"Shall We Talk in Your Car?"

Guys there is already content on patreon, if anyone wants to become a chunin or jonnin.

patreon.com/Chuga320 (More 50 chapters)

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Oakland, Arena Street.

Nate sat in his second-hand Volkswagen Beetle, nervously watching the Oracle Center from a distance. His heart raced with a mix of excitement and anxiety.

He felt something big was about to happen.

As an internal sports reporter for The Chronicler of San Francisco, Nate's job barely paid enough for him to get by. Most of his work involved handling basic administrative tasks and assisting senior reporters.

Of course, it wasn't Nate's turn to interview anyone after the game. He was far from those privileges. Instead, he often had to scrape together stories on his own, running around and hoping for a lucky break.

Today, Nate had come to the Oracle Center to try his luck again, hoping to catch someone from the Warriors' management for a quick interview. Meeting Larry Riley would have been a jackpot.

After about thirty minutes of waiting outside the arena, Nate saw Chris Cohan enter the building, and his hope dimmed a little.

Everyone in San Francisco knew who Chris Cohan was—the disliked owner of the Warriors. His reputation wasn't just bad; it was awful.

Since taking over the team, Cohan had steered the Warriors into disaster after disaster. Each season seemed to get worse, frustrating fans and locals alike. Nobody who cared for the Warriors would willingly enter Oracle Center if they didn't have to.

Nothing noteworthy would come from trying to interview Chris Cohan. So, Nate decided to wait a little longer, hoping to spot someone else.

This kind of waiting was boring and exhausting. But as an internal reporter, Nate didn't have the connections needed to scoop up easy stories. All he could rely on was sheer persistence, a little luck, and this unglamorous method of staking out the arena.

New reporters looking to find big news couldn't afford to sit comfortably in an office, basking in air conditioning and sipping on Coca-Cola. That was the luxury reserved for the big-name journalists who had already made it. Nate was far from there.

Another hour passed, and Nate's patience was wearing thin. He was about to leave when a sleek Bentley pulled into the parking lot. Out of habit, Nate glanced at the car, but something about the person stepping out made him freeze in his seat.

Wait, why does that guy look so familiar?

Nate grabbed the binoculars from his passenger seat and zoomed in on the man leading the small group. The face in the lens was a young man with a warm smile, dressed sharply in a suit and polished shoes.

Coach Liam!

As a sports reporter, Nate had seen this man on TV and in headlines during this year's March Madness. It was impossible for him to forget a face like that.

What was Coach Liam doing here at Oracle Center?

Nate's mind raced. Could it be that Coach Liam was about to join the Warriors' management? The idea was bold, but it didn't seem too far-fetched. After all, Liam had the skills, and his age and background could easily attract attention to the Warriors.

With someone as money-driven as Chris Cohan, this kind of move would make sense.

Watching Liam and his group head inside, Nate grew more certain of his theory. He couldn't let this opportunity pass by. If he was right and Liam was joining the Warriors, Nate's scoop would be huge. Writing this story could be his ticket to becoming a full-fledged reporter.

Nate stayed patient, watching the entrance for another hour. Just when he thought the wait would never end, Liam and his group emerged from the Oracle Center, with Chris Cohan walking them out.

The sight of them together only solidified Nate's suspicion. He quickly grabbed his camera and snapped a few pictures.

Once the two groups separated, Nate took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and grabbed his recorder. He stepped out of his car with a mix of excitement and nerves, determined to approach Coach Liam for an interview.

...

"Mark, are you heading back to Indiana today?" Liam asked with a smile as Chris Cohan walked off.

Although the two parties had already signed the contract, it still needed to be approved by the league. Only after two-thirds of the team owners agreed could Liam officially join the Warriors.

Until then, he wasn't the owner yet.

"I came all the way to Oakland to help you with the signing. Of course, I'm heading back after this," Mark Baum replied.

Liam shrugged. "Well, I was going to invite you to dinner."

"Dinner? You mean McDonald's?" Mark said mockingly, well aware of Liam's fast food preferences.

"No, Colombian food this time. San Francisco's Latin Quarter is pretty famous..." Liam trailed off mid-sentence, his gaze shifting to the right.

Mark followed his gaze and noticed a young woman approaching them.

It wasn't until she was closer that Mark could clearly see her. She was about 5'7", wearing a crisp white shirt and light blue jeans. Her dark hair, neatly trimmed at the shoulders, framed a face with delicate features and light makeup. Her demeanor was friendly yet confident. In one hand, she held a voice recorder.

"Excuse me, Coach Liam, can I have a few minutes of your time?" the woman asked with a polite smile. Her Spanish accent was unmistakable.

For the sake of being from the same part of the world, Liam decided to hear her out.

Nate felt a nervous flutter in his chest as he looked at Liam, hoping he would accept the interview. She had switched to Spanish deliberately, knowing it might appeal to Liam's background, even if the situation was a little informal.

"Are you a reporter?" Liam asked, glancing at the recorder in her hand.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nate, and I'm an internal reporter for The Chronicler of San Francisco. May I interview you? It will only take five minutes," Nate said sincerely, speaking softly.

Mark, visibly annoyed, cut in, "Lady, could you at least speak in a language I understand? I don't know what you're saying."

"Sorry, sir. I'm a reporter from The Chronicler of San Francisco, and I'd like to interview Coach Liam," Nate explained, giving Mark a slight bow in apology before looking back at Liam with hopeful eyes.

Liam's mind raced. He had a pretty good idea of what Nate was going to ask. After a moment, he nodded.

"Alright, no problem," he said.

"Thank you! This won't take long," Nate said, relieved.

Mark leaned closer to Liam and whispered, "Liam, she's a reporter. Don't you want to keep your acquisition of the Warriors under wraps? If you talk to her, this will definitely be reported."

"Don't worry. I've got it under control."

"Shall we begin, Coach Liam?" Nate asked, turning on the voice recorder, ready to start the interview.

Liam scanned the area, making sure no other reporters or photographers were nearby, and then asked, "Do you have a car?"

"Yes, that's my car," Nate said, pointing to the Beetle, slightly confused.

"How about we chat in your car?" Liam suggested with a smile.

"Uh... Sure, of course," Nate replied, surprised by how easygoing Liam was.

"Mark, give me a moment. I'll be right back," Liam said before walking with Nate toward the Beetle.

They both got into the car, with Liam settling into the passenger seat and Nate in the driver's seat.

"Coach Liam, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Here's my press ID," Nate said, handing it over.

Now that they were alone, Nate switched back to Spanish.

Liam glanced at the ID and handed it back. "The Chronicler of San Francisco is a big newspaper. Pretty impressive that you managed to intern there. Are you Colombian?"

"Yes, from Bogota. I'm finishing my master's degree at UC Berkeley and will be graduating soon," Nate explained.

End of this chapter

Note: Hi if you really like NBA novels, you can support me either in this pg with stones, reviews etc, or in patreon since the niche of sports and specially NBA is very small is Webnovel since people prefer to read Naruto, Pokemon, comics etc.