The Media's Reaction II

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~~~(POV: Ulysses Kennedy)~~~

~~~(Date: October 23rd, 2026)~~~

~~~(Location: Penthouse Apartment, New York)~~~

~~~(Time: 9:04 AM)~~~

A couple of hours have passed, and First Take is starting. Hannah has joined us in the living room, and Ellie is relaxing on the massaging recliner I bought her. Undisputed was interesting, to say the least. There is something that feels wrong about watching your own highlights.

"Alright, gentlemen. Molly. Let's get right into the subject of today. Ulysses and the treatment he's receiving from the refs. I'll start us off by saying the kid is making a case for being the greatest rookie we've ever seen since Magic Johnson."

That's an unusual opening for Stephen A. to give. He's one of the few people that's been in my corner since I got notoriety. Today, he's joined by Mad Dog and Kendrick Perkins. Mad Dog and Perkins are skeptical of me from the last I heard, but that might've changed since last time.

But I wouldn't be surprised. It's a debate show, after all. Everyone can't be in agreement with each other, and I know some old heads and players are very critical of me.

"Number one: Something needs to be done about the officiating in this league! Young, fantastic talent shouldn't be suppressed because a player is great!"

Great, he's starting a list.

"Number two: The NBA can't afford to lose a generational talent such as Ulysses. That flagrant foul was extraordinarily dangerous last night, and the fact the refs didn't do a damn thing about it scares me! It scares me, okay!"

I couldn't say whether the NBA is doing something right now or not, but what I can say is I'm hoping for a change. Getting so many shit calls is impacting my teammates. I'll get my stats regardless, but it's messing with the team's head.

That's the last thing I want for the future. I've been tempted to tweet something out, but I don't like social media. It's pretty rare that I actually post anything. My agent says that I need to consult the Knicks Org before posting anything.

But I think that's crap. So I pull my phone out of my pocket and open Twitter. Stephen A. and the First Take crew are getting into it, but my mind is focused on what I will say.

"What're you doing?"

Hannah is still waking up. After joining us out here an hour ago, she's been in and out of sleep. She's not the type to want to know what's on my phone. She's only asking cause she can see I've opened Twitter.

Her question has gotten Ellie's attention, and she's looking over at us. Hannah is using my body as something to snuggle with. Despite the massive size difference.

"I want to say something about last night."

There is no response from Hannah or Ellie, and as I finish typing up the Tweet. I reread it for any errors in spelling or grammar.

[Last night sucked. Bad calls aren't gonna stop me from getting mine. But that kind of treatment affects a whole team. My head bouncing off the NBA floor isn't a good look on the replays on Undisputed, and First Take.]

Seeing no errors and nothing that outright says I shouldn't post this, I hit send. And as I do, I close my phone. I don't know how fast it's spreading or anything but after about a minute or so. The First Take crew is interrupted by Molly.

"Hold on, guys."

There is a look of frustration from everyone as if they were in a debate. But the screen shifts, and it shows my tweet from a minute ago.

"That was fast..."

Ellie isn't kidding... I just sent that out.

"Last night sucked. Bad calls aren't gonna stop me from getting mine. But that kind of treatment affects a whole team. My head bouncing off the NBA floor isn't a good look on the replays on Undisputed, and First Take."

Molly reads the tweet I sent out loud for everyone not watching to hear. There is the briefest moment of silence before someone speaks up. And this time, it's Perkins.

"Ulysses is right about this. The rookie is good, and he's still got something to prove to me. But I agree with this. Bad calls like that affect an entire team, not just a single player."

It's been an interesting morning, and I hope this makes the NBA do something.