But he had only just met Scott, so it definitely wasn't the right time to bring it up.

Anyway, he was a time-traveler, so it would be easy enough to find some ideas that Scott would be interested in later.

Once he had the other guy owing him a favor, recommending Olsen would naturally be a piece of cake.

With the Coca-Cola commercial shoot over, Tang Tian threw himself back into training.

When November 26th arrived, just like in his past life, after 15 hours of negotiations, the NBA and the players' union announced that they had reached a new agreement, finally ending the 149-day lockout.

According to the league's official announcement, free agency and training camps would both open on December 9th, and the new season would begin on Christmas Day, December 25th.

During the lockout, 70 NBA players went to play in overseas leagues. Most of these players signed contracts with NBA opt-out clauses, guaranteeing their return to the league as soon as the lockout ended.

However, some didn't have that option. Players like Wilson Chandler, Brooks, JR Smith, and Patrick Mills, who were playing in the Chinese CBA league, would have to wait until the CBA season ended before returning to the NBA.

Chinese player Yi Jianlian wasn't in this category. After the lockout ended, he also left the Guangdong team and returned to the NBA to look for a new contract.

However, these players were only a small part of the league. Most of the players waiting for the lockout to end, including the team owners, breathed a sigh of relief after the announcement.

The fans were also cheering. They had been waiting long enough. If it weren't for "The Godfather," they would have been bored to death.

Just as the league announced the end of the lockout, the third episode of "The Godfather" was coming to a close. In this episode, the "Godfather" brothers faced off in an ultimate battle against NBA players Michael Beasley and Darko Milicic.

Beasley and Milicic were the second overall picks in 2008 and 2003, respectively. Both were starters for the Timberwolves last season. Beasley even scored a career-high 19.2 points last season and was in the best form of his career.

This was the most challenging and exciting showdown since the "Godfather" series began.

The matchup also attracted unprecedented attention, with record numbers of fans at the court and viewers watching the broadcast.

The game wasn't the usual five points per round, but ten.

After the game started, Beasley became the absolute focus on the court. Although his unconventional playing style had always been criticized, he was almost invincible in this kind of one-on-one catch-and-shoot game.

He scored eight consecutive points at the start, almost ending the game directly.

Fortunately, after Tang Tian started to press hard and limit his catches, their side was able to slow down his momentum.

Moreover, Milicic was heavily suppressed by Mike, who scored continuously in the paint, gradually closing the gap.

Milicic couldn't handle Mike, so Beasley had to help with the double-team. With the double-team, Tang Tian's strength on the outside began to show. He hit four consecutive three-pointers, including a difficult fadeaway, directly reversing and ending the game.

The last shot was very difficult. After it went in, the entire venue went wild.

The spectacle and excitement were no less than an official NBA game.

Amidst the cheers, Mike finally revealed his mysterious identity.

It turned out that he was none other than "Shaq" O'Neal, who had just announced his retirement this summer.

Everyone suddenly understood. No wonder neither Kanter before nor Milicic now was a match for Mike. O'Neal had just retired, so it must have been easy for him to beat them!

O'Neal's appearance also marked the official end of the third episode of "The Godfather."

After finishing the filming of "The Godfather," the summer training of the four brothers, Tang Tian and Walker, was finally coming to an end.

The four of them had been training together all summer, but now they were going to four completely different teams.

Thompson was going to the Bay Area to seek his fortune, Irving was heading to the small city of Cleveland, Walker was going to the remote Charlotte, and Tang Tian would be heading to San Antonio, Texas.

"Guys, let's keep in touch in the new season," Tang Tian said to the other three with a smile before they parted.

"I'm reserving the Rookie of the Year award," Irving said.

"That's my Rookie of the Year award," Walker immediately retorted.

"You guys go and compete. I'll help my team make the playoffs," Thompson said confidently.

"I look forward to hearing your good news," Tang Tian said with a smile, extending his hand.

The four of them bumped fists, marking the end of their summer training.

Although training camp wouldn't start until December 9th, Tang Tian planned to go to San Antonio before December. As a rookie, he would need to sign a contract, make media appearances, and even rent an apartment and buy a car. All things considered, time was already running short.

After packing up his belongings in the rented apartment and saying goodbye to Olsen, he and Fagan boarded the plane to San Antonio.

The plane roared as it took off from Kennedy International Airport. Tang Tian looked at the shrinking metropolis outside the window, feeling quite emotional.

He had been living here since the end of the NCAA tournament, for more than half a year.

Now he was leaving a familiar place and heading to an unfamiliar city he had never even been to in his previous life.

The two places were more than 2,500 kilometers apart, almost spanning the entire United States, and the flight would take nearly six hours.

Tang Tian slept on the plane. When he woke up, the plane had already entered Texas. After eating lunch and chatting with Fagan for a while, the crew announced that San Antonio was approaching.

Tang Tian turned to look out the window. The first thing he saw was a military control zone with high walls. San Antonio was one of the U.S. military's deployment locations, with not only a garrison base, but also an air force base and a fortress.

Then he saw the famous San Antonio River, which flowed through the city, forming the famous River Walk. Because the River Walk was built in the river valley below street level, all he could see at a glance was a green belt, dotted between the buildings and full of life.

There were also many historical buildings from the Spanish era in the city. It was once the main battlefield of the Mexican-American War, and the entire city exuded a strong historical atmosphere.

The plane roared as it landed at San Antonio International Airport.

Tang Tian withdrew his gaze and gestured for Fagan to stand up.

If all went according to plan, he would spend the next few years in this city.

His NBA journey would officially begin with the Spurs.