One Year Left to Play

Chapter 394 - 117: The Youngest Player of the Month in History! (5,000-Word Bonus Update)

"The Youngest Player of the Month in History"

The American Cable Sports Network was the first to release this news.

Yesterday, rumors began circulating about the young prodigy who is a week away from turning 19 and potentially winning the Player of the Month award in his rookie season.

This morning, after receiving early information from the NBA, the American Cable TV Station, which owns the New York Knicks, announced it first.

Initially, some were skeptical because the NBA had not officially announced the award yet.

January 1, 1996, the new year has arrived.

At 9 a.m. on the first day of the new year, during the routine press conference, the NBA officials invited numerous Chinese and Asian media outlets, and David Stern personally announced: Lakers rookie power forward Zhang Hao, has won the Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month for December 1995!

Jordan worked hard to lead the Bulls to a 7-game winning streak, ending December with a record of 27 wins and 5 losses, the best in the league.

He averaged 31.8 points over 32 games, scored over 50 points three times... although he lost two games, he still scored 50+, and his personal efficiency and team contribution were extremely strong. His player efficiency rating reached 30.3, and when he was on the court, the Bulls scored 116.4 points per 100 possessions and allowed only 97.5 points, unmatched by anyone.

However, despite this record and personal performance, Jordan has gone two consecutive months without winning Player of the Month!

In November, Anfernee Hardaway snatched the Player of the Month award away from him, and on the first day of the new year, Jordan, who performed best in the league this year, faced another setback...

The key is that both times Jordan missed out on Player of the Month were directly related to Zhang Hao.

In November, Jordan and Anfernee Hardaway had equally strong performances. In terms of record, before the final game in November, the Bulls led the Magic by half a game, but since they lost to the Magic, either could have won.

In this intense situation, Zhang Hao dashed Jordan’s hopes of winning the November Player of the Month award by delivering a game-winning shot against Jordan in his final game before leaving the Brooklyn Nets...

In December, although the Bulls’ record was better, Zhang Hao became famous after scoring over 40 against the Bulls and once again delivering a game-winning shot against Jordan.

But before the award was announced, many still believed Jordan should be the Player of the Month for December, with a better record and personal performance. Although he lost to the Lakers once, Jordan had a greater chance of winning the award.

Some media pointed out that the league giving the Player of the Month award to Zhang Hao, a rookie, was partly to hype him up.

However, the awards have been announced, and it is a confirmed fact!

Zhang Hao has become the latest rookie since Larry Bird to win the Player of the Month award in his rookie season!

In the history of the NBA, only Zhang Hao and Larry Bird have won the Player of the Month award in their rookie seasons!

Recently, Zhang Hao’s name has been appearing in various newspapers, whether in praise or criticism, and television stations often report news about him.

With this win, he has risen to complete stardom!

The nickname "Fucker-sky" also began to spread widely.

Reporters quickly reached Pacers GM Larry Bird, who said in an interview: "That’s a Lakers player, the Celtics had a player who won Player of the Month in his rookie season, the Lakers should have one too. I’ve waited many years, even retired, and now, he has come."

This comment is perceived as Larry Bird subtly mocking that the Magician didn’t win Player of the Month in his rookie season.

Another new topic emerged—whether Zhang Hao would become the best rookie in Lakers history?

...

"It’s an honor to receive this award. I know I’m definitely not the best player in the league yet, but I will work towards that goal and hope to become stronger."

"Who to thank? First, of course, the fans—they showed their passion from the start, and I strive to hear their cheers. And naturally, my teammates are the ones who truly help me; I really appreciate them passing the ball to me, or I wouldn’t score so high."

"Compared to Bird? No, no, I’m still far off. You should compare someone else to him, someone from our team, named Elvin Johnson, whom I think you know—he’s the best player in NBA history."

"I’m just playing each game well, that’s all. I’m not thinking too much about it. I don’t even know how I won Player of the Month..."

"Fucker-sky... This nickname is quite interesting, but I don’t really like it, as if it’s mocking me for being single..."

"Will Jordan become the first MVP who never wins Player of the Month? I don’t know if it will happen, but I’d like to see it."

"Is the league hyping me up? Is my performance bad? Is our team record bad?"

"Yes, what I mean is exactly what you’re thinking; it’s what I deserve."

"I..."

The first part of Zhang Hao’s interview went smoothly and met the news officer’s expectations, leaving them satisfied.

But for some reason, Zhang Hao’s responses started gradually revealing his true character towards the end... prompting the news officer to abruptly end the interview.

The news officer was left in despair!

After returning to the training ground, Zhang Hao felt even more hopeless. Yesterday, after receiving Player of the Week, he was interviewed by Xinhuanet, and although the interview process was not important, he learned from Xu Jicheng that his domestic nickname, Brother Ritian, had really spread to the United States.