On the phone, Kupchek chuckled and said, "A reporter mentioned that after the game tonight, you were having a great chat with him on the sidelines?"
If nearly getting into a fight counts as having a great chat, then in Kobe’s view, he and Qin Yue indeed had a great chat.
After a pause, on the phone, Kupchek continued, "Kobe... I want to discuss something with you."
Seeing this, knowing what Kupchek wanted to say, Kobe replied, "Mickey, I won’t allow the team to tank."
"But, if we could secure a higher draft pick by tanking..."
"Mickey, do you really think I don’t know Lamar’s abilities?
Trust me, based on Qin’s current performance, even if you offer ten Lamar Odoms, they still won’t agree to trade with you."
On the phone, after a long sigh, Kupchek said, "I think you’re right, Kobe, I was indeed being naive before."
That night, the Lakers and Kupchek completely gave up on the plan to rebuild through Qin Yue.
Because, just as Kobe said...
In the draft six months later, no team would be foolish enough to trade the first pick.
However, after hanging up with Kobe that day...
Kupchek still felt that something wasn’t quite right.
"Since the Eagle County incident, it seems is the first time Kobe has talked to me this much?"
Following this, Kobe’s wife Vanessa also sensed that something was off about him.
Perhaps it was because he was left speechless by Qin Yue, which led Kobe to truly start reflecting, or maybe it was because Qin Yue had stabbed him with the sharp blade of truth, allowing Kobe to experience rebirth... But more importantly, when Kobe returned to Los Angeles overnight, he immediately noticed Vanessa’s condition... which seemed genuinely a bit bleak.
Historically, due to shutting himself off and escaping reality, Kobe expressed more than once his regret for neglecting Vanessa at the end of this year.
In fact, after accompanying Kobe to numerous press conferences and trying every possible way to restore his image, Vanessa, who was pregnant at the time, was already exhausted.
Therefore, when, in December of that year, The Los Angeles Times turned their focus directly on Vanessa...
Vanessa unsurprisingly broke down.
As "Mrs. Bryant," she didn’t know what she needed to do to satisfy the media and fans.
After the Eagle County incident broke out, she never publicly criticized Kobe.
Even though it was Kobe who cheated, she had to bear everything alone.
Granted, the affluent life and social status she now had came from Kobe.
But it was precisely because she had to swallow this grievance herself that eventually led to Vanessa’s mental collapse and the miscarriage of her child with Kobe.
"We need to go to the hospital right away." That day, looking at Vanessa’s heart-wrenching haggard face, Kobe said.
"But... but you still have games." Nestled in Kobe’s arms, Vanessa said.
"That doesn’t matter, I’ll ask the team for leave."
At that moment, recalling the soul-searching questions Qin Yue posed to him, when the usually stubborn Kobe realized that in his life, there was more than just basketball, there was family too...
His fate silently began to change.
"According to an official statement from the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe’s pregnant wife, Vanessa, is seriously ill. Kobe will miss the team’s games for the next two weeks." — The Los Angeles Herald
"Latest game updates, after consecutively defeating the Hawks, Bucks, Magic, Raptors, Warriors, Hornets, and Blazers, the New York Knicks, led by Stephon Marbury, are charging ahead and currently sit fourth in the Eastern Conference." — ESPN Game Update
"When asked how he feels about his compatriot Qin Yue already locking in next year’s NBA first draft pick, Yao Ming, who just scored 20 points and 14 rebounds in a game against the Bobcats, said he hopes Qin Yue’s future NBA debut won’t be like his, with only two rebounds." — The Houston Chronicle
"Michael Jordan was once again photographed by reporters meeting with the upper management of the Bobcats. It is rumored that after the New Year, Michael will formally become a minority owner of the Bobcats." — The Charlotte Observer
"According to Coca-Cola executives closely collaborating with LeBron James, LeBron is highly likely to participate in the dunk contest during the Denver All-Star weekend." — The Cleveland Plain Dealer
During that year’s Christmas holiday, apart from caring about the various events happening outside...
With both observation and judgment attributes meeting the requirements, Qin Yue formally completed the prerequisite condition one for the task [In the Name of Heritage].
At the moment of completing this prerequisite, the previously lit [Paint Area Genius] badge for Qin Yue automatically upgraded to [King of the Paint]. (Note ①)
Compared to [Paint Area Genius]....
[King of the Paint] not only starts at the professional level...
But this badge also provides a certain state enhancement after completing a specific number of inside attacks in games.
However, unlike other badges, this badge can only be upgraded through the prerequisite conditions of the [In the Name of Heritage] task.
Right now, Qin Yue has to wait until he enters the NBA to take on the next stage’s prerequisite condition for the task [In the Name of Heritage].
Additionally, with the increase in Qin Yue’s passing and vision abilities in the new season, he finally took on a hidden task related to passing bonuses during this year’s Christmas holiday.