Chapter 30:

The Level of NBA Players.

64


Las Vegas

Nevada

USA

The team bus slowly wove through the streets of The City of Lights. Activities in the city continued as usual. People hit the casinos to try their luck. Men and women drove expensive cars around. Some guys went out to wine and dine on some of the best liquor and food available anywhere in the world.

Kobayashi Ichikawa had to agree that he had never seen a city like Vegas.

He’d seen the dazzling lights and huge screens of Tokyo. But Las Vegas hit him like nothing before. There was something different about the city. Maybe it was the amount of vehicles, the huge casinos and hotels, or simply, the promise of unbridled freedom for everyone to have a good time.

The bus pulled up at the Las Vegas Sports Arena in Downtown Vegas. The Houston Spacewalkers exited the bus one by one. Kobayashi was stunned by the sheer size of the building. He was even more stunned by the fact that the other buildings were even larger than the arena.

“Good old America!” he thought.

But, he wasn’t here to have fun.

This was his debut game. His first game ever as a professional basketball player. His first game as a Houston Spacewalker. His first game in the NBA, the premier league for professional basketball players worldwide.

This was his biggest dream come to life.

An opportunity to prove himself.

*

Kobayashi knew that he had more doubters than supporters. Instantly after his selection as the 31st pick in the draft, the Houston Spacewalkers organization had drawn a lot of flak from the media for putting their faith in a five-foot-five point guard from halfway around the world. The media simply felt that Kobayashi was way too small, even among smaller players, to play professional basketball in the NBA. They criticized Marcello Rodriguez, the GM of the Spacewalkers, for the extremely poor selection. Sports news outlets had given the pick an ‘F’ grade. YouTube video creators went on incessant rants against the selection.

But, he didn’t care.

After his draft, Kobayashi called his mom, Hiroko Ichikawa, to convey the news. The enthralled woman was left in tears as she congratulated her son and blessed him. He had made his, his mother’s, and most importantly, his late father, Ichikawa Kenji’s dream come true. Later, he called his coach, Oujiro Shiro, and conveyed the news. The coach almost cried as he blessed his young protégée and wished him the best for his debut game. His old school, Shibuya High School, had held a ceremony in his honor.

“Dad would have been proud,” he thought, wiping his tears.

But, as Kobayashi stared up at the Las Vegas Sports Arena, he knew well, that the dream wasn’t over.

“I’m going to win a championship for the city that gave me a chance!” he said aloud.

“That’s the spirit, rookie!”

Kobayashi turned backwards to see who had spoken. It was the team’s veteran leader, Danny Reynolds.

Kobayashi remembered his first time meeting Dan. The three rookies, Odai Beckham Jr, Chad Brown, and he himself, were finally introduced formally to their teammates. Dan had made the rookies introduce themselves, spoke to them about hopes and dreams, and bought them a basket of muffins.

“He seems nice,” thought the rookies.

Dan waited for the rookies to taste the muffins. He then put them through the most grueling and intense workout of their entire lives. The three rookies felt almost dead as they crashed into their beds that day, forgetting to take their shoes off.

“Mom would’ve been mad,” mused Kobayashi. “Sleeping with shoes on? What was I thinking?”

But the rookies had nothing but respect for Danny Reynolds. They saw in this man, a veteran leader, a battle-hardened warrior, and a fierce competitor.

But as a guard (1), Kobayashi admired Dan’s game for a different reason than the other two rookies, who were both forwards (2).

He was struck by Dan’s shooting accuracy and more importantly, his shooting range. The man would pull-up from half court and hit three-pointers that barely grazed the rim. Kobayashi understood why this man was given the nickname ‘Sniper Reynolds.’

Danny Reynolds led the Houston Spacewalkers into the arena and into the changing rooms, where they put on their jerseys.

“Beckham, you’ll be starting! Ichikawa and Brown, you’re coming off the bench, so be prepared! Good luck, guys!” announced Dan.

“YES SIR!” yelled the team.

Dan counted down for a cheer. “One! Two! Three!”

“END THE CURSE!” screamed the team with gusto.

*

The team hit the court and took their seats. The starting five ran out onto the court when their names were announced.

“Guard, 6’2, number 12, Zaire Roberts!”

Zaire ran onto the court and cheered.

“Guard, 6’4, number 13, Danny Reynolds!”

Dan winked and ran onto the court.

“Center, 7’0, number 17, Kerubo Kimathi!”

The enormous Kenyan jogged onto the court.

“Forward, 6’7, number 8, Don Ababio!”

The small forward from Ghana ran onto the court.

And finally.

“Forward, 6’11, number 3, Odai Beckham Jr!”

Odai high-fived his fellow rookies and ran onto the court for his debut game. “He must be nervous,” thought Kobayashi.

Then, the announcer screamed the starting line-up of the opponent team, The Las Vegas Decks.

“GUARD, 6’1, FROM MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, DILLON FRANCIS!”

“Wow, he’s from Australia,” thought Kobayashi, looking at Dillon.

“GUARD, 6’2, FROM IOWA TECH, HENRY MCMILLIAN!”

Henry blazed onto the court and the crowd cheered.

“FORWARD, 6’6, FROM BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA, RAMIREZ ERNESTO!”

“Another international player, wow!” thought Kobayashi.

“FORWARD, 6’11, FROM MAINE UNIVERSITY, WILLIAM CARTER JR!”

A guy with the same height and build as Odai jogged onto the field.

But then.

“CENTER, 7’3, FROM IOWA TECH, LEWIS RONALD!”

Kobayashi blanched. “7’3?”

An absolute giant of a man waved at the crowd and walked to the court. The crowd went mad and screamed and waved their arms.

“LEWIS! LEWIS! LEWIS!” they chanted.

“Wow,” grunted Dan. “Still as popular as ever, Lewis Ronald is!”

*

The opening tip-off was won by Lewis Ronald, who was three inches taller than the Spacewalkers’ center, Kerubo Kimathi. Dillon Francis from Australia grabbed the ball and started the game.

“Come on!” yelled Kobayashi and Chad. “We can win! We can win easily!”

The power-forward from Italy, Lorenzo Marino, turned to them and smiled.

“It appears,” he started. “You both aren’t aware of the level of an NBA player!”

“Huh? What does that mean?” asked Chad.

Lorenzo grinned. “Just watch!”

Dillon crossed Zaire Roberts over with such speed and power that the point-guard crashed to the ground. He then ran to the basket for an easy layup.

“Wow!” yelled a guy from the crowd. “What was that?”

“Amazing!” said Kobayashi.

But, the game had just began.

Odai Beckham Jr used his speed to get past his defender, William Carter Jr. he ran to the basket and went for a dunk.

SWAT.

Odai’s eyes widened in shock as he was blocked powerfully by Lewis Ronald. The center then grabbed the ball and went to score at the other end. Odai and Kerubo Kimathi ran after him to stop him. They both tried guarding him at once, desperately.

Lewis grinned. “Not yet, kids.”

He raised his arm from behind him and swept it into the air. His arm in the air was like every huge building in Manhattan. Tall, and unreachable. He then gently released the ball with a sweeping motion. It went into the hoop with a SWISH.

The new guys were finally seeing the real level of NBA players. They were light years ahead of ordinary players. A level so high, Kobayashi and Chad couldn't believe it.

“Don’t tell me,” breathed Kobayashi, terrified. “That shot…it was… a skyhook? (3)

Endnotes.

1. Guard: A term used for either a point-guard or a shooting-guard.

2. Forward: A term used for either a small-forward or a power-forward.

3. Skyhook: A skyhook in basketball is a famous post move shot that involves a player shooting with one hand on the side of the body. It is a play in which the offensive player, usually turned perpendicular to the basket, gently throws the ball with a sweeping motion of the arm farther from the basket in an upward arc with a follow-through which ends over his head. This move was famously used by NBA legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

Author’s Note

I always acknowledge the victories of athletes from my country all over the world. But I’d like to give a shoutout to the Indian Women’s Hockey Team, which lost their bronze medal match. Winning isn’t everything. And losing isn’t the end. In my opinion, it’s just the beginning. We’re proud of your efforts!

On a lighter note, I’d like to congratulate the Indian Men’s Hockey Team for winning the bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics. Nice work, guys!

Finally, the first NBA game for Odai and Kobayashi, along with their friend Chad. The guys have just witnessed the impossibly high level of NBA players, and what they’re capable of.

What kind of other monsters will they meet?

And can they defeat the beast, Lewis Ronald, and his team, the Las Vegas Decks?

Read on to find out!

Guys, just another reminder. If you want a popularity poll for the characters, please comment! It will be on my twitter soon!

Regards

~srj5