New York time, June 26th, 8 PM, the 2002 NBA Draft was held as scheduled at Madison Square Garden.
Every year’s finals in June declare the end of a season, whereas the June draft marks the beginning of a new season cycle.
The NBA season is like this, year after year, in an endless cycle.
Gan Guoyang missed the 1984 NBA Draft, but after many years, he came to the draft this time with Yao Ming.
Since his parents didn’t come along, Gan Guohui, as the agent, accompanied Yao Ming throughout, while Gan Guoyang went backstage to be with the Glory Team’s draft crew.
This year, they had the 18th pick in the first round, allowing some room for selection and maneuvering.
However, Gan Guoyang had already decided on the pick in advance, and it seemed no one would compete with them, so the draft team was not too concerned about the 18th pick. What they truly cared about was the top pick.
Danny Ainge was originally sitting on his office chair, feet propped up on the desk, seemingly unaware of others.
When Gan Guoyang entered, Ainge quickly composed himself, put his feet down, stood up, and came over to report the situation to Gan Guoyang.
"There shouldn’t be any problem."
"What do you mean shouldn’t? I need a definite no problem."
"Then it’s definitely no problem, as long as the Cavaliers don’t renege."
"Jim won’t renege. I’ve communicated with him. If he does, I’ll kill him."
The two white shooters from the Trail Blazers’ first dynasty are now assisting Gan Guoyang.
Of course, they aren’t losing out either, especially the Cavaliers, who are quite lucky to get a top pick with a 5.9% chance.
Jim Paxson probably knows why this top pick came to Cleveland.
So despite the whole of Cleveland shouting "Pick Yao Ming," Paxson remained unmoved.
Yao Ming hadn’t even gone to Cleveland for a workout; he only participated in a few combined public games in Chicago and Las Vegas without visiting any team for individual workouts.
This was also a signal to the teams, saying if you want to draft me, it’s not happening.
Indeed, it wasn’t happening, as the top pick had already been placed in the Cavaliers’ hands, leaving other teams with no recourse.
More teams were planning for next year, the 2003 draft, which was considered a bumper year.
Apart from Yao Ming in 2002, there were no particularly attractive superstar players.
Hence, the overall draft atmosphere was rather dull, with everyone’s attention focused on the first pick.
"He should have brought his parents along. This guy is a bit stubborn and insisted on coming by himself."
Other rookies usually bring their families to the draft, not just parents, but also aunts and uncles.
For many rookies, being selected by the NBA means a change in life and destiny, an opportunity for elevation.
But for Yao Ming, whose parents had previously managed everything, he stubbornly decided to go to America alone this time, just with an agent team.
"I’ll establish myself here first, then bring you over," Yao Ming said.
At this moment, the tall yet slightly thin Yao Ming exudes a sense of stubbornness.
An Ji said, "Only the stubborn can survive in the NBA. This is not a playground."
Gan Guoyang agreed with An Ji’s sentiment, as the NBA salaries will rise, which means the survival environment will become harsher.
The competition will only become fiercer, with talent from all over the world concentrating here. Just having some skills isn’t enough; you must fight hard.
The time was near, and David Stern stepped onto the stage to officially announce the start of the draft.
As usual, there were boos from the audience. While Stern had many accomplishments in managing the NBA over the years, there was also much controversy.
As the NBA continued to grow, his power became greater, revealing an increasingly dictatorial side.
Additionally, his focus on big cities, neglect of small markets, creation of super teams, manipulation of games, and draft manipulation, as well as restrictions on player dress, led to much fan dissatisfaction.
Some commentators believed that Stern was leading the NBA down a path of complete commercialization, having lost the original spirit of competitive sports.
One day, the NBA might be closely associated with gambling, match-fixing, biased officiating, and doping, becoming a pure money-making monster rather than a place for fans to enjoy basketball and players to chase their dreams.
Stern dismissed this with a smile, having become accustomed to the boos at Madison Square Garden every year during the draft. He would place his hand by his ear, smiling as if listening.
Soon after, Stern announced giving the Cleveland Cavaliers two minutes to make their decision and then stepped off the stage.
Two minutes later, David Stern returned with an envelope, and under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he opened it and read, "With the first pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select, from China, Shanghai, Yao Ming!"
No surprises, the Cavaliers picked the much-anticipated Yao Ming!
Sitting in the audience, Yao Ming, looking a bit shy, stood up and walked onto the stage with a smile.
His body was so large that David Stern looked particularly small beside him.
Before going on stage, a staff member handed him a Cleveland Cavaliers cap. Yao Ming took the cap and shook hands with Stern.
However, Yao Ming did not put the cap on his head; he knew he didn’t belong to the Cavaliers, and a trade would happen soon.
Sure enough, right after the Cavaliers selected Yao Ming, NBA officials quickly released the news that the Las Vegas Radiance and Cleveland Cavaliers conducted a trade, giving up Brad Miller, Gilbert Arenas, and the 2003 first-round draft pick to acquire Yao Ming, the Cavaliers’ 2003 second-round draft pick, and Point Guard Andre Miller.