The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 133 - 102: Decision 1_2

"He couldn’t have timed that tweet any better."

"There you go, not long after he posted it, people started to chime in."

"The first victims of the diss were the Cavaliers’ management, who had never managed to find James a real ’All-Star’ level teammate all these years."

"Then it was Cleveland’s turn to be dissed, no star wanted to go there, had James been chosen by a big city, he would have won a championship by now."

"Lastly, it was the Celtics and their banding together; if it weren’t for the Celtics’ Big Three, the Cavaliers would already have won championships."

"These people’s intentions were clear."

"Or rather, these LeBron fans also knew that James was very likely to leave the Cavaliers."

"After all, last season’s squad couldn’t have been any better."

"Indeed, the Cavaliers had acquired Meao and Thabeet, which seemingly improved the depth of the team, but could this enhancement compare with the previous trade for Jamison?"

"’James can’t win championships with the Cavaliers,’ the LeBron fans knew better than anyone."

"But James leaving after a failure to win a championship would have shattered his persona, which is why they hadn’t dared to speak the truth."

"Now, Hansen has given them the best ’excuse.’"

"Linking James’s failure and subsequent departure to loyalty, how could they not welcome it?"

"Seeing so many LeBron fans supporting him, Hansen knew that these words would most likely reach James’s ears."

"At times like this, his fiery relationship with James actually turned into a form of support."

"After closing his social media, Hansen then called Wade."

"Thomas had gone to Miami yesterday, and now Wade and Bosh were there, too."

"Just like they had discussed during the All-Star game, Wade and Bosh had decided to play together."

"Of course, being in Miami didn’t mean they had decided to play for the Miami Heat; the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets were also options."

"Hansen made this call to join Wade for a training session."

"After all, no matter how good their relationship was, such a significant decision about staying or leaving for the summer wasn’t something he’d tell him; they could only ’accidentally’ talk about it during training."

"Wade was still in Miami organizing training sessions, and it was still the same team members."

"Even though he had announced his departure from the contract, becoming a free agent, he didn’t seem overly concerned about that."

"But after Hansen arrived in Miami, he could clearly feel Wade’s excitement."

"Basketball isn’t a one-man sport, advancing to the peak, leading to two consecutive first-round exits—it had indeed been suffocating for Wade, who had won a championship and the Finals MVP in only his third season."

"But now, he could play with Bosh, no matter where, he was at last ready to charge for the championship again."

"Han, if you stay in Cleveland, Chris and I will consider it as one of our options," Wade said cheerfully as the training ended, ’accidentally’ talking about the free market with Hansen."

"Too bad, I don’t have the power to decide," Hansen said with a look of regret.

"Of course, he knew that Wade’s words were just a polite gesture."

"Or rather, he didn’t think Wade would leave the Heat, because Wade was that kind of old-school player, and old-school players have a deep-seated ’one man, one city’ loyalty."

"Just like when Kobe said in 2007 he wanted to leave the Lakers—it was essentially just a tactic to get the team to strengthen."

"Now that Bosh had decided to leave the Raptors and join the Heat, Wade’s wish was fulfilled."

"DW, have you heard about LeBron’s ’decision’?" Hansen said, watching Wade closely."

Wade nodded but his gaze flickered.

"Seeing this, Hansen could confirm one thing, James must have already discussed joining forces with Wade and the others."

"I remember Barkley also joined Olajuwon and Drexler at the Rockets."

Hansen continued, and Wade and Bosh turned curiously to look at him." freēwēbηovel.c૦m

"If LeBron ends up joining you, you’d definitely be stronger than them, you’re younger, not only do you have a chance to win the championship, you could aim for a dynasty," Hansen spoke the truth, maybe even understating it.

"When the Heat’s Big Three was formed back then, it was considered an end to the league’s future for a decade."

"Don’t you want a championship?" Wade asked, looking at Hansen, who hadn’t considered his own situation at all in his previous remarks."

"Of course, everyone wants a championship, right? I’m still young, and I’m in the West right now, that place..." Hansen said, shaking his head.

Wade and Bosh laughed; the terror of the West over the years was self-explanatory.

"LeBron had contacted us." Wade said, revealing the truth,

"But we all hesitated because we knew doing so would draw severe criticism, and there would be no turning back."

Forming a group wasn’t their original intention, just like at the All-Star game’s locker room before, LeBron was the one who wanted to join them.

Hearing what Wade said, Hansen had a rough idea, the delayed decision date from LeBron was probably just to make the show more exciting.

"This really is a no-way-out choice, depending on whether you want more championships or how you want to achieve them."

Hansen’s purpose for this visit was to find out why LeBron delayed the date, so he could have a chance to implement his plan.

But since Wade had helped him before he even entered the league, as a friend, he couldn’t help but offer some advice.

"Thank you, Hansen." Wade showed gratitude, feeling that Hansen genuinely had his interests at heart.

...

Time flew, and July 13th had arrived.

That day, all of America tuned into ESPN, with real-time statistics showing the viewership numbers reaching 10 million before the program even started.

Based on the trend, at the climax of the program, this number could reach an unprecedented 30 million.

This number had far exceeded the basketball fan base; many among them were just casual viewers.

From a journalistic perspective, "The Decision" was already a massive success.

Hansen was still in Miami, Wade and the others hadn’t heard from LeBron since, so no one knew what he would choose.

So that day, the three of them, like other viewers, sat in front of the TV at home, with snacks and drinks, quietly watching the program.

The three of them seemed quite nervous, after all, LeBron’s decision would have a huge impact on them.

Finally, the program started, LeBron and an ESPN reporter sat face-to-face on a seemingly makeshift stage, below which a group of kids, mostly invited spectators, were present.

Of course, there were also some media persons there to witness this historical moment.

Among them was a celebrity, Kanye West, who had grabbed the microphone from Swift.

Honestly, the setting seemed pretty amateurish.

But you can’t really blame ESPN; no one had ever done anything like this before, there was absolutely no precedent.

Especially once the program began, that feeling intensified.

They started by buffing up the program; all the profits would be donated to a club called "Boys and Girls."

Along with that, they introduced this club as an organization that provides guidance and education to young people in every country to ensure each child graduates from high school and makes future plans, displays good character and citizenship, and lives a healthy lifestyle.

Hmm, this organization did sound quite innovative.

The kids were probably from this club.

Then there was the awkward chitchat.

As a free agent, what he was thinking in the summer, how many people knew his decision, when he made the decision, and even to the point where they asked if LeBron still bites his nails.

Hansen and others stopped watching and were chatting among themselves.

Fundamentally speaking, the so-called "Decision" was just a single statement.

But for that, ESPN had prepared an hour.

It felt like they had prepared an hour-long foreplay for a poker game; they should’ve just gotten on with it.

Actually, not just those sitting in front of the TV, even the host and LeBron felt noticeably awkward while speaking.

Because no matter what, they had to fill up that hour.

Finally, when Hansen was almost restless enough to go to the restroom, that moment finally arrived.

"LeBron, what is your decision?"

LeBron displayed his signature smile on TV:

"This fall, man, it’s tough, I will take my talents to South Coast to join the Miami Heat."

"Miami Heat? Is this the decision you made when you woke up this morning?"

"That’s the decision I made when I woke up this morning."