Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

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Character determines destiny.

Dogte had a point, but Yu Fei disagreed.

In the world of basketball, it was talent that determined destiny.

Certainly, in the past, present, and future of the NBA, there were individuals like Bird, Nowitzki, and Curry who could console the average fans, making people believe talent wasn't everything. But remember, Bird and Nowitzki's height were talents too, and Curry's shooting touch and basketball IQ were talents as well. If these three had been merely 5'7", would they still be the players fans are familiar with?

The answer was self-evident.

Yu Fei wasn't interested in what Dogte had said, but a swarm of media was pestering him, asking about his thoughts on possibly being teammates with Jordan in the new season and his opinion on Jordan's second comeback.

His thoughts on being Jordan's teammate? Verbally, it was anticipation, excitement, nervousness; but internally, there was unease, resistance, and even aversion.

No teenager really likes hanging out with old men, right? Especially when the old man has a less than pleasant temperament.

As for his view on Jordan's second comeback, Yu Fei went with a vague approach publicly, "I don't have much of an opinion, it's MJ's freedom, we just have to wait for him to decide."

The opinion inside Yu Fei's mind was simple; it was like UZI shockingly choosing to come out of retirement with Team EDG in 2023.

Nobody knew if YYDS was influenced by Deft's unique ending to S12, but regardless, his decision was open to question. This was different from his brief, farcical comeback with Bilibili Gaming in the spring of 2022, akin to Bob Cousy's short-lived return with the Royal Team. That time he had played in games, making a big splash but ultimately crashing out in the playoffs. If he lost heart and never came back, that would be the lasting impression he left in the minds of the viewers.

Instead, that impression should have been from his nearly invincible 2018 and the frustratingly powerless 2019, without supreme glory but still worth cherishing. But now...

Jordan's comeback was even more preposterous than UZI's.

Yu Fei's view was right, most of Jordan's fans thought the same.

Jordan shouldn't have made a comeback. Was it necessary? He had already dominated an era. Was he now trying to prove that he could still dominate after three years away from the court?

The farewell in 1998 was an unusually perfect ending in sports history. Jordan had seen Magic Johnson in 1996; he should have known what a once great star with intact pride but diminished skills would encounter after a comeback.

Yu Fei was gradually realizing how excruciating it would be to walk with a god.

On draft day, the media interviews were 50% about Jordan.

Yu Fei had no idea how these people could derive so many questions from the name Jordan, nor how he managed to answer so many questions about him.

Eventually, he became numb to it.

Jordan? Who was Jordan? Just a boring name. Maybe these Jianzhong reporters would get fired if they didn't ask something related to Jordan.

Don't blame Yu Fei; this was just the attack mode post-coital.

More grueling than the interviews were the three consecutive days of "League Safety Education Classes."

The purpose of these courses was to teach the rookies a few key points.

First, manage your money properly and consider hiring someone to help with it. The League could provide recommendations if needed.

Second, keep track of your little brother and watch out for those who offer themselves up on a platter.

"Remember, you can have a good time countless times, but if you slip up just once and get someone pregnant, you're done for! She and the child will become the ghosts of your latter life, like vampires that never disappear!"

Finally, comply with the regulations and stay away from prohibited substances...

These were the most boring three days Yu Fei had experienced since his transmigration.

It's easy to preach about the high road, but taking responsibility is up to the individual.

Yu Fei believed these so-called safety education classes would continue indefinitely, but the number of players going broke after retirement, failing to control their libidos and fathering a legion of illegitimate children, or indulging in banned substances was unlikely to decrease.

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Yu Fei was confident in his self-discipline; he wouldn't touch any of that unnecessary stuff, so these three days were purely a waste of time.

Three days later, Yu Fei and the other rookies were finally free.

Although he no longer had to listen to the league staff's droning, Yu Fei still had to go to D.C. with Kwame Brown to sign their rookie contracts.

Since the league had introduced standardized rookie contracts in the mid-'90s, which based salaries solely on draft position, there was really no negotiation needed.

As long as the agent was present, the team would bring out the contract, the player would sign it, they would joyfully take a photo for the media release, and that was the process complete.

Yu Fei signed a four-year rookie contract, with total earnings of 6.5 million US dollars for the first three years, and the fourth year being a team option at an annual salary of 2.9 million US dollars.

Accounting for additional expenses, Arne Trem got a 10% commission, totaling 9.4 million US dollars, and then after various taxes were deducted, Yu Fei's take-home would not exceed 3 million US dollars.

Even 3 million US dollars was a substantial amount; if managed well, it could last a lifetime.

And this was just his first earning as a player, not to mention the soon-to-take-effect endorsement deal with Reebok.

It could be said that he no longer had to worry about money.

After completing the signing with the Wizards Team, Yu Fei gave the 200,000 US dollars signing bonus he got from Reebok to his mother to find a house in D.C. wealthy neighborhoods for their new home, while he started his busy commercial activities on the day the signing was completed.

Until the summer league began, Yu Fei only had three hours a day to practice ball because it was his first summer endorsing Reebok, and there was much to familiarize himself with including shooting commercials and attending events.

Just when Yu Fei was eagerly anticipating the summer league, an unexpected injury came knocking.

At that time, Yu Fei was shooting a commercial for his first signature basketball shoes with Reebok.

The director wanted Yu Fei to perform a few spectacular dunks.

Yu Fei did as requested, executing several difficult moves.

He completed all the dunks, but during the landing of the last one, unforeseen trouble occurred; he twisted his knee, which gave a scare to everyone on set.

Fortunately, after a thorough examination, it was found to be only a minor sprain, but it was enough to cause Yu Fei to miss the summer league.

Ironically, before the injury, Yu Fei was overwhelmed with work and wished he could be in two places at once.

By the time he had recovered, Reebok's events were mostly over, and the Wizards Team's summer league had also concluded.

Yu Fei now had time, but there were no more commercial activities or games at the moment.

It was late July now, and with his newfound free time, Yu Fei decided to completely isolate himself and use the next month and a half for intense training.

His goal was to gain 10 pounds (about 9 kilograms) before the start of the preseason training camp.

For this purpose, Yu Fei specifically sought out the Wizards Team's nutritionist to design a reasonable weight gain plan for him.

This being part of the nutritionist's job, Yu Fei quickly received a scientific weight gain plan, and he then started his intense training without any delay.

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"Age and injuries make MJ's comeback prospects full of doubts." —— Sports Illustrated

"Numerous precedents prove that even Michael Jordan won't have a successful comeback." —— The New York Times

"Shaquille O'Neal's relationship with his agent of ten years falls apart." —— Los Angeles Times

"Good morning, D.C., if you're lucky enough, you might see Frye sprinting past you on Freedom Avenue." —— The Washington Post