"We have to lock in Ogawa Tetsuya's contract as soon as possible. Trust me on this, old friend—I'm absolutely right!"
"Calm down, calm down, Earvin. Ogawa Tetsuya has indeed shown outstanding talent, but this was only the first game of the Summer League."
"Listen, Rob—this is the closest thing I've seen to the Big Shark since he retired!"
"Earvin, I fully trust your expertise and judgment, but we still have several games ahead to evaluate him, don't we?"
"You need to understand—once Ogawa Tetsuya fully showcases that unparalleled talent of his, I'm certain every team in the league will come after him. The price we'll have to pay then will be immeasurable!"
"Earvin, you should also remember—Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball were both second overall picks. Kuzma, Hart, Zubac—they all went through the draft system. You understand what I'm saying, right?"
"Rob, of course I know the team plans to focus on developing these young talents this season. But Ogawa Tetsuya is a once-in-a-generation prodigy too—and he isn't even twenty yet. You'll pay for today's hesitation and doubt!"
"..."
The Lakers' President of Basketball Operations, Magic Earvin Johnson, and General Manager Rob Pelinka were locked in a heated back-and-forth over whether to immediately finalize Ogawa Tetsuya's official contract.
There was no doubt about it.
As a former player, Magic Johnson held immense faith in Ogawa Tetsuya—the sudden phenomenon who had burst onto the scene.
Pelinka, on the other hand, with his background as an agent, trusted scouting reports, data, and the formal draft process far more.
Back at the hotel, Ogawa Tetsuya had no idea that two of the Lakers' top executives were arguing so fiercely over him.
After taking a shower, he immediately opened the system within his mind.
[Host]Ogawa Tetsuya
[Height]213 cm
[Weight]126 kg
[Position]Center
[Nationality]Heavenly Dynasty
[Strength]99
[Speed]70
[Stamina]78
[Endurance]85
[Vertical Leap]78
[Agility]70
[Shooting]58
(Inside Shot 99 · Mid-range 45 · Long-range 30)
[Dunking]94
(Standing Dunk 100 · Drive Dunk 88 · Contact Dunk 94)
[Layups]80
(Standing Layup 99 · Drive Layup 71 · Close Shot 70)
[Rebounding]98
[Shot Blocking]93
[Ball Handling]60
[Passing]66
[Post Play]96
[Steals]60
...
[Fusion Reward]Peak Big Shark Talent
[Honor Points]0
Ogawa Tetsuya carefully scanned the panel from top to bottom. This was a complete breakdown of his personal attributes.
However, the final line—Honor Points—sparked his intense curiosity.
After checking the Supreme Dominance System Manual, Ogawa Tetsuya finally understood:
To earn Honor Points, he would need to win accolades across the NBA regular season, playoffs, Finals, and even international competitions.
Once accumulated to a certain amount, these points could be used to fuse elite center-exclusive skills from the system shop.
Hakeem Olajuwon's Dream Shake and elite shot-blocking…
Wilt Chamberlain's monstrous stamina and endurance…
Yao Ming's flawless free-throw touch…
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's legendary Sky Hook…
It could be said that every peak-era center in NBA history had their signature abilities stored within the system's shop.
At the same time, Ogawa Tetsuya discovered that his in-game stats—points, rebounds, blocks, steals, and more—could all be converted into System Credits.
These credits could be used to purchase items like Injury Recovery Potions, Fatigue Elimination Potions, and Knee Reinforcement Potions.
"Looks like I need to finalize my contract as soon as possible," Ogawa Tetsuya muttered.
"The sooner I play official NBA games and rack up honors, the faster I'll grow stronger."
Closing the system, his resolve to shine on the NBA stage only hardened.
In the following Summer League games, Ogawa Tetsuya's terrifying dominance on both ends of the court shocked every team.
He bulldozed opposing frontcourts with unstoppable force—utterly overwhelming.
Truth be told, the Summer League was nothing more than a beginner's village for an interior destroyer like Ogawa Tetsuya. It posed zero challenge.
His spotlight completely eclipsed the Lakers' two second-overall picks. With absurd efficiency and overwhelming dominance, he led the Lakers to the Summer League Championship.
As for the Summer League Finals MVP—there was no suspense whatsoever.
Ogawa Tetsuya claimed it without dispute.
Although Ingram and "Ball Bro" Lonzo felt somewhat displeased, they also knew deep down that their performances simply fell short.
Ogawa Tetsuya's explosive rise didn't just draw attention from NBA front offices—it also ignited a massive storm across domestic basketball forums.
"Holy shit—Ogawa Tetsuya is an absolute interior monster! This is downright brutal!"
"Didn't they say big men from our country were all skinny bamboo poles with no physicality?"
"Why do I feel like I'm watching the Big Shark casually tearing apart the paint when I watch Ogawa Tetsuya's highlights?"
"We all grew up eating rice and noodles—so why does Ogawa Tetsuya have a body that rivals, or even overwhelms, those freakishly gifted Black athletes?!"
"He walks a technical center path like Big Yao, but damn… our Heavenly Dynasty finally has an interior killer on par with the Big Shark! Hahaha!"
"Yeah right—keep hyping him up! The shameless media does this every year—another 'genius,' then he gets destroyed and vanishes. Not a single one sticks in the NBA!"
"Exactly! It's just the Summer League—no real stars—and they're already treating him like a god."
"That's right. Plenty of Heavenly Dynasty players looked great in Summer League before. Where are they now? All stuck back in the CBA."
"..."