The Best Sparring Partner.

Contrary to popular belief, just like the imperial guards in ancient times didn't necessarily need to be the best fighters, a ball boy's top requirement isn't being great at basketball— it's being obedient.

Thanks to Rondo's referral, Han Sen presented himself as polite and well-mannered during the interview, easily landing a role as a "temporary ball boy" for the Miami Heat.

This role was more of a supplementary position without a fixed salary, but it came with the perk of watching games courtside for free.

Most ball boys hired by teams are between 12 and 18 years old, but the upper age limit for temporary ball boys is more flexible, usually extending up to 22. The goal behind this is to engage local college students and build a connection between the NBA and the university crowd.

Teams typically have a fixed number of full-time ball boys. For example, the Heat have 10 permanent ball boys, with 8 actively working during games (4 for each team), while the remaining 2 are on standby.

There's no set limit on the number of temporary ball boys, who mainly step in when extra help is needed, particularly after games.

Although Han Sen's role as a temporary ball boy wasn't exactly what Rondo had described, it seemed more suited to his needs. After all, his primary goal was to interact with NBA players.

But after starting the job, he realized things weren't going as he had hoped. The NBA players, even the role players, kept their distance from the ball boys.

In hindsight, this was understandable. Most NBA players are millionaires, some even billionaires, and wealth tends to create a natural barrier between them and ordinary people.

It wasn't until he had been on the job for over a week that he finally found his opportunity.

Wade, who had a habit of staying late for extra practice after games, presented that chance. It was probably one of the reasons why Wade had maintained his peak form throughout the season.

Since ball boys are usually busy after the games, any player staying late for additional practice required help from the temporary ball boys. Most ball boys, who weren't paid for the extra work, were reluctant to stay, which gave Han Sen his opening.

He seized this opportunity, and after a few interactions, Wade started to recognize him.

"What's your name?" Wade asked during a break in one of his practices, after accepting the water Han handed him.

"Han Sen," he replied.

"Handsome?" Wade chuckled, rubbing his chin as he looked at Hansen with interest. "Do you play ball?"

"I play for Barry University."

"What year?"

"Junior year."

"Come, let's see what you got," Wade said, standing up.

Wade himself had entered the NBA draft after his junior year in college.

Hansen immediately took to the court, excited about the chance he'd been hoping for. Wade tossed him the ball, signaling for him to show his skills.

Without hesitation, Hansen launched a three-pointer, and the ball sank smoothly through the hoop.

Wade nodded with a smile, impressed by Hansen's confidence.

Then, Wade turned on the pressure.

In that moment, Hansen felt an intense defensive force unlike anything he had experienced before. Even dribbling became a challenge, and he couldn't even get a shot off.

"You need to work on your ball handling," Wade said with a smile after shutting down Hansen's attempt.

Hansen could only smile back, slightly defeated.

Wade might only stand 6'4" (1.93 meters), but his 6'11" (2.10 meters) wingspan and incredible defensive prowess— he was one of the best shot-blocking guards in NBA history and had been named to the All-Defensive Team— made him a formidable defender.

And this season, Wade was still at his peak, excelling on both ends of the court. Expecting Han to score on him was a tall order.

"I'm actually better on defense," Hansen admitted.

"Really?" Wade perked up, clearly intrigued. "That's perfect— I'm good at offense."

This wasn't the time for Hansen to appreciate Wade's humor. He focused all his energy on the game.

Honestly, his original target had been Michael Beasley. Known for his offense and still in his rookie season, Beasley was strong but not overwhelmingly so— he seemed like the ideal practice partner for Han.

Unfortunately, Beasley always disappeared right after games, leaving Han no chance to approach him.

Wade, on the other hand, was on a whole different level.

But this was his only opportunity.

Seeing how serious Han was, Wade dropped the playful attitude and started giving him the respect he deserved.

With a quick move, Wade suddenly blew past him in the blink of an eye.

So fast!

The nickname "Flash" was certainly earned.

But Han didn't lose his defensive position entirely— thanks to his increased lateral speed, he was able to recover quickly with a sliding step backward. His improved movement had significantly boosted his defensive abilities.

He wasn't fooled by Wade's fakes, but soon, the physical contact caused him to lose his balance.

Wade's ability to penetrate wasn't just about his quick first step; his strength throughout the entire drive, including his footwork, physicality, and finishing, was top-tier.

After he lost his defensive stance, Wade took a long stride past him and finished with a smooth reverse layup off the glass.

"You weren't lying," Wade said, acknowledging Hansen's defense after scoring.

"I was only using 80% of my strength," Han joked with a grin.

Wade paused, clearly surprised by the remark.

"Want to go again?"

"Let's do it," Han said, getting back into position.

...

"This time I used 90% of my strength."

"I'm serious now."

"I just got careless earlier, but next time I'll lock you down for sure!"

What started as a lighthearted scrimmage quickly turned into a half-hour-long battle, with Han enduring wave after wave of Wade's offensive dominance.

Wade was eventually taken aback.

He was shocked by Han's persistence.

Most people would have given up after being beaten for so long, but he only seemed to get more excited the longer the session went on.

"We'll stop here for today," Wade finally said, calling it off. If he didn't, it seemed like it would never end.

"How about next time?" Han asked, still eager for more.

Wade didn't respond. He simply waved his hand and quickly left the court.

Watching Wade walk off, Han felt satisfied.

Even though he hadn't been able to stop Wade, he could clearly feel his understanding of defense improving.

That's the benefit of going up against top players— your progress multiplies.

Han had gotten off to a good start, but soon after, he noticed that Wade had started picking other temporary ball boys as practice partners. As expected, life is full of disappointments.

Just when he was wondering how to get another opportunity, one day after a game, Wade motioned for him to come over again.

Without any warm-up or conversation, Wade grabbed the ball, and they began another intense one-on-one session.

In the first round, Wade used a powerful combination of crossovers and physical contact to break through Hansen's defense, then soared high for a two-handed, rim-shaking dunk.

After dunking, Wade swung from the rim for a moment before landing.

It was obvious that this move had some emotional release behind it.

Han said nothing. He simply handed Wade the ball and refocused on defense.

The intensity of their scrimmage that night far surpassed the previous one.

Although he had improved, the gap between him and Wade was still enormous.

He was once again thoroughly dominated.

After about 30 minutes, Wade sat down to rest and motioned for Han to join him.

"Anything you want to say?" Wade asked, staring out at the court.

The Heat had just suffered a big loss at home to the Mavericks, and the media had broken a story about Beasley and Chalmers being caught using drugs. He was in a terrible mood.

Wade felt a bit bad about using Han as an outlet for his frustrations.

If Han decided not to continue being a temporary ball boy after this, Wade would understand.

"Let's rest a bit. I can keep going," Han said, panting.

Wade turned, surprised at his response.

He looked back at the court, set his water bottle down, and stood up after a moment.

"I'm ready."

...

After these two sessions, Han became Wade's regular post-game sparring partner.

While his defense wasn't at an elite NBA level, it was good enough to serve as solid practice for Wade.

Of course, Wade would never guess that, in reality, he was the one acting as Han's training partner.