Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Chapter 486: 336

The Bucks and the Knights’ first encounter of the season was in early December.

After his dominant performance in the 2005-06 season, especially the 70 points he scored against the Knights in the semifinals, no one compared James to him anymore.

Even the league and Nike slowed down their promotion of the rivalry between the two giants.

To insiders, this was an irritating matter; they had hoped the rivalry between Frye and LeBron would evolve into something akin to the increasingly intense Brady-Manning rivalry in the NFL in recent years.

However, the reason the Brady-Manning rivalry was hyped up was partly because while Brady led in championships and other decisive honors, Manning had a slight edge in passing yards and touchdowns as a quarterback, leading people to say that given a good team, Manning would outperform Brady.

But in the NBA, you can’t say that.

Because in the NBA, not only does Fei lead in the number of championships, James doesn’t surpass him in stats either, let alone Fei, who has been at the core of a smaller lineup for years.

If you start comparing them from when they both entered the league, the only time James led was in scoring during his rookie and sophomore seasons.

Unable to outperform in any aspect and having been humiliated with a 70-point game, naturally, discussions of their rivalry were shelved.

After the Dream Team’s disastrous performance in Japan, Fei made sharp critiques of the team, specifically targeting James, further souring their relationship.

Interestingly enough, LeBron is a man of decency; despite being fed up with Big Fei, he wouldn’t completely burn bridges until he gained a definitive advantage, so there was some semblance of friendship between them on the surface.

“Frye, I heard you refused to support ‘Dream for Darfur’?”

James unexpectedly brought up a social issue that no one seemed to care about Fei’s suggestion on anymore.

“That’s true,” Fei said, “do you plan to support them?”

In fact, James was spread too thin.

Not long ago, his restless mother got into legal trouble again, and to make matters worse, a shameless middle-aged African American man publicly claimed to be his biological father. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t; even if he were, so what? This scum had offered no assistance whatsoever on his path in life, had taken no responsibility; they had no relationship to speak of.

“I haven’t decided what to do yet.”

What James cared about most was that his girlfriend Savannah was expecting their second child.

These were his true concerns; like Fei, he didn’t care whether a region he couldn’t even locate on a map was experiencing genocide.

But he wasn’t Fei; he couldn’t voice his true feelings.

Knowing James as he did, Fei understood that for international incidents that didn’t affect him directly, James typically wouldn’t take a clear stance, remaining neutral and pleasing both sides was the right move.

The downside was that human rights activists would think they could still sway James; they would hassle him until he took a stance. Fei couldn’t be bothered to pretend, since he already had a bad reputation, he might as well be blunt about it—do you think I care about the lives and deaths of people in Darfur when I myself am bereft of conscience?

While crude and attracting censure, not to mention increasing the cost of improving his public image, it was effective.

In his previous life, Fei hadn’t experienced this history, but he had researched it afterward. The situation was simple: it was just the Chinese trading weapons for Sudanese oil. What Sudan did with those weapons wasn’t something the Chinese needed to manage. And even pulling back a million steps, didn’t America adhere to isolationism before it entered the war, profiting from weapons sales to both sides indirectly killing how many people? He suggested looking inwardly first.

(Fei: I am proud to be an American; what’s wrong with saying America has issues?)

Now, these so-called human rights fighters, empty-handed, have created this movement with the goal of making countries boycott the Olympics a few years later, a ploy Fei had seen before in his previous life during the Winter Olympics. He was all too familiar with it. So, this move still had mileage. It wouldn’t rest until the Olympics started. In the meantime, to avoid letting these bastards continually irritate him, it was the most feasible and efficient method to disgust them to the point where they wouldn’t want to speak with him at all.

What James was doing seemed cautious, but he would reap the consequences in the future.

That night, the Bucks easily defeated the Knights.

Afterward, the Bucks embarked on a series of Western away games, one stop being Seattle.

The Bucks’ management watched nervously everything that happened in Seattle.

As expected, a large number of “Save Our SuperSonics” organization members protested outside the airport.

These actions weren’t directed at the Bucks, but they didn’t escape Fei’s notice.

Before the game that night, Fei noticed Roy dressed in street clothes, sitting courtside.

Prior to the season start, the SuperSonics found a hidden injury in Roy’s right foot, so they operated, and he might not have his NBA debut until the new year.

Without Roy, the SuperSonics were no different from last season.

They were a purely rebuilding team.

Although the team had several lottery picks and a near All-Star in Rashard Lewis, their record just couldn’t improve.

Fei had already visited the Key Arena for a few games, but he hadn’t paid much attention to the details of the stadium.

Then he realized the Key Arena didn’t seem as decrepit as the former and current owners of the SuperSonics had claimed.

“This place is much better than the Bradley Center; what exactly are they complaining about?” Fei asked.

Lin Kaiwen related what he knew, “Ten years ago, the city government financed a $200 million renovation of the Key Arena, which is indeed not bad compared to some old arenas.”

Before the game, when the DJ announced the starting lineups, the cheers for Fei drowned out everyone else in the venue.

This kind of call was not absent in Milwaukee for Yu Fei.

Yu Fei was very calm inside because the time to make a decision had not yet come.

He had time, Seattle had time too.

Let’s finish this game first.

Not even half way through, the Bucks were already leading the SuperSonics by 24 points.

Yu Fei was passing more and attacking less tonight but his teammates were incredibly accurate.

Bell and Martin had hardly missed a three-pointer.

Even someone with limited knowledge could see the enormous gap in strength between the two teams.

Yet, the SuperSonics fans at the venue still cheered for their team, while also sparing no applause for Yu Fei.

“Do people in Seattle really believe that Frye will leave Milwaukee to return to his hometown?” asked a commentator on the local television station. “No, rather than sitting around waiting for the team to be moved, people prefer to cling to hope, even though that hope is so slim.”

At the press conference that evening, Seattle reporters asked Yu Fei a few questions.

“Frye, how does it feel to be back in your hometown?”

“As good as ever, I feel the love of the fans.”

“What are your thoughts on the current owner of the SuperSonics, Clay Bennett?”

At that moment, Yu Fei had only one thought: if you asked me what I think about Scarlett Johansson, I would have many bold opinions.@@novelbin@@

But about this generously faced businessman?

“I don’t know, we’ve never even met.”

That’s all he could say.

“Although Mr. Bennett has promised the SuperSonics are going nowhere, many fans believe he will move the team back to his hometown. What do you think?”

“Don’t joke,” said Yu Fei. “I’ve been to Oklahoma City. Last year, the Hornets used it as a temporary home court. I admit there’s a very strong fan market there, but I truly can’t believe anyone would give up an international city like Seattle for Oklahoma City. It’s illogical.”

The asking reporter smiled helplessly.

Isn’t that the truth? Yet such an illogical thing was indeed brewing.

Countless sources had leaked that Bennett planned to move the SuperSonics before their contract with Key Arena expired

— if the news was true, it meant Seattle would lose the team before 2010.

Despite Seattleites loving Yu Fei and hoping he would exert his powerful influence, they couldn’t believe this young superstar, known for being selfish, would leave The Chosen Country and join a lousy team with an uncertain future.

This was something many considered almost impossible. The reporters didn’t dare to indulge in such a fantasy, and besides, to save their hometown team by poaching the greatest star in Bucks history? Such an act would be condemned anywhere.

But the reporter still harbored a faint hope, looking at Yu Fei: “Frye, what if this really happens?”

“Believe me,” Yu Fei responded to the reporter’s expectation, “it won’t happen.”

That night, when Yu Fei took the team bus back to the hotel, he made a point of sitting next to Karl, not wishing to be disturbed.

But Karl didn’t give him the chance to ponder: “You must be very conflicted, right?”

Yu Fei asked, “Wouldn’t you be if it were you?”

Karl laughed and said, “I don’t know, I’ve never been called The Chosen One.”

At that, Yu Fei smiled: “Do you know when I started being called The Chosen One?”

Of course, Karl didn’t know.

“Five years ago, right here,” Yu Fei said. “My teammates and I won the high school championship of the State of Washington. That night, we gathered at a restaurant to celebrate with our teacher and families. Mr. Robert, our principal, told me that I would transcend this sport…”⑴

A look of reminiscence crossed Yu Fei’s face.

“And bring to the world an unprecedented heroism.”

⑴ For details, please refer back to Chapter 34.

PS: Only one chapter today, mainly because I didn’t expect the fireworks in my area to go off nonstop last night. The rest of this chapter I will make up after the third day of the new year when I resume updating, which means three chapters that day.

(I do not rule out the possibility that I might suddenly finish writing this chapter at any point this afternoon or evening and then directly update it)

Although I said this yesterday, I would like to mention again about the updates for the next three days: no updates tomorrow, one update each on the second and third days of the new year, and return to regular updates on the fourth day. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year. For those who haven’t joined the group, do so quickly, red envelopes will be handed out in the evening.

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