Chapter 296: Rucker Park

Streetball culture and NBA culture are closely intertwined.

Rucker Park, in its early days, had also produced many renowned streetball players, such as Goat, The Destroyer, Bone Collector, and Jumping Soul.

These streetball players took great pride in their skills, and some even believed they were as good as NBA players; it was just a matter of choice.

Every summer, NBA players would visit Rucker Park, and this year, Iverson invited Dong and Carter to challenge the park. The news sent shockwaves through the streetball community in the M Country.

Dong was undoubtedly the biggest star to ever grace Rucker Park.

...

September 1st.

Rucker Park was packed with people. At 10 a.m., Dong arrived as promised, accompanied by Iverson and Carter.

The court had been cleared for them.

Iverson sat on a bench, retying his shoelaces, and reminded Dong, "The guys here have fiery tempers."

"Fiery tempers?" Dong shrugged. "We'll just beat them."

"You've summed up the essence of Rucker Park," Carter laughed.

Joining Iverson were two NBA players, Jenkins and West, who were little more than benchwarmers. Even Carter didn't recognize them.

Defending Rucker Park were some of the top streetball players from the M Country, led by Professor.

"Get out of here, NBA players! This is Rucker Park!"

"Pretty boys don't belong here; this is a place for violence!"

Even before the game began, the streetball players were trash-talking, and some even made obscene gestures towards Dong.

One black man, in particular, caught Dong's attention.

Dong didn't know his name, so let's call him 'Little Black.' Little Black was the loudest, and if the game were about who could shout the loudest, he would have won.

"Damn, they're so noisy!"

Dong cleaned his ears and ignored everyone.

"Bone Collector's dribbling skill pack!"

"Professor's dribbling skill pack!"

"Alston's dribbling skill pack!"

"Destroyer's dribbling skill pack!"

...

"Goat's dribbling skill pack!"

"What a waste of skill points."

Dong muttered to himself, then waited for the game to start.

...

The game was divided into two halves, and the referee seemed almost unnecessary.

Streetball had fewer rules, and it was all about the show!

"Beep!"

The game began.

Little Black dashed towards the basket, signaling to Professor to pass him the ball so they could execute an alley-oop.

"Whoosh!"

Professor understood Little Black's intention and threw the ball towards the basket, then casually turned away.

As the ball flew towards the hoop, Dong jumped up, almost simultaneously with Little Black, and the two of them grabbed the small ball with four big hands, making it almost invisible.

"Take this!"

Dong grabbed the ball and flicked his wrist, sending Little Black flying out of bounds.

"Wow!"

Technically, Dong's steal was a violation, but in streetball, rules didn't matter. The spectators were on the verge of rushing onto the court, captivated by Dong's audacity.

After securing the ball, Dong gave Little Black a disdainful look before dribbling towards the frontcourt.

With just one move, Dong had silenced the entire crowd.

The streetballers played rough defense, but it was ineffective against Dong. Professor tried to guard him, but Dong took a small step towards Professor and quickly spun off him. He effortlessly got past Professor, then threw the ball into the air and sprinted back towards the backcourt.

"Bang!"

Carter soared and caught the ball, slamming it into the hoop.

"Wow!"

The crowd erupted again. Dong's 'probing step and spin' move was Professor's signature, but in Dong's hands, it became even more lethal.

Apart from Professor and Little Black, another streetballer stood out.

He was tall and skinny, standing at 2.1 meters, which was rare among streetballers. This player, whom we'll call 'Little Stick,' was an exceptional dribbler.

Little Stick put on a show of fancy dribbling moves in front of Dong.

"Show him! Teach Dong a lesson!"

The spectators cheered, and Little Stick played even harder. Dong simply crossed his arms and watched as Little Stick spun in circles. When Little Stick tried to drive past him, Dong effortlessly stripped the ball from him.

"Boo!"

Dong dribbled to the three-point line, put his finger to his lips, and signaled for the crowd to quiet down.

"From now on, I'll score ten three-pointers from this spot."

Dong casually announced, then took a three-point shot.

"Swish!"

The ball swished through the net.

Then...

"Swish!"

"Swish!"

"Swish!"

...

"Swish!"

Dong made ten consecutive three-pointers from the same spot.

"Too damn arrogant!"

"Damn... He's showing off!"

Iverson and Carter watched with amusement.

"Dong! Dong! Dong!"

The crowd completely turned against the streetballers. Dong's ten three-pointers were not flashy or violent, but they were arrogant. He was telling them he would score from this spot, and they couldn't stop him.

The first half ended with a score of 79-21.

The streetballers had been thoroughly dominated.

Just as Dong had told Iverson before the game, they would stop showing off once they were beaten.

In the first half, Dong scored 42 points, 7 assists, and 5 steals. However, apart from the initial aerial battle with Little Black, Dong played with grace. He took 14 shots and made all of them, and all his points came from beyond the three-point line.

Dong didn't score any points inside the three-point line in the first half, although he did make some flashy moves to drive into the paint, only to assist Carter for a dunk.

...

At halftime, Dong and Iverson sat on the sidelines and chatted. Little Black approached them, "I heard you're the Dunk King?"

"Hmm?"

Dong turned to Carter, "Is he talking to you?"

Carter laughed, "He's looking at you, so he must be talking to you."

Little Black said, "I want to challenge you!"

"To what?" Dong asked.

"I want to challenge you to a dunk contest!" Little Black declared.

"Forget it," Dong shook his head dismissively, looking down on him. "You're not worthy!"

Little Black was taken aback.

Carter and Iverson burst into laughter. Dong was right; Little Black wasn't worthy.

If random people challenged him, Dong would accept, but to be challenged by someone like Little Black would devalue the Dunk King title.

It had nothing to do with respect.