Jayden Booker

Recognition

- That's a birdie, not bad, not bad. - I invited Josh to play some golf.

- I'm doing good, considering it's my first time. Also, Jayden, I gotta be honest, this is some white people shit. Is this what you do these days?

- Kinda, yeah. I'm busy most of the time, golf is fun so it's easy to get an escape.

- Do you think you're gonna make it to the playoffs? - Josh changed the subject.

- There's not a single doubt in my mind. What I'm wondering is how I'm not a part of the MVP conversation. - We got in the golf cart.

- Well you know, you're good, but I know what you need to become a part of that.

- What do I need? - He intrigued me.

- You need a superstar game. You need one game that turns heads, a game that would make everyone look at you and consider you an MVP.

- A superstar game? - I wondered. I needed a bad team so I could have an easy game. We were playing the Golden State Warriors and then the Suns right after. Extremely dangerous games in my opinion, but not impossible I presumed.

We had to play the Warriors right as Klay Thompson came back. It was a huge day and the fans weren't quite in our favor.

- Klay is coming back. He might not be in shape or he might play a super good game. Just be alert and let's play. - The coach said to me right before the game.

- Who's defending me? - I asked.

- From what I've heard, Steph.

- 50. - I bravely said, meaning I would score 50 points, which I had never done before. Coincidentally, I was defending Curry as well. Sure, he was scary, but I wasn't gonna let anything get to me.

First-quarter passed and we were a little behind. Only 2 points. Stephen Curry had a horrible quarter and I was more than prepared to take all the credit.

- I can do more just give me more minutes on the court. - I said, not breaking a sweat.

The coach looked at me with disbelief, but I saw in his eyes that he knew I was right. All he could do was send me out. 

Hitting shot after my shot my confidence was growing. I even managed to block off Curry.

- That shot was never gonna hit, brother. - I told Steph and chuckled.

- Almost, almost.

- Nah bro, - I put up my hand to about his height, - too little, too little. Needed a couple more inches for that shot to land.

I think being cocky is sometimes okay. Only if you're in a position to be cocky. And boy were we - at half-time, we were leading the game by 12 points.

- Ain't no way that's not a foul, bro. - I was getting on Curry's nerves, constantly playing risky plays that could be counted as fouls if you really wanted them to be. But technically they weren't, I knew the rulebook.

- Well it ain't being called so it ain't a foul. - I laughed.

I was having fun. All of a sudden, Curry started shooting unpredictable three-pointers that I could never block. Straight-up stupid shots, but they were somehow landing. He only needed four shots to equal out the points, and he got a lot more than that.

With the last quarter left we were at a disadvantage. It seemed to me that I made Curry a little too angry. That fueled me. I wasn't playing with the team anymore, I was playing against Curry alone. But that was it - I needed highlights against the best shooter in the league. 

It turned into a battle between us alone. Everyone around knew it. I'm pretty sure I wasn't even conscious for the last five minutes. Salty sweat dripped into my mouth, moving across the court without thinking about what I'm doing with my legs or hands. And there it was, I lost my focus for a split second and I get crossed by the tiny Curry and I am on the ground while he steps back to shoot his final three. A surge of energy strikes my body as I get up and stretch my arms as high as I can. The ball leaves Curry's hands and touches my fingers. Shot blocked. We win the game and I leave the court with 48 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds.

- I'll take that, but I wanted 50. - I was talking to Dejounte in the changing rooms.

- It's a triple-double with almost 50 points. Definitely take that, bro.

Hoping that the game would put me in the spotlight, I opened Twitter. The first thing I saw was a tweet from a large figure in the NBA circle:

"A rookie should not be considered in the MVP conversation"

'What a horrible take' I thought to myself.