1992, Louisiana, United States, in the town of Jonesville, at Block High School.
Roger looked at the diverse group of smiling high school students in front of him and finally accepted a fact—he really was going to experience his teenage years for a second time in 90s America.
Just two days before, Roger had been an ordinary office worker.
He had diligently worked for many years at the company, watching an often error-prone intern who had only recently been made permanent become a team leader, while he, with receding hairline from all the late nights, remained a lowly employee.
Later he learned that the intern wasn't without ability, but his skills were different from ordinary people—his uncle was the chairman.
At that moment Roger understood, so you're good at getting ahead? What's the use of that? In this world, you need power, you need a background.
That same evening, the intern posted on his social circle, sharing a screenshot of his order for a Mi Su7, touting its 'conscientious pricing.'
Looking at the car's price tag of over 200,000, and then at his own Geely that he had managed to buy after scrimping and saving for many years, Roger really wanted to ask, why?
Sometimes, Roger truly wished all work was like playing basketball, where if you're good you're good, and if you're not, you're not.
Even if you are Bronny, the chosen son, if you play terribly in college, you won't have much of a draft prospect.
Even if you are Jordan's eldest son, a performance of scoring 58 points in 59 college games won't be overlooked just because your dad is Jordan.
What's valued here is fairness and equality, if you have the ability you go up, if not, you step down.
Roger turned off his phone screen and was once again reminded of his own teenage dreams. If only he could get a chance, to become a professional basketball player.
At least, professional players don't have to worry about their rent for the next month.
At this moment, Roger remembered that today's NBA 2K game's MyTEAM mode had updated with a new free player redemption code.
This time, entering the code would give you an "Iceman" George Gervin player card.
Roger excitedly turned on his computer and entered the code, and just as he hit the enter key, everything before him went dark.
Then, he was back in 1992, in the United States, about to start his senior year of high school.
For basketball fans, they often measure time with basketball.
The year 1992 might not seem like a long time ago at first.
But if you think about it, at this time Jordan hadn't yet built his dynasty, Shaq had only just been drafted first overall, and EJ was still a boy.
And in the NBA, no one was yet talking about all-time scoring records.
With that in mind, Roger could really feel how distant the year 1992 was.
In theory, Roger's dream had come true, he had indeed bid farewell to that failed life of the past.
But the dream had only half come true, his life had started over, but how to become a professional basketball player, Roger still had no clue.
After crossing over, whenever Roger focused, a line of text would appear before his eyes: "Basketball Talent To Be Activated."
But he had been waiting for two days, and still, nothing had happened.
No information panel popped up before him, there was no attribute point system, no prompts.
The only things he had gained were a height of 1.93 meters and an arm span of 2.08 meters.
Being only 17 years old, he could very well grow taller. Such height and arm span were certainly excellent, but relying on these alone couldn't turn Roger into a professional player.
After all, Roger's level of basketball, even on the street court, was not considered good.
If Roger was 2.23 meters tall, he wouldn't need any basketball skills to dominate in high school competitions.
But a height of 1.93 meters certainly couldn't do that.
Regardless, Roger decided to give it a try.
Tomorrow was the school basketball team's open recruitment day, and Roger wanted to check it out. Perhaps, this could lead to unlocking his talent?
Only... regarding the basketball team, Roger had some not so pleasant memories in his head.
...
After school, Roger returned home, where his uncle Lu An was already cooking dinner.
Roger's biological father was a gambler and had long since disappeared. His mother passed away from cancer many years ago, so Roger had no choice but to turn to his only living relative, his uncle.
When Roger entered the house, his uncle immediately started nagging, "Jie, give it your all in the match tomorrow, you still have one last chance to get a college offer through tennis!"
Roger was on the school tennis team, which was one of the 13 major sports in the United States College Athletic Association. So if he performed well in high school, he could use this to get into college.
Like many traditional parents, Lu An hoped that Roger could get into a good college. Tennis was Roger's best opportunity to do so. At least in Jonesville Town, Roger's ranking in tennis was quite high.
But after Lu An finished speaking, Roger said something surprising, "I've already withdrawn from the competition, I'm going to attend the basketball team tryouts at noon tomorrow."
Lu An immediately stepped out of the kitchen with a look of surprise, "You withdrew? Why didn't you discuss it with me first?"
"Don't you know I don't really have any talent for tennis?" Roger wasn't lying; he truly had no chance of getting a college offer through tennis.
Even though he could be ranked in the top ten in Jonesville Town, on a national level, that meant nothing.
Getting into college on a sports specialty is extremely difficult. Take tennis for example, last year only 7% of high school tennis athletes received college offers, and from those, only 2% made it into the Division I league.
Clearly, being in the top ten from a small place like Jonesville Town wouldn't count among those 7%.
Lu An sighed, "Basketball? Isn't that even less likely? Have you forgotten what happened in your sophomore year when you tried out for the basketball team, how you almost lost your life? With your mediocre skills, you think you can make the school team? If you can make the school team, I'll find you an aunt right away! Stop fooling around and go back to playing tennis!"
Indeed, this was a painful memory of Roger's with the basketball team.
When sophomore Roger tried out for the basketball team, he was slapped to the ground by the center from the second team, hitting the back of his head on the floor and blood spattering on the spot.
Because of this, Roger became a well-known figure at school.
People might not have known his name, but they all knew "that tallest Asian kid in school, a complete pushover."
Due to this incident, Roger's predecessor also developed a psychological shadow. Although he loved basketball, the event caused him to fear confrontation when playing, which eventually led him to choose tennis instead.
Roger knew that Lu An would try to stop him, so he looked at his uncle earnestly, "Uncle, what's the difference between a person without dreams and salted fish? I still prefer basketball more!"
"I had dreams too. I once thought about combining Shaolin Kung Fu with singing and dancing in the United States, thinking it would be a great idea. Then, I became a glorious car mechanic, which is also the main reason you still don't have an aunt," said his uncle, taking out a wrench from nowhere and waving it in front of Roger.
Roger's mouth twitched, "Hey, Uncle, I just want to play basketball, isn't this a bit much? Waving a wrench at kids can have a big psychological impact."
"Don't be nervous. As a car mechanic, it's only logical to carry a wrench around. Hey, kid... Just be careful with the basketball team thing, don't go and crack your head open again. Alright, let's eat!" With that, Lu An put the wrench on the table and went to the kitchen to serve food.
After the meal, Roger quickly returned to his room.
His room was a mess because the walls were plastered with A4 paper.
Normally, a kid living in the United States at his age would have had their room covered in band posters, or photos of female celebrities.
But the walls of Roger's room were covered with A4 sheets of paper.
These papers were either filled with various basketball tactics or training plans.
Looking at these notes, Roger couldn't help but feel touched by his predecessor's love for basketball.
When it came to the love of basketball, Roger and his predecessor were very much aligned.
It's just a pity, passion alone is useless. Professional basketball for them could only be a distant dream.
Unless, that damn Talent could be activated!
The blazing summer heat combined with frustration left Roger feeling parched.
He was about to grab the water cup on the table to take a sip, but because he was distracted, he failed to grip it firmly, and water splashed over his crotch.
Just then, Lu An knocked on Roger's door, "Jie, I'm coming in."
When he entered, Lu An just saw Roger drenched in sweat, with a dazed look in his eyes, and a wet spot on his pants.
Having been through adolescence himself, his uncle instantly understood.
He quickly closed the door and coughed awkwardly, "Hurry up and change your pants, and let's go play some ball. Let me see if you've improved your skills. And don't just look at those messy magazines!"
Roger: ???
Uncle, could you not impose your hobbies on others, please?
Come to think of it, Roger hadn't touched a basketball since he came to this world.
His mind had been too cluttered in the past few days, and Roger was not in the mood to play.
So Roger quickly changed his pants and went with Lu An to a nearby street basketball court, which was empty at the moment.
The court was very simple, even crude.
It had just a few lines drawn on the cement floor, and the basketball hoop was covered with rust. The backboard, made up of rotting wooden slats, looked like it was about to fall apart.
Due to the poor conditions, very few people played here normally.
In a community where the poor lived, this was the only kind of basketball court available.
The place where Roger currently lived could be described as: an extension of the sewer.
Dirty, messy, and shabby.
If he couldn't find a way to change things, his life might turn out worse than it was in his previous life!
Lu An took a few shots on the court. He too was a basketball enthusiast, a fan of Olajuwon and he scoffed at the newly-drafted O'Neal.
His assessment of Shaq was, "Just a big dummy who never even made it to the Final Four."
Lu An's third shot bounced off the rim and into Roger's hands.
The moment Roger touched the basketball, he froze as if under a spell.
Because at that moment, a new line of text appeared before his eyes!
"Iceman George Gervin's basketball Talent has been activated."
After a brief moment of shock, Roger felt his blood boiling with excitement.
The benefits had finally arrived!
So all it took was touching the basketball to activate it, and those celebrity cards from the game were exchanged into his own body!
Lu An's shout broke through Roger's excitement, "What are you spacing out for? Take a shot. Tell you what, Jie, if you can't even beat me in a one-on-one, don't bother embarrassing yourself at the team tryouts tomorrow. Just stick to tennis!"
Roger flashed a slight smile, "Uncle, brace yourself!"