Chapter 323 The Most Appropriate Batman
“Hello, audience friends, welcome to the basketball talk show exclusively sponsored by ESPN. Today’s guest is Sir Charles Barkley of the Rockets.”

On a giant screen on the streets of Los Angeles, Charles Barkley, who was invited to the broadcast studio as a special guest, was grinning, looking at the camera, waving and saying, “Hi, everyone, I’m your old friend Sir Charles.”

“Hello, Sir Charles.” The host smiled and waved to Charles Barkley, picked up a statistics book and said, “In the past period of time, the summer league championship has been settled. Led by our Asian genius and Little Flying Man, the Los Angeles Lakers have been advancing triumphantly, and successfully won the championship of this summer league with an average net score of 48.6 points per game. Among them, our Asian genius averaged 36.7 points + 13.8 rebounds + 11.9 assists per game, and Little Flying Man scored 33.6 points + 6.8 rebounds + 7.2 assists per game. Especially when facing the new No. 81 pick Allen Iverson, our Asian genius scored a feat of points in a single game. The two also broke a series of data in the summer league. Sir Charles, what do you think of the future of these two children?”

“Haha, what do you think? I’m watching in front of the TV~” Charles Barkley laughed and joked, “To be honest, I’m very pleased that these two kids can adapt to the rhythm of the summer league so well, but if I really want to say whether they can adapt to this NBA full of birds and beasts… I can only say that we need to wait and see for a while.”

“So you think the performance of these two children is not up to their reputation?” The host on the side smiled and teased Charles Barkley.

“No no no, don’t try to dig a hole for me~” Charles Barkley shook his head and rejected it flatly. “I have never denied the talents of these two kids. I just said that these two kids still need training…especially when they meet a superstar like Sir Charles.”

“So are you going to teach these two kids how to adapt to the NBA, Sir Charles?” the host asked with a smile.

“Of course~” Charles Barkley laughed, looked at the camera with a playful look and said, “Maybe I will dunk on these two kids, then look at them arrogantly and say ‘Welcome to the NBA, rookie!’ Who knows?”

“You don’t sound like a joke, Sir Charles.” The host said with a serious face as he looked at Charles Barkley’s increasingly serious expression.

“Come on, dude~ You should know me…” Charles Barkley said in a playful tone, “I never joke about basketball.”

……

“I never joke about basketball…” After the show, Kaneki Ken, who was conducting the final tactical training before the season in the Los Angeles Lakers training hall, looked helplessly at the social media videos of his show that were constantly forwarded. He shook his head and sighed, “Fuck, what the hell is this fat guy doing? Why is he fussing over two of us rookies?”

“Chill, Asian boy.” Shaquille O’Neal, who was sitting nearby and enjoying a box of donuts, looked at Kaneki Ken and Kobe Bryant calmly and said, “Not everyone is like you and me, who have been under the spotlight since entering the league… Plus, this guy has a big mouth, so it’s normal for him to say some outrageous topics to attract attention~”

“Thank you so much, Shaq. When you talk big, you’re just as entertaining as that guy Charles…” Kaneki Ken said helplessly as he rolled his eyes at Shaquille O’Neal.

“So the goal for next season is to beat Houston to death when we meet him, right?” Kobe Bryant shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “I’ve been playing basketball since I was a kid, so I don’t need him to teach me how to play… I even think I can beat Michael now.”

“Well said, next season when we meet the Bulls, you go guard Michael.” Shaquille O’Neal swallowed a donut with difficulty, raised his finger and pointed at Kobe Bryant and teased with a smile.

“Don’t talk nonsense, Shaq. I will take care of Michael.” Kaneki Ken gently picked up a basketball with his foot, then stood outside the three-point line and threw the ball out with one hand. “Also, Michael is not the real Jesus after all… Don’t scare me with that guy. I dunked over him the first time I met him.”

……

“Rumors, absolutely rumors!” The next day, when Michael Jordan was interviewed by reporters and asked about the past experience of being dunked over by Kaneki Ken, Michael Jordan flatly denied it, saying, “Those two guys in Los Angeles were pretty good, but to dunk over me… they were a little bit behind.”

“According to the schedule, the Bulls will play the Lakers in the second game of the season. Michael, do you have anything to say to Shaq… and the two rookies of the Lakers?” A reporter nearby smelled big news and quickly handed the microphone to Michael Jordan’s mouth and asked.

“What do you want to say?” Michael Jordan raised his eyebrows and rubbed his hands. Then, he gently put the microphone to his lips and said, “Boy, you once said that you wanted to see what the God of Basketball really looks like on the court… Now I’m here.”

As Michael Jordan finished his words, an aura of looking down on everything swept over him instantly, and the reporters in charge of the interview felt suffocated in an instant.

……

“Hello, audience friends! Tonight we are bringing you the Lakers vs. Bulls game. The Lakers are at home, and they are facing the challenge of the Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.”

As time passed, the night of the Lakers’ 2016-2017 season opener came in the blink of an eye. When Sakuragi Hanamichi finished a day’s training and turned on the TV, the familiar voice of Tashiro Heihachi rang in his ears.

“Sakuragi, what are you looking at?” In the kitchen, old man Sakuragi, who was cutting vegetables, poked his head out and asked curiously.

“I’m watching the NBA… Tonight is Ken Kaneki’s first official NBA game…” Sakuragi Hanamichi said while staring at Ken Kaneki who was warming up on the court.

“Oh, really?” Father Sakuragi came to the living room with some curiosity. He stood behind Sakuragi Hanamichi and looked at him for a long time before saying, “Who is Kaneki’s opponent?”

“I think his name is Michael Jordan…” Sakuragi Hanamichi frowned and thought for a moment before saying, “I heard from the black-skinned monsters that this guy has done amazing things in the NBA… He won two three-peat championships in a row, and now American fans call him the God of Basketball…”

“So powerful? Can Kaneki-san win?” Father Sakuragi frowned and asked worriedly after listening to Sakuragi Hanamichi’s introduction.

“Don’t worry, Dad. We’re sure to win the game with Jin Shanshan here.” Sakuragi Hanamichi waved his hand impatiently and said, “The game is about to start, Dad, please keep your voice down.”

“Oh oh…” Father Sakuragi nodded as if he understood, and turned back to the kitchen. “Come on, Kaneki Ken…” Sakuragi Hanamichi muttered to himself while looking at Kaneki Ken on the field with a nervous face, “I made a bet with Coach Anton’s grandson… I must win!”

“Buzz~~”

As Sakuragi Hanamichi looked nervous, a timer buzzed from the field. After the timer sounded, the players on both sides who were warming up on the field returned to the field one after another. The starting players of both teams took off their coats skillfully and began the final warm-up exercises.

“Hey, listen to me, guys.” Michael Jordan looked at the calm Kaneki Ken and Kobe Bryant with expectation and said, “Those two guys on the opposite side are different from the rookies we dealt with before. These two guys can be said to be trained by me.”

“So you are the mentor, and these two rookies are your disciples?” Dennis Rodman, with a curious look on his face, moved his shoulders and said with a playful look at the tall figure of Kaneki Ken, “Don’t worry, Michael, I will take good care of those two brats for you, just focus on making the shot.”

“On the contrary, Dennis.” Michael Jordan shook his head solemnly and said, “I want you to nail Shaq in this game and don’t let him interfere with my matchup with those two brats.”

“Well, if that’s what you want.” Dennis Rodman jumped slightly and said in a frivolous tone, “But if you need my help, don’t be shy. Uncle Dennis specializes in dealing with disobedient children.”

“Beep beep~”

As the grand opening ceremony came to an end, the referee blew his whistle to announce the start of the game. Under the gaze of the fans on the sidelines, Toni Kukoc and Shaquille O’Neal also stood together on the midfield line, staring at the basketball in the referee’s hand, with their knees slightly bent and the muscles in their calves tensed.

“Beep beep~”

As a sharp whistle sounded, the referee standing at the center line threw the ball high into the air above the city management. Shaquille O’Neal stomped his feet heavily on the ground, and the whole person soared into the sky like a flying mountain, overpowering Toni Kukoc in the air and hitting the basketball.

“Well done, Shaq~” Kaneki Ken jumped up as he watched the basketball flying towards the backcourt. After catching the flying basketball in the air, he decisively ran towards the frontcourt with the ball.

“Hey hey, calm down kid~” Just as Kaneki Ken was about to cross the mid-long line, Michael Jordan opened his arms, stepped precisely on the path that Kaneki Ken must take to break through, and said with a smile, “If you don’t want to go back and violate the rules, just pass the ball first.”

“You seem to be afraid of me passing the ball, Michael?” Kaneki Ken said to Michael Jordan with a smile, “You didn’t say so much nonsense when you played against me before.”

“Yeah, when I played against you, you were making more than 1000 million U.S. dollars a year.” Michael Jordan chuckled, “But I think the Lakers lost money on this deal… because they actually drafted a point guard who would lose his focus when dribbling the ball across half court!”

As Michael Jordan finished speaking, Kaneki Ken felt a flash before his eyes, and then a huge force came from his hand.

“This is a bit unsportsmanlike of you… Michael~” Kaneki Ken quickly clenched the basketball in his hand, changed from the original three-threat stance to back-to-the-basket stance, and kept scanning his teammates who were running on the court.

“Kaneki Ken! Over here!” Just when the countdown to this offensive round reached ten seconds, Kobe Bryant on the side finally couldn’t hold back his inner anxiety. He came to the three-point line and reached out to Kaneki Ken for the ball.

“Don’t worry, Kobe~” Kaneki Ken raised his eyebrows and looked at Kobe Bryant and said, “You haven’t completely gotten rid of Pippen yet… How can you compare to the advantage of that fat guy?!”

As he said that, Kaneki Ken gently pushed the ball with both hands, and the ball flew straight into the Bulls’ penalty area over Michael Jordan’s head.

“Well done, Batman!” Shaquille O’Neal strode to the inside and jumped up. He caught the ball from Kaneki Ken in the air and slammed it into the basket.

“It seems like you’ve grown a lot…” Michael Jordan, with his hands on his hips, chewed gum calmly, squinting his eyes as he looked at Kaneki Ken and said, “In the past, if it was this shot, even if I committed an offensive foul, you would have chosen to break through on your own…”

“I can only make a little over 100 million a year, why should I fight for my life?” Kaneki Ken looked at Michael Jordan and said jokingly, “I’m just a rookie with weak points. As for establishing authority over the opponent on the court, let’s leave it to the team boss who gets the maximum salary.”

“If you want me to fight Shaq, just say so. No one will believe that you will take the initiative to admit that someone else is the boss of the Lakers.” Michael Jordan saw through Kaneki Ken’s little thoughts at a glance, rolled his eyes speechlessly and said, “By the way, why did Shaq call you Batman?”

“Because Shaq calls himself Superman.” Kaneki Ken’s eyes flickered, as if he didn’t want to answer Michael Jordan’s question directly.

“What does this have to do with him calling you Batman?” Michael Jordan asked puzzled.

“Fuck, you have to get to the bottom of everything, don’t you?” Kaneki Ken pouted speechlessly and said, “Well, Shaq thinks Batman has no parents, and I don’t have parents either, so I am the most authentic Batman next to Shaq, the Superman… Damn, this big guy with a bad temper, sooner or later he will be punished.”

After saying this, Kaneki Ken became angrier and angrier, without even looking at Michael Jordan again. He turned around and ran towards the backcourt.

(End of this chapter)