Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1028 - 590 Those Destined Will Meet_3

Chapter 1028: Chapter 590: Those Destined Will Meet_3 Chapter 1028: Chapter 590: Those Destined Will Meet_3 Rivers, still stuck in the past, really wanted to find a place for an isolated training camp, but the Clippers management always made the most popular choice.

Yu Fei had arrived at the training camp early.

They couldn’t gather all the members today.

Since Yao Ming had just finished this year’s Men’s Basketball World Championship, the team had given him a few extra days off.

But Yu Fei was not very interested in Yao Ming to begin with; he was here for Klay Thompson and Nikola Jokic.

After all, these two were the key figures to skyrocket the Clippers’ future.

Yu Fei first met Thompson.

...

Thompson, holding a cup of coffee casually, was walking around the gym. If someone asked him about his view on the new season, he would say, “I only care about when we’re playing against Golden State.”

He hated the Warriors Team, and this was no secret.

From the trade results, the Warriors Team essentially blamed him for last season’s loss to the Clippers, but could a series really be lost 4-1 because of one person?

“Klay, are you getting used to Los Angeles again?” Yu Fei jokingly asked, “How’s your father doing?”

Being traded to the Clippers was a nightmare for his father, Michael Thompson.

Old Thompson had always dreamed of seeing his son play for the Lakers like he did, but those years were the period of the Lakers’ Evil Empire. They didn’t have a first-round draft pick, let alone a lottery pick, so it was impossible for them to draft Thompson.

Fortunately, Thompson was selected by another California team, at least still playing in California.

Unexpectedly, the Warriors branded his son as the scapegoat for their losses and traded him to the Clippers.

Old Thompson was almost depressed. The Clippers? What kind of crappy team was that? In his playing days, he didn’t even consider the Clippers a real NBA team, thinking of them as the worst team in the league.

Of course, times had changed, but it was still hard for Old Thompson to adapt.

Thompson smiled and said, “He forced me to request a trade or he wouldn’t acknowledge me.”

“Oh… I hope you’ve resolved that issue.”

“I refused,” Thompson shrugged, “so my dad hasn’t spoken to me for months.”

Yu Fei encouraged, “As long as we win the championship, everything will get better.”

“Do we really have a chance to win the championship?” Thompson was surprised by Yu Fei’s great ambition, “I mean, with just us?”

Yu Fei countered, “Don’t you think bringing you and Yao in is a huge boost for us?”

“Of course, definitely, but…” Thompson still lacked confidence at this point.

He wasn’t yet a member of the Splash Brothers, hadn’t scored 37 points in a single quarter, and hadn’t had multiple heroic moments saving the team in crucial playoff games.

That was a player not yet baptized by glory showing lack of confidence.

“No ‘buts’,” Yu Fei decisively said, “Our goal is not just to win the championship, but to become the greatest team in NBA history!”

Thompson asked in astonishment, “Greater than the Supersonics Empire?”

“No,” Yu Fei answered, “greater than Bill Russell’s era with the Celtics!”

Thompson was dumbfounded.

Only after Yu Fei walked away did he slowly take a sip of coffee, thinking: This is why he becomes the GOAT.

At the Clippers, Yu Fei met many familiar faces, but what surprised him the most was the former Warriors Team advisor—Jerry West.

Last season, it was Jerry West who, by threatening to resign, forcibly halted the nearly completed one-for-one trade of Griffin for Thompson.

As a result, the Warriors had to pay a higher price to acquire Griffin during the off-season.

This time, West didn’t stop the Warriors’ management because he knew no one would listen to his advice anymore.

If the trade turned out to be successful for the Warriors, it would mean that West was wrong, and he had delayed the team’s success. If they failed again, was he supposed to sarcastically say, “I told you so”? No, that wasn’t his style.

West chose to resign and go home.

The very next day after his resignation, an offer from the Clippers arrived. Owner Steve Ballmer wanted him to serve as a consultant for the team.

Although West was tempted, he also had concerns.

Old Buss had passed away, Sterling had stepped down, and now with Yu Fei, the Clippers had clearly challenged the Lakers’ position in Los Angeles last season; the two teams were now true derby rivals.

The Lakers’ management could tolerate his strategizing for the Northern California’s Warriors because regardless of how strong the Warriors were, they were not a threat to the Lakers’ foundation in Los Angeles. But if he worked for the Clippers, it would be a completely different situation.

In the eyes of Little Buss, he would become a traitor to the Lakers.

West knew the cost of his actions, but he couldn’t resist the temptation to be involved in front-office work again.

“Thirteen years ago, I saw you play at the ABCD Camp,” were the first words West said with a touch of nostalgia, “Even now, I can hardly believe you’ve made it this far.”

Yu Fei’s memories of that time were vague, he didn’t even remember what he had done at the camp.

But he remembered that, when he hit a rough patch in Milwaukee, West had given him valuable advice.

“In 2005, you told me that my next step was to master low-post moves. Since then, the low post has become an indispensable part of my game. I owe you one, Jerry,” said Yu Fei.

“I don’t remember that, GOAT,” West said playfully, “You don’t owe me anything.”

Yu Fei didn’t like being called the GOAT, but he didn’t oppose it either.

Especially when young players called him GOAT, it meant respect. However, hearing such a respected individual as West use that nickname, he felt somewhat bashful.

“No worries, I remember, and you can call me anytime.”

Yu Fei said seriously.

In the past, when Yu Fei’s reputation was at its worst, West had a somewhat negative view of him. But since 2007, like others conquered by the GOAT, West began to regard this extraordinary player with pure respect.

West didn’t need to say these things, but they reflected his true nature.

The GOAT remembered everyone who had helped him, just as he would never forget his grudge against Michael Jordan.

West also remembered how Yu Fei incessantly thought about Shaquille O’Neal, just as Bill Russell privately noted his opponents’ weak spots off the court and exploited them during games.

This was an unbreakable character, so Yu Fei would choose “Basketball Hell” as the final destination of his career, leaving a crucial chapter for his epitaph.

He was convinced he would not fail.

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

West was reluctant to admit, but he was drawn to this possibility.

That day, the opening day of camp was uneventful, as Rivers hadn’t arranged any scrimmages since not all players had arrived. The team’s rookie, Nikola Jokic, was “gloriously” named for drinking soda at the camp.

Rivers told him, “If you can’t quit this, I bet you’ll be back in Serbia in three years!”

Jokic immediately replied loudly, leaving an unforgettable impression on everyone present: “Why did no one tell me NBA players can’t drink soda?!”

“You said he would be the number one player in the league, right?” Brown said to Yu Fei with a teasing smile.

The GOAT said, resigned, “Forget that.”