After a rebound got snagged and passed around, less than two minutes later, Zhao Dong swatted O'Neal again while rotating on defense. That had Shaq heated—he looked like he was ready to throw hands.
"This is the All-Star Game, Zhao Dong! Why you keep hatin' on my shots, man?" Shaq barked, frustrated as hell.
"Wait, we not allowed to block shots in the All-Star Game?" Zhao Dong asked with a smirk, acting innocent.
"…"
Shaq looked like he was about to explode. He glanced at the others and muttered, "Yo, somebody else get blocked. Like, block Karl Malone or something—stop blocking just me."
"Shaq?"
Malone was standing close by, and when he heard that, he clenched his fists like he was about to knock Shaq out.
After the third quarter, the commentator went nuts: "Y'all hearing this?! We're about to witness history, a moment nobody's ever seen before—a 5x5 in the All-Star Game…"
"Ohhh!"
The whole crowd lit up.
Zhao Dong's stats popped up on the jumbotron, the arena announcer shouting over the cheers: "15 points… 7 boards… 7 dimes… 4 steals… 5 blocks!"
"Zhao Dong! Zhao Dong! Zhao Dong!"
"AMVP! AMVP! AMVP!"
"STEAL! STEAL! STEAL!"
Knicks fans were on fire.
"Listen up, everybody—stay away from him on offense. Dude's out here stalking the ball like a damn wolf," Shaq warned.
"We cannot, I repeat, CANNOT let him get that fifth steal. I ain't tryna be in no highlight tape as a turnover," Malone added, mad as hell.
"I swear, if he pulls off a 5x5, the league's gonna chop this whole game up into a mixtape and blast it all over the planet. Man, can I sit out the rest? I've done enough today," Garnett said, throwing in the towel.
"My foot's actin' up, coach. Maybe let Stockton take over?" Payton chimed in.
The Western Conference bench started buzzin'. A few dudes even threw on their warmups again—they were DONE playing.
Fourth quarter tipped off, and the West had the rock.
Three minutes in, and the Western offense wanted no smoke with Zhao Dong. Wherever he stood, dudes just swung the ball the other way like he was radioactive. No steals, no chances.
"Man, it's just a damn 5x5!" Zhao Dong cursed, annoyed.
Since the steals weren't coming, he shifted gears—started chasing the triple-double. In two minutes, he pulled down two boards and dropped two dimes.
By the sixth minute, the West was pushing the ball again.
Zhao Dong noticed Stockton bringing it up while Malone set a high screen. He was already reading the play.
Stockton came off Malone's screen, trying to cut into the paint—but his view was blocked by the big man.
That's when Zhao Dong struck.
He rotated quick, jumped in front of Stockton, planted his feet—BOOM! Stockton bumped into him, lost the handle, and Zhao Dong pounced.
"IT'S A WRAP!"
The West squad looked shook.
"Yeahhhh!!!"
The whole arena exploded.
The announcer screamed, "STEAL! STEAL! STEAL! Zhao Dong just got his FIFTH steal!"
Ten minutes later, the game wrapped up in a wave of love and hype.
After Jordan pulled off a triple-double last year, Zhao Dong took it a step further—dropping numbers the league had never seen in All-Star history.
Dude played the entire second half, logged 33 minutes total, shot 8-for-11 from the field, 1-for-2 from deep, and 3-for-4 at the line. Longest minutes of anyone on the court.
Final statline: 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 5 steals, 6 blocks, 1 turnover, 2 fouls.
"5x5! That's right—a 5x5 in the All-Star Game for the first time EVER. And not just that, it's a TRIPLE-DOUBLE plus 5x5. Big ups to Zhao Dong, the official MVP of this year's All-Star showdown!" the commentator hyped.
Pah pah pah…
Commissioner David Stern clapped, loving every second. This was exactly the kind of fire he wanted from the All-Star Weekend.
He was already thinking about turning the whole game into a highlight reel for the world to see—NBA basketball at its peak.
No surprise—Zhao Dong walked away with the All-Star MVP trophy. Holding it in his hands, with Stern right next to him, he told the media:
"I'm really grateful for this award. But more than that, I'm hyped that I got to show what I can do to fans around the globe. This league, this game—it's everything. Thanks to all the All-Stars. This is the best stage for us to shine."
Pah pah pah…
The crowd in Madison Square Garden gave him a standing ovation.
"Eve, this one's for you."
After the interview, Zhao Dong headed over to the sideline and handed the MVP trophy to Lindsay.
"Zhao Dong, I'm gonna build a trophy cabinet just for all your awards," Lindsay said, beaming.
"Nah, don't even bother with a cabinet. You better start planning a whole room. I'm tryna fill it up with hardware," Zhao Dong laughed.
Lindsay nodded and said she'd start picking out designs as soon as they got home.
"Yo, sis-in-law! Hold that trophy for me and Pops so we can snap a photo!" Zhao Dacheng shouted.
"Sure, here you go." Lindsay passed it over.
She brought out the camera and took a bunch of pics with Zhao Zhenguo and Zhao Dacheng.
That's when Zhang Heli and Sun Zhenping rolled in with a film crew, ready to interview Zhao Dong.
"Y'all still live?"
Zhao Dong grinned, then pointed at his feet. "Yo, zoom in on the kicks first!"
"…Just take the damn picture."
Sun Zhenping sighed and had the cameraman focus on Zhao Dong's sneakers for a few shots.
"Zhao Dong, now that you tied the knot, when are you planning to have a kid?" Sun Zhenping asked with a sly smile once the interview got rolling.
Zhao Dong blinked. "Bro, you really asking me that right now?"
"Don't delay, man. Your grandparents were pressing us this morning," Zhao Zhenguo chimed in from the side.
"He's not lying," Zhao Dacheng added.
"Yo, big bro, why don't YOU step up for the family, huh?" Zhao Dong shot back.
"You're the firstborn. That's your job," he added, eyeing him.
"I'm only 22, man. Ain't no rush," Zhao Dacheng protested.
"I'm just 20!" Zhao Dong said, even more annoyed.
"Well, that's what you get for getting married first. You grown now—time to handle that family biz," Dacheng joked back.
"Haha…"
At that moment, everyone watching the interview back in China straight-up lost it, cracking up hard.
The day after the All-Star Weekend, Zhao Dong's family caught a flight back home.
They weren't really feelin' the States—too quiet, too different. They were used to alleyways, courtyard homes, and that daily city chaos. One day here felt like a whole damn year.
Once the fam bounced, Zhao Dong and Lindsay got back to living their own lives.
Meanwhile, Silver Demon sneakers were heating up in the States. Word-of-mouth was spreading like wildfire, and the brand started slicing into market share from the big dogs—Adidas and Nike.
Over in East Asia, sales were strong in Japan and South Korea too.
But in China? Man, it was domination. The first-gen Silver Demons hit the market like a fall breeze sweeping up dry leaves. Li Ning's basketball shoes? Straight-up dusted and sent to the warehouse. Silver Demon dropped and instantly took over the domestic basketball shoe game.
Back home, Zhao Dong had already locked in a promise: once his deal with Li Ning expired, the national team and the CBA would be rocking Silver Demons on the court.
Now it's February 11th—just five days left before the trade window slams shut.
That morning at 11 AM, the Bulls and the Heat pulled the trigger on a trade. Chicago sent an unprotected 2000 first-rounder, a role player, and $600K in cash for the Heat's backup small forward, Tracy McGrady.
Yeah, you guessed it—Nike had their hands all over this. Not only did the Bulls get some depth on the wing, but if MJ started to slow down with age, that first-rounder could help the Heat reload too. Win-win for Nike.
Originally, Nike wanted to send Jamal Mashburn, the Heat's starting small forward, to the Bulls. But Pat Riley wasn't having it.
He stuck with Mashburn and let McGrady go.
And honestly? You can't fault him. Even by 2003, Mashburn was still a top-10 small forward. Dude was even listed as a draft comp for young LeBron and Melo.
Mash was still putting up 21 and 6 in '03—prime numbers. But he got done dirty. The Hornets' team doc misdiagnosed his knee injury. Wrong treatment made it worse, and just like that, he retired that season at 31. Prime years, gone.
Right now in the league, with Pippen aging and no major stars left at the 3-spot, Mashburn had a chance to take over—if Zhao Dong wasn't out here being a damn cheat code.
The Bulls just got better, no question. But the Knicks? They hit a rough patch post-All-Star break, dropping six games in February.
Chauncey Billups was still figuring it out. Dude couldn't find the rhythm between scoring and running the offense, and it threw the whole team off.
To be real, Don Nelson's an offensive wizard. Van Gundy and Thibs? Defensive geniuses. But when it comes to grooming point guards? Not really their lane. Billups probably would've been better off staying in Miami.
Zhao Dong was thinking if things didn't turn around soon, the Knicks might end up wasting Billups.
Then there's Big Ben and Danny Fortson. Both were kinda up-and-down lately. They just needed more time. But at least their growth potential looked solid—way better than Billups' situation.
The Knicks stood at 37 wins and 18 losses—tied with the Pacers for the top spot in the East. The Bulls sat right behind them, three games back.
Out West, the Spurs started to slide a bit. Jazz, Lakers, Sonics, and Spurs held the top four spots. Suns were fifth, and the Mavs sixth.
Zhao Dong noticed something, though—Steve Nash was ballin' out. With more minutes, Nash was hoopin' better than he ever did early in his past life.
And the Jazz? They were still killin' it. The Black-and-White Duo—Stockton and Karl Malone—pushed the Jazz to the best record in the league, up two games over the Knicks.
End of February, Zhao Dong still led the MVP race. But Player of the Month went to the Mailman—Karl Malone.
March rolled in, and the Knicks had the Lakers up first at MSG.
Big Ben showed out this game. Under the defensive scheme Van Gundy and Thibs cooked up, he fronted Shaq, making it tough for the Lakers to get him clean looks. Oakley rotated for help on the backside, and they locked Big Diesel down—Shaq went 6 for 16 and coughed it up a bunch.
Ben had been grinding in the weight room for months now. Dude built himself like black iron. Not the heaviest, but compact, solid muscle.
His bench press? Up to 190 kilos—borderline elite-level in the league. He could bang in the post now, no doubt.
And even though he was shorter than most bigs, that just gave him a speed edge. Perfect for Nelson's fast-paced style. Whether it was help D or running the break, Ben could do both. Positional sets or fast breaks—he had it covered.
Fortson got hit with a tech again—dude really needed to zip it on the court. Talk off the floor, not during the game.
But his rebounding hustle? Still off the charts. Problem is, that fire led to a bunch of fouls, limiting his minutes. It's gonna take time to fix those habits.
Coach Nelson had already made up his mind, though—when Oakley gets too old, Ben and Fortson are the future frontcourt for the Knicks.
Their weak spot? Scoring. Both were beasts on defense and the boards, but neither had an offensive bag. Ben especially—his offense actually dipped the more he bulked up.
So the Knicks' scoring leaned heavy on the perimeter now. Outside firepower and inside defense—balance on both ends. They were playing a mix of structured sets and run-n-gun.
Nelson added a new wrinkle to the game plan: rebound-and-run transition offense.
Ben and Fortson dominated the boards. Grab the defensive rebound, kick it to Billups. Then Zhao Dong, with that insane burst, would slash down the court from the wing like a freight train.
Since the frontcourt lacked scoring punch, the halfcourt offense couldn't lean too hard on the paint. So Nelson tweaked the set plays.
Less threes. More mid-range shots and hard drives to the cup.
And if things slowed down? Zhao Dong would drop to the low post and go to work. That was something he and old man Nelson had already agreed on. Come playoff time, he'd be logging serious minutes down low to keep that efficiency sky-high.
Of course, whenever Zhao Dong posted up, either Ben or Fordson had to sit—neither of them could stretch the floor, and if both were out there, the paint would be way too crowded. That just made it easier for defenses to collapse on him.
Another thing was, since Big Ben and Fordson didn't really bring any offensive juice, Coach Nelson leaned into heavy pick-and-roll sets during half-court possessions. The bigs had to set tough screens and dive hard or be ready to roll and dish—it wasn't light work.
Because the squad was constantly experimenting with new plays, the team's performance kept swinging. When they clicked, they could beat anybody. But when they were off? Even a tanking team could sneak a W.
Zhao Dong gave it everything he had to carry the load, but some nights, his teammates just couldn't step up. That's when it really hit him—basketball ain't a one-man game. You need a real squad.
Then on March 2nd, Yao Ming called with some heat—Duke made it into March Madness. He was hyped and invited Zhao Dong to pull up for his game.
"Aight, if y'all make it to the Final Four, I'll be there in the front row," Zhao Dong said, chuckling.
"It's a bet, Brother Dong!" Yao replied with a big ol' grin.
Fast-forward to March 15th, and Yao hit him again with more good news—Duke was going to the Final Four.
"Bro! We made it! And guess what? The semi-finals and finals are gonna be in New York—your house!" Yao shouted through the phone, mad excited.
"Who y'all playing?" Zhao Dong asked.
"The 19th. University of Utah," Yao answered.
"Utah?" Zhao Dong immediately thought of the Jazz.
He couldn't remember who won the NCAA title in '98. All he knew was Carter, Pierce, and the other big names in this year's draft didn't win it. So whatever team took the chip probably didn't have any superstars.
On the 19th, Madison Square Garden was the stage for the NCAA Final Four: Duke vs. Utah.
Back in the late '90s, college hoops still ran the show, even in NYC. NCAA had more hype than the NBA, especially during March Madness.
When the Final Four tipped off, even NBA games had to take a backseat.
Zhao Dong's old school, Stony Brook, never even made it outta their own conference, so March Madness was a dream. No one cared about them like that.
But this Duke vs. Utah showdown? It had more buzz than the NBA Playoffs.
Lately, even the New York media had stopped talking about the NBA—they were all-in on NCAA talk.
Duke was one of the NCAA's top dogs, and with their status, all eyes were on them.
And the centerpiece? Yao Ming.
He had become the most talked-about Chinese baller since Zhao Dong himself. Dude was averaging 18 points, 8.5 boards, 2.4 dimes, 0.6 steals, and 2.1 blocks. He had soft hands, good footwork, a solid mid-range stroke, and a crazy-high ceiling.
The New York media was drooling over his draft stock—every mock had him as a lottery pick.
Hu Weidong had been ballin' for a minute too, but he wasn't getting even half the love Yao was getting now.
Meanwhile, the Knicks were out on a West Coast swing, playing three straight road games. Zhao Dong didn't get back to New York until noon on the 19th. That afternoon, he pulled up to Duke's hotel.
"Brother Dong, you made it!" Yao was already waiting in front, grinning ear to ear.
"Let's go meet your coach. I already booked a dinner with Coach K—my treat," Zhao Dong said, slapping Yao on the back.
"Bet!" Yao replied, still smiling wide.
"Oh, here—got you a little something." Zhao Dong casually handed over a bag of video game consoles he brought from the West.
"Yo, for real?! That's fire!" Yao lit up like a kid on Christmas.
He was still just under 18—young as hell. A gaming console? That was a W gift.
As they came out the elevator, Zhao Dong spotted Coach K walking down the hall.
"Coach K!"
"Zhao Dong! Good to see you," Coach K said, walking up with a big smile.
"Coach, I gotta say—you might have a real shot at the chip this year. No team looks unbeatable right now," Zhao Dong said while shaking his hand.
Coach K chuckled and glanced over at Yao, nodding. "I should be thanking you. If it weren't for your recommendation, I wouldn't have Yao here. Appreciate you, truly."
Zhao Dong nodded. "What do you think his future looks like?"
"Bright. Super bright," Coach K said without even thinking.
"Got any advice for him?" Zhao Dong asked.
"He's not even 18 yet. I wouldn't rush him into the NBA. He needs time to build a strong foundation here at Duke," Coach K replied.
Zhao Dong agreed. "Yeah, facts. I think he should stay at least three years—master all the fundamentals for a big man. That way when he hits the league, he'll be a problem from Day 1."
Yao just scratched his head and smiled, humbled.
Coach K laughed but nodded again. "I'm with you. He's got that rare combo—height, agility, and touch. Oh, and by the way, I remember you said you wanted him to learn Olajuwon's style. I'm all-in on that idea. I'll work him like that."
"Thanks, Coach. For real," Zhao Dong said seriously. "China doesn't have the basketball resources the U.S. does. Yao's a rare gem. If you help polish him into a star, millions of fans back home will never forget that."
Coach K chuckled. "Hard to imagine that many people."
After that, Zhao Dong met Battier and a few of the other Duke players—most of them were future NBA guys. He chopped it up with them, offered some advice, cracked a few jokes.
Then they all headed to Madison Square Garden together for the big night.
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