When pride still matters

Chapter 465 God promised

LeBron James certainly wouldn't be touched for a player of Richard Hamilton's caliber.

In fact, what impressed him was Kobe's sincerity. Kobe knows what he is good at and what he is good at. If there is a way in this world to beat the number one player in the world 100%, it is to join forces with the number two player in the world.

James asked Maverick Carter to tell ESPN that he has made the decision to prepare for the special.

Soon, ESPN got back to them.

Everything is ready, and they can arrange a person's fastest time to live broadcast the "decision" at the best time period.

According to the contract, James will receive a compensation of US$500 million (after tax) as long as he announces his decision in an ESPN special program. This money will be donated to welfare homes in several cities.

Everything has been decided.

That night, James slept peacefully.

However, he dreamed of himself as a child.

James' grandmother, Freida James, died when he was three years old, leaving behind daughter Gloria, sons Terry and Curtis, and grandson LeBron.

To Gloria, it felt like the end of the world. She had no money to support herself and her son, and she did not have enough financial resources to repair the dilapidated house left by her mother. And her brother was unemployed and unable to help. During those most difficult years, they could only rely on neighbors to take them in, often curling up on a sofa without a quilt, or relying on relief shelters, welfare and food stamps to survive.

James had difficulty forming friendships with classmates and connecting with teachers. Since he had no fixed address, he often changed schools and gradually became a quiet child.

Until James was nine years old, a man named Bruce Kelker changed his life.

Kelke is a football coach. He watched James, who was less than 10 years old but much stronger than his peers, playing football with his peers and asked him if he liked this sport.

James replied: "This is my favorite sport."

At that time, Kelke was the coach of a youth football team. He was looking for a running back for his team, which meant that the child needed to be faster than his peers, so he asked the people on the team to run against James. As a result, James left them far behind.

When Kelke learned that James had never practiced football systematically, he realized he had discovered a gem, so he went to Gloria and asked her to let LeBron join his team. But Gloria didn't have the money, she objected loud and clear, and she didn't think football was the right fit for her son because LeBron was a quiet, reserved kid. He's not aggressive.

Somehow, James, who had never been away from his mother, volunteered that he wanted to join the football team, and Kelke was willing to pay for all the expenses, and eventually, he let LeBron live in his home.

This was an important moment in James' life. From then on, he no longer had a fixed place to live. He had a warm home and quickly became a rugby genius in the Akron area. This boosted his confidence and turned him from a child with low self-esteem into a somewhat narcissistic child.

This dream was so wonderful that it allowed James to review the shadows and sunshine of his childhood in one night.

But, suddenly, Kelke's wife burst into tears: "LeBron, why do you want to leave this home?"

In an instant, James opened his eyes.

There was no other person in the dark hotel room. He looked at the time and saw that it was only four in the morning.

But this dream.
James knew why he had such a dream.

It was one of the darker parts of his heart, and during his childhood he had suspected that Kelke's wife hated him because his athletic abilities were so far ahead of their children's. Later he learned that such suspicions were groundless. Not only did Kelke's wife not dislike him, she treated him as one of her own.

For James, it was the most important childhood experience. He wanted a warm home, like the one in Kelke.

But in the end, he left that home just as he was about to leave the Cavaliers.

In the dead of night, James looked back on the past and realized that his current decision might have been predetermined.

Kelke not only taught him football, but also basketball. One day, while playing baseball in Akron, he happened to meet the Drew Joyce family.

Drew Sr. once aspired to be a football coach, but when he discovered that his youngest son, Drew Joyce III, preferred basketball, he began coaching his son in the local AAU minor league as a basketball team coach. That's when he met LeBron, who was only a month older than his son.

Soon, James and Drew Jr. began playing together. LeBron liked him immediately. Drew Jr. rarely speaks off the court. But on the court, he wasn't shy about telling others what to do. Even though he was the shortest guy on the field, he acted like a coach. Teammates call him "The General."

Little Drew has been playing basketball since he was four or five years old. But James is so big and strong that he could easily defeat Drew Jr. After each failure, little Drew would ask to do it again. again and again.

James joined Drew Sr.'s AAU team and spent more and more time with them. That summer, they competed in the local Junior AAU Championship, finishing seventh out of 62 participating teams, and the following year, they competed in the higher-level National AAU Junior Championship, finishing 72th out of participating teams.

James went from being a football prodigy to a basketball prodigy, beating every opponent in the tournament.

At the beginning of the following year, when the school teacher gave the students a card and asked them to write down three things they wanted to do when they grew up.

James wrote: NBA players, NBA players, NBA players.

He left his home in Kelke as his life officially set sail that year.

He wanted to be with Drew, with that little Drew who dared to challenge anyone.

The golden years of the past flew through his mind, and James realized that what he did today had already been foreshadowed in the past.

Leaving the Kelks, he became the most famous junior high basketball player in Ohio and then the No. 1 high school player in the nation in just two years.

Then, he met Fry Yu at the ABCD training camp.

That was 2001.

The 15-year-old didn't know how entangled he would be with the other person. He naively thought that this person would really become his big brother.

But in the end, Michael Jordan was right.

This is a bastard who can kill anyone in order to consolidate his position and use the other person's blood to lay the foundation for himself.

He had problems in Cleveland that he couldn't fix, just as his continued presence at the Kelks' house would never have made him a great basketball player.

It's time to leave.

7 April

The Lakers announced the signing of Richard Hamilton for four years and $4 million.

To the outside world, this is not a big news.

Since being traded by Jordan from the Wizards, the only thing Richardson is famous for is his feud with Yu Fei and his bloody battle with the Bucks in the Pistons for several years. During this period, there were many out-of-circle events like the Palace of Auburn Hills.

However, other than these, Richardson is a quasi-All-Star guard who is better than an ordinary starter but not a stable All-Star.

Over the years, his game averages have always been stable at 18 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. He is a pure scorer.

His addition to the Lakers is an additional secondary attacker who can help Kobe Bryant share the scoring pressure.

But everyone knows that the Lakers' real problem is the third position.

Because Ron Artest couldn't control Yu Fei, they needed a more powerful presence.

Then, "decision" day arrives.

On July 7, a convoy of shiny black SUVs drove out of the Westchester County Airport through Connecticut, winding down a wooded road before turning onto a flat private driveway, with cars on both sides. It's stone walls and lush oak and maple trees.

James was sitting in the back seat of one of the cars, flanked by his soulmate Savannah and their two children.

In James' eyes, the people around him are more charming than the scenery.

After arriving at the station, James got out of the car with his wife. They looked around. The golden sunlight filtered through the white picket fence of the property, illuminating the lush green lawn and a stone path leading to the spacious New England Colonial-style house.

James came here with his family and close friends to relax, eat, and rehearse for the show. He will announce his decision in a prime-time special on ESPN in a few hours.

A dozen people got out of several other cars, including his two best friends, 29-year-old Maverick Carter and 28-year-old Rich Paul. They were one of the few people who knew about James' plan.

Carter is undoubtedly the most excited person, because today's live broadcast was personally orchestrated, set and planned by him.

In his opinion, except for that person, only LeBron can allow ESPN to devote an hour of prime time to a special program to broadcast the King's "decision."

In Carter's view, this would be something revolutionary. LeBron's impending statement is actually a declaration of independence from the financial control of team owners and a break from the moral shackles that have historically kept athletes in place by so-called loyalties.

Only Rich Paul was upset.

He was the only one among the "Four Horsemen" who opposed the "decision" of live streaming.

This incident reminded him of the short-term contract incident that turned No. 44 into a black man.

In 2005, No. 44 forced the Bucks to sign a three-year short contract with him with player options. This completely broke the established pattern and made it the target of verbal criticism from the media. For a period of time, No. 3 was the public enemy of the basketball world.

What has to be admitted is that although No. 44 has endured great criticism, it has allowed players after him to sign short-term contracts with the home team without pressure, indirectly forcing the management to actively operate for the stars. But Paul knows very well that LeBron's current approach is more subversive than the short-term contract incident. It's disrupting the status quo.

Paul knew that LeBron still had a huge influence, even though the shadow of No. 44 swallowed everything. However, in his six years in Cleveland, he did what 99% of athletes cannot do. He was called a king by Sports Illustrated, signed a record-breaking $9000 million endorsement deal with Nike, and held most of the NBA's youngest titles under the age of 20. He has his own media company, he has his own film company, he has his own investment company, and he will soon be an African American worth over a billion dollars.

At Nike, he surpassed Woods and Kobe. Compared with the former, his life was very pure. Compared with the latter, he had no scandals. As long as Nike can't lure No. 44 away from Reebok, LBJ will be their number one athlete.

Meanwhile, LeBron's influence extends beyond sports. He's performed with Jay-Z, campaigned for Obama, dined with Anna Wintour, and has his own foundation. He's definitely the most outstanding athlete under the age of 25 in the world.

Without No. 44, this range can be expanded to under 30 years old.

The only thing LeBron hasn't done is win an NBA championship. But he has decided that is about to change.

Such a person, second only to No. 44, wants to announce his next home through a controversial live broadcast?

Paul had a premonition that a storm was coming.

Just today, SuperSonics star guard Brandon Roy reached a four-year, $4 million contract extension with the SuperSonics.

"Maybe I should live stream the decision," Roy told reporters when he signed.

The repercussions are already starting to come.

"An hour-long broadcast of your decision? WTF?" a FOX Sports commentator wrote on Twitter.

An NBA player who wished to remain anonymous told a sports reporter: "LeBron's dream is to be as unique as Frye Yu."

Mike Brown, who has been fired by the Cavaliers, commented: "LeBron wants to be the greatest player in history, just like Jordan and Frye."

Also on this day, James opened his own Twitter account. Just like Yu Fei, he sent his first tweet: "Hello, world, the real James is here."

At nine o'clock in the evening, James is about to enter the live broadcast room.

Rich Paul called Cavaliers officials.

He told them that LeBron was leaving the Cavaliers, but it wasn't a personal decision, it was a business decision.

Does saying this make them feel better?

Team owner Dan Gilbert was furious. He tried to avoid this by keeping James with the team on a five-year deal four years ago, but James insisted on only signing a three-year deal.

Gilbert said angrily to the people around him: "When that ungrateful villain said that, we should have told him to get out of the way!"

Jim Gray, host of the ESPN special, sat in a director's chair on a makeshift stage in the center of the arena, with James sitting across from him in a matching chair.

Then, the show begins.

Although everyone knows what the focus of the show is, since it is a one-hour show, there is naturally a problem of transition.

The transition time is up to half an hour.

Then Gray posed the question that choked Cleveland: "This question has been bothering a lot of people all year, LeBron, what's your decision?"

James opened his mouth, and the Kelker family, the fans at Quicken Loans Center, and his once-high self flashed in his mind. Without No. 44, none of this should have happened.

He doesn’t want to be anyone else, he wants to be the only one he can be, but No. 44 is right.

Victory is not everything, victory is the only thing.

If you cannot win, you will be deprived of your right to be yourself.

"God, this is a tough decision for me," James mused. "This fall, I'm going to take my talents to the West Coast and join the Los Angeles Lakers."

There seemed to be boos outside the stadium, and the host Gray didn't know what to ask next.

In Cleveland, thousands of fans shed tears and began burning James' jerseys.

"How are you going to explain your decision to the Cleveland fans?" Gray asked after calming down.

"It's something that comes from the heart for me," James explained. "I never wanted to leave Cleveland and my heart will always be in that place."

When the show ended, James walked off the stage and picked up a little girl who was arranged to watch.

Minutes later, ESPN went live with James: "I have to tell you, the fans in Cleveland are burning your jerseys and you can see this."

Yes, James saw the photo, his jersey in flames.

"How do you feel now?"

When a person feels from the bottom of his heart that he has done the right thing, but those who once swore to follow him are standing on the opposite side of him, he will not feel that he has done anything wrong, he will only feel that he has done something wrong in the past few years. The efforts were wasted.

He can become conceited and arrogant.

"Iceman" George Gervin and "Prophet" Moses Malone are currently possessing LeBron James.

"I'm not going to make any emotional decisions," he said. "I want to do what's best for LeBron James and what makes LeBron James happy. If LeBron James is no longer LeBron James, the Cavaliers will also trade him. Will LeBron James' family burn the team? Of course not, this is what LeBron James feels."

From this moment on, public doubts and online violence on social media reached their peak.

Bill Simmons tweeted: "It's over. I'm saying, starting today, stop comparing Frye to LeBron. This issue should never have existed."

The famous talk show host David Letterman commented: "I want my two children to watch the LBJ special. I want her to see the exact moment when our society hit rock bottom."

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert was furious and wrote a letter to all Clevelanders accusing James of betrayal.

From coast to coast, James emerged from the perfect Nike package to become a villain in the sports world.

The New York Times published a report online declaring Los Angeles the "new evil empire" and criticizing James' "mercenary pursuit of a championship ring."

Despite this result that ruined James' reputation, ESPN's special program was a great success, especially when James announced that he would bring his talents to the West Coast. 1300 million Americans watched the live broadcast, which was the highest-rated studio broadcast in ESPN history. programme.

When the show ended and public opinion began to explode, James was sitting on a plane flying to Los Angeles.

"What's going on outside?"

James noticed the people around him looking at each other.

Maverick Carter said palely, "We screwed up."

In the early morning, the plane landed in Los Angeles.

James doesn't blame Carter. He knows that every decision he makes affects everything else. Almost too much to handle. Sometimes, he just needs to face it alone.

The Lakers were waiting for James on the tarmac. Exhausted and emotionally drained, James stepped off the plane and then he and his wife got into an SUV. They held hands and stared through the car window into the darkness of Rida, California.

"It'll get over, LeBron."

Savannah said to James.

"I'll be fine." James said without sadness. "I've encountered scarier things than this in Las Vegas."

※※※

The man behind what James' camp believes was the driving force behind everything happening is also in Los Angeles.

After James, who had been dormant for several years, made the biggest offseason news ever, the media was eager to know what Frye Yu thought.

They got their chance in mid-July.

When the reporter asked Yu Fei what he thought of James' "decision" and the "evil empire" that was destined to become a big enemy next season, he smiled contemptuously.

"It means God answered my prayers."

Reporters wanted to know what his prayer was.

"Just a simple prayer. 'Oh, God, please make my enemies ridiculous.' God said yes."

PS: There is only one chapter today.

(End of this chapter)