...A Veteran To Be...
Johan and the Stockton Kings have barely beaten the Sioux Falls Skyforce. It was a lot of back-and-forth between possessions of baskets. It had ultimately come down to Johan knocking down three of four of his free throw shots that sealed the night away with a win. Just after the final horn, both teams gave each praise on a hard-fought showcase.
“Yo, Johnson! Good game tonight kid.” Haslem shouted towards Johan before shaking hands. “Thanks man, likewise. I really didn’t think we would pull it out, you gave us a run at the end.” “There’s no slacking around these parts, got to stay on your toes young man.” “I hear you. Hey, what’s a 3-time NBA champion doing in the G League? You giving out charity or lessons? Either way, you can sign me up.” “I’m just here, giving these upstarts a few pointers, passing on the knowledge. I don’t think there’s much I could ever teach you if I wanted to.” “I got one for starts, how’d you get all this longevity? What keeps you coming back to the NBA? I’m sure you wrote your ticket in Miami.” “You got a lot of questions and I appreciate that. Just chalk it up to giving back what’s been given to me.” “Alright, I hear you. Before I let you go, got any pointers for me?” “Yeah. Work on your shot man. You got the whole package, just put it all together with a jumper and maybe you’ll see 20 years in the league.” “If I’m lucky. Thank you Udonis, good game tonight.” “You too.”
“Alright, let’s go! Let’s go! To the Winner’s Lounge! Winner’s only of course!” Coach Ellis shouted in the corridor as everybody made their way to the locker room. Johan took a moment to take a picture with a couple fans at a safe distance given the circumstances of the pandemic before reaching the head coach. “You’re beginning to make a name for your-self quickly around here Johan.” “You think so? I’m just playing my best.” “Yeah, you keep playing like this and keep practicing hard, you’re going to get more than just status under your name.” “Awh, it’s too early to write my own ticket.” “No, never too early, just as it’s never too early to get a buzz around the NBA.” “Really? Some teams are interested?” Johan asked with glee in his eyes. If Johan was ever having a bad day, hearing that sure up’d his mood. “Well, I’m not going around saying who’s who, but I’m hearing your name get passed around. You are a free agent after all. Just need to continue to play hard and you’ll get there one day.” “Noted, Coach.” “Let’s get cleaned up and ready for the next game...”
After a win over a 3-time NBA champion, Johan’s confidence was lifted. He was no LeBron, Shaq or Wade, but a champion is a champion. A win over them boosts morale. Johan and the boys would now prepare themselves to hit the road to Oklahoma to play their final game of 2020...
