezed Adrian's bicep.
Her eyes widened.
"Good lord… no wonder the glass exploded. Your muscles are like stone."
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
"My strongest part isn't my arms."
"It's my will."
Taylor chuckled.
"Confident, huh?"
After chatting briefly, the two reporters exchanged contact information with him before heading toward their broadcast van.
As they walked away, Malika nudged Taylor.
"You got friendly with him pretty fast."
Taylor smiled proudly.
"Professional instinct."
Malika waved her phone.
"Doesn't matter. I got his contact too."
Taylor laughed and pointed at the camera.
"Forget that. Upload this clip immediately."
"This video is going to explode online."
Malika inserted the memory card into the laptop.
The screen replayed Adrian's backboard-shattering dunk.
Again.
And again.
She clicked upload.
Her smile widened.
"Soon," she said softly,
"Everyone's going to know the name AdrianCross."
Across the court, Adrian looked at the virtual invitation glowing in his system space.
Chicago.
He wondered what the sky looked like there.
And whether NBA rims were stronger than the one he had just destroyed.
Adrian slowly clenched his fist.
Crack.
His knuckles popped.
The real game…
was just beginning.