The longest river

Chapter 116 Um, what did you say?
As the first rays of morning sunlight shone into 645 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York, Stern walked into his CEO's office on the 20th floor, right in the middle of the room.

With Jordan's return and his successful "return of the king" performance, the NBA is once again showing signs of prosperity.

Moreover, Yang Shuai's emergence and rapid growth have laid a solid foundation for his expansion into overseas markets.

He has already started arranging the NBA China Games for next season, and he has also heard that a Chinese giant named Yao Ming has emerged across the ocean.

Everything was on the right track, and a smile couldn't help but creep onto his face.

But just as he sat down, his phone rang.

A short while later, his assistant Mark Tatum appeared in his office.

As Tatum reported, Stern's smile gradually faded.

What is Shaquille O'Neal up to?
He finally managed to take a step into the overseas market, but O'Neal was tripping him up from behind.

He picked up the phone and called Jerry Bass directly.

“Jerry, you know this is a very sensitive topic.”

“I know he’s an Asian player, but that has nothing to do with his race. It’s about the league’s image.”

"Yes, a public apology is necessary; this must be done."

……

Reebok headquarters in Canton, Massachusetts.

Vaccaro arrived at Paul Fellman's office early in the morning.

Is it really necessary to do that?

After hearing Vaccaro's request, Fellman was shocked and helpless.

As soon as Vaccaro met him, he aggressively expressed his thoughts: Yang Shuai and O'Neal, Reebok must be chosen.

He had known Vaccaro for quite some time, but this was the first time he had ever seen him so angry.

"If a white player were to make a monkey-like noise and mock a black player, what would you do?" Vaccaro asked bluntly.

Upon hearing this, Fellman understood Vaccaro's determination, and although he felt helpless, he had no choice but to accept it.

"I will convene a board meeting to discuss this and give you an answer as soon as possible."

Shaquille O'Neal and Steve Young are now Reebok's palm and back of the hand. O'Neal is Reebok's top star, while Steve Young is Reebok's most rapidly rising rookie.

Otherwise, Reebok wouldn't have proactively negotiated a new contract with Yang Shuai in the second year of his contract, and the new contract offered was the largest among all Reebok's endorsers, and they even started a signature shoe project.

However, this is not a decision that Felman can make alone; it requires a vote from the board of directors.

……

On the morning of the game, the Pacers held an open practice at the training facility.

A large group of reporters arrived at the scene.

In this era, with the internet not being well-developed, media reporters are among the fastest to acquire information.

Bird prohibited his teammates from contacting the media, and he gave a solo interview to reporters.

“We have lodged a formal protest with the league, and Shaq must be held accountable for his actions.”

Bird represented the Pacers' stance on this matter.

Trying to get away with it won't work.

At the same time, the NAACP also announced the cancellation of the "Youth Role Model" award previously given to O'Neal.

In Chinese-American fan communities across the United States, as well as in Indiana, fans are also protesting O'Neal's behavior in their own ways.

In addition, some players, such as Kemp, who is also a Reebok endorser, told reporters that O'Neal needs to apologize to Yang.

But what was most unexpected was Kobe, who actually expressed his opinion in front of reporters.

"Shaq did something stupid."

Although Kobe was still relatively unknown with the Lakers at the time, his status as a Lakers player made the news known to the media.

The Lakers' scheduled afternoon practice session was canceled, and they held an impromptu pre-game press conference instead.

O'Neal appeared before the reporters.

"It was a joke. Everyone knows I'm a joker. I just said some random things. I don't even remember what I said at the time."

"However, I know this has had a negative impact, and I apologize to everyone. I am by no means a racist, and I am deeply sorry if I have offended anyone."

On the night of the game, the Western Forum Arena was packed to capacity.

Many Chinese fans were also present, holding up KT boards in support of Yang Shuai.

As the second largest city in the United States, Los Angeles also has the largest Chinese population in the country.

Even the media area was packed with people.

The O'Neal incident brought unprecedented attention to this regular season game.

During the pre-game warm-up, the on-site photographer first focused on O'Neal.

O'Neal did not participate in the warm-up; he sat on the sidelines in his training clothes, his brow furrowed, looking very unhappy.

He didn't expect the matter to escalate to this extent. In his view, Yang Shuai was just an Asian player. Even if he had a temper, as a minority group, he had to obediently submit when he was bullied in the United States.

But now, not only are the league and management putting pressure on him, but even his agent is telling him that Reebok might terminate his contract.

The camera then focused on Yang Shuai shortly afterward.

Yang Shuai is practicing shooting on the court.

His expression looked very serious.

O'Neal has already publicly apologized. Will he forgive the other party?
Forgive my ass!
The only connection between O'Neal's words and an apology is that they contain the word "apology".

And just like his attitude after the conflict with O'Neal, even if O'Neal sincerely apologized, he wouldn't choose to forgive him. Because he knows that if O'Neal really did that, it wasn't because he felt he was wrong, but simply because he was afraid.

Of course, there is another very important reason for his current expression, which is that O'Neal is still warming up on the court.

In other words, the league did not suspend or fine O'Neal!

It seems his idea yesterday was absolutely right: it's better to rely on yourself than to depend on others.

After the pre-match warm-up, the starting lineups for both sides were announced.

Pacers: Best, Miller, Young, Davis, Schmitz
Lakers: Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Cedric Ceballos, Jerome Corsi, Shaquille O'Neal
Schmitz tipped the ball back to the Pacers' half of the court, officially opening the game.

The Pacers started the game with the same tactics as before: Smitz and Davis positioned on either side of the free-throw line, followed by Miller and Young on either side of the free-throw line.

The only difference is that this time, it wasn't Miller standing inside the free throw line, but Yang Shuai.

Bird's statement on behalf of the team in front of reporters was merely an off-court statement.

For players, the real response comes from on the field.

Bird gave Miller's tactical role to Yang tonight.

Yang Shuai used Schmitz's screen to move towards the strong side at a 45-degree angle.

After Yang Shuai received the ball and encountered Jones' help defense, Schmitz moved to the high post in the elbow area to continue setting a screen for Yang Shuai.

O'Neal remained crouched under the basket and did not follow.

Before Kersey could rush over to help defend, Yang Shuai took advantage of Schmitz's second screen and launched a three-pointer from the outside.

"Shh!"

The basketball hit the net.

Not only during pre-game shooting practice, but also after playing one-on-one with Kobe all night yesterday, Yang Shuai got into the zone without any foreplay.

After making the three-pointer, he also made a "too small" gesture in O'Neal's direction.

"Negative energy from Shaquille O'Neal +800".

O'Neal's mentality instantly collapsed.

This move was frequently used by players in the era before Yang Shuai's time travel, but its effectiveness was generally limited.

But it worked every time on O'Neal.

Because Shaquille O'Neal is genuinely small, something his wife Shaunie O'Neal has publicly complained about.

In the Lakers' offense, O'Neal received the ball in the low post and drove hard inside.

Whether you call it weight gain or uncontrollable weight gain, O'Neal is now much larger than he was during his Magic days.

Schmitz tried his best to hold on but couldn't, and finally forcibly pulled O'Neal to the free throw line.

O'Neal had already been provoked by Yang Shuai, and now, after being fouled by Schmitz with such a large-scale foul, he turned around and started shoving Schmitz.

Fortunately, the referee knew that tonight's game was different and quickly stepped in to separate the two players.

Yang Shuai then walked up to Schmitz.

"Rick, calm down. He can't make a single free throw. If he could make them, he wouldn't have been swept by Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan."

"Negative energy from Shaquille O'Neal +748".

"Shut your mouth!" O'Neal snapped.

Yang Shuai wasn't trying to persuade Schmitz; he was clearly mocking him.

"Um, what did you say?" Yang Shuai asked, looking at O'Neal as he suddenly switched to Chinese.

O'Neal was stunned for a moment, then instantly went berserk.

Yang Shuai actually called him nigger in public!

Luckily, there were many people standing around O'Neal who managed to hold him back; otherwise, the two sides would definitely have started fighting right now.

Both sides were eventually persuaded to return to their own half. It was at this moment that the referee approached Yang Shuai and asked him about what he had just said.

Yang Shuai gave a brief explanation, and the referee then went to the technical table to find a staff member who understood Chinese to confirm it.

When the technical timeout ended, O'Neal went to the free-throw line, but Yang Shuai was not penalized in any way.

When O'Neal saw the result, his chest heaved violently. He was clearly unable to accept the result after being publicly called "nigger."

However, at that moment, Yang Shuai, on one side of the free throw line, continued to speak to Schmitz on the opposite side: "Rick, for the second free throw, Reggie and I will switch positions. If you get the rebound, remember to pass it long. I'm going to launch a fast break."

"when!"

Yang Shuai's loud and secretive plan directly caused O'Neal's first free throw to miss the rim.

He glared fiercely at Yang Shuai.

However, Yang Shuai actually went to the outside and switched positions with Miller.

"Negative energy from Shaquille O'Neal +999".

"when!"

O'Neal took a deep breath, but the second free throw still bounced off the rim.

Schmitz used his height advantage to grab the defensive rebound, then turned and delivered a quarterback-style long throw to the frontcourt.

Yang Shuai had already shaken off Jones and crossed the center line. After receiving the ball, he sprinted all the way, finally disappearing amidst the clamor of the Los Angeles fans…

"Oh!"

He delivered a signature tomahawk dunk.

(End of this chapter)