Swish... the ball hits the net again!
This three-point shot gives St. Vincent-St. Mary a 27:25 lead by 2 points.
He was substituted out, sitting beside his father, while Coach Drew's gaze was directed elsewhere. Young Drew's sharp shooting filled him with a hint of fear, so he remained silent, unable to even utter a "well done".
But even though Young Drew hit four consecutive three-pointers, the TV commentators at the scene continued to speak disdainfully about him, their words tinged with mockery. One said, "It looks like he should be playing in the seventh-grade competition." Another said, "This might be happening because Green View High players couldn't find him on the court."
Then, the halftime whistle sounded, and when Young Drew returned to play midway through the third quarter, no one dared to ridicule him anymore.
With 2 minutes and 16 seconds left in the third quarter, Young Drew shot his fifth three-pointer from the right corner. Green View High's defensive player, Joe Paulley, ran to stop Young Drew, but he quickly shot again.
Swish... the ball went in again!
Then came the sixth three-pointer, from the same corner with 1 minute and 54 seconds left in the quarter. Paulley's body almost flew up, trying to grab Young Drew, but...
Swish... the sixth hit!
Consecutive three-pointers pushed the game to a climax, the audience was shocked, and whenever Young Drew had the ball, the stadium fell into complete silence, as if the whole world paused.
Each time the ball went through the net, they erupted in thunderous cheers.
I've never seen an outside shooter like Young Drew.
Up for 6 minutes, scored 18 points. I stared at him blankly, secretly telling myself that if he made another three-pointer, I would throw him into the basket. I'm so happy for him.
In the left corner, he shot his seventh three-pointer, with only 2 seconds left before the quarter ended.
Swish... the ball swished through the net for the seventh time!
Crazy, the scene was completely chaotic, I wanted to lift him up and celebrate for him. I noticed that even Ah Gan was clapping for him from the sidelines!
When he returned to the field in the fourth quarter, he got the pass from his teammates again, with a chance to attempt the eighth shot. If it went in, he would tie the record for the state championship's third-level league.
The audience hoped he would achieve it, his teammates hoped he would complete this feat, everyone was anticipating his next shot.
But Young Drew believed he did not have the best opportunity to make a shot, so he didn't attempt it, as he was also a player who strictly adhered to tactical discipline at that time.
In this game, Young Drew scored 21 points, 7 out of 7 three-pointers, while all other stats were zero.
Because of Young Drew's outstanding performance, we defeated Green View High 73:55, winning the state championship with an undefeated record, and earning the respect he deserved.
When the championship trophy was awarded, Ah Gan personally handed it to us, shaking hands and talking with each of us, which was even more exciting than winning the championship.
When it was my turn, Ah Gan said to me, "You performed really well tonight, but the MVP tonight isn't you, it's your teammate Young Drew. I wish the MVP was you."
I know Ah Gan came to watch my game, and I'm thankful for his wishes and expectations. I will strive to achieve it in the future.
But this game belonged to my dearest brother, my everyday companion, shopping buddy, Drew the Third.
————Excerpt from the 2009 publication, LeBron James' autobiography "My Brother, My Basketball".