WELCOME TO THE NBA: PART ONE
The NBA season kicked off with the Oklahoma City Thunder taking the win over the Denver Nuggets, 122-109. LeBron's legacy was strong as ever in his boy, Bryce James. 10 Years with the Thunder and still improving his game day by day. For others, it was their first ever official NBA game. Jittered nerves and sweaty palms for the rookies, especially for Kairos...
"Hey", salutations from Tiny as he waited for Kairos in the corridor. "Congratulations."
"On what?" Kairos asked.
"Tonight was the biggest night of your life, thus far."
"I don't know if you caught a peek at the scoreboard, but we didn't win. Not too much to be celebrating about."
"Of course there is. You played your first NBA game. Not only that, you played 16 minutes. You scored 10 points, got three rebounds. Not many can say they did that."
"But there's many that has done better than I have on their first night."
"True, but don't look at this negatively. You went out there, got your feet wet. You looked great for what you did. Those boys were loaded with 3&D players, so, rough night, but good night."
"Man, tell me about it. They played hard ball."
"And now you have a feeling of what to expect in the next game. Each game gets tougher until you start making it easier for yourself. Find your niche, then stick to it."
"I hear you. I honestly wasn't expecting you to be here. Could've gave a heads up."
"And put more pressure on you? No thanks. Just know I'm always watching my investments, no matter where I am."
"Nice to know that. But thanks for coming out and seeing me play."
"Least I can do, Kairos. But hey, I'll catch you around, I got a couple of calls to make. I'll see you in Phoenix next week."
"Alright boss, do your thing. I'll get up with you soon."
"Hey!" Tiny grabbing Kairos attention before he got out of reach. "Be mindful of what you say to the media. If they ask you questions, use your words wisely."
"Understood. Last thing I need is to make a mess for Twitter to rain hell on me."
"You catch my drift then. Take care."
The two departed ways out the corridor, Kairos heading into the locker room to change. A couple of daps on the pass-by as he made his way to his seat. A few minutes later, Luka Doncic sat next to Kairos, giving a slight smile that kind of weirded out Kairos at the moment.
"You're all smiles, Luka. Got a big date or something after we leave here?"
"Oh no, just astonished how long it took this day to get here. The son of Recks, carrying on his legacy."
"Those are big shoes I wish not to fill."
"You say that, but in time, I believe you will, regardless. Your dad was a hell of a man. Made some real big impact on the game. Always brought the best out of me when we came to each other's city."
"Yeah? I'm happy to hear you enjoyed the time he gave you all. So, what are you expecting from me?"
"Me? Nothing. Just 35,000 career points, if you will."
"35,000? I barely got 10 tonight, Luka."
"So, play better", Luka jested.
"Hey, cut him some slack Luka, it's his first game", Devin says, sitting on the other side of Kairos. "Those guys were just too much tonight. Playing like it was the finals."
"Okay, we give him a break tonight, but I want to see more in Sacramento."
"So, you're just going to bust my balls until I tap in, huh?"
"Just about", Luka again jested. "Hey, I'm only kidding. I know you'll come in on your own. You being the son of Khyri and Recks, you got champion pedigree in your DNA."
"Thanks, just don't expect me to win in my first year here like he did in Philly."
"Well, there goes that confidence", Devin slys. "Your old man was clearly a different beast. Was hoping it be you who revigors the NBA. Haven't been these last couple years."
"Says the guy who won a championship last year", Luka retorted.
"That's besides the point. Guys like you, me, Ivan, Jason, Bronny, and Bryce. We're a dying breed."
"I don't know, Devin. This draft looks to be the one. Niko Starks, King Carter, Paciani, Houston. We just played Hamilton, he's going to do great once he finds his-self. As well as this one here."
"I appreciate your confidence in me. Just don't put me up on a pedal stool. I'd hate to let you down. You're one of the all-time greats. You're nothing to sneeze at either, Devin."
"If you think a couple of compliments is going to get you out of carrying our bags, you're sadly mistaken", Luka insinuated.
"Well, no harm in trying", Kairos shrugged.
"I'm messing with you, come on man, lighten up. We're just kicking off the season, we have some time before we kick it in gear. So, what that we loss tonight, it's just one game. And now that we have loss, that takes the pressure off the next game. It's all winning from here."
Kairos let his words sink in as he nodded.
"You're right man. Next one is ours, for sure."
"That's the spirit!" Luka pats Kairos on the back.
The trio steady participated in banter for a bit as they changed before Luka and Devin were called by the press soon after. Kairos took the moment to check his phone, looking on Twitter, glancing over hash tags of him, and not in the brightest light.
"2nd gen?? The last gen was better. Too bad he died."
"If that's all Kairos got to offer, then @nuggets wasted that spot that could've gone to another big."
"Relax, it's just one game. We'll have another 81 games to gawk over @KB32 failures. I'm sure he'll make #ShaqtinAFool soon enough."
The comments goes on and on, and none of them were savory as Kairos scrolled through them. Sitting there, feeling heated, Kairos felt he had to do better than his performance tonight.
"And that's your first mistake as a rookie in this league", Coach Billups distraught Kairos from behind.
"Oh, sorry Coach, I was just-"
"Don't sweat it. But also, don't let whatever those people are saying on Twitter bother you."
"Hard not to, when I've already read them."
"And now that you've read them, you feel a fire lit under you, you feel mad that you sucked tonight."
"I wouldn't say all those words, but yeah, essentially."
"Good. But don't let it come from Twitter, let it come from the game it-self. Your passion for it."
"You make it sound easy."
"When you love what you do, you'll hate doing it wrong. While losing is a part of the game, doesn't mean you always have to. You've tasted your first loss in the NBA, how does that make you feel?"
"Feels like I don't belong here. Feels like I'm out of my league."
"Naturally." Coach Billups complied. "But over time, you'll get the hang of things and how they'll work around here. Soon enough you'll find your lane and shine."
"Yeah, someone was in my ear about that earlier."
"See, they know what they're talking about. Take the pressure off of you, kid. Take what you learned from tonight's game and apply it to the next."
"Alright Coach, I got you."
"And no more reading that junk on Twitter. It's bad for morale. Read the good ones only."
With the night coming to an end, the team saddled up and headed out west to Sacramento, leaving the loss and Oklahoma City behind them for the meantime. With another night to play, it was another night to win. And while the chip on Kairos' shoulder was starting to build over succeeding his father, Kairos knows no bounds of the roller coaster adventure he was on in this league...
