Chapter 178 Butler's Family

The street dance training was filled with laughter.

It had to be said that it was a win-win situation.

It not only trained their physical coordination but also relaxed their bodies after regular training.

After the street dance training ended, Tang Tian called Carl and asked him to find a top-notch yoga teacher for him.

Now that the physical coordination training had begun, the flexibility part couldn't be left behind.

A two-pronged approach, getting it done in one step.

Yoga originated in India but had already become a global sport. There were also many yoga masters in the United States.

It was just that Tang Tian wanted to invite someone to train him, which would take some time.

The next day's training was the same as usual. In the end, Walker led the others in a street dance routine.

After the street dance, Butler found Tang Tian.

"Remember I said I'd take you to see my family? They're free now, do you have time?"

Butler opened his mouth, and Tang Tian remembered the agreement between the two during the regular season last season.

At that time, he had abused the other hard-training brothers in turn, and his condition was excellent, but he underperformed under Butler's defense, and the Pelicans lost to the Bulls.

The two chatted about Butler's family after the game, and Butler said he would take him home when he had the chance.

"Of course I do."

Tang Tian said with a smile.

Butler's hometown was a small town called Tomball in Houston. They flew to Houston the next day, and then took a bus to get there.

The car stopped in the town of Tomball, and they arrived in front of a luxurious villa.

"I bought this for my family in the summer of 2012."

Butler looked at the villa, his eyes full of happiness.

Tang Tian nodded, looking at Butler with a hint of appreciation.

In 2012, Butler had only played for the Bulls for a year, and he had only received the salary of his rookie season.

He was the 30th pick, and his annual salary was only a few hundred thousand after taxes. Buying such a villa could be said to have cost him everything.

It could be seen that he was very good to his family.

At this time, Tang Tian thought of another person, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

When "Alphabet Bro" was in his rookie season, he did something similar. He wired his salary to his family, and as a result, he didn't have money to take a taxi, so he ran back to the arena.

He appreciated people who knew how to be grateful.

Thinking, the two had already entered the villa.

There was a couple inside, and two children, the younger one only twelve or thirteen years old.

"Jimmy!"

Seeing Butler, the youngest child ran over.

Butler also ran over and hugged him tightly.

The relationship between the two looked much better than ordinary brothers.

Then, Butler introduced the family members to Tang Tian.

The youngest child, the one who rushed over to hug him, was called Mick Leslie, and the older one was called Jamal Leslie.

They also had an older brother named Jordan Leslie, who worked at a bank.

Their mother was called Michelle Lambert, and their father was called Arnold Leslie.

This was a blended family. Lambert and her ex-husband also had four sons, who had all started working.

It really was a big family.

But after Butler finished introducing everyone, Tang Tian noticed one thing: no one in this family seemed to be named Butler.

Neither Lambert's ex-husband nor her current husband was named Butler.

And Butler called Lambert "Michelle," which was clearly a sign of respect.

Tang Tian had experienced a lot, and he quickly realized that Lambert was not Butler's biological mother.

When he realized this, things seemed to become a bit contradictory.

Butler said he would take him to see his family, but he brought him to the home of someone who wasn't his biological mother, but their relationship seemed very good.

After dinner, Tang Tian and Butler sat in the yard behind the villa to rest.

"They're not my biological parents, but in my eyes, they're my parents."

Perhaps noticing the doubts in Tang Tian's eyes, Butler took the initiative to speak when the two were alone.

Tang Tian nodded.

He had also heard some rumors about Butler, saying that he was Jordan's illegitimate son, and now it seemed that those weren't just rumors.

"What about your parents?"

Tang Tian then asked.

Butler shook his head.

"Maybe they're doing well, maybe they're wandering the streets, maybe they're dead. I don't know, and I don't care."

Completely opposite to his attitude towards the Lamberts, Butler's eyes were full of indifference and even a hint of hatred when he said this.

This made Tang Tian even more confused.

"My father left my family when I was just born. My mother kicked me out of the house when I was 13 years old, just because she thought I was ugly. She made me a homeless child."

After Butler finished speaking, Tang Tian understood why Butler had said that earlier.

Although it was rare for a husband to abandon his wife, it still happened. But for a biological mother to kick her 13-year-old son out of the house because he was ugly was shocking.

It should be known that motherly love is the greatest, and as the saying goes, a mother doesn't嫌子丑 (xiánzǐchǒu, dislike her child for being ugly).

Butler's childhood experience was truly tragic!

"Michelle took me in."

Butler then told Tang Tian his story.

As a homeless child, Butler had no fixed place to live, and he regarded basketball as the most important part of his life.

That was why he trained so hard.

There was no such thing as being born this way, but he had to be this way.

His so-called durable body was just something he was forced to slowly develop in order to survive.

His diligent training allowed him to begin to stand out in high school, at which point Jordan Leslie noticed him.

Leslie was a star player in high school at the time, a two-sport star in football and basketball. He found Butler to compete in a three-point shooting contest.

The result was unexpected: Leslie, the star player, lost to Butler.

While surprised, Leslie also became friends with Butler.

After learning about Butler's situation, he invited Butler to his house to play games and spend the night.

Lambert had already divorced her ex-husband at the time and was raising seven children with her current husband, Arnold Leslie, which put a lot of financial pressure on them.

Moreover, the rumors about Butler at the time weren't good, and he was said to be a problem boy.

In the end, Arnold told his children that Butler could stay, but only as a friend for one or two nights.

This was Arnold's helpless move, but his children just happened to have seven days a week, and each day a different person would run to Arnold and say, "It's my turn to host tonight."

This went on for a few months, and Arnold finally compromised. He accepted Butler as a member of the family.

But after that, Lambert and Arnold also set rules for Butler, the latter had to do housework, had to go to school, and had to perform well academically.

Most importantly, Lambert told Butler that he had to be a role model for the other seven children.

Butler did it all.

His childhood experiences made his heart seem incredibly strong. He not only did it, but he did it perfectly.

The word "effort" appeared on him from childhood and accompanied him throughout his life.

Through his efforts in high school, he entered Tyler Junior College, a Texas NJCAA Division I school.

Through his year of effort at Tyler Junior College, he gained the favor of Marquette University and eventually transferred.

Through his efforts at Marquette University, he went from a substitute to a core player.

Through his efforts, he helped Marquette University reach the NCAA Tournament and eventually knocked on the door of the NBA.

That boy who had already left for the training ground at four in the morning had an incredibly strong heart.

Butler's story ended here. Tang Tian participated in the later parts.

Tang Tian was deeply moved after listening. This was even more moving than Leonard's story before.

To put it bluntly, if it weren't for basketball or the Lambert family, Butler might be homeless now.

But fortunately, as the saying goes, God closes a door while leaving a window open.

Butler used his efforts to win a life that others envied, and that quality of effort would accompany him throughout his life.

"Jimmy, have you ever wondered who your father is?"

Tang Tian asked after listening. People who are adopted usually want to know who their biological parents are.

"Or, have you ever thought that your father might be Michael Jordan?"

Jordan was now 52 years old, and Butler was 26 years old.

The two were 26 years apart. When Jordan was 26 years old, he was the number one player in the league, excelling on the court and having fun off the court.

This possibility really existed, especially since Butler's appearance was very similar to Jordan's.

This was also the origin of many rumors.

Or to put it another way, if Butler went to get a DNA test with Jordan, and it really matched, then Butler would be the son of God.

It could even be said that this was a two-way choice. Butler had a super awesome dad, and Jordan finally had a promising son.

Butler shook his head.

"My father is Arnold Leslie."

Butler's words surprised Tang Tian for a moment, and then he laughed.

This sentence was basically Butler's attitude.

Butler didn't want to know who his biological father was, or who it was didn't matter.

His father hadn't fulfilled any of his responsibilities, and his life was built on the efforts of the Lambert family and himself.

Therefore, he had no such thoughts.

Butler's attitude made him admire him even more.

This kind of person might be biased in personality, but he was really the kind of friend worth making.

Returning from Butler's home, the two turned around and continued to train.

Just then, Carl called Tang Tian.

It was about the yoga teacher.

There weren't many yoga masters in the United States, and the famous ones were booked up for months.

So Tang Tian had three choices: find an average one, book later, or just go to a public class.

Tang Tian chose the fourth option.

He asked Carl to look among the people who had been booked to see if there was anyone in New York who could be negotiated with, and let him go to private lessons with them.

The energy that a private teacher puts in is definitely different from a public class.

He wanted to save time and achieve results, so he had to take private lessons.

Carl quickly gave a reply: yes.

It was just that he didn't expect this person.

Emma Watson.

Watson agreed when she heard that the person tagging along was Tang Tian.

The intersection between Tang Tian and Watson was basically the last time Olsen and Yates talked about *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*.

"Send me the schedule, and thank her for me."

Tang Tian gave Carl a reply.

He didn't care who it was as long as he could tag along. He was now focused on improving his technique as soon as possible.

The yoga master was called Kupata Samet, and he was Indian.

Tang Tian went to Samet's yoga studio the next night, and he saw Watson again.

Watson smiled and greeted her, but didn't say anything more.

She really had a British reserve about her.

Watson's performance made Tang Tian very comfortable. He was just there to tag along anyway.

Yoga was a static exercise, and it was a real torment for beginners, especially strong basketball players like Tang Tian.

He had to grit his teeth to complete many of the movements.

In comparison, Watson was much more professional.

If Tang Tian was just a beginner in yoga, then Watson was at least a gold level.

Watson had already unlocked most of the yoga poses.

After the workout, Tang Tian felt sore all over. It was true that this stuff was suitable for women. It was more torturous than shuttle runs.

Watson couldn't help but laugh when she saw this.

Tang Tian smiled awkwardly when he saw this. It was the first time in his life that he couldn't compare to a woman in something.

After the yoga, the two left the yoga studio together.

"Thank you for helping me."

Tang Tian said to Watson while shaking his hands to relieve the soreness.

"You should have hired a regular private yoga teacher to transition first. Kupata's class is too difficult for you."

Watson shook her head, indicating that Tang Tian didn't need to thank her, and then said.

"My time is tight."

Tang Tian replied with a smile.

He also knew that things had to be done step by step, but coordination and flexibility were long-term processes.

There were only a few months left until next February, so he had to hurry.

"Yoga is an anaerobic exercise. Soreness is caused by the accumulation of lactic acid in the body. You can find a masseuse and use hot compresses more often. That will help you."

Watson then said, giving Tang Tian some advice from someone who had been there.

"Thank you."

Tang Tian thanked Watson again. They weren't even friends, and Watson's words of experience were really helpful.

Watson nodded very politely, and then got into her car and left.

Learning street dance from Walker, learning yoga from Samet, plus the hard-training brothers training camp, Tang Tian's training content this summer was incredibly fulfilling.

Time flew by, and it was the end of July in a blink of an eye.

Tang Tian's street dance was quite impressive, and he was able to complete six or seven tenths of the yoga poses.

He could clearly feel the progress he was making in his fadeaway technique. Whether he could make it or not was another matter, but at least he could now perform that technique.

Prokopi was indeed the most professional.

At this time, Fegan called him.

The people at Nike had given them definite news that his signature sneakers would be released on September 1st and would premiere during the Nike China Tour.

This meant that he would be doing the second season of the Nike China Tour in September.

Tang Tian wasn't opposed to the China Tour. After all, home was always the most intimate place for him, especially the fans there.

When Fegan mentioned this, he thought of Lin Yi and Wang Quanze, whom he had met before.

He wondered how the two of them were doing now.