Gan Guoyang's arrival undoubtedly caused a stir, elevating the attention of a game that was already under the spotlight. Many prepared media outlets dispatched additional reporters and camera teams to the scene to gather information—thanks to Parkson's loose lips.
This guy truly has a big mouth, as he leaked the news of Gan Guoyang's presence at the game early on to the media as a form of trading for benefits.
What he didn't know was that by doing so, he had nearly exhausted the friendship and camaraderie between Gan Guoyang and him.
Of course, Gan Guoyang came to watch the game not for Parkson, but for LeBron James, the rising super basketball star in Ohio.
There were over 19,000 seats at the venue, originally selling more than 13,000 tickets. With Gan Guoyang's arrival, the remaining over 6,000 tickets sold out, fully packing the stadium.
The pressure on both sides participating in the game doubled, yet during the game, LeBron James played steadily, scoring 25 points and helping Saint Mary Vincent High School decisively defeat their opponent to clinch the state championship.
As a temporary VIP of the match, Gan Guoyang watched the entire game and was invited by the event organizer to be the final award presenter.
Gan Guoyang generously agreed and awarded the trophy to the players of Saint Mary Vincent High School, which thrilled them beyond winning the championship itself.
James shook hands with Gan Guoyang, his face full of smiles, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Ah Gan, your autograph helped us a lot."
Gan Guoyang nodded, "I remember you came to the locker room asking for my autograph, saying it was to raise funds for your game. Congratulations on winning the championship, it's an important step."
James nodded too, but he didn't know what to say; he was too excited.
Gan Guoyang added, "Your performance tonight was very good, 25 points and many beautiful passes. However, the MVP tonight isn't you, but your teammate."
As he spoke, Gan Guoyang shook hands with a small man beside James, who seemed so excited he could jump up.
He was James' good brother, the coach's son, Drew III.
In this game, Drew III made all seven of his three-point attempts, scoring 21 points and becoming the team's biggest surprise.
His performance was incredible, overshadowing LeBron James' shine.
Even though everyone knew that with his height only growing to 160, little Drew had no chance of becoming an NBA player, his performance tonight was only a fleeting moment of glory.
But this match belonged to Drew III; it was the most brilliant chapter in his basketball career, impossible to erase.
On the way out, Jim Paxson asked Gan Guoyang, "How was LeBron's performance?"
Gan Guoyang said, "Very good, he will certainly be a future NBA superstar, if there's a chance, we have to secure him."
Parkson excitedly replied, "I think so too, I'll keep watching him, always keeping an eye on him."
Gan Guoyang muttered, "But he's not the team's leader..."
"What? What did you say, Sonny?"
"Nothing, I'm heading to Chicago, maybe we'll meet again, Jim. Bye."
As he spoke, Gan Guoyang disembarked at a place, and soon a car came to pick him up, driving towards Chicago.
[In that game, I scored 25 points, but my performance was far from the best.
Because that day, we witnessed something we had never experienced before, the most wonderful moment I've seen on a basketball court.
The night before the game, little Drew barely slept, he had so many epic dreams about the final result.
When he woke up that morning, he didn't have any special thoughts, nor did he think about the event that was about to change his life.
That season, he averaged 10 to 11 minutes per game. The coach always arranged for him to play for the first time when the first quarter had three or four minutes remaining.
Because he was small, the coach always tried to reduce the pressure on him, letting him shoot as many open shots as possible, that was his role.
The game took place in the afternoon, and we were exceptionally excited, but we didn't feel any sense of tension.
The truly tense moment was before the game began when Ah Gan unexpectedly arrived at the scene, appearing alongside the Cavaliers' general manager Jim Paxson.
This drove the crowd into a frenzy, with many unsold tickets quickly selling out, empty seats soon filled. We all thought, "Ah Gan actually came to watch the game."
The atmosphere became tense; my palms were sweating, but little Drew remained calm.
He was substituted midway through the first quarter without feeling the slightest discomfort.
With 3 minutes and 26 seconds remaining in this quarter, he took his first three-point shot from the left corner. As he caught the pass from his teammate, his feet stood firm, and the ball quickly left his hands, tracing a high arc.
Swish... scored!
He's always been good at three-pointers, so hitting one in this game was nothing surprising for him.
A minute later, he shot another three-pointer from the left wing, 5 feet beyond the three-point line. This shot was so far from the basket that tactically speaking, it wasn't a good choice.
His father's face turned pale with fright; at that moment, he was thinking, just hold the ball steady, little Drew, hold it steady, you're not Ray Allen.
Swish... scored again!
With 5 minutes and 24 seconds remaining in the second quarter, he took his third three-point shot.
Swish... the ball scored again!
With 4 minutes and 32 seconds remaining in the second quarter, the fourth three-pointer flew out. The opposing player defending him was 6 feet 3 inches tall Josh Carter, who closed in quickly. But just as his fingertips were about to touch the ball, little Drew shot it out without a moment's delay, timing it perfectly.