Chapter 324: Chapter 90: [Can You Just Casually State the Facts?]

The youngest Finals MVP in history.

The second rookie in history to win Finals MVP.

The first Chinese Finals MVP in history.

The first player in history to be named Most Valuable Player in the NCAA and then the NBA in consecutive seasons.

Beyond these prestigious honors, there were others, such as being the first Finals MVP in history to average a near-triple-double, and the first Finals MVP in Indiana’s history...

It was a night where historical records were made in droves.

Su Xi excitedly raised the MVP trophy and roared, his body thrusting upward again and again, looking like he was trying to fuck the sky.

The press captured numerous photos of his unbridled, triumphant display.

Meanwhile, his teammates had already swarmed him, treating him like a human trophy as they all took turns messing up Su Xi’s immaculate hair.

The sight made Jessica Alba and Scarlett Johansson, who were watching on TV, wince in sympathy.

As far as they were concerned, the Finals were finally over.

Although they were thrilled for Su Xi, they weren’t sports fans. They didn’t grasp just how astonishing the prestige of his Finals MVP award was. As for Charles Barkley’s declaration that Su Xi had "far surpassed Magic and Bird, and crushed Michael Jordan," it was all just words to them.

These dominant superstars, whose names were legendary in the basketball world, were nothing more than names to them.

It was like asking a die-hard basketball fan to research the tier rankings of cosmetics. Would he?

What Jessica and Scarlett cared about was... the long break that was finally here. They had already started planning a vacation, and they couldn’t wait to have a major "battle" with Su Xi.

"I’m very grateful to my teammates. We complement each other and push one another to succeed. Without their selfless dedication, we couldn’t have formed the most powerful team in Indiana’s history. This MVP trophy belongs to every Pacers player."

Su Xi was uncharacteristically humble during the interview.

This made the Nike founder’s left cheek twitch. He thought, ’So does that mean I’m supposed to divide the 20 million USD evenly among every Pacers player?’

Right now, he was both ecstatic and feeling the sting in his wallet, along with a slight hint of anxiety.

The sting in his wallet was self-evident. Even though Nike was a public company, a 20 million USD cash payout was enough to give the corporate giant a headache.

And his excitement was even more obvious. The youngest Finals MVP in history, the second rookie to win it... every title was a testament to Su Xi’s dominance. He was a once-in-a-generation rookie with enormous commercial appeal.

The moment Su Xi won Finals MVP, his status within Nike’s sneaker lineup had effectively surpassed that of LeBron James.

Although LeBron James’s contract was, on paper, the largest in history, the money Su Xi had earned from Nike this past year alone already exceeded half the total value of James’s deal.

However, the anxiety was also inevitable.

The biggest fear with a phenomenal rookie like this was... that he had already peaked.

If he ended up being a bust, wouldn’t all this money have been for nothing?

Still, given Su Xi’s current skill level, it wouldn’t be easy for him to become a bust.

Besides, Su Xi’s market value was simply astounding.

They would earn the money back sooner or later.

"Wire the money to Jack tomorrow. Don’t let our MVP wait," the Nike president instructed his assistant.

...

Shaquille O’Neal didn’t attend the post-game press conference. Rumor had it that he got into a huge fight with Kobe in the locker room and left Staples early. Not even the Lakers’ beat reporters camped outside the locker room managed to get an interview with him.

Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson sat at the press conference table. Kobe’s face was grim as he faced the media’s scrutiny.

It was a courageous act.

"I don’t have much to say about the game. The Pacers played better, and they deserve the championship. Jack played very aggressively, very smartly, and he deserves the Finals MVP. I’ve already sent him a text to congratulate him."

"To me, second place is the biggest loser."

"My 2004-2005 season has already begun."

"I currently have no plans to participate in the Olympics. They’ll take care of it."

"I don’t know what moves the team will make in the offseason. That’s not something a player should be concerned about."

"Shaq and I have a normal teammate relationship."

"I don’t answer hypothetical questions, and I don’t know what our lineup will be next season."

"Thank you, everyone."

That was the entirety of Kobe’s press conference. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

He provided the perfect template for all "losers." It seemed... this was how a loser was supposed to face the media.

And Su Xi, in turn, provided the perfect template for all victors.

"Honestly, I couldn’t understand what he was saying during the award presentation. It was just too loud," Su Xi replied, when a reporter asked what David Stern had whispered in his ear for thirty seconds after presenting the award.

"Winning the championship was to be expected. We won 71 games in the regular season. We are the strongest team in the league. As the strongest team, why would there be any suspense about winning the championship? Why worry about it?"

"I don’t feel anything special about winning Finals MVP, and my teammates weren’t surprised either. After all, I already won the NCAA Final Four’s MOP a year ago. You’re saying someone voted for Reggie, and someone else for Jermaine? Oh, that’s normal. Why didn’t anyone vote for Ron? He deserved a vote in this series too."

"Who’s better, Kobe or O’Neal? I don’t know. But in this series, Kobe played more aggressively. Man, Kobe broke the Finals scoring record, and you’re asking me this? You’re just trying to start something, aren’t you?"