Chapter Two: The Talents They Threw Away

Han Zheng had once been called a once-in-a-decade center: seven feet tall, capable of initiating offense from beyond the arc. At twenty, he tore a knee ligament during a tryout. The surgery succeeded and doctors cleared him, but his former club edited rehabilitation footage into evidence that he could not handle contact. They canceled his contract, then demanded a development fee from any team interested in him. When Lu found him, Han was handing flotation boards to elderly patients beside a therapy pool. “I don’t play anymore.” He did not look at the invitation. “Your knee can play.” “Being able to run doesn’t mean I dare to jump.”