So I am the god of basketball?

Chapter 69 Ordinary Summer (Please subscribe)

Meng Lang's life gradually became dull.

He began to make fewer headlines than before.

Except for the "Orlando Sentinel" which is still harping on Pat Williams' stupidity, there are not many newspapers that are still clinging to Meng Lang.

This atmosphere is like the calm before the storm.

David Stern made another trip to China during this period.

ABC exclusively broke the news that David Stern’s cooperation with China Central Television has reached substantial progress.

Tai Lun mailed Meng Lang a newspaper from China:

"The first Chinese to appear in the NBA, he is already worth tens of millions at a young age!" 》

This is the headline published by a well-known newspaper in China. It has been published for almost half a month.

At that time, Meng Lang happened to finalize a contract with the Magic.

After reading the content, he discovered that this media should have already reported the news of his signing with Adidas.

Because this matter was mentioned in the article.

Throughout the article, there is very little about his basketball experience, and more space is devoted to reporting on the size of the contract he earned.

It is very similar to the "2.2 million lottery" incident that was posted on Weibo hot searches for two or three days.

Over the years, the events that concern the nation have not changed at all!

then……

There's no after that!

On July 7, Jordan’s father, James Jordan, suddenly became the headlines of major media.

He disappeared ten days ago and was a cold corpse when he was finally found by the police.

According to the police, James died in the Lexus that Jordan had just given to him. It was initially determined that it was a deliberate murder motivated by money, and the suspect has been identified.

When the news came out, everyone was shocked, including the "93 generation". When they met again the next day, everyone looked much "poorer". The big gold chain around their necks was missing, and the Rolex in their hands was also missing. .

In the face of death, everyone listens to advice.

Jordan continues to "dominate the list."

Insiders revealed that he was in a bad mood.

James Jordan's influence on Jordan is still very profound.

"Sticking out the tongue" is Jordan's signature move, which Jordan learned from his father.

When James Jordan was still playing on the street, he often stuck out his tongue to break through. This appearance once made him the most famous street ball player on the street.

On August 8, even more exciting news came out. Michael Jordan, who had just won the "three consecutive championships" and was just 1 years old, was considering retiring.

When Hardaway learned the news, he had a grimace and a depressed mood all day long.

Michael Jordan is his idol. One of his motivations for entering the NBA is to play against Michael Jordan. He is also prepared for this. The new season is just around the corner, but now it is reported that Jordan is retiring. news!

His appearance reminded Meng Lang of that long day in 2020, when many stars cried bitterly after hearing the bad news.

The collapse of spiritual belief is more fatal than any blow!

Kobe is not a perfect person, and he is even involved in scandals, but in the NBA, he is the reason why many latecomers play.

Kobe is the same, and so is Anfernee Hardaway.

The media gave him the status of "Jordan's successor", which made him excited for a long time.

"Meng, he will definitely not retreat, right?"

Seeing Hardaway's pitiful "puppy look", Meng Lang still couldn't bear it and patted him on the shoulder: "Let's do this, man, if he retires, you should retire with him!"

"..." Hardaway's expression immediately froze.

Although he regards Michael Jordan as his idol, he is not ready to sacrifice for Jordan to such an extent.

"One hit kill"!
  Meng Lang cured Hardaway's hypocrisy.

"When I retire, I will definitely open a psychological clinic. I will be the best psychiatrist in the world." Meng Lang looked at the patients' visible curative effects and had a rough idea of ​​his distant post-retirement life.

Hardaway cursed secretly from the side: "I can guarantee that this clinic will definitely close down!"

This is "verbal violence", isn't it?

On August 8, rumors of Jordan's retirement became increasingly noisy, but Hardaway was no longer surprised.

Facts have proven that no matter how loyal a fan is, they will become numb after being shunned for a long time.

Meng Lang had some quarrels with Chris Webber that day.

The reason was that a group of people were talking nonsense together and imagining their future. Chris Webber once again mentioned that he would become the next "Magic" Johnson. ——This was probably the 108th time Meng Lang heard him say this.

Ok……

Just during the training camp in Las Vegas.

This guy really, really loves "The Magician"!
  "What if Nelson doesn't want you to become a magician, but wants you to have other possibilities?" Meng Lang asked, thinking of Chris Webber's upcoming encounter in the new season. ——The Warriors spent a lot of money to acquire Chris Webber, but the deal did not achieve any results. Nelson's coaching philosophy and Chris Webber's stubbornness collided fiercely. In just one year, Chris Webber Reese Webber requested a transfer and left the Warriors.

This is what is going to happen!
  What Old Neal hopes to see is a more focused attitude from Chris Webber. Instead of trying to be like "Magic" Johnson and forcing him to learn his "no-look pass" and learn his various gorgeous but weak operations.

Weber felt that Meng Lang's hypothesis was not valid: "No team doesn't want Magic!"

Meng Lang could only speak more bluntly: "What if you can't become a magician?"

When these words came out of his mouth, Weber became anxious: "Hey, man, you shouldn't have such doubts. We haven't played together, right? You should really learn to respect me. I respect you very much." , I also hope you respect me!"

Meng Lang spread his hands: "What I want to say is, Chris, you don't have to be the next person, you can be the first yourself!"

This word...

Very cool!
  Chris Webber had no resentment at that time.

Hardaway and the others, who were swallowing their saliva as they watched, also looked at each other in astonishment. Why can Meng Lang always say such powerful words!
  You don’t have to be the next one, you can be the first yourself…

Hardaway was so excited when he thought that the media called him "the next Jordan" at that time. Now, when compared with Meng Lang's words, they are so low that they explode.

Chris Webber also realized at this moment that he had misunderstood Meng Lang's meaning. He is not questioning his ability, but hoping that he will not lose himself in the pursuit of becoming the next "Magic" Johnson.

Probably realizing this, Chris Webber mentioned "Magic" less and less in the following period.

Time came to September, and the "9 Generation"'s two-month training in Las Vegas officially ended. Wesley organized a dinner on the last day and introduced a friend of his to them.

"I have a club in Atlanta. When you need to relax, you can go there anytime!"

The chubby businessman's face was filled with a profit smile. He stood up enthusiastically and placed his business card next to each player's table. His name was printed on the business card:

Steve Kaplan!
  Seeing his name and thinking back to what this guy said just now, Meng Lang also thought of the name of that club. ——The "Golden Club" that even the "God of Basketball" lingers on!
  "We must go see it another day!"

Kaplan introduced his club in a glitzy manner, and the effect was obvious. On the way back, Hardaway kept telling Meng Lang his yearning for the gold club.

This is what a hairy boy is!

Back in Orlando, Meng Lang took a break for a while.

His weight gain in Las Vegas was quite successful, and his weight successfully increased to 98kg.

I am 2kg heavier than when I was in college.
  This is considered the standard No. [-] weight.

In addition, Meng Lang's mid-range shooting ability has improved to 79 points, and his three-point shooting ability has also reached 78 points.

Almost reaching All-Star level.

There is still one month left before the official start of the new season. During the closed training camp, he does not need to increase his weight. In addition to familiarizing himself with the tactics of the new season, he can focus on surprise shooting. Before the first regular season game of his career, he can reach All-star level shooting ability should not be a problem.

Another obvious improvement is his physical fitness, which has completely exceeded 90 points and reached the best level in the NBA.

These improvements make him look forward to the new NBA season even more. He wants to see what level of performance he can perform in the new season based on his current abilities.

On September 9, a week before the start of the Magic's new season training camp, Meng Lang received a call from Hardaway: "Shaq specially held a party and invited us to attend. I will send you the address. See you then. !”

Generally, before the start of a new season, the team's veteran will make some moves in order to let the newcomers integrate into the team's atmosphere in advance.

However, team bosses with different personalities also have different actions.

People like Jordan or Kobe usually start training camp early, while people like Shaq who want to have fun will hold a party for everyone to have fun together.

We are finally going to see this legendary "big shark"!

After the draft, O'Neal spoke less and less in front of the media. He only appeared once, commenting on the Magic's trade for Hardaway: "When I saw the team choose Chris Webber, I really felt disrespected, and I told the team that Hardaway must be traded before the new season, otherwise I will not renew my next contract."

Can you imagine this is what the emotionally intelligent Shaquille O'Neal would say in front of the media?

Actually, this is the real Shaq.

He is no different from most black people, selfish, petty and vengeful.

But he is much smarter than most black people, and he is also No. 1 among black people in changing his attitude according to the circumstances.

Just like when the media first compared him with Yao Ming, he angrily used racist words. After finding out that he had caused trouble, he immediately apologized: "My dad beat me up. He Tell me I can't say that, it's disrespectful!"

After Yao Ming's performance, the "little fish" came into being.

That was when he gradually tasted the changes made by the Chinese market.

just now……

The media has been shouting for more than half a year, but the Chinese market has still "only heard its voice but not seen its people". David Stern has also not announced any new progress between him and the Chinese market. Everything seems to be at a standstill.

So Shaquille O'Neal has never mentioned Meng Lang at all.

There are also rumors that Shaquille O'Neal privately expressed strong dissatisfaction with Meng Lang's salary being higher than Hardaway's in the first year.

Of course, this is just gossip.

No one has confirmed this yet!

Meng Lang didn't dwell too much on this matter. Having had personal experience, he naturally understood how outrageous the news of this era was. What is Shaquille O'Neal's attitude towards him? You will only know when you meet him!
  "Hey, Dream, we finally meet. I have wanted to meet you for a long time. I am your absolute fan. You are the most domineering pitcher I have ever seen!"

result……

Shaquille O'Neal was a lot more enthusiastic than he expected.

Meeting is a warm embrace.

This is so...

Is it Shaquille O'Neal?
  Meng Lang looked at the "big shark" in front of him, which had a Hulk-like body and bulging muscles like a Hulk. It was somewhat different from the "fat-headed fish" that was more familiar in his mind!

This is what the rumored "magic shark" looks like.

It feels like Meng Lang is a taller version of Karl Malone.

Well, it's not surprising that such a guy completed a "hat trick" of smashing rebounds in his rookie season. ——In the just-concluded 92-93 season, Shaquille O'Neal smashed the rim three times.

The emergence of this "big shark" is not only a change in the interior for the entire NBA, but also a major innovation in the quality of rebounds.

"Welcome to the Magic, let's do something big together in the new season!"

Shaquille O'Neal imagined the future with enthusiasm.

This first meeting gave Meng Lang the feeling that at least starting from his rookie season, there would be no conflicts between them.

As for the back...

Who knows?

If the media praises him too much, conflicts may arise.

Anyway, as far as Meng Lang knows, the reason for the rift between Shaquille O'Neal and Hardaway is because after he eliminated Michael Jordan in the 95 playoff finals and gave him his only playoff defeat in the 90s, the media went crazy and praised Hardaway. , caused by neglecting him.

This guy's mind is really as small as his dick!

(End of this chapter)