Free Resurrection by Treasure Hernandez Page A

thousand dollars in cash in his pocket and was decked in jewelry worth upwards of one hundred thousand dollars. He and Halleigh were dressed in outfits that cost about two grand each, and they looked like movie stars who had the money to make sure their skin, teeth, and hair were cared for by highly paid professionals on a daily basis.
    Malek nodded and raised his hand to the crowd and mouthed the words Thank you . An indescribable adrenaline rush consumed his body, and it felt so good. It reminded him of the high of being a superstar, a high that he hadn’t felt in years.
    As the players warmed up in preparation for the game, a player for the Pistons walked up to Malek and gave him a pound and a quick ghetto embrace. He shouted into Malek’s hear, “You supposed to be out here. This is your house. Can’t nobody on this court stop you.”
    Malek wasn’t expecting such kind words of praise, and he definitely appreciated it.
    â€œThat’s what’s up!” Malek replied.
    The crowd was still in a frenzy, screaming in anticipation of the game that was about to begin.
    All throughout the game, Malek was constantly being tapped on his shoulder and handed a pen and a piece of paper and asked for his autograph.
    â€œThey always gonna love you, baby,” Halleigh said to Malek as she kissed him on his cheek and snuggled close to him.
    At halftime, an ESPN reporter and a cameraman came up to Malek and asked him if they could have a moment with him on camera.
    â€œNo doubt,” Malek replied. By this time, Malek was buzzing from all of the Heineken he’d drunk.
    â€œMalek, obviously you’ve had some bad breaks in terms of your career. Can you give the fans a little insight into the outlook on your future?” the reporter asked.
    â€œWell, yeah, I mean I’ve had some unfortunate things happen to me, and I’ve come to grips with the fact that my career as an athlete is basically over,” Malek said rather bluntly. “But don’t get it twisted, and please understand that if I laced up some sneakers right now, I could go out and score fifty points against any team in this league.”
    â€œWow! I see you still have the confidence that got you to be the most coveted player since LeBron James. But, Malek, how do you internalize that, and how does that make you feel?”
    â€œI’m human, so obviously there’s huge disappointment. So that’s how it makes me feel. I feel disappointed. But how I internalize it is, I realize that I’ll always be number one at whatever I do and whatever I set my mind to.”
    â€œWell, give the people a little update as to just what you have been doing with yourself since you put down the ball.”
    Malek reached into his pocket and pulled out the huge wad of money he was carrying. He laughed and then he replied, “I been getting this paper! Word! That’s what I been doing. And you see these courtside seats that me and my baby got; these were a gift. I purchased these for the season. A hundred and twenty thousand for the year is what these seats ran me. And from this vantage point, the vantage point of a fan, I realize that I can actually aspire to own a team of my own.
    â€œThat’s what I want the public to know. Know that I won’t be a tragic statistic. Nah, Malek Johnson is gonna be like Jay-Z. He went from hustling to owning a piece of the New Jersey Nets, and if he can do it, then so can I.”
    The reporter smiled and said, “Well, there you have it, folks, straight from the mouth of Malek Johnson, or shall I say soon-to-be NBA owner Malek Johnson.”
    Malek sat back down in his chair next to Halleigh and waited for the players to finish warming up so that the game could start. As Malek sat and thought, he realized that he actually could become an owner if he set his mind to it. He settled in his mind right then and there that he would indeed one day become an owner of an NBA