IN NEW YORK CITY, the NBA Draft Lottery was taking place later that evening. Media outlets spoke of the potential teams that could win the #1 pick, the four with the best odds being the Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Lakers.

First Take was a well-known talk show that aired on ESPN. Journalists Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless were the hosts and for the day, they invited an LA-based journalist to the show: Wilson Wittman.

(A/N: Stephen A is the man on the left and Skip is the guy on the right)

Their other host, Cari, introduced the topic and passed it off to the three men at the table. Skip Bayless began to speak and welcomed Wilson.

"I'm very happy to be here. You know this is my second time in New York." Wilson said.

"The first time?" Stephen A asked.

He smiled gleefully. "I lied. This is my first time."

"Oh."

There was a moment of silence before Skip spoke again.

"So...we have New York and LA involved in this lottery. Two huge markets and we have two really good young players at the top who can change life in either big city, right?"

"Yes, there's no question about it." Stephen A replied. "Listen here, Karl-Anthony Towns and Y/N L/N are no doubt going to be the top two picks in the draft. They are franchise-caliber players, albeit for different reasons."

Wilson nodded. "Of course."

"Towns...you could see more of a Chris Bosh type, he can step away from the basket and shoot along with being a dominant force down low. Then you have L/N, who has the Monta Ellis finesse with the ball to go with that Dame Lillard range." He added.

"Let's say Knicks, against all odds, win the lottery..." Skip began.

"Which they won't." Wilson muttered, which garnered a look from Stephen A, who was a Knicks fan.

Skip finished. "Who would you want?"

"Well...he's actually not been mentioned yet. Okafor."

"Jahlil Okafor?" Skip replied baffled. "53% free throw shooting Okafor?"

"He is a REAL big man. The days of Patrick Ewing need to come back for my Knicks!"

"Unbelievable."

"What about Porzingis?" Wilson asked Stephen A.

"Who?"

Skip moved to Wilson. "You're from LA, I supposed you root for the Lakers."

"Great inference." He replied with a nod.

"Basketball gods bless them with #1, who'd you take?"

"It's not just who'd I take...there's no doubt they'd pick L/N. LA raised, attended school there, and played for UCLA. Kobe Bryant is a mentor and family friend. I could bet my house that they'll choose Y/N."

"Wouldn't they prefer to have a big to pair alongside Julius Randle for the future after Kobe's final year?" Stephen A asked.

"There's one thing L/N brings that Towns doesn't...he's box office. I would know, I've followed him throughout high school. His name with the Lakers brand is a match made in heaven. Besides, I wouldn't be surprised if Kobe is telling the front office at gunpoint to take him."

Skip nodded. "Then you just gotta hope the balls land in their favor. For all we know, Philly or Minnesota could take him."

Wilson shook his head. "Oooh, that'd be a nightmare."

• • •

TOP PROSPECTS WERE invited to the lottery that was taking place at a Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Y/N was among the ones invited and was flown to New York.

During the broadcast, a reporter interviewed Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor. After them, Y/N walked up by the stage and was interviewed next.

"So, I've heard that your relationship with your mom is very strong. Karl and Jahlil spoke about their dads supporting them through this journey...can you speak on that with her?"

Y/N smiled. "My mom is the pillar of my life. She's the strongest woman I've ever seen. To raise me starting from such a young age shows how tough she is. Me standing here now...this is all because of her."

"That's very nice to hear." She replied and asked the next question. "People have seen you in high school and at UCLA, but what is it about you and your game that nobody knows about?"

"I'm just a competitor. One thing that I'm big on is winning. And that's one thing I want when coming in, I want to be seen as a winner."

"Thanks a lot, Y/N. We'll see you June 25th at the draft."

He nodded. "Of course."

Y/N walked off and sat in the seats nearby. The audience contained media members but the front row had several basketball prospects. Y/N sat down near Towns and D'Angelo Russell, dapping them up in the process.

A woman came onto the stage and left the envelopes with the lottery results on the podium. Mark Tatum, the NBA deputy commissioner, came onto the stage and began the show.

"Here is Mark Tatum to reveal the final order of the 2015 NBA Draft."

"Thank you, Marc." He told the announcer. "Good luck, everyone."

He opened the large envelopes one by one, revealing the order of teams 14 to 5. The projections stayed the same and no team was lucky enough to jump to the top 3 yet. Until...

"And the fourth pick in the 2015 NBA Draft goes too...the New York Knicks." Mark revealed.

There was a collective groan at the revelation. The man representing the Knicks dropped his head and scoffed. The Knicks ended up dropping from their projected third spot to fourth.

"And that means the Los Angeles Lakers have moved into the top 3!"

Another prospect, Justise Winslow, tapped Y/N on the shoulder and whispered from the seat behind.

"They definitely rigged this shit for yo ass." He joked.

After the commercial break, the three representatives for the Timberwolves, the Lakers, and the 76ers stood on stage. The deputy commissioner began to announce the order of the final three picks.

"The third pick in this year's draft goes to...the Philadelphia 76ers."

Another murmur, albeit quieter, filled the room. The Sixers dropped from their projected 2nd spot to 3rd.

"The second pick will be made by...the Los Angeles Lakers."

There was a brief cheer that came from a few media members. Some were happy that the Lakers jumped up two spots but others were celebrating the fact that the Timberwolves won the lottery.

"And that means the first pick in the 2015 NBA Draft goes to the Minnesota Timberwolves!"

The deputy commissioner walked away from the podium and handed the envelope to the Timberwolves representative and shook his hand. The two other men shook his hand too. The crowd applauded and celebrated.

Amidst the clamor, Y/N glanced at Towns, who had also looked at him. They knew the two of them were the top prospects, so now it was just a question of who would go first to the Wolves...and who would go second to the Lakers.

•• SOCIAL MEDIA ••

@/BleacherReport

The Minnesota Timberwolves win the #1 pick in the NBA Draft Lottery!

Who will they pair alongside Andrew Wiggins?

1,382 Retweets 🔁 | 1,076 Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/ironboybooks TOWNS TOWNS TOWNS TOWNS
^@/laserigeneous88 RATIO RATIO RATIO RATIO
^@/ironboybooks JOB JOB JOB JOB

@/DarthOogway42 can we talk about how the Lakers went from 4 to 2??? I sense RIGGERY

@/npc0123 whoever they draft will be a bust so it doesn't matter

• •

❤️ liked by HaileeSteinfeld and 211 others

@/_y/m/n_l/n look at my baby! 🥹 so handsome!

Comments 💬

@/Original_L/N love you Ma! ❤️❤️❤️

@/vamlady1984 so sharp!

@/vanessabryant love the suit! no socks tho?
^@/Original_L/N it's a fashion statement

• •

@/LakeShowWorld
BASKETBALL GODS HAVE BLESSED US. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. WE MUST DRAFT Y/N L/N HE WILL SAVE THIS TEAM.

254 Retweets 🔁 | 489 Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/vinceinthevalley the wolves are going to draft him and I will break my screen

@/TheCxsmic this is the gods saying sorry for breaking Randle's leg last season

@/OwenC13 he's going to the heat lol
^@/IGotBitter he's not dropping that far
^@/OwenC13 it's called *manifesting*

@/DarthTalek nah I think they should go Towns or Okafor

@/BrokenHumorMango i don't care if we have to bribe the Mayor of Minneapolis we have to make sure they don't take him first

• • •

Y/N WAS BACK in Los Angeles with his mother and things were going to begin to get serious. Their lives were going to change socially...and financially. To get through such things smoothly, he was going to need an agent.

Kobe had an agent, Rob Pelinka, but Y/N didn't want to be under him too. He wanted his own. Surprisingly, one reached out to him. A man that had just started representing players a couple of years ago.

Rich Paul was an up-and-coming agent in the sports world. His agency, Klutch Sports Group, was founded recently alongside his longtime friend, LeBron James. It was actually LeBron himself that told Rich about Y/N, and that led to the initial contact.

(A/N: Fun fact, in real life this guy is currently dating Adele lol W imo)

Y/N was taken aback by the fact that the best player on the planet at the time knew who he was. After speaking with Rich, he accepted him as his agent, and with that, Y/N was the first college prospect the agency has ever signed.

Now with the representation came the possible endorsements. The first was a major one...shoe deals. Throughout his high school and college tenure companies have had their eye on Y/N and really wanted him signed. It was up to the young man to decide which one he'd want to endorse.

The pitches were elaborate. One shoe company had Y/N, his mom, and some friends go to a mansion in the Hollywood Hills to watch a game of the NBA Finals before they presented their offer. Another company flew him and his mom to their headquarters and showed him a personalized message from a celebrity who endorsed them.

After Nike, Adidas, and New Balance did their pitches throughout the week, Under Armor came in last. They decided to speak with him at his house. Their CEO, a man named Kevin, was present with a colleague of his.

They sat in the living room with a laptop on the coffee table. The setup was rather simple compared to the other companies.

"Who's inspired you throughout your life, Y/N?" He asked him.

"Well, aside from Kobe on the basketball side of it all..." He glanced at the woman beside him. "...my mom."

"That's amazing. To have been raised by such a strong woman." He said with a smile before showing a slide on his presentation. "What do you think of this, Ms. L/N?"

She looked at the picture of a shoe, which had her favorite color. The woman nodded and smiled.

"Oooh, I love it. Especially the color." She replied.

"I'm glad you love it. It's a Mothers' Day colorway for a possible signature line in Y/N's name."

Y/N's eyebrow raised at the statement. "What?"

"Oh, right. We want to make a signature shoe. A brand under your name. Just like Stephen Curry, who's also with us."

Y/N couldn't believe it. The other brands never offered the opportunity to let him have a signature shoe. He assumed that was the case since they had dozens of athletes under their name...while Under Armour only had a select few.

"These other companies...they probably see you as just another name to go along with the hundreds of others to make them more money. Let's face it, you're likely to become a Laker, so that brings more eyes to their product. But I want you because of your story...your attitude...your character. You."

Y/N took in his words. The CEO continued.

"We want you to be yourself on and off the court. Be yourself when designing your sneaker. Have something you and your fans would like so they could be inspired as well."

None of the bigger companies had genuine words like he did. Theirs seemed like something rehearsed for other athletes. Under Armor was keeping it real.

"Yeah...I like that." Y/N simply replied.

Rich Paul sat on a seat near them. The man was also impressed by the CEO's sincerity.

They talked for a while more and Kevin finished his presentation and pitch. Finally, it was time for the offer.

"How does 4/32 sound?" Kevin asked rather nonchalantly.

Y/N didn't understand at first what he meant. Neither did his mother. Rich was the only one that reacted with a surprised look.

"4/32?" Y/N asked.

"Four years, 32 million dollars. About 8 million a year. And I'll throw in 4 million upfront if you sign right now."

The room was silent. Y/M/N put her hands over her mouth after hearing the amount while Y/N was baffled. That was way more than what the other brands offered. A lot more.

"You're serious?" Y/N asked.

Kevin nodded. "I'm very serious."

Y/N looked to Rich, wondering if he was going to offer his take on it. It was all up to Y/N so the man simply smiled and tilted his head. He thought it was a really good offer.

"Wow...then yes." He stammered a bit. "Y-yes, this is great!"

Kevin was elated and they soon started signing papers. After it was done, Y/N stood up and Kevin did as well. They shook hands.

"Welcome to the Under Armor family, Mr. L/N."

He packed up his things and they expected him to leave right away. But before he did, he started writing in a checkbook that he brought out of his coat pocket.

"I did not forget." He said then handed Y/M/N the check. Y/N looked at him with an arched brow.

"What's that for?" Y/N asked, turning to face Kevin and not seeing his mother's shocked face.

"It's the $4 million I said I'd give you."

Y/N's eyes widened and he looked back at his mom, who was on the verge of tears. After living paycheck to paycheck for so long, being an elementary school teacher since her son was in that grade, this was the most amount of money they've ever had.

"...Thank you." Y/N replied.

Kevin smiled and shook Y/N's hand again. He shook Rich's too and ultimately left the house with his colleague. The three stood in the living room.

"Ma..." Y/N sat beside his mother, who was getting emotional. He let out an elated laugh. "Don't cry."

"How can I not?" She chuckled amidst her tears. "This number seems otherworldly. I can't comprehend it."

"This is all because of you." Y/N told her.

She looked at him. "No, Y/N. This is you. You worked hard. You became as great as you are. You made this happen. Okay, baby?"

It was now Y/N on the verge of tears. He hugged his mom and kissed her on the cheek. Rich simply smiled as he looked on at the mother and son.

Y/N was in his room and it was about 11 PM. He had just had a text conversation with Donovan, talking about their day and what they'd been doing. His best friend was elated upon hearing about his shoe signing, and Don being Don, he jokingly asked for a couple million.

Sometime later, Hailee called him. They've messaged over texts and DMs occasionally but this was their first phone conversation in a couple of weeks.

"Hey, Haiz." He answered and sat up from his bed.

"Hey." She greeted.

"What are you doing up so late?"

"Please, I've been up way later than eleven. Didn't we talk until 4 AM one night?"

Y/N recalled that night. Sophomore year in 2012 when Hailee was out of state filming Ender's Game.

"Oh, right. Yeah. Really ruined my sleep schedule and couldn't stay awake the whole day at school."

"Yeah?" She asked with a chuckle.

"Daya threw water at me during Spanish class and our teacher asked why I was wet. I said I was sweaty."

"You didn't rat out Zendaya?"

"Nah, I'm no snitch. And I deserved it because I didn't pay her back for the rice bowl she bought me the day before."

They both laughed. Afterward, they spoke a little bit about their day and Y/N brought up the events of earlier.

"I...I signed a shoe deal. They came to my house and everything."

"Ooooh, okay, LeBron. With who?"

"Under Armor. They kept it real and brought up a lot of good points." He picked at the nails on his right hand as he held the phone in the other. His voice started to quiver a bit. "They gave me a lot of money, Hailee..."

"We talking how much? If you don't mind me asking, of course."

"$32 million. And they gave my mom five up front." Y/N's let out a sob after his statement, which Hailee picked up.

"Y/N?" She asked worryingly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine...I'm fine." He reassured with a sniffle. "It's just...I never thought we'd see that amount of money in our lives. And now we have it. Everything my mom's done...what I've done...it's paid off."

"I'm soooo happy for you." Hailee replied genuinely. "And don't forget that you still have everything that's ahead of you. What you've accomplished has opened up a lot of opportunities for yourself...not just the league. All because of you."

He nodded and wiped his eyes. "Yeah...thanks, Haiz."

"Of course."

There was a brief pause before Y/N spoke again.

"Uh...I should finally go to bed. I gotta workout with one of the teams in the morning."

"All right. Good luck and break a leg." She caught her remark. "Sorry, not such a good thing to say."

Y/N laughed. "I'll take it. Good night."

"Good night."

They ended the call. Y/N smiled to himself before plugging in his phone to charge and going to the bathroom.

•• DRAFT PROFILE ••

Presented by Tankathon.com

Y/N L/N

TEAM: UCLA

YEAR: FRESHMAN

POSITION: PG/SG

HEIGHT: 6'4 (1.93 m)

WEIGHT: 215 lbs (97.5 kg)

DRAFT AGE: 19 yrs

BIRTHDATE: Y/B/D

STRENGTHS
A prolific scorer, averaging 17.3 points per game his freshman season ... A combo guard with a great feel for the game ... Charismatic player with the imagination and mindset to become a standout at the NBA level, "has a chance to be special"... Uses his strong frame well to absorb contact around the rim ... Has a surprising amount of athleticism ... Extremely confident shooter that is dangerous at mid-range or well behind the arc ...Won't hesitate to square up from 25-28 away from the hoop ... Needs very little space or time to get off a quality shot ... Strong leader with a competitive drive ...

WEAKNESSES
Does not have an ideal size for a shooting guard ... As good of a shooter as he is, there are times where he will hoist a very long jumper early in the shot clock without moving the ball and looking for a better opportunity first ... Questions on his passing and vision are up there ... Defensive potential is there but hasn't been shown ...
(A/N: and don't forget Hailee Steinfeld lol)

OUTLOOK
Hype and expectations were enormous for his freshmen season, and he finished as a consensus 1st Team All-American with averages of 17.3 ppg and 4.6 apg ... He's shown glimpses of leadership by guiding his team to the NCAA Championship ... The sky is the limit for him and is a virtual lock to be selected top 2 ...

• • •

A/N: Life-changing events going on. And it's just the beginning.

And thank you for all the support so far for this book! Y'all rock for real. 🫡