Before dawn, the sky was so dark that not a single star could be seen.
In contrast, the streets of Las Vegas were still brightly lit.
Michael Jordan walked out of the casino, his eyes bloodshot.
But he wasn't the slightest bit sleepy at the moment, for his adrenaline levels had been extremely high throughout the night at the casino. In such a state, a person wouldn't feel tired.
An invigorated Jordan had no plans to return to the hotel. He just wanted to get some fresh air and then go back to continue playing cards, battling it out until dawn.
Jordan took a deep puff of his cigar and exhaled rings of smoke. Recalling the summer that was about to end, he couldn't help but smile.
It had been a triumphant summer for Jordan. The Bulls had become the next team after the Detroit Bad Boys to win back-to-back championships, and he had dominated in Barcelona to become an Olympic champion. Moreover, in that most legendary basketball team in the world, there had been no "assassin" as he had wished.
With everything going smoothly, Jordan felt he was in complete control of the world.
As Jordan was reminiscing about the glorious moments of that past summer, a reporter approached him:
"Mike! Can I have a moment for an interview?"
Jordan glanced at the reporter and felt like telling him to "go away."
He didn't like being disturbed during his holidays.
He also hadn't expected that, even in the early hours in Las Vegas, he could be caught by an annoying reporter.
These people really were like cockroaches, omnipresent.
Anyway, the beautiful mood Jordan was in had been disturbed, and he was annoyed.
But Jordan was mature after all. He didn't want to give the reporter any fodder: "Of course you can, but make it quick."
"Mike, can the Bulls create the miracle of a three-peat next season?"
It was a simple question, and Jordan answered with ease, "That's always been our goal, and we will certainly work towards it."
"What do you think about the new contract Scott and the Bulls have signed?"
Uh, the difficulty of the questions had begun to increase.
Jordan shook his head. He knew very well that Pippen had signed a terrible contract.
You might question Jordan's judgment of people, but not his eye for contracts.
Jordan had advised Pippen not to sign a cheap long-term contract with the Bulls and had advised Barkley to take $1 million plus stocks instead of a $3 million endorsement from Nike.
Barkley listened, and so he later earned about ten times more money. Pippen didn't, and so he became a unit of measurement.
But Jordan definitely couldn't say in front of the reporter that Pippen had signed a terrible contract. He could only smooth things over: "I'm glad Scott is able to stay with the team."
"But it seems Horace Grant is somewhat dissatisfied with the contract Scott signed."
"There's no such thing," Jordan retorted.
Having grown impatient, Jordan turned to leave, but the reporter, lacking tact, stopped him: "Mike, just one last question."
Jordan held back his anger and slowly turned around: "You promise this is the last question, you've already taken up too much of my time."
"I promise this is the last one. What do you think of Roger?"
"Who!?"
"Roger, the MVP of this year's Sunshine Classic. He single-handedly eliminated Oak Hill Academy and defeated Shaquille O'Neal! He has all-round offensive skills and impressive athletic ability. People say he could be the next Michael!"
After hearing this, Jordan became even more irritated.
You waste so much of my time just to make me comment on some damn... high schooler?
Fucking nuts!
Unable to vent his anger immediately, Jordan suppressed the rage within him: "I've never heard of him."
After speaking, Jordan left without looking back.
He figured the reporters must be crazy, casually associating just anyone with him.
It had already been enough when they said Grant Hill was like him, at least that was a serious college player.
Now even high school players were starting to leech off his fame?
The first time he heard the name Roger, Jordan wasn't exactly pleased.
But it didn't matter. Jordan thought this was probably the last time he would hear that name in his lifetime.
Every year thousands upon thousands of high school talents spring up like mushrooms after the rain, but how many of them end up standing on the NBA stage?
No need to let such trivial things spoil his mood for playing cards~
At that moment, Roger had no idea that his name had already entered the ears of the renowned Michael Jordan.
As the sky lightly brightened, Roger opened his eyes.
He grabbed the alarm clock from the bedside table and realized he had gotten up five minutes earlier than the set time of 5:30 am.
Ever since he decided to strive for the NBA, Roger truly understood what it meant for the "morning wood" not to be what wakes you up, but your dreams.
Almost every day, he would wake up a few minutes earlier than the alarm clock and the "morning wood."
Stepping out of the room, Roger saw his uncle already busy in the kitchen: "Your egg sandwich will be ready in no time, and the hot milk is on the table. Go wash up and brush your teeth, don't just stand there dazed."
Ever since Roger announced that he would wake up at 5:30 am and arrive at the gym by 6:00 am to start training, Lu An had adjusted his own schedule without complaint.
Even though his sleep was already severely lacking.
But for the sake of his nephew's college prospects through basketball, it didn't matter if his already precarious hairline receded a bit further.
In the words of his uncle, "As an athlete, you can't be careless with any meal! Breakfast eggs must be two, there has to be a sausage, and plenty of white milk!"
Roger got up so early for training out of necessity; after all, he was a high school player, not a professional, so he had a lot of other things to do every day.
There were classes in the morning and at noon, team training in the afternoon, and for safety, he couldn't train too late at night.
Even though he had quit the tennis team, there still wasn't enough time, so he had to shave an hour or two off his morning sleep for extra practice.
To ensure the effectiveness of the training, Roger had already communicated with Abunassar, expressing his desire to skip college and go straight for the NBA.
He asked him to train him according to the standards for making it to the NBA.
Abunassar hadn't expected that he'd taken on such a big task. But if he could cultivate a high school rookie, he could make a name for himself in the circle.
So, Abunassar also did his utmost, arranging a detailed and rigorous training plan for Roger.
Well, there's no helping it. Trying to make it to the NBA as a high schooler isn't as simple as just talking about it.
At six o'clock sharp, Roger arrived at the training hall and began his strength training after warming up.
Strength training was the most important aspect for Roger; he urgently needed to put on muscle scientifically. Because in contact sports, having an unfitted body meant that no matter how "awesome" your skills, it was futile.
Why do you think those CBA stars perform so outlandishly in international competitions? Because they're on a different level of physical contact, which prevents them from displaying their skills.
Okay, that statement doesn't apply to Granny Wang, because he can't score even without opposition.
Roger possessed Gervin's physical talents, and he felt he was suited to bulk up since Gervin was quite robust and had hardly suffered any serious injuries throughout his career.
The reason Gervin himself didn't bulk up wasn't that he couldn't, he just didn't want to.
It would be hard to expect someone who couldn't even be bothered to partake in the team's basic training to sweat and sculpt their body.
But Roger was different; his diligence in training absolutely surpassed that of the Iceman himself. So bulking up should go very smoothly!
At six-thirty, Andrae also arrived and began his training.
By seven o'clock, Roger started training with the ball, continuing to polish his skills.
At eight, he began another round of strength training.
After the normal joint practice with the team in the afternoon, Roger still stayed to watch game videos and learn tactical knowledge.
The gap between high school and professional basketball isn't just in skills and physique, but also in tactical awareness.
O'Neal once said in his autobiography that when he first went to college he couldn't understand what the coaches were yelling from the sidelines.
But too proud to ask, all he knew to do on the court was to get the ball, bump into people, and slam dunk.
And then... well, then he succeeded!
Shaq may not understand much about college basketball philosophy, but he understood the physics of it.
In any case, from high school to college, it's common to encounter tactical confusions, let alone jumping straight from high school into professional basketball.
In high school games, tactics are generally simple; 70% of the plays are fast breaks after grabbing rebounds.
To adapt to the stricter and more complex tactics of professional games, Roger couldn't fall behind in this aspect of his training.
After a simple dinner, what awaited Roger was position shooting training and shooting under harassment.
Finally, after another round of strength training, Roger could drag his tired body home.
Then he would continue the same routine the next day.
Watching Roger leave the training hall after his session, Abunassar glanced at Hawk next to him and shrugged:
"Honestly, this kid's adolescence is just too dull. Other than training, attending classes, eating, and sleeping, there's not much else. When I was his age, I was partying late into the night with girls before I'd go home."
But Roger himself didn't find such a life dull. After all, he was so broke there wasn't much for him to enjoy anyway.
In this monotonous routine, Roger spent 1992, went through the fall semester, the winter break, and started his spring semester.
During this time, he witnessed the rookie Shaquille O'Neal dominating the NBA and incidentally smashing a basketball hoop.
He saw Michael Jordan scoring 64 points in a regular-season game and also the Bulls' regression in the standings.
The Bulls were regressing for a simple reason; their leading center, Horace Grant, had grown tired of living in the shadow of Jordan and Pippen in the spotlight, consigned to being a spectator.
He had voiced his dissatisfaction with the new contract negotiations, and issues had begun to arise within this champion team.
But Roger was well aware that even in the face of these internal and external troubles, nothing could stop the Bulls from becoming the first team after Mikan's Lakers and Russell's Celtics to achieve a three-peat.
As for Roger himself, he would pick up newspapers during training breaks. The articles had already spelled out the results of his efforts.
"Averaging 38.8 points per game! Roger has truly become America's top scorer, accomplishing the goal he set for himself!" — Jonesville Observer.
"Duke? North Carolina? Georgetown? Kentucky? Or Louisiana State? Where will Roger's next stop be?" — Louisiana State Times.
"The latest national high school rankings are out, with the top 5 being Randy Livingston, Rasheed Wallace, Jerry Stackhouse, Rashad Griffith, and Roger." — ESPN.
"The Louisiana 3A D1 regional finals will start in three days. Isidore Newman School led by the nation's top high school player Randy Livingston will face off in Baton Rouge against Block High School led by the nation's fifth-ranked Roger. Without a doubt, this will be the most anticipated state championship battle in high school basketball this year!" — Baton Rouge Post.
Looking at these news stories in the newspapers, Roger found new motivation to keep training.
His efforts were not wasted.