Day One

Everyone was very excited and woke up early to prepare for our first day in this summer camp. Kawhi was the earliest waking up at 5 AM, which I've somewhat expected from him.

We were instructed to gather at 7:30 at the gym for the opening and further announcements, so we went to the cafeteria first to get our breakfast.

The food here is better than what I expected because of how good it tastes and because the nutrients it provides are almost precisely what Lucy recommended, so I didn't have to be picky and just had the right amount.

Around 30 minutes after breakfast, we head to the gym that is intended for the intermediate class. 80 people don't seem like a lot for a training program of this caliber, but it was overwhelming with the level of players attending.

I could see Barry talking with some coaches before one of them took a mic and in front of us as we are lined up.

"Good morning everyone and welcome to the NBA Summer Training Camp. I'm your Head Trainer for the entirety of this program, Mike Bowens, so you can just call me Coach Mike. This is an NBA-organized event with sponsors from a lot of big brands responsible for your food, clothing, and equipment that we are gonna use for the whole event."

"This year's gonna be special, and know you can already tell. A lot of talent is gathered for this event and most of those came because of a rumor, so I will now confirm this and tell you that yes, Kobe Bryant will be with you guys on the 4th day."

We all cheered and were very excited, even though we already anticipated this, it's still amazing to know that one of the best to ever play the game is going to guide us in this event.

"Alright settle down, I know you're all very excited and we are as well. So on the 4th day, the activities are gonna stay the same, except that Kobe will give us a speech and help us teach you your drills and will also watch the afternoon scrimmages."

"You guys already know that we will select 2 players in each class who have shown the best performance/improvement to get 5 opening day tickets for the Lakers game next season and also a season ticket for the sponsors this year, the Golden State Warriors."

"Those are the official rewards and the unofficial ones are left for the winners to know, so if I were you, I'll stay focused and locked in to the game, am I clear?!"

""Yes coach!"

"Alright, now let's proceed with today's drills. You already know that we have two types of drills, one for the frontcourt, and the other for the backcourt. All of you still have a chance to increase your height so we will not be picky on limiting who can do what drill. You'll choose one and we will give you an initial evaluation if you are perfect for this role."

"There will also maybe some of you who can do both drills so we will still evaluate your abilities if you are qualified. There are a lot of trainers who you can approach if you need some help so you don't have to worry. If everything's all ready, we can now start today's program."

As Coach Mike announced the start, the four of us head to the frontcourt drill facilities. We were asked to perform some dribbling, shooting, and passing to qualify, and we easily did. There are approximately 50 people who are doing this set of drills.

We were asked if any of us are planning to do the backcourt drills as well and around 20 of us raised our hands. They asked to help us organize the sequence of drills and maintain the same intensity despite the variety.

I, Anthony, and Kawhi did both sets of drills and by lunchtime, we were exhausted. The trainers didn't give us an easy time and made us do intense drills with little time to rest. But we didn't complain because we could see that we still have a lot to improve.

I was quite shocked to be honest because I thought the personal training I have done all my life is intense enough already, but it goes to show that I still have a lot to prove. There was one drill in particular that which I have to go one on one with everybody as long as I win every possession.

My first opponent was actually Anthony and despite his size and speed, I am still capable of tricking him into committing my fakes so winning against him was fair. But when I was against Kawhi for the first time, I got excited.

His defense is terrific and I was only shown very little room to operate with how tight his defense was, I tried backing up to get more room so I made a hesitation shot but Kawhi didn't commit so I had changed to an in-and-out crossover move and he stumbled a little so I quickly made another hesitation fake shot and I got him to commit.

I instantly crossed over him to the right and made an easy layup. My shot looked easy, but everyone who was watching knows how much pressure and the amount of effort I had to deal with is to a high degree of difficulty.

If it were someone else in my position, they would probably give Kawhi a steal or a block, or they simply wouldn't get a chance to make a shot so everyone was keeping an eye out on Kawhi and me.

I ended up winning all my matches so it's now time to defend. I then realized my defense is still not that developed when facing a high-level offensive player. Anthony didn't want to go through my defense so he just made a fadeaway jump shot and made it. I could've done a better job at contesting that one but I was a little off.

The next guy I defended was John Wall, and oh boy this guy's trouble. Though I wasn't terrible in defense this time because John made too many crossover dribbles that I anticipated, in the end, I still got baited to committing a hesitation fake shot and he easily passed through me. His dribbles at the start were basic, but after a while, he adapted to my defense and went overdrive so the sudden change of pace got me confused, and reacted late.

"That was a good one bruh, you almost got me on that one." John initiated a conversation with me after our duel and I was glad to make friends with another future superstar.

"Nah man, you were too good. I need to step up my defense more, it's not as good as my offense right now." (Me)

"Well, I do agree that you might be the best offensive player in this camp, and you're still a freshman right? Damn, now that's what I'm talking about." (John)

"I just got lucky a few times, Kawhi could've stopped me if we played a few more. That guy's scary to play against." (Me)

"I'm with ya bro, that dude actually trailed to block my shot. He's a special one, but I don't think many people will appreciate that yet." (John)

I was a bit intrigued. Kawhi definitely showed a lot of talent and mental toughness but even though he was picked in the first round of the draft, he was number 15 even with such potential. Maybe he did not perform his best in college or something.

Anyway, the matchups continued and now it was Kyrie's turn to attack. And when I got my chance to defend against him, I cleared my mind and only focus on this moment, because I know that a single distraction could cause me to lose instantly.