Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1052 - 598 Trip to New York_3

Chapter 1052: Chapter 598: Trip to New York_3 Chapter 1052: Chapter 598: Trip to New York_3 And Antetokounmpo, with the most training volume on the team, had an unrestricted diet and nearly insane strength training, all to become the “Ubuntu” of the League. Fei understood his ambition and recognized the Greek Freak’s potential to realize his dream.

He had wanted to leave, but eventually returned and said to Antetokounmpo, “Let me train with you for a while.”

Perhaps reminiscent of his younger days, Fei accompanied Antetokounmpo in training until late into the night.

A few days later, the Clippers’ All-Star squad departed for New York.

The All-Star weekend had long become one of Fei’s least favorite holidays.

For him, it was not a true holiday, but rather a moment when his workload doubled. If the work had been limited to the court, it would have been bearable, but at least 95% of the tasks were unrelated to playing basketball.

However, this was a helpless reality.

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As soon as Fei stepped out of the airport, he was surrounded by his agent Christian Laettner and a whole Reebok team, while outside the airport, a throng of media had already gathered.

After barely managing the media, Fei walked out of the airport to find a long queue outside, fans wearing Fei’s jerseys from various periods, the entire street was completely occupied, and the traffic was in chaos.

Fei had no choice but to intervene to maintain order. After handling the situation, he was able to get in the car and leave for the activity site arranged by Reebok to start his busy day.

According to statistics from the Associated Press, among the 12 to 42 age group, Fei is considered the number one athlete in contemporary United States. Beyond the realm of sports, he is also one of the top ten most influential celebrities in contemporary United States and is the only sports figure among them.

The products he endorses are highly popular, and the projects he handles are very successful. With his rise over the past decade, Reebok has overtaken Nike to become the world’s number one sports brand.

Even by 2015, Fei’s influence remained strong. He led the second-place Kevin Durant by nearly double in the All-Star voting. This gap was not the limit of fan voting, but merely because the contest for the king of votes was undisputed, fans only needed to maintain his significant lead.

If it were necessary to mobilize fan voting, the media estimated that Fei’s fan base could double the existing number of votes.

This strong appeal in a superstar often directly translates into commercial value.

This year’s All-Star weekend was held in New York, and naturally, Reebok would not miss this opportunity to fill Fei’s schedule to the brim.

On the last stop of the day, Fei attended a Reebok store in Manhattan. The store was swarmed by fans, packed the entire mall.

NFL players often talk about the atmosphere of the Super Bowl, that feeling of being surrounded by a sea of people in a stadium with more than a hundred thousand people, something most NBA players can’t experience.

But this is Fei’s daily life. Wherever he goes, fans follow.

When he left, he not only completed the event, but also brought the store more than the total revenue of the previous month.

After a busy day, Fei sat exhausted in the car, listening to Laettner detailing the schedule for tomorrow.

“14 years ago, my rookie card was priced at 100 US dollars,” Fei suddenly mentioned something seemingly unrelated, “Now, they’re valued at 5000 US dollars. If they have my signature, the value can double. What exactly has happened over these years, Chris?”

Laettner felt confused after hearing this, but found the statement surprisingly fitting for the city they were in.

New York—The uniqueness of this city is that its differences are more metaphorical than physical. Looking from Staten Island towards the edge of New York Harbor, one can see Manhattan’s skyline, symbolizing infinite possibilities—and the parties and glittering activities during the All-Star weekend—seemingly close at hand, yet also out of reach.

“A lot has happened, Fei,” Laettner replied, “Most importantly, you are no longer the you that you once were.”

This statement wasn’t like an accusation against someone greedy and forgetful, saying “you’ve changed,” but rather a deeper realization: the once unknown Fei is now the face of the League.

“Besides these commercial activities, surely there’s something more important I could be doing?” Fei asked.

Laettner hesitated for a moment, “I think… perhaps there is.”

As for what it is, Laettner wasn’t sure yet. But he believed, with careful thought, he could definitely give GOAT a satisfactory answer.