A Scrimmage Game For the LA Lakers III
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~~~(POV: Ulysses Kennedy)~~~
~~~(Date: January 24th, 2026)~~~
~~~(Location: UCLA Training Facility, LA)~~~
~~~(Time: 4:25 PM)~~~
I make the final basket, and the game ends with a buzzer by reaching the score of 75 points. My personal states are 40 Points, 11 Assists, 12 Rebounds, 6 Blocks, and 2 Steals. The final score is 75-48 in favor of Black Team. I didn't miss a single shot and shot under 20 shots to get 40 points. I turn towards the bench, and I make my way over. Getting a bottle and drinking Gatorade.
As I'm looking around the court, I can see Frank Vogel and Jeanie Buss taking privately as Ellie and Hannah make their way over. Hannah starts to jog over after seeing that I've noticed her approach. She makes it to me and takes a seat in my lap, and wraps me in a hug. Even though I'm sweating. "You were beyond amazing!!" Her excitement is infectious.
The Lakers players leave me to my family, and Ellie takes a seat next to me. "What do you think they're talking about right now?" That's a dumb question for me to ask. I know they're discussing me and what value I can bring to the team. The Lakers aren't doing as good as they should, given the players and talent on their team.
Knowing that I'm going to be training with other teams until The NBA Draft is probably worrying them. I've got to meet with the Knicks, The Pacers, The Blazers, and other teams in the coming months. They can't do anything about it either, cause that'd be tampering. All they can do is offer incentives for me to come here if I'm not drafted by The Lakers.
Ellie rubs my shoulder and messages the back of my neck. Even though it doesn't hurt, it still feels good. Hannah looks like she wants to do it, but she's not wanting to step on Ellie's toes. "They're probably going to offer you gifts and material objects." She makes sure the word gift is emphasized. A monetary offer is considered tampering, but not giving me a car or something.
This is a tactic that was used by colleges when they still thought I was going the college route. "They've already paid for the entire trip and all of our expenses until we get back. What more could they offer?" Hannah is smart, but sometimes the true scale of my worth eludes her. Someday, I'm going to be worth half a billion dollars to a team.
She forgets that sometimes, and I don't blame her. It's not about the money, and the fact she asks this question means that she isn't with me because of my potential worth. "Well, Hannah... Ulysses is a golden goose for many teams... They'll do anything to get on his good side... Even buy things and gift them to him." Ellie explains it the same way I had to explain it to her.
~~~(POV: Jeanie Buss)~~~
~~~(Date: January 24th, 2026)~~~
~~~(Location: UCLA Training Facility, LA)~~~
~~~(Time: 4:27 PM)~~~
Seeing him play in person is worth so much more than watching him on footage. If The Lakers can get him, he'll sell out the arena every night. "He's a better fit than I'd hoped for... But that might just be because he can be dropped into any team and make an impact." Frank and I are both looking out towards Ulysses on the bench, and he's smiling and talking with his loved ones.
We have the second-best chance in The NBA Draft to get him, and you can be sure as shit I'm worried that the Knicks will get him. Luck has always been on The Laker's side when it comes to The NBA Draft, but the Knicks are due for a number one pick... It makes me sick this had to be the year he declared for the draft.
Nothing can be done about it now, and we'll do the best we can with the cards we have. "What do you think we can do to get him to consider us in the off-season if we don't draft him?" My question to Frank is simple in nature, but complex in practice. When you're working with someone as valuable as Ulysses, you don't want to overstep any boundaries.