Champions Creed

Chapter 427 426: Perhaps the strongest combination in history (asking for monthly tickets!)
Nomadic dynasty.

This is the cover title of the latest issue of Sports Illustrated, and the cover character is naturally Roger, the man with the Ten Rings on his hands.

The concept of nomadic dynasty was first proposed by Eric Fleischer when Roger moved from Atlanta to the Bay Area.

Now, Sports Illustrated has brought up this concept again and promoted it extensively.

Unlike the guy who has almost lost his sense of competition, can only build a super team through various operations, does not lead by example at critical moments, and his best achievement is just two consecutive championships in one place.

The term "nomadic dynasty" that guy represents is highly critical.

Roger's "nomadic dynasty" is a completely positive term, a compliment to Roger's powerful ruling power.

Except for the Chicago Bulls who gave up on Roger early, every place Roger has been to and every team he has been on has a great history because of him.

This issue’s cover not only used the title “Nomadic Dynasty”, but also deliberately marked the number “67” at the bottom of the magazine.

Side note: Roger was on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the 67th time, surpassing the New York Yankees, the most in history.

There is a saying in the North American professional sports world: Being on the cover of Sports Illustrated is the beginning of creating a sports legend.

First of all, only athletes with enough influence are qualified to become the cover of Sports Illustrated alone.

The second-most-capped athlete on the cover of Sports Illustrated is Michael Jordan, who has appeared on the cover 40 times.

In third place is Muhammad Ali, with 38 times.

Fourth is Tiger Woods, with 30 times.

First is Roger, 67 times.

The most exaggerated thing about Roger is that he has long been far ahead of his competitors in the field of "individual covers". This time, he surpassed the New York Yankees, who had the most "team" covers.

In the history of Sports Illustrated, the New York Yankees are the team that has appeared on the cover the most times, 66 times.

After appearing on the cover this time, Roger set the record of "having the most Sports Illustrated covers", and Sports Illustrated was also very happy to publicize this.

Of course, this is just a small part of Roger's achievement after becoming the recognized GOAT.

As a recognized ceiling-level player, not only Sports Illustrated, but most media and brands will actively promote Roger.

He represents the face of the entire NBA league, he represents the pinnacle of the entire professional basketball career and a model of commercial value.

He is like the Magic Bird in the 80s and Michael Jordan in the first half of the 90s, becoming everyone's darling.

So everyone needs him, they need someone like him to enhance the brand influence, and these brands and media will in turn help Roger enhance his influence.

This forms a very perfect closed loop.

Time magazine once again chose Roger as the cover character, VOGUE magazine made Roger the cover model, and People magazine interviewed Roger. Countless Hollywood big production projects have invited Roger, and even if he only makes a cameo appearance for a few seconds, he can get a high appearance fee. The promotion of the 08 Olympics is almost tied to Roger. As the most famous name card of the 08 Olympics, he will appear in many promotional occasions related to the 08 Olympics.

You can also see Roger in the economic news. It is reported that Google is trying to acquire the increasingly popular YouTube. As one of the shareholders of the website, Roger will not only get a large sum of cash, but also a portion of Google shares as one of the conditions for the acquisition.

As a normal person, even if you don’t pay attention to basketball at all, as long as you open your eyes, Roger will enter your life.

And for those who follow basketball, Roger is everywhere in the game.

Although the draft after the finals had nothing to do with Roger, it was also full of Roger elements. Brandon Roy, a senior guard who was selected by the Warriors with the fourth pick, opened his suit jacket after shaking hands with David Stern and showed the number 14 embroidered on the inside of his suit: "I am very happy to fight side by side with my idol."

Even in other sports, Roger's influence is everywhere.

After the NBA Finals and the draft, columnists specializing in other sports breathed a sigh of relief.

The basketball season is finally over, and their articles and books can finally see the light of day without being crushed by Roger's reports and autobiography.

This is what Don Yeager, a columnist for Sports Illustrated, the author of 12 New York Times bestsellers and now specializing in autobiographies of football players, thinks.

Today, he met with Calvin Johnson, a rising star in the American football world who was considered one of the greatest wide receivers in history before entering the NFL, won numerous awards in college, and had a good educational and family background.

This super talent from Georgia Tech attracted the attention of the NFL as early as the age of 18, but because he was born into an elite black family, his family did not require him to play professionally to make money early, but asked him to finish college before participating in the draft.

Now, he is about to graduate from college and has confirmed that he will participate in the 2007 NFL draft. His situation is exactly the same as Tim Duncan ten years ago. The entire league has been waiting for him for a long time, and he has almost locked up a top three spot in advance without any suspense.

Even if it didn't completely lock in the No. 60 pick, it would still be an incredible achievement. You know, the NBA draft only has 2007 picks per year, and even fewer before the league expanded. The 255 NFL draft had picks, and the live broadcast of the first round of the draft alone would last five to six hours.

Being selected as one of the top three picks in a talent pool of more than 200 people is enough to show Calvin Johnson's talent and popularity.

Don Yeager spent a lot of effort to get Calvin Johnson, a super genius known throughout the United States, to agree to let him write his autobiography. Given Calvin Johnson's fame, his autobiography would definitely be a best-seller once published.

Over the past few years, several books written by Don Yeager have been almost overshadowed by works related to Roger in the same period.

He believes that there is nothing wrong with his creation, the problem lies in the subject matter. Just like in a pornographic video website, no matter how hard a black actress works, it is difficult for her to be more popular than a white actress. Whether a player's autobiography and articles are popular is also closely related to the popularity of the player himself.

No NBA fan would want to read an article analyzing Stanislav Medvedenko - the white Ukrainian center who played 27 games for the Lakers last season and almost no one remembered him.

There is no superstar in the football world who can compete with Roger in popularity. Tom Brady? He looks like Roger's little follower.

But Calvin Johnson may be able to break this situation. Don Yeager believes that his book can get rid of Roger's shadow by relying on the popularity of this football super genius.

Don Yeager sat across from Calvin Johnson and took a sip of coffee. "So Calvin, who do you think was your guide on the road to your sports career? This will appear in the first chapter of your autobiography. You know, the beginning of any great sports legend always has to have a dramatic origin story."

Faced with this question, Calvin Johnson of Tyrone, Georgia, barely gave it a second thought.

"Guide? Roger, of course!

When I first started playing sports, I loved football and baseball, so I often asked my parents to take me to Atlanta to watch football and baseball games.

Atlanta's professional sports peaked in 1998, when Atlanta was known as the Triple Crown City, dominating three of the four major North American sports leagues. I was certainly immersed in this joy, but with the fall of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Braves, the whole state of Georgia was plunged into an atmosphere of sadness and disappointment. For me, you know, it was like a kid seeing Superman killed in a comic book. I cried all day and felt extremely disappointed.

We all know the ending of the story. The man held up the only torch in the darkness. In the end, only the Atlanta Hawks won the championship. Roger saved the entire state of Georgia and defended the dignity of Atlanta. In Georgia, his name is a representative of excellence. There is no boy who loves sports but regards Roger as an idol.

I am the same, I regard him as my goal and role model.

He taught me what the champion's creed is, and he told me what it means to do everything possible for the championship. If you need to write about the guide in my autobiography, please write Roger. I hope he knows that I have always regarded him as an idol. "

Don Yeager was almost petrified, he thought he had gotten rid of Roger's shadow, he thought he could make a comeback with Calvin Johnson. But the first words he heard from a highly regarded football genius in the football field were still about Roger.

At that moment, Don Yeager decided to go into writing about basketball.

As a sports columnist, he felt like he was in Chernobyl and there was no way he could escape Roger's radiation.

I can write too, and I can love Roger too!
What did Gary Payton tell the world? Instead of fighting him, join him!

Roger's influence as a basketball player has undoubtedly reached its peak this summer, but to the great regret of FIBA, the world's greatest athlete will not appear in this year's World Championships.

This was Roger's condition for participating in the 2004 Olympics, and he would not play in any international competitions other than the Olympics.

Whether FIBA ​​recognizes it or not, in the basketball world, besides the NBA championship, the most valuable title is the Olympic championship.

World Championships? Who cares?

The popularity and influence of this event are really too low. Roger and his team do not want to waste their energy on such an event, just like you would not use a cannon to kill a mosquito.

So in this year's World Championships in Japan, Yao Ming is the only one leading the Chinese team.

As a member of the Olympic champion team two years ago and now the center of the NBA's best team, Yao Ming is still very confident.

In an interview with CCTV, the young center forward told the national fans in high spirits: "I am different from two years ago. I am more mature and experienced now. Roger needs to improve himself. It will be difficult to compete without him. But I think it is not too much to set a medal as a goal."

Roger admired Yao Ming's confidence. After so many years, he was finally not just a bully at home, but he finally dared to speak harshly to the world's superstars.

As Roger's most important second-in-command in 08, it is crucial for Yao Ming to build up his self-confidence.

On the other hand, the Dream Team is also extremely eager to regain the title of world champion.

One very unimaginable thing is that since 2000, the US team has not won a medal in the world championships - not even a championship, but not even a medal.

This is in stark contrast to the Dream Team's absolute dominance of world basketball in the 90s.

You know, in the 90s, the Dream Team's big game endings were as stable as the South Korean presidency.

Even if the members of the Dream Team all found a female companion to play a game in the same bed the night before the game, they could easily defeat their opponents the next day.

But now, the situation is different.

Just like what Coach K said at his inaugural press conference: "We have to understand that this is no longer an American sport, but a global sport."

The poor results forced the Dream Team to unprecedentedly send two superstars to the World Championships - Kobe Bryant and Chauncey Billups.

Coach K believes that recruiting Chauncey Billups is the key to winning. A good point guard can greatly improve a team's bottom line.

In the past, the Dream Team didn’t really need a pure point guard because they could crush their opponents with just their talent without needing too many rules.

But the back line consisting of Stephen Marbury and AI in 2004 proved with a huge tragedy that the US team could no longer win simply by relying on talent.

They need someone who can take charge of the overall situation, someone who can control the situation in critical moments instead of throwing the team into chaos.

As for Kobe? The reason why the Dream Team recruited him was simple, just to tell the world the Dream Team's determination to win the championship.

As the man closest to Roger in the world and last season's MVP, Kobe Bryant is definitely one of the best active American players.

Players of this level competing in the World Championships is a reminder to the world that America is about to be great again.

Kobe's joining undoubtedly put him under tremendous pressure.

No one comes to the Dream Team with more baggage than he does.

There are too many controversies surrounding him.

He was so arrogant that he drove away Shaquille O'Neal and thought he could beat Roger by himself. As a result, he has never succeeded even once until now.

When he joined the Dream Team, he said, "I'm tired of watching you lose," but Kobe himself is not a winner, so he doesn't seem to have the qualifications to say this.

If the Dream Team loses again, Kobe's reputation will plummet.

American fans are not optimistic about Kobe. If the Dream Team really needs a leader, that person could be KG, or the honor-ridden Coach K himself, but it definitely would not be Kobe Bryant.

Yes, he was already a mature leader in the Lakers last season, but not everyone can see this, and not everyone understands him.

More importantly, the Lakers' loss in the playoffs overshadowed his progress in this area.

In the eyes of fans, this season's Lakers seem to be no different from previous Lakers.

In fact, even his opponents don't know him well enough.

On the first day the Dream Team assembled in Las Vegas, when Coach K gathered everyone for their first meeting in the hotel conference room, Kobe Bryant was the only player sitting alone in a row.

No one wanted to sit with this difficult guy.

No one on this dream team is his friend.

There seems to be a distance between him and other people.

Especially compared with the social butterfly LBJ, Kobe, who always has a cold face, seems even more lonely. He acts as if he doesn't need anyone.

Afterwards, Coach K asked everyone to say why they wanted to join this two-year national team, which would fight together from the 06 World Championships to the 08 Olympics. As witnesses of the failure of the last Olympics, the 03 generation almost all said they wanted revenge, while others said they wanted to regain the honor of American basketball, which was a familiar phrase.

Only Kobe was different. He repeated: "I'm tired of watching you lose."

That's what he said to everyone, in front of everyone, without beating around the bush. It seems that his emotional intelligence has not improved at all.

Then he looked around at everyone and said, "I'm glad you're all here, because you're all going to have a good show to watch. You're going to see American basketball regain its glory."

A speech that was very Kobe Bryant's personal style, starting the journey of the Redemption Team.

However, during the first training session, people quickly put aside their prejudices against Kobe.

This guy might be a jerk, or he might not speak nicely.

But he is definitely a guy who is extremely crazy about winning and a guy who can lead the team to win.

Just 30 seconds into the first training match, a player fell to the ground to save the ball.

When Kobe was defending Brandon Roy, a player from the practice team who had just been selected by the Warriors, he cut the ball and immediately fell to the ground.

In this way, he attempted to establish a second pick for the team and set the tone for the training match.

After that, fierce fights broke out from time to time.

Kobe would yell at his teammates on defense, go for every rebound, and get in front of every player trying to get to the rim.

James, Wade and Anthony, three young men, could all feel that the national team with Kobe had completely different atmosphere from the national team that was defeated in Athens in 2004.

Kobe's presence filled the training camp with a competitive spirit. Everyone had to work hard on defense and communicate with each other instead of performing dunks on the training ground.

Coach K smiled on the sidelines and glanced at the current national team leader Jerry Colangelo: "We will succeed, and it all starts with Kobe Bryant. Recruiting him is the best decision we have ever made."

Half a month after training camp began in Las Vegas, the players finally got two days off.

After the training on the last afternoon, everyone went back to their rooms and dressed up beautifully. In Las Vegas, a place of entertainment to death, how can you not go to a nightclub to relax?

Most of the young players went to the nightclub together to party, and they left reluctantly around five in the morning, drunken and accompanied by women's swaying hips.

On the way back to the hotel, Dwyane Wade was still reluctant to leave: "You know, I went to many good places when I was in New York. But I have to say, Las Vegas is heaven!"

Carmelo Anthony's eyes were blurry. "Come on, our level of enjoyment is nothing compared to Roger's."

Carlos Buzzer immediately became interested: "I heard that Roger can sleep with any female star in Hollywood. Is that true? Whenever he visits the crew, there are at least three female stars who want to go back to his room with him!"

"I also heard that he worked out with the three Olsen sisters at the same time!" Chris Paul also widened his eyes.

LeBron James listened quietly without saying anything.

He didn't like any talk about Roger because he hated the man who made him as small as an ant from the bottom of his heart.

Amidst a flurry of fantasies about Roger's wonderful life, several young Dream Team players arrived at the hotel.

As soon as they walked into the hotel lobby, they met Kobe.

He was wearing a vest, gym shorts, weightlifting gloves, carrying a bag, and waiting for the elevator.

When Kobe heard the noise, he turned his head to look at the group of drunk guys and took off his headphones.

Wade waved and greeted Kobe: "Hey bro, where are you going so early?"

Kobe said calmly: "The gym."

Everyone was stunned for a moment, and cursed in their hearts at the same time: "What the fvck?"

What is that guy talking about?
Carmelo Anthony subconsciously glanced at the Patek Philippe watch on his wrist that Roger gave him. It was only 5:30 in the morning.

At this moment? The gym?

When the elevator arrived, Kobe took the elevator to the underground floor alone.

Immediately afterwards, the elevator to the guest rooms opened, and the young people said goodbye to Kobe.

LeBron James seemed to know the secret of how Kobe was able to get close to Roger, the man who had been shocking everyone since entering training camp.

His attitude towards the game, his devotion to basketball, his persistence in winning. Now James understands why Rudy Tomjanovich shed the famous "tears of sadness" after losing in the Western Conference Finals.

Kobe Bryant deserved to win, he should have been the winner. But because of Roger, his reputation was so bad, which was totally disproportionate to his efforts.

This is indeed a heartbreaking thing.

Everyone in the elevator was talking about Kobe.

"You. You saw it?"

"Damn, I thought the 4:30 a.m. rumor was just a joke! God, he actually gets up that early to train!"

"Now I understand why he was the one closest to Roger."

This time, LBJ did not remain silent and joined the discussion.

"Kobe is really. Really different!"

LBJ's eyes were full of trust and admiration. He liked Kobe. Kobe was probably the player he had ever seen with the biggest gap between the media's portrayal and the real person.

Competitive sports require narratives and characters.

Roger was described by the media as a strict tyrant, glaring at every teammate who performed poorly in training, forcing them to match his own standards and desires. Treating opponents? That was even more cruel than a dictator.

Tim Duncan is described as a serious, hidden master who allows Craig Popovich to spit in his face without a murmur. He always shoulders the responsibility but is willing to give opportunities to his teammates.

However, these narratives can distort the image of the players to some extent. In other words, these narratives can only show one side of a player.

In fact, Roger also has warm moments, and the stone Buddha is not as profound and serious as people imagine.

As for Kobe, James believes that he is more suitable for the word "misunderstanding" than AI.

The media would just say he was difficult to get along with, a jerk, and an immature "werewolf."

But after spending some time together, James felt that Kobe was not that bad.

He is smart to keep the competitive atmosphere on the training ground, but not let the competition get out of control. He may not be so enthusiastic about unfamiliar teammates, but this sense of proportion will also make you feel comfortable.

He just wants to win more than others, so he seems out of place, that's all.

Because of Roger's existence, no media in this timeline pitted LBJ against Kobe. So from the beginning to the end, Kobe and LBJ were not rivals.

This meant that there was never any tension between LBJ and Kobe, and their relationship was completely different from the original timeline.

Therefore, LBJ can openly express his love for Kobe without feeling embarrassed or ashamed about it.

The guy who has been the chosen one for three years but has been repeating all kinds of clown behavior can't help but wonder if he can have a teammate like Kobe Bryant in the NBA.
Then neither he nor Kobe will have any regrets.

After this day, some changes occurred in the US team.

More and more people followed Kobe to get up early to train, first LBJ and Wade, then Boozer and CP3.

Later, even Carmelo Anthony, who was usually too lazy to get up for breakfast, joined in.

A large part of his motivation comes from James. Melo told himself: "If a guy like LeBron can do it, there is no way I can't do it."

LeBron James also began to play a very important role in the team: the lubricant between Kobe and others.

He began to like joking with Kobe, and he would imitate Kobe's speech and movements on the court.

He and Dwight Howard became the happy pills of the Dream Team.

Kobe smiled more and more on the training ground, showing another side of him besides his seriousness.

Gradually, the tacit understanding between him and LBJ became better and better.

This American team, which was completely different from previous ones, flew to Japan with the determination to win the championship.

They are about to start flexing their muscles.

In the first game, the United States faced Puerto Rico, the team that had defeated them in the Olympics two years ago.

At the beginning of the game, No. 10 Kobe Bryant broke into the basket and scored a dunk. Puerto Rico quickly launched a counterattack from the baseline. Carlos Arroyo passed Chauncey Billups near the midfield line and went straight to the basket. Just when Arroyo thought he could replicate the miracle of the Olympics, No. 6 of the US team flew up from behind him and slapped the basketball out of his hand.

Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, these two have shown extremely terrifying dominance since the first round of the World Championships.

This round became a microcosm of the Dream Team's entire tournament.

They are unstoppable, they have both talent and discipline.

When the game gets difficult, Kobe Bryant always uses a goal to stabilize the morale of the team.

As the game progressed, Kobe and James' tacit understanding became better and better, and they communicated more and more.

Rich Paul saw all of this and treated it as a test.

A compatibility test between stars like LBJ and Kobe.

In the final, the American team defeated the golden generation of Spain cleanly and won the world championship again after six years.

After winning the gold medal, James and Kobe hugged each other tightly.

Kobe finally enjoyed the feeling of being a champion.

And LeBron James finally experienced what a great teammate is.

When being interviewed by ESPN reporters, an excited James raised the gold medal and put his arm around Kobe's shoulders.

"Man, you know, Kobe is my brother. We will definitely be able to win the Olympic championship again in 08. In fact, as long as Kobe and I join forces, we can win whatever we want and whoever we want!"

The ESPN reporter asked very sensibly, "You can beat whoever you want? Including Roger?"

Kobe, who was standing next to James, suddenly became serious and took the microphone to answer: "Yes, of course including Roger!"

Rich Paul frowned as he looked at Kobe and LBJ, who were as close as brothers.

Perhaps there is really no one in this world who is stronger than this combination.
-
We have nothing to blame for Yao Ming. He is the top scorer in this World Championships, averaging 25.3 points per game, 2 points more than the second place Dirk Nowitzki. So it is not anyone's fault that the Chinese team, the champion of the last Olympic Games, only finished eighth. It can only be said that this is the difference between having Roger and not having Roger. - Sports Illustrated.

Roger is our leader and spiritual pillar, we really need him. ——Yao Ming was interviewed by CCTV

We need Roger so damn badly. --Yao Ming in an interview with ESPN

A team ranked eighth in the world will become very strong if it adds a superstar like Roger. Don't be discouraged, we have seen hope in this dream team. - The New York Times

LBJ's negotiations with the Cleveland Cavaliers broke down again. Whether Ben Wallace will join the team becomes the key to whether LBJ will stay or go. If it doesn't work out, will LBJ really join the Orlando Magic? Will Gary Payton's path be LBJ's only choice? -- "Slam Dunk".

(End of this chapter)