Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1026 - 590 Those Destined to Meet Will

Chapter 1026: Chapter 590: Those Destined to Meet Will Surely Come Together Chapter 1026: Chapter 590: Those Destined to Meet Will Surely Come Together The summer of 2014 was undoubtedly a season of retirement.

Players from the ’90s who made it to that year had played in the NBA for at least 15 years.

15 years is three times the average career span of an NBA player, and the end point for the vast majority.

Therefore, it wasn’t just Ray Allen and Shane Battier who retired that summer.

Steve Nash, also from the stellar ’96 class, ended his professional career as well.

Nash, being one of the older players in the ’96 generation, retired under normal circumstances, but it was regrettable that he didn’t retire with a championship ring.

In the previous two years, Nash was nearly traded, as both the Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets extended olive branches to him.

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However, Nash ultimately did not reach an agreement with these two teams, choosing instead to grow old with the Phoenix Suns because he was unwilling to take a bench role.

By the summer of this year, Nash finally succumbed to the burden and ended his hopeless professional career, and the Suns took this opportunity to start their rebuild.

From then on, that epoch-making “S.S.O.L” Suns team was considered to have completely closed its curtains.

Besides Nash, two other members of the ’96 golden generation also announced their retirement.

One was Jermaine O’Neal, who had a tumultuous ending to his career, yet without any regrets.

After leaving the Pacers, Jermaine O’Neal wandered among many teams and finally realized his championship dream in Seattle.

Moreover, he stayed clear-headed. After securing a championship, he didn’t cling to the halo of the championship empire but proactively chose to leave, signing mid-level exception contracts successively, securing both honor and earnings.

But by this year, his body could no longer cope with the NBA’s high intensity of play.

Even though he still wished to continue playing, no team was willing to offer him a contract.

Because no one sought after him and he was unwilling to play overseas, he simply opted for retirement.

Yu Fei sent his congratulations at the first opportunity: “Jermaine, congratulations on completing a great career. I still remember our competitions on the court, as well as the times we fought side by side in Seattle. I believe we’ve shared some wonderful years, and I wish you all the best for your future!”

Besides Jermaine O’Neal, Derek Fisher, closely associated with Kobe, also announced his retirement that summer.

However, Fisher’s retirement seemed more a part of his personal planning than being forced due to a decline in his athletic state.

Last season, he played for the New York Knicks, averaging a still respectable 5 points and 3 assists as a backup point guard.

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This summer, the Knicks announced that Phil Jackson had taken the helm as team president.

One of Jackson’s first moves was to encourage Fisher to retire and to directly appoint him as the head coach of the team.

To outsiders, this move by the “Zen Master” closely resembled Pat Riley’s decision to retire from his head coaching position and hand the reins to Erik Spoelstra.

They recognized their advancing years and inability to commit fully to coaching, yet were unwilling to abandon their basketball philosophies, opting instead to pass on their coaching roles to those who could perpetuate their legacies.

Today, Spoelstra has already led his team to back-to-back championships, barely hinting at the momentum of a great coach.

In comparison, Fisher’s situation seemed more similar to that of Doc Rivers. As a coach, Fisher’s strength lay in the fact that he had served under several great coaches, absorbing a wide array of tactical systems. In addition, he had also served as president of the players’ union, possessing a wealth of administrative experience, so working behind the scenes shouldn’t pose a problem.

However, a rookie head coach who has never been an assistant and hasn’t had time to acclimate is often just a figurehead. The Zen Master hoped Fisher could utilize New York’s resources to promote the Triangle Offense philosophy, but many industry insiders weren’t optimistic about Fisher’s coaching abilities.

No matter what, Fisher still took on that heavy burden.

Compared to his peers from the same draft, he had meticulously planned his professional career.

The five-star general who often appeared in documentaries once said, “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.” The veterans from the ’90s were gradually leaving the stage.

And what about those who had once been intertwined with Yu Fei in both friendship and enmity?

They were fading away, too.

Chauncey Billups spent a lukewarm season with the Clippers before returning to Detroit.

Richard Hamilton became a free agent last season, wanting to stay in the NBA, but no team was willing to give him an opportunity.

This situation was precisely the ending that Ray Allen wanted to avoid most.

Ultimately, the NBA ousted him, and Hamilton chose to retire in a manner that was “voluntarily imposed.”

His feud with Yu Fei would also solidify with time.

The old Prince, Tayshaun Prince, was nearing the end of his career, but he could still play.

He accepted an invitation from the Timberwolves, signing a two-year contract.

Kenyon Martin, who had once been as much of an adversary to Yu Fei as fire is to water, secured a one-year veteran’s minimum contract as the free agency period was winding down.

Today’s Martin had lost his former influence; teams sought him simply for his veteran status.

For Martin, the endpoint of his professional career was approaching.

Whether they were former friends or foes, they were quietly exiting the stage, while Yu Fei was still battling for the Clippers’ first championship in the team’s history.

When he returned to the United States from China, he indeed felt that he was no longer young.

Around the league, there were only a handful of players with more seniority.

The rest were his juniors.

This was the scene at age 32 – what would it be like if he played until 40?