When pride still matters

Chapter 437 More than just a basketball player
When the Olympics ended, it was the end of August.

At this time, there are still more than half a month before the start of the NBA's preseason training camp, and those players who are playing for the national team can take this opportunity to vacation around the world.

Yu Fei went to Hong Kong, but Reebok did not let go of the Olympic champion gimmick.

The Chosen eighth-generation boots were dubbed "rescue" and caused a craze even before they were released.

This is Yu Fei's year.

In the entire sports world, only the Jamaican lightning bolt Usain Bolt and the eight-time Olympic champion Michael Phelps can compare with it.

But Bolt is a Jamaican, and the overall influence of Phelps's swimming program is not comparable to that of basketball.

From the perspective of the entire sports world, only Cristiano Ronaldo can compete. The global influence of football itself is far greater than that of basketball, but Yu Fei has vaguely surpassed the significance of basketball itself.

Under Yu Fei, other basketball players look dim.

Kobe Bryant quietly returned to Los Angeles to announce finger surgery.

"Everyone wants to talk about the selfishness, arrogance and personality of NBA players," Yu Fei told reporters, "but what you saw today is a team that came together and left here with a big victory."

Everyone will start with Yu Fei joining the dream team last year.

In September, James traveled to Toronto to attend the International Film Festival.

LeBron James is the first person in the world to understand this.

Especially after the US team won the championship, all the media were reviewing the journey of the Redemption Team.

This means that he has been undergoing conservative treatment for the injured finger since the end of the season and did not undergo surgery until the end of the Olympics. This will cause him to miss the preseason training camp and the first month of the new season.

No one will ever compare him with Yu Fei in the same dimension.

NBC even specially produced a 30-minute documentary.

James, who was not yet 20 years old at the time, told reporters that he would lead the U.S. team to a resurgence.

Even so, Bryant won't get any extra credit for his dedication.

Seeing this was enough for James.

Because this is Frye Yu's world.

However, these messages are like viruses and he cannot avoid them.

NBC portrayed him as a buffoon who talked big and was kicked out of the dream team by Yu Fei.

Then, the camera turned to 2008, when the Dream Team won the championship.

The beginning of the documentary made James furious. It was the footage of the Dream Team's defeat in Athens in 2004.

Here, his high school documentary "More Than a Game" was screened here, and he watched the film live with his high school teammates and coaches.

In just five years, James has gone from darling to abandoned son.

In the past few months, James has been avoiding contact with outside news, especially news related to the Olympics.

And Yu Fei is the savior who leads the dream team back to the top.

He didn't need to look any further.

James spent 105 minutes looking back on his glorious past. That unparalleled high school career hinted to the basketball world that he had an unlimited future. In the summer of 2003, the whole world thought he was "the next one."

When you are put in the frame of "equal to Michael Jordan" as soon as you come out, you should know that you are special.

But what now?

James is empty-handed. He is no longer the protagonist in the basketball world.

At the end of the film, James had tears in his eyes, and his high school teammates and coaches also cried. For them, James is great enough to get to where he is today. Their joys and sorrows are not the same, but tears can resonate with each other. .

Watching them, James began to think about his situation.

Why was he successful in high school but struggling in the NBA? Is he not as good as Yu Fei? Is he worse than others?

This was not a reason he could accept.

He didn't get enough support in Cleveland and he couldn't be his best self, that's what he thought.

But he won't say it.

Until the moment of decision came, he had to play the role of son of the city.

At least in the basketball field, James is temporarily unable to chase the throne.

However, his team identified another path.

They believe that if this road goes to the end, they can be on par with Yu Fei even without achieving dazzling achievements on the court.

This path can be summed up in the sentence "LeBron is more than a basketball player."

After leaving Toronto, James went to New York with his wife and held a cocktail party for his foundation. It's a star-studded event that attracts athletes, artists and TV personalities, from Jay-Z to Charlie Rose to Serena Williams, who just days ago won her third U.S. Open title Sri Lanka.

In addition to the party itself, James also has another purpose, which is to help the United States and Mexico Zhongao Guanhai canvass votes.

"Growing up, if you told a black man you could be president," James recalled, "I would be like, 'Are you crazy?'"

James' plan coincides with that of Jay-Z and others. As black people, they are already at the top of all walks of life in the United States. However, no black person has ever been able to occupy the big position. Now that the opportunity has come, why can't black people become kings and queens? ? They all want to support Ao Guanhai.

Just when James made himself the protagonist in a special way through another incident, Yu Fei had just returned to the United States from Hong Kong.

The first thing Yu Fei did when he returned to the United States was to open his own social media account. In mid-September, Yu Fei posted his first tweet: "Hello everyone, the person who posted this tweet is a five-time NBA champion, a five-time NBA Finals MVP, and a four-time regular season MVP. , 2008 Olympic gold medalist and host of Michael Jordan’s retirement ceremony—Fry Yu!”

Fans came in droves.

Someone soon asked: "Isn't destroying LeBron James worth mentioning?"

Yu Fei replied: "He is still alive, so he is not worth mentioning."

"What do you think about LeBron James giving up on beating you on the court and taking a political route?" another asked.

But Yu Fei didn't answer.

"Dude, you're already the savior. If you can save Team USA and Seattle, why can't you save your radio audience? You haven't given us a radio show in over two months. Without your radio, I can’t even poop smoothly.”

Yu Fei responded: "Yes, these are my fans."

There are still a few days left before the preseason training camp, so Yu Fei chose to rest at home.

In the past few days, he has not had any news exposure.

But the Sonics news never stops.

Because contract extension negotiations between Sam Presti and Shawn Marion have reached an impasse.

Generally speaking, championship teams suffer from championship syndrome.

The biggest side effect of this symptom is the salary issue.

For an ordinary team, if there is no excellent performance, as long as the players age, they will either be poached at a premium or accept a salary cut.

But championship teams are different.

I have worked hard for the championship and sweated, so I deserve more.

Marion has one year left on his contract.

His final year's salary reached $1700 million.

Marion wants a contract extension with a similar maximum salary.

His agent quoted $4 million over four years.

After Marion came to the SuperSonics last season, he averaged 14 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block per game. Compared with his time with the Suns, this has actually declined.

Presti feels that Marion's competitive status has entered a downward period.

A short and stocky Spider-Man like him is too poor for his physical condition. Once he gets older, he will be the same every year. Giving him 4 million for 6000 years will definitely lead to a big mistake.

But because he had won the championship and had the moral high ground, Presti was having a hard time.

The current salary space of the SuperSonics is relatively healthy.

Although Da Fei triggered the Yu Fei clause and signed a three-year, $3 million contract (one person accounts for 6000% of the salary cap), other than him, the only other players on the team were Marion's maximum salary and Kwame Brown's mid-level contract. , the others are either rookie contracts or veteran base salaries, and the salary structure is very healthy.

But if Marion is given 4 years and 6000 million US dollars, then the team will not have any spare capacity to introduce big-name players in the summer of 2009, the year of the free market.

Presti reported the situation to Clay Bennett.

Bennett's reply was: "You are the expert and you have full discretion on this matter, but it is best to ask Frye for his opinion."

At that time, Yu Fei was resting at home when he suddenly received a call from Presti.

Yu Fei knew Presti well, he was a master who would go to the Three Treasures Hall for everything.

Presti directly stated the team's dilemma with Marion's contract extension.

Since the Marion team is tight-lipped about numbers, Presti's idea is not to renew the contract for now.

Unfortunately, Yu Fei had no position to blame Presti or ask Marion to take less money on this issue.

Because he himself has a super maximum salary, and Presti's concerns about Marion are out of long-term considerations. Why consider the long term? Aren't you thinking about Da Fei? If Presti had signed a four-year, $4 million contract extension with Marion, the problem would have been solved immediately, but the SuperSonics' salary space would have been locked up. In the next two years, Marion's athletic performance would decline and it would become a premium contract. It will seriously affect the team's combat effectiveness.

"I don't know, Sam."

Yu Fei and Marion are purely colleagues. When the latter first came to Seattle, he was worried about being ignored, but Yu Fei ensured that he would receive attention. This was the reason why he was selected for the defensive team last season. In the end, they worked together Won a championship.

However, this does not mean that Yu Fei is obligated to fight for a big contract for Marion. Their relationship has not reached that stage yet.

This is a matter for Marion's agent.

All Yu Fei could do was not express his position.

"This is a matter for your management. Please make your own decision. I'm still on vacation."

The attitude of a big shot is always hidden in words.

When Yu Fei took the initiative to distance himself from the relationship, it meant that he was not on the same side as Marion.

This is Marion's tragedy, because whether he can get a pension contract has never depended on himself.

This mainly depends on the attitude of the boss and Yu Fei.

When the boss asked Presti to ask Yu Fei for his opinion, Yu Fei's answer could decide everything.

Therefore, Yu Fei said "it has nothing to do with me", which is equivalent to telling Presti "not to renew the contract."

"I understand." Presti already knew Yu Fei's attitude, "You can have a good rest and I won't disturb you."

(End of this chapter)