CHAPTER 81: CHAPTER 81: LIFE AFTER WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIP, DRAFT PICK PREDICTIONS.

After winning the championship, the next day Zeng Xingyang woke up in a hotel bed with Towns and Booker.

It was too late after the celebration last night, so the team didn’t return to school directly.

Calipari forbade players from going out at night, but now it’s hard for him to control these hormone-driven young men.

Apart from the players who still have to play at school in the future, it’s hard for him to manage the others.

The three of them originally planned to hit the club scene in Indiana City last night to see if they could find some appealing people to chat about life with.

Here, they are not at school, and the familiar faces are not around.

But when they arrived at the club, they couldn’t even make it past the club’s front door.

They’re tall, they’re too famous, and the security knew they weren’t 21 yet.

The club here doesn’t allow entry to those under 21.

So, the three of them ended up playing security at the door for 10 minutes, realized it was impossible, and decided to give up and return to the hotel to drink.

After sorting themselves out, they got on the team bus and headed back to school.

...

One night, the news about NCAA champions spread across America.

"University of Kentucky wins championship with an undefeated record, Chinese Thompson wins MOP!"

"Zeng Xingyang scores 40+, shoots down Duke."

"No one could stop him, no one could block his shot."

"Kentucky’s five stars create a miracle, securing the team’s 5th championship."

"Two games, averaging 40+, Zeng Xingyang sets a new record for Kentucky."

"As the NCAA comes to a close, the NBA draft gala is on the horizon."

"Zeng Xingyang’s draft prospects are unpredictable; he’s become a hot rookie."

Fans from both China and the US are paying a lot of attention to these headlines.

Zeng Xingyang’s news of winning the NCAA Final Four MOP even made a brief appearance on CCTV’s midday news.

After all, this honor is considered a first for both Asians and Chinese people.

Though it was only a 10-second mention, it was enough to highlight the impact of this MOP.

Zeng Xingyang at the University of Kentucky is not just a fringe player riding on the championship, but an absolute core.

And if Zeng Xingyang enters the draft after this NCAA, it’s clear he will be the next Chinese player to enter the NBA, and his future games will be frequently broadcasted on CCTV.

When the bus carrying the entire Kentucky team returned to school, the enthusiastic fans surrounded the bus right at the entrance.

"Zeng, you’re so cool."

"I love you!!"

Quite a few female fans, dressed very revealingly, were excitedly waving at Zeng Xingyang with enthusiasm.

If only they were at school last night.

The three of them would definitely be able to dribble with both hands and break through tight defenses.

The bus first headed back to the gym.

The school principal organized a welcome ceremony.

The players got off the bus one by one, basking in the cheers.

When Zeng Xingyang stepped off, the cheers reached their peak.

But at the end of the welcome ceremony, the players were invited to make speeches one by one.

Zeng Xingyang took the spotlight as the finale.

Zeng Xingyang took the microphone and shouted: "What I want to tell you is that although I won’t be at school next year, I will always love you!"

Zeng Xingyang is very loving, and the fans were very happy.

After the welcome ceremony, Zeng Xingyang also took photos with the cheerleaders he knew.

These cheerleaders were all female college students with great figures, and they finally got Zeng Xingyang’s phone number.

In the past, no matter how many phone numbers they slipped into Zeng Xingyang’s locker, he always threw them away, and they were turned down whenever they tried to ask him out in various ways.

Zeng Xingyang, though he gave out his number, didn’t continue to get entangled with the cheerleaders.

As a visibly future millionaire, many girls approaching him were not so innocent.

Conversely, most of the simpler, ordinary girls wouldn’t take the initiative to approach them.

Zeng Xingyang felt that there was no rush in finding a girlfriend.

He wanted to find a girl with a good figure and a good rapport.

Towns felt puzzled seeing Zeng Xingyang come out unscathed from a crowd of cheerleaders.

On the way back to the dorm. Towns, after sending a night-date text, turned to Zeng Xingyang and said: "Zeng, you’ve been training hard all season, how do you not know how to enjoy yourself?"

Zeng Xingyang replied: "Change to a group of decent girls, and I’ll enjoy myself."

...

```

After returning to school in the afternoon, Zeng Xingyang met Schwartz at the café outside of school, and they signed an agent contract.

The contract stipulated that Schwartz would take a 2.75% commission on the player contracts and a 10% commission on commercial endorsements. Before Zeng Xingyang signed a player contract, all the expenses related to the draft operation and training would be shared 50-50. If Zeng Xingyang needed to borrow living expenses, Schwartz would provide an interest-free loan, which would then be deducted from the player contract.

After signing his name on the contract, Schwartz’s smile became extremely bright.

Zeng Xingyang, due to his Chinese identity, has a great commercial value that will offer him many money-making opportunities.

Schwartz said, "Zeng, the day after tomorrow, I’ll organize a press conference and invite some media over. You should get ready to announce your entry into the draft."

Zeng Xingyang nodded and smiled, "Alright, I’ll be ready. Also, make sure to invite the Chinese media here."

Schwartz replied, "Of course, your commercial value needs their exposure."

After briefly discussing some details about the press conference, Schwartz got to work.

Schwartz has his own team, and he will be very busy in the coming period.

He will help Zeng Xingyang create buzz in the media, arrange trials with various teams, and accompany Zeng Xingyang to dive deeper into discussions with teams genuinely interested.

Looking at the contract in his hand, Zeng Xingyang felt very excited.

His college career effectively ended, and the next two months would be spent preparing for his entrance into the NBA.

Zeng Xingyang looks forward to the future. He is eager to find out which team’s jersey he will wear.

In recent days, predictions for Zeng Xingyang’s draft position have fluctuated greatly.

Some websites predict Zeng Xingyang might be picked within the top five, while others predict he could be selected at the edge of the lottery.

Each has its own perspective.

For instance, websites predicting Zeng Xingyang in the top five generally believe he has the capability to start as the number two position in the NBA. His shooting stability has reached a mature shooter level, making him a player ready for the NBA. His development model could likely be another Klay Thompson for the Warriors.

Websites predicting Zeng Xingyang on the lottery fringe feel his ball-handling skills and athleticism limit his potential to become a superstar, and NBA teams with higher draft positions tended to be weaker teams looking for cornerstone-type players rather than a top-tier 3D like Zeng Xingyang.

Each perspective has its own support, so it’s hard to say definitively who is right or wrong.

Zeng Xingyang is also well aware that, stripped down, the NBA draft is essentially a gamble. Except for universally recognized super talents, everything else depends on luck.

Zeng Xingyang has undergone formal basketball training for just one season, showing his fundamentals aren’t solid. But on another note, having performed this well in just one season, his future potential seems immense.

Those predicting Zeng Xingyang on the lottery fringe believe that previous Chinese guards entering the NBA weren’t very successful, possibly leading interested teams to harbor more doubts.

No one knows if Zeng Xingyang, who shone in college, can adapt to the NBA’s physicality, given that many NCAA stars have faltered in the NBA.

Of course, those in favor of the top-five position believe Zeng Xingyang has already made a compelling case this season, as he dominated players like Staley Johnson, Powell, Russell, Winslow.

Zeng Xingyang had stunning performances even in facing various high-intensity defenses.

The controversy on both sides is considerable, contributing to the wide variance in Zeng Xingyang’s draft predictions.

As for Zeng Xingyang himself, he hopes to join a team that suits his development.

The market size of the team doesn’t matter much to him; he just wants to survive first in the NBA.

Based on his memory, teams like the Warriors, which are a three-point shooting crew where everyone passes the ball and loves shooting threes, would be suitable.

Cole likes to make a show of using rookies in rotations, so his playtime wouldn’t be too little.

Then teams like the Thunder and Knight, with superstars able to create space, would also suit his future development.

But these teams have better records, making it difficult for them to pick him.

Zeng Xingyang shook his head, not thinking too much about it; as the selected party, he’s quite passive at this stage.

He cannot choose a team he likes, which is just the NBA’s rules.

....

Returning from the café to the dormitory, he placed the contract away, called his parents, suggesting they and his brother get their visas sorted if they had time.

Zeng Xingyang hopes his family can be present at the draft to support him.

After finishing the phone call, Zeng Xingyang went back to the gym.

Booker and Towns were also communicating with their agents, so they didn’t come with Zeng Xingyang.

Zeng Xingyang wasn’t training alone. He hired Kenny Paine, the assistant coach who knows him best, to help with training.

Starting today, Kenny Paine is officially on holiday, and this counts as his part-time job, for which Zeng Xingyang will pay him.

Even though their relationship means unpaid work could also happen, Zeng Xingyang understands the principle of interpersonal relations.

Short-term can rely on goodwill, but the long-term requires mutual benefit.

Kenny Paine is highly professional and is very familiar with Zeng Xingyang’s training schedule, which greatly benefits him.

Zeng Xingyang also continues to steadily improve based on his strengths, needing to become stronger before officially entering the NBA.

The competition in the NBA will be more brutal than in college.

...

With the NCAA season concluded, the NBA playoffs are about to start.

The top-performing team in the East is the Hawks, who secured 60 wins and 22 losses, surpassing the Knight led by James at 53 wins and 29 losses.

In the West, the Warriors performed the best with 67 wins and 15 losses, as the Splash Brothers shot through the league.

In Zeng Xingyang’s impression, the Warriors started winning their first championship of the new century this season.

This championship is the one Green referred to when he told Durant, "Before you arrived, we were already champions."

This is the beginning of Green’s closed loop.