On the morning of June 9, after leaving the Santa Monica Resort Hotel Shutters on the Beach in California, Li You, dressed in sports and wearing only a simple white T-shirt, looked at the door of the hotel.

The weather in Los Angeles is better than New York in June, with morning temperatures around 14°C, and the climate plays a big role in the popularity of the City of Angels.

A Chevrolet Blazer soon appeared in front of Li You, Mark Battlestein waved to him, and after getting into the car, Ryan West, who was sitting in the driver's seat, immediately smiled and said:

"Taller than what I saw on TV, Lee, welcome to Los Angeles!"

Ryan is Jerry West's son, his dad is president, and his son also works for the Lakers...

"It's great to be on trial with the Lakers, I've always wanted to go to the Great Western Forum arena and now it's a dream come true!"

Li You smiled and complimented, and Ryan West grinned, and it could be seen that this person had a sense of belonging to the Lakers.

The tryout process was a little different, with a visit to the Great Western Forum arena to introduce the history of the Lakers before heading to the YMCA stadium in Inglewood to complete the tryout.

Compared with the Knicks, the Lakers place more emphasis on team culture, and Li You also understands that there are a lot of championship flags hanging over the arena, and the Lakers can show off, but the Knicks don't have this condition...

Compared to Madison Square Garden, the Great Western Forum Arena is not luxurious, but it has more basketball elements.

The Lakers' historic names have been photographed here, and Ryan West took the Lakers staff to explain the history of the arena to Lee You.

On the surface, he pretended to be listening, but Li You was not very interested in these championships in his heart, he was not a fan of the Lakers, and he had no intention of chasing stars.

Throughout the morning, in addition to visiting the Great Western Forum Arena, the two sides also took a walk around Los Angeles.

Compared to New York, South Los Angeles is still under construction, and in Lee's view, it is a city that is still developing.

Ryan West was also a little surprised in his heart, he knew that Li You was not yet 19 years old, but he didn't feel like a teenager at all.

In order to take care of Li You's appetite, Michael Cooper, the accompanying staff member, specially booked a Mexican restaurant.

"I've been at the University of New Mexico for two years, Lee, and I hope you enjoy the arrangement!"

Michael Cooper is 40 years old, but he is in good shape, and Lee Woo and the Lakers legend bump fists:

"I almost stayed in New Mexico to study, thank you for your hospitality!"

Mark Battlestein was pleased with the Lakers' arrangement, with the 24th pick, and the Lakers did show their intentions.

However, as a professional agent, after 10 years in this circle, Mark Battlestein still prefers the Knicks.

The Lakers' starting point guard, Nick Van Exel, is too secure.

Head coach Del Harris, known as the Silver Fox, is not a rookie like Jeff Van Gundy, and the rookie will most likely not give much time.

If you want to sign a big contract after three years, you have to make a name for yourself early, even if you are warmly entertained, Mark Battlestein is not fooled, and the Lakers are still an alternative...

In the afternoon trial, everyone went to the YMCA Stadium in Inglewood, which was in average condition, with some of the aisles narrower than the locker rooms of the Great Western Forum, and the venue was not standard...

Li You didn't care about this, and it was normal for the training hall and the competition venue to be separated.

Still a traditional physical test, Mark Battlestein saw Li You enter the state, and immediately blew to Jerry West next to him:

"Lee is definitely underrated, in Connecticut, he has the quality to start, Coach Calhoun has been persuading him to play another year, and this year's stats are multiplied by two, which is Lee's true level."

"Li knows a lot about the existing basketball tactical system, in fact, what he is best at is blocking and dismantling offense, but unfortunately, this has not been shown."

Jerry West, who had been focusing on watching Li You's smooth shooting, suddenly smiled at this time and said:

"Lee is indeed a genius, but you chose the Knicks in the first place, but I understand your choice!"

Business is business, Mark Battlestein didn't have a trace of embarrassment, and responded in a relaxed tone:

"Lee was in Connecticut, which was closer to New York, where his friends and teachers were, and I had to be responsible for my clients."

John Black is the Lakers' VP of Public Relations and, if nothing else, will serve as the Lakers' representative for this year's draft.

For the No. 24 pick, they had already prepared, but after seeing Li You's trial, they were still taken aback, and the vacant shooting was really scary.

"Come on! Lee, we've all seen what you're capable of, play a few balls, don't underestimate me, I'm not old enough to be able to defend. ”

Michael Cooper twisted his head to Lee and motioned for the next step.

As an important member of the Lakers' show time, selected to the league's All-Defensive Team eight times, and won the Defensive Player of the Year in '87, 40-year-old Michael Cooper has a lot of defensive experience.

Li You, who was wearing a training uniform, had already fully moved his body at this time, and looked at the old man who was a little out of shape, and subconsciously raised his eyebrows.

Li You, who received the ball at the top of the arc, was not polite, facing this old man with a reduced lateral speed, after putting the ball with his left hand, he lowered his center of gravity and dribbled twice quickly behind his back.

Taking advantage of the opponent's footsteps, Li You, who was holding the ball in his right hand, suddenly accelerated, and Michael Cooper subconsciously slid to the left back, while his right hand was hidden and pulled, as if he wanted to interfere with Li You.

The ball protector separated the opponent's interference, and Li You, who had just dribbled past the three-point line, dribbled the ball behind his back again, completed the retreat again, returned to the three-point line, shook out a shot space, and his body drifted back slightly, and he made a quick jump shot!

"Huh!" Three-point shot hollow into the net!

The on-site staff all exclaimed, Li You's movements were too fast.

After only three rounds, Michael Cooper knew that he couldn't defend the frame, and at a few points near the paint area, he barely regained some face, attacking with his back, and Li You missed a goal.

After a few rounds, Michael Cooper was tossed enough, took a breath, and immediately said with emotion:

"Well done! Lee, your technical style is very unique, and you are still old! ”

Li You shot too accurately, was mobilized to mobilize the center of gravity of his body, repeatedly attacked the defensive front support foot, and the old man with a reduced lateral movement speed had no way at all except to pull with his hands.

Greeting Michael Cooper again, Lee Woo threw the ball to the staff and said with a smile:

"Maybe you can think about coming back and playing for a few more years, a lot of young players can't defend as well as you! I'm telling the truth! ”

John Black took the initiative to step forward and pat Li You on the shoulder, and greeted everyone with a smile:

"Guys, perfect tryout! Let's go to the office and have a chat! ”

Mark Battlestein gave Li You a look, according to the plan, this is the time to have a lake dream...

At 10 o'clock in the evening, when he returned to the resort hotel in Santa Monica, Mark Battlestein, who had drunk a lot of wine, was not a little drunk, and asked Li You meaningfully:

"Lee, what do you think of the Lakers?"

Eat, drink and have fun, the Lakers' hospitality is very good, but Li You is not corroded by sugar-coated shells:

"I didn't see that Silver Fox Harris, the 24th pick, really selected me, and there is a high probability that he will have to sit on the bench for a season."

"The fact that the coaching staff didn't show up is a bit of a problem, maybe the other side doesn't like to use rookie players!"

Leaning back on the couch, Lee Woo is still calm, he knows what he needs, it takes more games to cash in on his talent, and he doesn't want to sit on the bench all the time in his rookie season.

Mark Battlestein didn't expect Li You to really notice this, and he was in a good mood for a while, and he saved a lot of trouble communicating with smart people:

"I thought you'd love the Lakers, Jerry West was on the floor, that's a legend!"

Li You pursed his lips, he was not really a lake dream, and complained in a low voice:

"What's the use of legends, for rookie players, the coach is the boss of the team!"