“What?
You came all the way here just to learn my straight-arm release?” When Liu Yudong first heard Wang Zhelin’s request, he was taken aback.
But after King explained how his sudden strength explosion and 11-inch hands were throwing off his traditional shot mechanics, the “God of War” agreed without a second thought.
For legendary players of Liu Yudong’s era, signature techniques were source material meant to be passed down.
Seeing a seventeen-year-old center with elite physical tools eager to inherit his straight-arm jumper brought genuine joy to the retired icon.
From that day on, King’s daily life settled into a disciplined three-point routine: Every morning, he went to the club gym to push his physical limits under the eyes of strength coach Tom Bruce.
Every afternoon, he headed to Liu Yudong’s courtyard to drill straight-arm release angles, wrist snapping, and high-pocket balance.
Every evening, he returned home to study hours of late-career Shaquille O’Neal game film.
“Bruce, I’ve got to admit, you’re surprisingly versatile for a skills trainer,” King remarked during an afternoon conditioning session, wiping sweat from his brow.
Beyond basketball skill development, Bruce possessed a surprisingly deep grasp of biomechanics, plyometrics, speed agility, and recovery protocols.
“Well, a true professional never stops expanding his skill set!” Bruce replied, puffing out his chest with an awkward, self-satisfied grin.
“Seriously though, Bruce,” King asked, leaning against the rack.
“With your credentials, why aren’t you working in the NBA making big money?
Why come all the way to China?” The confident grin vanished from Bruce’s face, replaced by a look of sudden, melancholic heartache.
“There are reasons to stay…
and reasons to leave.” King blinked.
The dramatic tone sounded uncannily like a line straight out of a movie script.
“Let me guess…
romantic betrayal back home?” Bruce’s eyes widened in utter shock.
“King!
How…
how could you possibly know that?!” King stifled a laugh, amazed that his trainer’s backstory mirrored the tragicomic plot of a cinema protagonist.
Before Bruce could sink too deep into his mournful monologue, King struck while the iron was hot.
“Look, Bruce.
Next summer, I’m declaring for the 2012 NBA Draft.
Why don’t you come back to the States with me as my personal head trainer?” “Wait, King…
I’ve built a comfortable life here in China, I don’t know if I want to—” “Fantastic!
I knew I could count on you,” King interrupted smoothly, slapping Bruce on the shoulder with a dazzling smile.
“Thanks for believing in me, coach.
I’ve got to head over to Uncle Liu’s place now.
See you tomorrow!” Before Bruce could process what had just happened, King grabbed his gym bag and dashed out the door, leaving the American trainer standing alone in the wind, muttering to himself in utter confusion over whether he had actually just accepted a job offer.
By mid-November, two major developments lifted King’s preparation to a peak level.
First, under Liu Yudong’s relentless personal instruction, King’s shooting mechanics completely recalibrated.
The straight-arm jumper proved to be an ideal match for his frame and strength.
Relying on wrist snap and an unblockable high release point rather than elbow flex, his mid-range jumper stabilized, completely halting his attribute decline.
Second, his physical transformation reached a milestone: his lower body strength officially cracked the 80 threshold.
On November 18 at 3:00 PM, inside the Zuchang Gymnasium, the Fujian Quanzhou Bank Men’s Basketball Team held its final 5v5 intra-team scrimmage before the official 2011–12 CBA opening night.
Whistle blasts echoed through the gym as the fifteen-minute scrimmage concluded.
“Blue team wins!
Final score, 42–31!” Head Coach Fan Bin called out, blowing his whistle.
On the court, King stood under the rim, resting his hands on his knees as sweat dripped off his chin.
In just fifteen minutes of action, leading four bench reserves on the Blue team against the First Team starting lineup on the Red team, King had posted a stat line: 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 blocks.
“King, you’re an absolute monster,” groaned Zaid Abbas, Fujian’s veteran Asian-quota power forward.
During the scrimmage, Abbas and starting center Guo Lei had tried double-teaming King in the post on nearly every possession.
But King simply carved out low-post positioning using his 80+ lower body strength, received the entry pass, and exploded upward for high-percentage dunks or contact layups, drawing continuous “And-1” whistles.
Watching from the sidelines, Head Coach Fan Bin felt a rush of adrenaline.
Having played alongside Yao Ming during the Bayi Rockets’ glory days, Fan Bin recognized that level of interior dominance.
In the international FIBA rulebook used by the CBA, there was no defensive three-second rule.
Under these conditions, an elite, physical post player who controlled the key was practically an unanswerable cheat code.
Fan Bin immediately finalized his tactical strategy for the opening game: Get the basketball into King’s hands in the low post, no matter what.
Within two short weeks of preseason camp, seventeen-year-old Wang Zhelin had completely conquered his veteran teammates and claimed his spot as the undisputed core of the Fujian Sturgeons.