Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

The night they won the championship, the Bucks stayed in Los Angeles.

As Yu Fei had arranged earlier, he organized a splendid party.

Most of Yu Fei's teammates joined in, and many of them found female companions willing to get to know them better in bed as the party went on.

However, Yu Fei didn't engage in any misconduct, as Christina was also at the party.

After the party ended, Yu Fei and Christina returned to their hotel exhausted after a time, he was really quite tired.

Then, he slept until 10 o'clock the following morning.

By that time, the Bucks' charter plane had already left Los Angeles.

Yu Fei had notified the team in advance that he would be staying in LA for a few days. As for how many days, he didn't say; the team only needed him to show up when the championship celebration began.

After lunch, Yu Fei contacted Assistant Alex Clark to inquire about his schedule.

He had thought the end of the season might bring a few days of relaxation, but it turned out there were still many arrangements to be made.

Besides commercial engagements and interviews, there was also an invitation from ESPN.

Previously, a short film called "Legacy of the Generations" featuring Yu Fei and James had been very popular, and this had inspired ESPN.

Since they wanted to promote Yu Fei and James as the "New Magic Birds," why not sit them down for a chat with the original Magic Bird?

ESPN first reached out to Magic Johnson to share the idea.

Their strategy was smart, as Magic would surely not refuse a chance for massive media exposure, especially to discuss matters with hotshots like Yu Fei and James, not to mention catching up with his old friend Bird.

Magic gladly agreed and said he would help persuade Bird as well.

ESPN then contacted James, who was yet to leave Los Angeles.

James, ever savvy regarding social nuances, naturally saw no reason to decline once he heard Magic Bird had agreed.

Finally, ESPN approached Yu Fei.

They were very respectful, their tone gentle, and their words polite, but they didn't leave much room for choice.

Their intention was clear: Magic, Bird, and James had all agreed; they were one short, just needing him. How could he not participate?

Yu Fei himself wasn't interested in professional basketball talk shows, but with Magic Bird on board and his junior agreeing, it was difficult for him to decline.

Thus, ESPN gathered together two ancient gods and two superstar newcomers.

They called the show "Two on Two," set to begin filming three days after the championship game ended.

What Yu Fei hadn't expected was that to record this damned show, he even had to specially fly to Indiana, reportedly at Bird's request.

The production team claimed the venue was at the heart of basketball history—Hoochier Gymnasium, located thirty miles outside the center of Indianapolis City.

They said, Indiana basketball stars like Bird grew up in such dilapidated little gyms.

James, attempting to craft a persona of naïveté, pointed to the crooked basketball hoop in the gym and said, "Looking at that hoop, I just want to throw a ball at it, but I don't know if it can take it."

"Unless you're dunking, it can certainly handle at least one shot," Yu Fei joked.

"I'd rather not!" James shook his head and laughed, "I'd have to pay for it if it broke."

By then, Magic and Bird had already taken their places, along with Jim Gray, the program's host, who warmly greeted Yu Fei and James to their seats.

Yu Fei and James enthusiastically greeted Magic and then respectfully addressed Bird as "Mr."

No wonder, since retiring Bird seldom appeared on television to discuss his career, whereas Magic seemed to wish he could be on TV every day.

Afterward, host Gray began by saying, "The reason we are sitting here is that we believe there is a special connection among you. When people mention Magic, someone will remember Larry. Now, many believe that when we mention Frye in the future, someone will think of LeBron."

And so, the old-new quartet began their lively discussion.

They talked about the origins and the current state of their rivalry, the pressures of leading a team, and the importance of winning a championship in a professional career.

After discussing this, Magic couldn't help but give Yu Fei a lesson, "Frye, as the new generation's top dog, you really should consider joining the Dream Team seriously. I know you have issues with Coach Brown, but, believe me, that is a completely different experience. Carrying the hopes of a city and carrying the hopes of a country are not the same."

Yu Fei smiled wryly, he believed Magic's advice was genuinely well-intentioned, and at that point could only vaguely acknowledge it with a few murmurs of assent.

Perhaps trying to help Yu Fei change the subject, James enthusiastically talked about his upcoming inclusion on Team USA.

However, Magic kept watching Yu Fei as if to confirm whether the young man had taken his words to heart.

Afterward, Gray brought up the topic of white NBA stars and wanted to know Bird's thoughts on white players of this generation.

It was a fairly mundane question; even though it involved race, all Bird had to do was praise Nowitzki to get by.

But perhaps feeling that he hadn't been humorous enough for the day and fallen short of his standard, Bird changed tack and suddenly said, "The problem now is that there are too few white stars. We need more white stars because as everyone knows, most fans are white Americans. Having more white stars would be good for the League. But basketball is a game for black players, and that will never change. What I mean is, the greatest athletes in the world are African Americans."

Yu Fei's eyes widened; there was nothing wrong with those words per se, but if someone wanted to take them out of context, they could easily label Bird as a racist.

The next scene convinced Yu Fei that Magic Johnson was indeed Bird's true friend.

Knowing full well how sensitive Bird's remark was, Magic quickly added after Bird had finished, "Yes, we need more Larrys. Larry can go into any community, and when you say 'Larry Bird,' black people know who he is, white people know who he is, and they respect him. It's been a long time since we've seen a white player who can break through racial prejudices."

The host, Gray, also realized that Bird's words could cause trouble, so after Magic had spoken, he quickly directed a question to James, "LeBron, do you think there are still racial issues in the NBA today?"

James shook his head and smiled, "You know, when fans watch the games, they don't care about race. They care about who can play basketball. Or who has more athletic talent. If you can play, the fans will like you."

Gray tactfully did not ask Yu Fei this question.

Because he wasn't sure if Yu Fei would take this opportunity to diss Shaquille O'Neal.

Moreover, he noticed that when James said he didn't think there was racial discrimination in the NBA, a discernible sneer appeared on Yu Fei's face.

Although Yu Fei and James were both very young, they did not show unanimity when facing questions.

James was good at making diplomatic comments, while Yu Fei always seemed keen to tackle the elephant in the room.

Not long after, "Two on Two" was broadcast on cable TV and, as ESPN had predicted, was well-received by the audience. Some believed it was an effective sample for studying Yu Fei and James. As expected, Bird's comments landed him in hot water.

It wasn't just accusations of racism; white players from Bird's era were also deeply dissatisfied with the show. They felt Bird had insulted them because Bird said on the show that he hated it when teams defended him with a white player, which he saw as disrespect⑴.

This served as a warning to Yu Fei.

Interview shows can be annoying, but one must still appear on them. An old-timer like Bird, who hardly ever goes on a show, suddenly appears and can't even speak like a normal person.

Before leaving Los Angeles, Yu Fei invited James out for dinner.

During the meal, James did not forget to be gracious and once again extended the invitation to join Team USA on his behalf.

It reminded Yu Fei of what Magic had told him after the show had ended.

"Fei, the invitation to the Dream Team is not just a responsibility; it's also a part of image crafting. Besides, I believe you could be a leader for the Dream Team, just like I was back in the day. Larry didn't want to come, I made him come. Michael didn't want to come, I made him come too. Whoever controls the Dream Team can control American basketball."

While Magic made a grandiose statement, it nonetheless subtly revealed the benefits of joining Dream Team.

Yu Fei believed that James's current invitation to join had no intent of "controlling American basketball." He simply hoped to see more familiar faces on the national team.

After all, many superstars had announced they would not accept the Dream Team call-up, and the only normal person left on Team USA was Duncan, with the rest being unstable elements like Iverson and Stephon Marbury.

Yu Fei declined once more, "I'll pass this time, there will be other opportunities later."

Seeing Yu Fei was not interested, James didn't press the topic further and switched to talking about Magic and Bird instead.

The close friendship between Magic Bird left a deep impression on James, who mused, "When we retire, could we also sit down and reminisce about the past like they do?"

"Of course," Yu Fei laughed and asked, "Do you have any doubts about that, Bron?"

James couldn't imagine a future where his relationship with Yu Fei would deteriorate to the point where they couldn't sit down and talk about the past.

The Little Emperor also laughed, "Of course not."

Yu Fei then raised his glass of juice in lieu of wine, toasting his brother, "Then let's toast to Larry, and may we never utter such spiteful words as 'It's disrespectful to me when an opponent uses a white player to defend me.'"

One day later, the weather in Los Angeles was as clear as usual, and a failed basketball season had only momentarily dampened the spirits of the city.

But a piece of news from inside the Lakers, striking with an overwhelming force, swept across the nation once more, catapulting them back into the limelight.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

"Kobe says he'll never play with that asshole again!" — Los Angeles Times

"Frye will never play for Larry Brown's team, meaning he'll miss the Dream Team again!" — Milwaukee Sentinel

"Kobe refuses to renew his contract with the Lakers and is in close talks with the Clippers." — Los Angeles Daily News

"In order to soothe Carlos Boozer's insecurities, the Cleveland Cavaliers will not exercise their team option and will reach a multi-year contract with him this summer." — Sports Illustrated

⑴ "You guys tell me if King B's words are too much— 'The only thing that bothered me in the NBA was when they would put a white guy on me, it really got under my skin. If a team did that, I'd always ask him, 'Do you and your coach have a problem with your brain?' Because that's a huge disrespect to me!'"