Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1119 - 622 Everything Has Changed Yet

Chapter 1119: Chapter 622 Everything Has Changed, Yet Nothing Has Changed_2 Chapter 1119: Chapter 622 Everything Has Changed, Yet Nothing Has Changed_2 Before the start of the training camp, he had to undergo a short period of intensive training to get his body ready for the rigors of camp.

After turning 30, this almost became a habit for him.

If he didn’t do this, he couldn’t guarantee that he would be in good shape when he went to training camp.

Generally speaking, some of his teammates would voluntarily sign up for his mini-camp.

This not only allowed them to bond with him but also gave them a chance to take advantage of his training resources for free.

Last year, Jokić did just that, but he didn’t show up this year.

However, Yao Ming came, and he was a rare guest.

...

After the national team’s humiliating defeat at home in Tianjin by the Iranians in 2009, the Basketball Association seriously reflected and realized that they could not afford to overlook a nuclear weapon like Yao Ming.

So, the Basketball Championships in Turkey, the Asian Championships in Wuhan, the Olympics in London, the Asian Championships in Manila, the inaugural FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain, the Asian Championships in Changsha, and then this year’s Olympics in Rio.

For six whole years, Yao Ming, like a worker ant, hardly ever took a proper rest, but from now on, he could.

Even at the Olympics in Rio, the focus for the national team was on training new players.

With everyone’s attention turned to the World Cup on home soil a few years later, the national team, focusing on using new players, faced their first group stage elimination during the Yao Ming era in Rio.

In the following years, due to the FIBA restructuring, the Asian Championships were no longer held. Since the World Cup was happening in their home country and they didn’t have to worry about qualifying, they could spend three years training new players.

Old veterans like Yao Ming naturally weren’t included in this kind of training. He wouldn’t have to join the team for any competitions before 2019.

That’s why Yao Ming now had the time to join Yu Fei’s mini-camp.

“Do you know what? If I had to play from November to June every year, barely rest a few days before joining the national team, stay busy until September, and then after a short rest, join the preseason training camp… I might have retired due to exhaustion before reaching 30,” Yu Fei said.

Follow curr𝒆nt nov𝒆ls on fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com.

Yao Ming seriously replied: “That’s because you’ve never truly carried the honor of a country’s basketball on your shoulders.”

That was the truth. Even though Yu Fei joined Team USA in 2007 under the banner of “saving” them, it was still driven by commercial motives.

The so-called “redemption” of Team USA was just one of the ways to enhance his personal commercial value. And indeed, Yu Fei’s reputation reached its peak during those two years, and since then no one could come close.

“However, I do need to thank you,” Yao Ming continued, “If you hadn’t changed the pace of the basketball game, I might have long been unable to hold on.”

Yu Fei laughed: “Don’t mention it, I will keep trying hard, hoping to let you play until 50.”

This was the kind of butterfly effect Yu Fei loved to see.

Ten days later, the training camps for various teams started one after another. This year, the Clippers were especially high-profile, opening their first day of camp to the media. This move attracted a large number of reporters and media who got wind of the news, rushing to the training camp hoping to get close interviews with the players and coaches.

The rise of social media has left athletes exposed to the public eye at all times, even saying a swear word outside could be captured by fans and posted online. To protect their almost non-existent privacy, players usually forbid the media from entering the gym.

Normally, reporters are only allowed free access to NBA training facilities on media day. The era of third-party media sending reporters to travel with the team and participate in internal team meetings is long gone.

That’s why there were so many media reporters at the Clippers training camp on the opening day.

When Yu Fei walked into the campsite and saw the sea of reporters, he felt an instant wave of irritation swell within him.

“Who agreed to this?” he asked with a frown.

Lin Kaiwen responded: “Seems like it was Doug.”

Yu Fei sneered: “He sure knows how to please the media.”

Without a doubt, Yu Fei was the number one person the media wanted to interview, but two bulky bodyguards followed closely by his side. When the media tried to approach “GOAT”, the bodyguards immediately warned, “Frye is not doing interviews right now!”

“I just have one question—”

“Step aside, don’t make me say it again!” the bodyguard shouted sternly.

Only media approved by Yu Fei could get close to him.

That’s why people like Marc Stein would always speak up for Yu Fei. Being a mouthpiece for a superstar sounds unpleasant, but the exclusive news channels that come from it are endlessly beneficial.

Stein is no longer the prolific news king of ESPN; he is now a VIP guest of ESPN’s NBA analysis programs, often dropping astonishing news on the show.

The only way to make his news sources credible is to maintain a relationship with Yu Fei.

Today, Stein was also present.

After those rash reporters were driven away by bodyguards, Stein walked freely to Yu Fei, “These people really don’t know how to behave.”

“Doug shouldn’t have given them these rights; it’s completely unnecessary,” Yu Fei remarked.

Stein asked, “Was it Doug’s decision to open up to the media today?”

“Exactly, he thinks it can give us the maximum exposure at the start of the season,” Yu Fei replied, “I hate it.”

Stein cautiously asked, “Do you need me to remind Doug?”

“No need, the exposure itself isn’t a bad thing. What I hate is that my exposure is already too damn high!” Yu Fei declared, “You would certainly say you understand my life, but to be honest, Mark, you wouldn’t. You don’t understand that I just want to casually eat a medium-rare steak outside and the next day the media ridicules my taste, fans start discussing why I like my steak medium-rare. Some people will say I’m a country bumpkin, some will think my taste is unique. But what’s the truth? That day, I just fancied a change in flavor!”