First Round Lottery Pick Read Free

least smart enough to get his college degree. He now called himself a sports agent, among other things, so I was staying clear of him because if I’d signed with an agent, I would’ve lost my eligibility to go to college if the draft fell through.
    â€œI already told you, Toy, no way I’m signing.”
    â€œLook, is it okay if I talk to you like a man in front of your people?”
    I looked around at Tori then Jalen. “You can say what you feel.”
    Jalen said, “Don’t mean a thing anyway. L ain’t doing business with you, Toy.”
    Toy looked at all of us before he spoke. His eyes stayed on Jalen a bit longer though. “See, that’s what I’m talking about. You taking advice from your boy, and he ain’t never stepped foot out of Columbus.”
    â€œI’ve been plenty of places,” Jalen shot back.
    â€œYeah, sure. Listen to me, Langston. You’re ready. You’re a six-seven shooting guard with quick feet and defensive skills. Every trade magazine in the country has you listed a first-round lottery pick, and they know you can’t even play until you do one in college. You have the kind of face that people gravitate to, and the game to match, and for a high school kid you’re pretty bright.”
    Tori looked up at me and smiled.
    â€œAnd so?”
    â€œYou don’t know? It means you’re marketable. You have what it takes to make millions of dollars. If you think I’m putting pressure on you, wait for a few more weeks when those white boys from all those big corporate-controlled agencies come down here and entice your young ass with any and everything to get you to sign so they can get some of you.”
    â€œWell, you want some too, don’t you?” Jalen asked.
    Toy smiled at him. “I do. No doubt. But what I want is to build a dynasty with L . I want to unite and do this thing right. If you didn’t know, everyone in the hood is looking at you to see what you’re going to do. And they constantly have their eyes on me, and if we could just build something, build a brand together, it would let everyone in the hood know they can do it on both ends, on the court and in the business room. Besides, if you didn’t know, there hasn’t been a player who averaged thirty-five points, sixteen rebounds, and fourteen assists since . . . me.”
    Toy smiled and flirted with Tori with his eyes, like she would even be interested in his old ass.
    Toy was a beast on the court in his day. Even though he came up when I was still trying to decide if I wanted to swing on the monkey bars or play in the sand, his name still swirled around the courts like one of those headless horsemen. He definitely had legacy in The Vil.
    â€œLook, man, I’m just not ready to make a commitment like that. I haven’t even graduated yet.”
    â€œWell, okay, okay.” Toy added, “Maybe we should talk about it more, over your place with your mother. It would be good to break bread where I grew up.”
    â€œNaah. No, thanks,” I told him.
    â€œYou know the league already put restrictions on entry, L , but I have some very creative ways to get you paid.”
    â€œNo, thanks, Toy.”
    â€œLook, nobody turns down stacks of millions of dollars. It just doesn’t make sense. If you’re thinking about going to school, I understand that too. But, hell, you can buy a college after you get paid. I went to school, and this you should know. If they were slinging around multimillion-dollar contracts when I was coming out of high school, the only question I would have asked them fools is the line to sign on.” Toy looked in his hand, hit a button on his key chain, and his car started up, the music pounding. Then he smiled and looked at Jalen. “Tight, ain’t it?”

Chapter Three
    Hit, or What?
    I went to see Coach Pierce after lunch. Before he could give me another stack of college letters or tell me