Two relatively 'mediocre' performances had led many in the 'media' to start badmouthing Su Xi. Lately, it seemed like a group of basketball pundits had made it their mission to tear down Su Xi just to build up James.
James hadn't even made the playoffs, yet everyone was saying that if he had, he would have risen to the occasion, unlike Su Xi, who had supposedly hit a 'bottleneck'.
Moreover, these people were fond of calling Su Xi a high-end blue-collar player, whose ceiling was Scottie Pippen.
It was as if Su Xi could only represent the 'role player' path, while LeBron James was already on the grand highway to 'superstardom'.
The weight of this public opinion became especially significant just as Su Xi was about to board a flight to Boston.
At the airport, Su Xi got a call from Mike O'Connor. "Congratulations, boss," O'Connor said over the phone. "You got Rookie of the Year."
Hearing the news, Su Xi couldn't help but smile.
