Back in Houston, he naturally went to see his daughter first. No matter how well he did outside, Texas was always his home base.
"Wow, she's really beautiful." William White, who had never held a child in his life, was obviously a bit at a loss. This little one seemed restless, her tiny feet constantly kicking.
Suzuki shot him a glance. This daughter didn't resemble her at all; saying she was beautiful was essentially saying he himself was beautiful.
"She's quite a handful at night too, never seems to settle down."
"Let's arrange for a few more people to help. You can't afford to lose sleep."
"Her appetite is huge; I can't keep up." William White felt a bit dazed. He didn't expect this little girl to eat so much.
"Alright, alright, don't worry. I'll have Fulton take care of it. I don't have much experience with this," he said, feeling a bit helpless. His outfit was likely ruined; his fun-loving daughter had mercilessly soaked him with a little pee.
"Don't worry about it. I'll go change. Just keep an eye on her."
"Come back soon."
"Okay."
After having a baby, the woman suddenly became very clingy. Was this part of human instincts?
...
William White hurriedly packed up and left. He had to head to the Rockets' home game against the Lakers early.
The Rockets' performance exceeded the expectations of those so-called critics. While they didn't sweep the league, they secured a solid fifth place in the regular season.
If this kept up, the playoffs didn't seem far-fetched at all. For Rockets fans, this was bliss; they were no longer the laughingstock of the league.
As for those two heavily recruited guys, they didn't disappoint either. Their performances were nothing short of spectacular.
Such a dynamic duo could basically dominate the league. Their current rankings were merely a matter of teamwork not being fully polished yet.
...
"Hey, who's this number 69?" someone asked.
"What? When did that number show up?"
"Two clueless guys, you're not from Texas, are you?"
"Bull! Who says we're not Texans? Let's step outside and prove it!"
"You two cowboys don't know who owns the Rockets? You must not be from Texas!"
"William White? Wow, he's so young?"
A player emerged from the tunnel, waving at the crowd.
"That show-off still loves to show off," Bill Gates, sitting courtside, commented repeatedly, feeling envy for this guy he could hardly compete with.
The home crowd naturally rose to their feet, applauding. They knew who brought all this about. This guy definitely had the credentials to show off.
The packed Rockets home stadium looked like a sea of red. Seeing this, William White felt immensely satisfied. The NBA back then wasn't as popular as it would become later; Texans preferred baseball.
However, since William White took over the Rockets, everything had changed significantly.
These young guys were certainly playing well. Their indomitable spirit won them game after game.
Olajuwon grabbed the ball, giving the Rockets a solid advantage.
As the Rockets' owner, William White rarely attended games. He had to prioritize Los Angeles and New York, making trips to Houston infrequent.
If he came every day, the guys might get used to him. His occasional visits still boosted morale.
The Rockets, having won their first game, hit a peak in the first quarter. A score of twelve to two left the Lakers quite frustrated.
By the third quarter, the game had lost its suspense, falling into garbage time, but an amusing scene unfolded. The Rockets' two star players began showing off.
While watching the live broadcast, David Stern was curious about how this magical kid had revived the basketball market. It seemed investing more wasn't entirely a bad thing.
However, everyone was pretty broke. One arena could cost hundreds of millions, and no other team could match that. If the championship had no suspense, would anyone still watch basketball?
In truth, David Stern was overthinking it. When did the NBA become a global sensation? During Jordan's era!
Back then, Jordan was a force of nature.
Was there any suspense in the championships back then? None.
The final score sat at 110 to 83, and the Lakers were crushed. Winning such an important game made William White very happy. He was quite sure the playoffs would offer little suspense; the final outcome, however, didn't concern him much.
If such a dream team couldn't land a few championships, then they might as well take a trip across the Pacific.
Each player received two custom-tailored suits as a reward from the boss. After all, every single person on the team got a share.
Star players might not care, but the rest did. Back then, if you didn't have a decent suit, you couldn't step out.
What was the hallmark of an NBA star?
It might sound old-fashioned, but a tailored suit and a gold chain thick enough to tie a dog were the signs of success in that era.
As for luxury cars and yachts, ha! In that NBA, a million-dollar salary was impressive. There weren't many solid endorsement deals either; Nike was still just a small-town brand at the time.
After enjoying an exciting game, William White and his crew left the arena. As they departed, he even exchanged a few words with Bill Gates, who likely felt pretty good about his software progress, or else he wouldn't have had the mood to watch the game.
*****
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