Zeng Xingyang indeed has a good relationship with Penguin Sports, agreeing to interviews, poster shoots, and the like.
Zeng Xingyang is well aware that Penguin Sports is among his media resources. Playing in the international market, the media from his own country is practically part of him.
Even when they criticize him, they hold back a bit, guiding the fans to some extent.
At 4:30 pm on the day of the Lakers vs. Nuggets game.
Xiaoqi and Song Xue were waiting at the player passage to catch Zeng Xingyang.
Zeng Xingyang, wearing large headphones and sportswear, arrived with Jokic.
Standing beside the chubby Jokic, Zeng Xingyang appeared relatively tall and slim, and his outfit was quite fashionable and trendy.
Song Xue and Xiaoqi were staring intently at Zeng Xingyang; their task today was to interview him.
Many reporters were waiting outside the barrier; if players didn’t stop, reporters couldn’t forcibly stop them.
Seeing his acquaintance Song Xue, Zeng Xingyang didn’t leave immediately but took off his headphones and walked over to talk to her.
It wasn’t that Zeng Xingyang had a special fondness for Song Xue, just that he felt a bit closer to her; it was purely a work relationship.
There are too many girls he feels close to, but feeling something doesn’t mean it should develop.
"Ms. Xue, is this your new colleague?" Zeng Xingyang asked.
"Yes, her name is Xiaoqi. She’s also a new host and the same age as me," Song Xue introduced.
"Hello, Ms. Qi," Zeng Xingyang said.
Zeng Xingyang remembered this female host.
Xiaoqi waved nervously at Zeng Xingyang, "Hello, Xingyang, I’m a fan of yours."
"Okay, are you here for an interview?" Zeng Xingyang asked directly.
"Yes, is that alright?"
Song Xue quickly signaled to the cameraman to get ready and then took out the microphone, entering work mode.
"Xingyang, did you do any special preparation for today’s game against the Lakers?"
"Honestly, no special preparation. I just watched footage and analyzed the scouting report as usual."
"Kobe previously said the Lakers wanted to pick you at the shooting guard position. Do you feel any regret not being picked by the Lakers?"
"Los Angeles is a great place, but there’s no regret. After all, I’m doing quite well with the Nuggets now."
"What kind of player do you think Kobe is?"
"A very successful basketball player and he’s also my idol."
"Well then, I wish you victory in today’s game."
"Thank you, goodbye, sisters."
These questions weren’t too aggressive or provocative.
At this time, an ESPN reporter came over and asked, "Zeng, Julius said you only have such good stats because of ball possession, how do you respond?"
Zeng Xingyang put on his headphones and said as he walked away, "Tell him that as long as he dares to confront me, I’ll beat him on the court."
After saying this, Zeng Xingyang turned and left, not continuing the interview.
"Xingyang is awesome."
Xiaoqi also saw another side of Zeng Xingyang during the interview.
"He’s always ," Song Xue laughed.
It quickly became 7:30 pm.
The Staples Center was bustling with noise, and many Chinese fans were present, all wearing Zeng Xingyang jerseys.
"Today’s game is the Lakers vs. Nuggets, and Zeng Xingyang will directly face off against Kobe. This game will be interesting," Barkley said.
"In the last game, the Nuggets defeated the Warriors with a buzzer-beater, ending their winning streak, and the Lakers also beat the Pacers. Both teams have strong momentum," O’Neal said.
"Zeng Xingyang performed very well in the last game, and I hope he can continue to play steadily in this game," Miller said.
"Let’s look at tonight’s starting lineups for both teams," O’Neal said.
The commentators on TNT are very professional during official work.
Lakers starters: Russell, Kobe, Clarkson, Randall, Hibbert.
From the bench, there are players like Ci Shiping, Nance, and Nick Young.
The Lakers have been rebuilding these past few years, trying to find the next Kobe successor. However, their management’s drafting ability is quite limited, and they’ve never found a suitable core for the team, just continuing to struggle.
The Lakers can still sell tickets all thanks to Kobe.
Nuggets starters: Nelson, Harris, Zeng Xingyang, Faried, Jokic.
Galinarli has knee discomfort today and is on the injury list.
Seeing Zeng Xingyang, Kobe quickly fixed his gaze on him.
Zeng Xingyang also exchanged glances with Kobe.
Facing an idol from his youth is a special experience.
The game began quickly.
Jokic and Hibbert jumped for the ball, and for once Jokic won possession.
Nelson passed the ball to Zeng Xingyang, with Jokic setting a pick.
After the pick, Zeng Xingyang drove with the ball, easily shaking off Clarkson. He drew the defense and then passed the ball to Nelson on the perimeter.
Nelson’s three-point shot went in.
This season, Nelson’s role with the Nuggets is mostly to dribble past half-court and take those spot-up three-point shots.
The majority of the Nuggets’ ball possession is controlled by Zeng Xingyang and Jokic.
Zeng Xingyang didn’t expect Nelson to be so open, and he glanced at Russell in surprise.
"What about your defense?" Kobe quickly yelled at Russell.
Russell, with a dazed look, didn’t respond to Kobe, instead ignoring him to run to the baseline to receive the ball.
Poor guy, he’s probably become numb from Kobe’s daily scolding.
Zeng Xingyang was quite speechless; Russell’s defense was indeed too lax, and his attitude had evident problems.