Chapter Three: Standing Up for Kobe

The rookie’s confidence and the crowd’s anticipation were both shattered in an instant. The veteran star gave him a cold, merciless farewell, and the arena erupted. The boos came down in waves, not only for the taunting superstar but also for the home team’s young guard, who had been left sprawling on the floor.

Barkley could not stand Kobe’s arrogance. To him, humiliating a man after shaking him out of his shoes was going too far, and he moved at once to defend the youngster.

“Hey, kid, don’t push it!”

Hu Shier stepped in front of Kobe without hesitation and barked back at Barkley:

“Charles, your boy couldn’t stay on his feet. Don’t come threatening my brother!”

Barkley was not the least bit intimidated by the giant in purple and gold. In a cold voice, he said, “Shaq, I’m just warning that kid not to start trouble.”

Hu Shier would not yield an inch. “Then bring it to me!”

With that, the two men squared off, and the players from both sides immediately rushed in. The referees hurried over as well, warning them not to make a scene.

In the end, the two were pulled apart, but the hostility in their eyes remained sharp and unmistakable. The air inside the arena thickened little by little, charged with the scent of a storm about to break.