Indianapolis is the capital of Indiana.
It means "The City of the Indiana people."
Ironically, there aren’t many Native American residents here.
Upon exiting the airport accompanied by Bill Duffy, the first thing Su Wan saw was a torn-up giant poster.
The poster featured the Pacers’ starting lineup, seemingly freshly shot for the new season’s promotional photos. Their fiery spirit was as if declaring: This year’s championship is ours!
Now, someone had slashed a big "X" across this poster.
Artest had been completely ripped off, revealing a blank space.
It was quite jarring.
Then both men saw Reggie Miller coming to pick them up.
He wouldn’t be here for no reason.
Whether he came on his own or the Pacers’ management had called him, Miller’s presence as the leader of the Pacers was a strong signal!
Bill Duffy’s jovial face broke into a delighted smile, "Uncle, at least for now, it looks like Indiana won’t be Cleveland!"
Reggie Miller’s next words confirmed this:
"Welcome, Uncle, both Larry Bird and I are excited for you to join the team!"
As he looked at the hand Miller extended, Su Wan straightforwardly reached out, but he couldn’t help asking, "What about the others?"
He was referring to Stephen Jackson and Ron Artest, especially since the last time they met, their "conversation" wasn’t very pleasant.
Miller said something quite suggestive, "Paths are made by walking."
Is he implying there were no set paths until people walked them, creating them?
Could it be that this symbol of Indy’s spirit had also read the works of Zhou Shuren?
However, Su understood that to earn respect on the Pacers, he would have to become a "trailblazing brother." Fortunately, this time both the team leader and management were on his side, so taking care of the rest shouldn’t be too difficult.
"You’ve probably never been to Indy, right? Larry wants me to show you around."
Reggie Miller’s ride was a Mercedes-Benz, and as Su Wan eyed the front passenger handle, he fell into deep thought. In the back seat, Bill Duffy caught on and realized—Uncle liked this!
He immediately took out his phone, contacted Mercedes-Benz, and custom ordered a big G-Class for Su Wan.
Su wasn’t aware that in less than ten minutes since he landed, he already owned his first car in Indiana.
Indy wasn’t big, by 2020, it had a population of just over eight hundred thousand.
Not even the size of a small town in China.
But it was famously the "City of Sports," home not only to the NBA’s Indiana Pacers but also the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts as well as the oldest car race event, the Indianapolis 500, taking place there annually.
The 2024 NBA All-Star weekend was held in Indy, and the stripes on the All-Star jerseys were a tribute to the Indianapolis 500 track.
Passing through the city center, one could see the 110-meter tall Soldiers and Sailors Monument, a landmark of Indiana. Surrounding it was the Central Business District, with the 37-story JPMorgan Chase Tower being the tallest building in the city.
Further on, one could spot Butler University and the Indianapolis Joint Campus founded by Indiana University and Purdue University.
Indiana University and Purdue University were two of the finest universities in Indiana.
"Smiling Assassin" Isiah Thomas came from Indiana University.
While Purdue hadn’t produced an NBA player of such caliber, it was nonetheless fruitful, having produced two No.1 NBA draft picks, including Glenn Robinson—who demanded a $100 million contract as soon as he entered the league.
In 2024, the "Canadian Giant" Zach, who didn’t want to acknowledge his Huaxia heritage, also came from this university.
Of course, Purdue’s most famous Huaxia alumnus was Deng Jiaxian!
Compared to these two institutions, Butler University wasn’t as renowned.
But Su knew that, at this moment, the NBA’s youngest head coach and Celtics GM Brad Stevens, who had ousted Danny Ainge, was now in the school gym’s video room studying footage. In four years, under his guidance, Butler would become the NCAA’s "dark horse," making it to the NCAA finals twice.
However, what struck Su the most were the torn posters scattered all over the streets and alleys.
From the first one he saw upon landing at the airport to the ones hanging on the streets the car passed by...
Not one was spared!
"This is nothing!" Reggie Miller noticed Su Wan’s expression and reminded him that once they got near the arena, the scenes there were truly turbulent, "I’m sorry to trouble you with this, it’s our mess, but now you have to clean it up."
Su Wan shook his head indifferently, "This is why I’m worth two first-round picks and a second-round pick, I am here to deal with this!"
Reggie laughed upon hearing Su Wan stating the responsibility Larry Bird hoped he would take on, "Larry is going to like you!"
"Danny likes me too..."
But what use was that?
Although he knew that Larry Bird’s status within the Pacers was definitely higher than Danny Ferry’s with the Cavaliers, everything he had experienced with the Cavaliers told him that a general manager sometimes could only show a helpless expression.
What Su Wan could rely on was himself and his performance on the court.
As the car approached the arena, the noise became noisy.
A large number of fans were at the fan plaza outside the arena, engaging in various protests:
Some were tearing up Pacers posters, cursing "fxxk you" as they tore them, the suffix being some Pacers player’s name; some threw jerseys on the ground, furiously trampling them; others had driven a car over, washing the car with a Pacers jersey in front of everyone...
Su Wan’s evaluation was:
Not impressive enough!
It had to be LeBron James!
Broadcast nationwide, he directly became the "first in NBA history to have his jersey burned." — Truly deserving of his self-proclaimed status of always being first; he was quite self-aware in this aspect.
"Stop the car!"
Su Wan suddenly spoke, and Reggie Miller instinctively hit the brakes. Bill Duffy asked anxiously, "What are you going to do? If you’re going down, wait a moment, I’ll let the bodyguards in the car behind get out first."
Su Wan was about to say it wasn’t necessary, but after thinking it over, he realized he didn’t know what kind of attitude the Pacers fans would have toward his arrival. Plus, this was the land of the free United States; even Artest had encountered trouble, so it was better to be cautious.
Surrounded by seven or eight bodyguards, Su Wan walked up to a white fan not far from the car.
He was about to cut a jersey he was holding with a pair of scissors.
It was a Pacers number 23 jersey.
That was Artest’s number.
"You shouldn’t do this!"
"Mind, mind your own business!"
The fan was intimidated by Su Wan’s tall stature and the bodyguards behind him, stammering as he spoke.
He clearly didn’t recognize Su Wan and thought Su was meddling.
But other angry fans did recognize Su Wan; one of them shouted Su Wan’s name, catching the attention of others, who also turned their heads to look and, seeing it was indeed Su Wan, immediately crowded around.
They knew about Su Wan’s trade to Indy.
But their current disappointment with the Pacers wasn’t something that could be resolved by Su Wan’s arrival. Even knowing Su Wan was on his way and that there would be many reporters to interview him today, it hadn’t stopped them from organizing venting activities.
"It seems you know who I am now, I advise you not to do this..." Su Wan once again tried to prevent the fan’s action.
The white fan didn’t speak, but a black youth next to him loudly voiced out, "Hey, man, you actually have time to worry about that damn Ron? You should think about yourself. If you don’t perform well, then it’ll be your jersey being cut next!"
His words evoked echoes of agreement.
It seems that now, in the hearts of the Indiana natives, "anti-Pacers" is the trend.
Su Wan ignored the fan and continued speaking to the white fan in front of him, "I know, you think Ron Artest has ruined this city, but don’t forget he was the Pacers’ first ’Defensive Player of the Year.’ This city made him, and he also made this city. Yes, he made a mistake, but his contributions to this city shouldn’t be erased because of that."
"And you guys..."
"I understand your pain right now. What I want to say is, I will do a lot to make this city great again, to recall the Pacers’ glory without looking back to the ABA days. Just wait and see, the Pacers jerseys that you are throwing on the ground, using to wash cars, wanting to cut up— I will make them treasures in your hearts again!"
"Indiana~" Before joining the NBA, the Pacers had won three ABA championships, but since joining the NBA, they have yet to win a title.
Reggie Miller, looking through the car window at the now subdued Pacers fans and the domineering declaration by Su Wan, felt a surge of uncontrollable emotions welling up from the depths of his eyes, turning into a thin layer of mist.
Larry Bird in the general manager’s office learned of the incident quickly, and when he told Donnie Walsh, watching the astonished expression of his old friend, he said, "You really should take a look in the mirror now..."
Walsh retorted stubbornly, "Anyone can talk big!"
"Yadda, yadda, yadda!"
Larry Bird couldn’t be bothered to argue with him, grabbed his suit jacket, and walked out of the general manager’s office. Donnie Walsh stood still for a second, then realized what was happening and hurriedly followed suit.