Chapter 1: Fusion System—Klay Thompson Attributes!
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“Brothers, tonight at 8 PM, the Star Show team challenges you at Lizhu Park Court. Let’s settle this on the court!”
“@Guangzhou Curry Hang”
“@Rodman Guangwen”
“@Mid-Range Pretty Boy A-Tong”
“@Shaq Fat Brother”
...
“Captain Li, I’ll be making claypot rice at the shop tonight, can’t make it.”
“Bro, really can’t get away, wife’s working overtime, I have to take care of the kid tonight.”
“My knee still hurts from last week’s game, I’ll sit this one out!”
“Let’s play!!!”
“Going to watch Liaoning play Guangdong live tonight.”
...
After sending out the message in the basketball group chat on WeChat, an hour passed with only three people responding.
Li Rui sighed.
Only three people.
Three-on-three?
At home.
The 34-year-old Li Rui flicked the cigarette in his hand, then typed with his right hand on WeChat: “Not enough players, canceled. Tonight’s game is off, arrange your own time.”
Li Rui was a typical office worker, a corporate drone who had loved basketball since middle school.
Since starting work, there had been several years when he barely touched a ball.
When he first left university, Li Rui was 180 cm tall and weighed about 130 pounds. Now, still 180 cm tall, he weighed 190 pounds.
He had transformed from a nimble wing player to a hulking center.
In his identity, he had grown from a hopeful successor of communism to a pillar of society.
After stabilizing his career and love life, Li Rui resumed playing basketball more frequently, partly to lose weight.
At first, no one organized games, so he took it upon himself to create a group chat. His friends eagerly participated.
But as one, two, three years passed, with enthusiasm fading and age creeping up,
the frequency dropped from three games a week to struggling to gather for even one.
Li Rui knew it wasn’t anyone’s fault; life and work’s daily grind had drained everyone’s passion.
For him, life without basketball seemed dull and meaningless.
Without dwelling on it, Li Rui opened Douyin and started scrolling through short videos.
Based on his viewing habits, most recommended clips featured NBA players.
Alexander, Curry, James, Doncic...
Today's NBA was all about endless three-pointers and flashy fouls.
Though their shots were precise, Li Rui found it boring.
His mind drifted back to his early days of watching basketball in middle school.
Kobe, Yao Ming, McGrady, Iverson, Shaq...
These players brought drama and storylines whenever they met on the court.
Basketball was just more interesting a decade ago.
But time seemed impossible to turn back.
With no games to play, Li Rui turned to video games, booting up his high-end desktop.
He tried some Three Kingdoms Heroes first—boring.
Then some Dynasty Warriors—worse.
Finally, he launched NBA 2K25 to create a custom player.
After some thought, he decided to cheat a little, creating a character he rarely played.
He built a Klay Thompson template to try out.
Opening Thompson’s detailed profile, he began shaping the character:
Height: 201 cm
Weight: 90 kg
Wingspan: 220 cm
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...
After some adjustments, Li Rui saved the character.
Just as he was about to start playing,
he suddenly felt dizzy and unwell in his head.
He decided to lie down for a while before continuing.
...
When he woke again,
Li Rui found himself in America.
It took him half an hour to piece together his memories and fully grasp his situation.
This world was almost identical to his previous life.
The date was December 12, 2006. He was currently in Los Angeles, inside the Lakers’ training facility locker room.
The original Li Rui was a classic underdog.
In high school, his parents died in a car accident. Fortunately, the family had some savings, allowing him to finish school.
Li Rui was determined and earned a basketball scholarship at an NCAA university.
As a freshman, he played well as a point guard, averaging 9 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds per game, though his college never made it to the top 64 tournament.
After the freshman season, the head coach told him directly that management was unhappy with the team’s results.
The team would be rebuilt next season, with a superstar guard joining, so his minutes would be cut.
Li Rui gave up his sophomore year and decided to enter the NBA Draft.
Thanks to the NBA’s efforts to expand its market into China and Yao Ming’s success, Li Rui was picked 60th overall—the last pick in the second round—by the Lakers in the 2006 draft.
As a late second-rounder, the Lakers didn’t sign him directly but invited him to summer league.
Fortunately, Li Rui performed well and secured a non-guaranteed 1-year $300,000 contract.
When the season started, he trained with the Lakers but got limited playing time.
A third into the season, he had appeared in 6 games, averaging 5 minutes, scoring 0.5 points, 0.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and 1 turnover per game.
This was the new benchmark for Chinese point guards...
Benchmark my ass!
His 2K rating probably didn’t even reach 40.
Li Rui felt lucky just to have a Lakers contract.
Still, his static attributes were pretty decent.
[Beep!]
An electronic sound rang out, and a 3D hologram appeared before Li Rui’s eyes.
He studied it carefully.
[2K System Binding: Integrating the talents and abilities of 35-year-old Klay Thompson!]
[Fusion complete. Host, please check your new attributes!]
Name: Li Rui
Age: 19
Height: 2.01 meters
Weight: 90 kg
Wingspan: 220 cm
Average palm length: 27 cm
[Offense]
Close-range shooting: 79
Mid-range shooting: 88
Three-point shooting: 94
Free throw: 90
Shot IQ: 80
Inside scoring: 56
Layup: 70
Standing dunk: 35
Driving dunk: 65
Hook shot: 35
Fadeaway jump shot: 65
Post control: 64
Drawing fouls: 30
[Athleticism]
Athletic ability: 78
Speed: 71
Agility: 80
Strength: 62
Stamina: 91
Effort: 80
Endurance: 94
[Skills]
Hand-eye coordination: 85
Offensive organization: 58
Passing accuracy: 57
Ball handling: 47
Dribble speed: 71
Passing IQ: 57
Passing vision: 40
[Defense]
Defense: 68
Interior defense: 60
Perimeter defense: 80
Steals: 46
Blocks: 53
Help defense IQ: 80
Pass perception: 80
Defensive consistency: 75
[Rebounding]
Rebounding: 44
Offensive rebounds: 36
Defensive rebounds: 51
[Other]
Clutch attribute: 70
Potential: 95
Overall rating: 79
...
Whoa!
A cheat code just kicked in.
Nice.
These are basically Klay Thompson’s stats from NBA 2K25.
Though slightly off, the overall difference was minimal.
In NBA 2K25, Klay Thompson remained a top-tier off-ball shooter.
However, due to declining defense and age, his overall rating had dropped significantly from his peak.
But it was still sufficient for now.
In 2025, Klay would be 35 years old, while Li Rui was just 19—meaning immense room to grow.
When mentioning Klay Thompson, the world remembered his three-point shooting above all else.
Whether it was 14 three-pointers in a single game or a 37-point quarter, he embodied the ultimate sharpshooter.
At his peak, Klay was the “Silent Killer” of the Warriors dynasty—the most reliable teammate alongside Curry, and one of the NBA’s best examples of combining “role player” and “superstar” influence.
He proved that elite shooting and elite defense could coexist, and that a player without heavy ball usage could still be the core of a championship team!
Even beside a dazzling superstar like Curry, Klay shone with his own unique aura.
Li Rui quickly returned from the system interface back to reality.