Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1086 - 610 Long Summer_2

Chapter 1086: Chapter 610: Long Summer_2 Chapter 1086: Chapter 610: Long Summer_2 Yu Fei did not respond.

The ones who responded to Martin were countless fans.

Ordinary players attacked by online violence might panic, but someone like Martin who was determined to capitalize on Yu Fei’s negative popularity naturally welcomed this attention. He not only didn’t care, but also continued to make inflammatory statements to attract even more focus and hatred.

However, throughout the process, Yu Fei never bothered with him.

This was undoubtedly the wisest choice.

For someone seeking attention, the best strategy is to leave them forgotten on the fringe of the world.

Martin retired, but he wasn’t the only old guard bidding farewell to the court this summer.

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Besides Martin, another player who had grievances with Yu Fei—Richard Hamilton—also announced his retirement.

As a mid-range shooting master, Hamilton left the world with a final impression of stabbing Yu Fei in the back. That year, he voluntarily gave up the entire season, letting Yu Fei struggle alone. Afterwards, the two went their separate ways, with Hamilton bearing a grudge against Yu Fei, ultimately ending up as a drifter without a championship to his name.

Fei’s fans would be quite pleased to see this scene.

Compared to those directly retaliated against by Fei, they are more disgusted by these minor characters who still felt unsatisfied even after being avenged by Fei.

However, the most significant retirement this summer belonged to Yao Ming’s former partner,

Tracy McGrady, who could no longer battle due to an aggravating back injury.

Now 36 years old, McGrady, who suffered from congenital spinal issues, was told by doctors he couldn’t become a professional athlete. Yet his career spanned from 1997 to the present, nearly 20 years. Although he never won a championship, he still made waves in the Eastern Conference during the 2000s.

Yu Fei sent his blessings to McGrady.

He specially looked for an old photo, capturing the moment from the winter of 2001, when he first started as a Wizard against McGrady on the court.

“Nowadays, the kids might not believe it, but 15 years ago, T-MAC was the best player in the East, and I’m glad my first professional start was against such an outstanding player.”

Grant Hill appeared a bit “jealous” under this tweet.

“In fact, the person who matched up with you all night was me.”

In addition to McGrady, Fei’s former teammate, Shawn Marion, also chose to retire this summer.

As the first versatile small-ball forward, Shawn Marion was the initial mercenary of the Supersonic Dynasty, the “Chris Bosh” before Bosh. Indeed, the ending Bosh met in Seattle was foreshadowed by Marion’s experience.

Marion did not end well in Seattle, his contributions were not fully respected, and Bosh’s fate turned out the same.

Besides them, other stars who retired this summer included former Clippers captain Elton Brand, Turkish agent Hedo Turkoglu, and Jason Richardson, who entered the league the same year as Yu Fei.

Time flies swiftly and some will eventually part ways.

After signing two major players in the free agency, the Clippers adjusted their existing lineup.

They first renewed a one-year contract with veteran Richard Jefferson, then used the dream of defending the championship to entice Gerald Green, convincing him to take a pay cut and re-sign.

However, Zaza Pachulia wasn’t swayed by this.

Before the championship, one could endure for the glory, but to continue enduring after winning—what was the point of the championship then?

After negotiating several times with the Clippers’ management and seeing they were not yielding, Pachulia decided to seek offers as a free agent.

Staying with the Clippers, Pachulia could only get four million US Dollars a year, while on the free market, many teams were willing to offer him a mid-level contract.

Even though the Clippers kept brainwashing Pachulia with Los Angeles’ basketball market and business value, he was very clear about his role.

Indeed, Los Angeles has a strong commercial atmosphere, but to Pachulia, commercial value seemed inherently elusive.

First, he was Georgian. Over the last twenty years, Georgia is most famous for conflicts with bigger nations. As a niche star from a small country, Pachulia is a traditional center with neither a broad national base nor an appealing playing style. Los Angeles is filled with business opportunities, but they wouldn’t favor someone who inherently lacks commercial attributes.

Pachulia decisively turned down the Clippers’ offer and signed a three-year, 21 million US Dollar contract with the Timberwolves.

For the Clippers, it was a loss of talent from their roster, but not necessarily a weakening.

Because they brought in Brandon Wright.

In this era, Wright could play both the power forward and center positions, and Nikola Jokić would take on more responsibilities in the new season.

Pachulia’s presence was somewhat redundant, which is why the Clippers stood firm on their offer.

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After Pachulia left the team, the Clippers quickly used the funds allocated for him to sign the Italian shooter Marco Belinelli.

Unsurprisingly, Belinelli chose to join the defending champions.

With this, the Clippers completed their final move of the offseason.

By September, all teams had begun to gather in preparation for the new season.

After returning to the United States, Yu Fei joined specialized training for the new season, focusing on regaining fitness.

As days passed, most of the Clippers’ roster also gradually returned to Los Angeles.