Chapter 32: First Stop of the Trial: The Hornets

On May 18, Tang Bei embarked on his pre-draft workout tour, with the Charlotte Hornets as his first stop.

A team workout is not a solitary affair; the Charlotte Hornets invited over twenty prospects, organizing both physical testing and live scrimmages. Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner, and Tom Gugliotta were among the highly-touted prospects present, though Shaquille O'Neal did not attend.

Unlike Tang Bei, O'Neal, the heavy favorite for the first overall pick, did not conduct a wide range of team workouts. His agent publicly revealed that O'Neal hoped to play for the Lakers and was not concerned about his draft position. However, the Orlando Magic quickly announced that they had no intention of trading their pick, had already prepared a jersey with O'Neal's name on it, and extended an open invitation for him to visit Orlando.

The Hornets had no intention of suppressing Tang Bei; the management simply wanted to evaluate the raw talent and strength of Tang Bei and the other center prospects to inform their future draft decisions. The Hornets held the second overall pick, and their goal was to select a center.

The Hornets' interior was severely undersized. Their starting power forward, Larry Johnson, stood only 198 centimeters in shoes, and their starting center from the previous season, Kenny Gattison, was just 203 centimeters. It was a pure "midget" lineup, and they were in desperate need of a real center. Excluding O'Neal, the choice lay between Mourning, Tang Bei, and Laettner. Gugliotta was a power forward and not on the Hornets' list. Since the Hornets already possessed Larry Johnson, the first overall pick from the previous year, the front office leaned toward selecting a true center. Thus, this workout focused primarily on Tang Bei and Mourning, with Laettner as a secondary candidate.

Head coach Allan Bristow matched Tang Bei against Mourning, forbidding any double-teams to see how they fared in one-on-one scenarios. Tang Bei won the tip-off and immediately sprinted toward the basket. Mourning, relying on his formidable upper-body strength—a weight of 109 kilograms and a max bench press of 190 kilograms—attempted to hold his ground.

"Not happening."

He quickly realized he could not stop him.

"Ball!"

At that moment, Tang Bei suddenly pivoted, sealing Mourning behind him, and raised his right hand high to call for the ball. Sensing the danger, Mourning scrambled to front him from the right side. With his background in martial arts footwork, Tang Bei moved with great agility. As Mourning attempted to front, Tang adjusted his footing, used his right arm to keep Mourning pinned behind him, and switched to his left hand to call for the pass.

Mourning pushed with all his might, but Tang Bei’s low stance was rock-solid, and his strength was a cut above, making him impossible to budge.

"Bang!"

The pass arrived, and Tang Bei caught it with his left hand, rose instantly, and unleashed a thunderous two-handed dunk that rattled the rim. Mourning, trailing behind, was knocked aside and cleanly put on a poster.

"Mourning's strength is decent, but he’s a step behind Tang. Despite his tenacious defense, it’s hard to stop Tang in the paint."

"His post footwork is solid, and he has the height advantage. I’m leaning toward the Chinese player, Tang."

"Let’s wait and see. Mourning’s defense still has the edge; I really admire his defensive attitude."

The Hornets' front office, including General Manager Dave Twardzik, discussed their findings on the sidelines, expressing their varying perspectives. As the scrimmage progressed, Tang Bei gained the upper hand in the post. While Mourning was a fierce defender, he was at a natural disadvantage against a heavy-duty center like Tang, lacking both the strength and the height. Whenever Tang entered the paint, he employed a single tactic against Mourning: pure power, repeatedly drawing fouls. Without double-teams, Tang repeatedly exploited his superior talent to punish Mourning, who found it frustratingly difficult to defend such force.

However, Mourning still delivered several brilliant defensive plays, forcing a few turnovers and two offensive three-second violations from Tang. Tang Bei’s performance on the defensive end was a mixed bag; the old issue remained—his lack of awareness regarding players behind him, leading to insufficient help defense on the weak side. Yet, in one-on-one defense, interior protection, and even helping on the strong side, his performance was commendable. Overall, while his total offensive and defensive impact might have been slightly inferior to Mourning’s, his performance in their direct matchup was notable.

"Tang has a few too many turnovers! His game experience is nowhere near Mourning's."

"He's a rookie. We primarily need talent; experience can be accumulated, but talent cannot—it can only be spent."

"Tang's defensive attitude is also very positive. Even if his technique and experience aren't as good as Mourning's, he has the height and the talent."

"Tang's interior scoring ability is stronger than Mourning's—they aren't on the same level. I think we should pick Tang."

"This draft class is just too talented; it's a difficult choice!"

The management continued their deliberations, but faced with two incredibly gifted centers, they remained undecided. They then arranged for Tang Bei to match up against Laettner, and Mourning against Laettner, rotating the three. Tang Bei showed no mercy against Laettner, scoring exclusively through post-ups. Laettner looked miserable, and had it not been for his fear of Tang Bei’s temper, he might have resorted to violence. Mourning, meanwhile, used his physical defense to shut down Laettner, making it nearly impossible for him to secure low-post opportunities, forcing him to rely entirely on mid-range jumpers.

After the workout, the front office reached a consensus: if the Magic selected O'Neal, the Hornets would choose between Mourning and Tang Bei.

At 10:00 PM on the 20th, CCTV Sports News aired a segment on Tang Bei again. Lin Xiaoyan had only captured the moments where Tang Bei shattered the backboard and brought down the stanchion; there was no full recording, but those few clips were enough to shock the world. Even basketball professionals in China were stunned, some even suspecting the footage was faked.

Previously, the Xinhua News Agency had decided to wait until Tang Bei was successfully drafted before sending a specialized sports reporter to the United States. However, after seeing the news report, they changed their minds. Xu Jicheng, a professional sports journalist at Xinhua and a consultant for CCTV’s basketball broadcasts, was a graduate of Shandong University’s English department. Xinhua intended to send him to the U.S., and upon consulting with CCTV—who also wanted to send someone to interview Tang Bei—the two parties hit it off immediately.

It would not be immediate, however. Xu Jicheng’s work at CCTV was demanding, and with limited funding, he would only travel to the U.S. for the draft.

Yang Boyong, of the State Sports Commission’s Second Department of Competition, also suspected the news was fake after seeing the segment and specifically called Xinhua to verify the situation. The next day, Yang called in Liu Yumin and asked, "Did you see the news about Tang Bei shattering the backboard?"

"I saw it. His strength is truly immense, his leaping ability is excellent, and his explosiveness is high," Liu responded with a trace of astonishment.

Yang remarked, "His physical attributes are indeed excellent, but without technique, he won't go far; once he gets injured, he's done."

Liu nodded, saying, "I don't know what the level of this NBA league is like. This Olympics allows NBA players to compete, and I hear the U.S. men's team is selecting only NBA players."

"I'm afraid we'll have to play them to know for sure."

Yang, also unfamiliar with the NBA, considered for a moment and added, "In the last Olympics and World Championships, the U.S. team finished third. Their strength has declined, and the strongest teams right now are still those few in Europe."