NBA, Yao Ming is back!

Chapter 102 17 Years Old! Let's Welcome the Start of the New Season!

Yao Ming feels that he has a very fulfilling life every day.

You have to admit, this physical ability is really useful.

Not only is it thick-skinned and tough, but it is also quite durable.

I used to admire those physical superhumans, but I never thought I'd have the chance to be one myself.

This feeling of training everyone else until they vomit.

Don't say it—

That's really good.

Under normal circumstances, Iverson definitely wouldn't have been able to keep going. It's not like it's work time, why push himself so hard?

But because he has his own goddess.

That's different.

As the saying goes, working together as a team makes the work easier.

Black Pearl, who is currently only a B-list actress, is working hard to polish this script. As long as Yao Ming's investment is realized, she is confident that she can become a first-tier actress through this script.

Therefore, for her, the sacrifices of the past two months were worthwhile.

Besides... she didn't sacrifice much.

Iverson is at least better than her baseball-playing ex-husband.

Even more radiant.

More energetic.

They are more energetic.

Therefore, she always looks radiant.

Iverson also had a very fulfilling life.

However, sometimes I feel a bit tired in my lower back.

"How could Wilt Chamberlain be so ruthless?"

"Playing both on and off the court in this game, most people couldn't handle it."

Ben was puzzled. He was a poor man who only wanted to make money to turn his life around, and he looked fierce and menacing.

I have absolutely no idea what Iverson meant.

I thought Iverson really did practice at the gym and then did extra practice in private at night.

He really felt that way.

I haven't tried hard enough.

Look at last year's top scorer and this year's runner-up, they're all so hardworking. I used to think I was pretty hardworking, but now it seems...

He was still too proud.

I don't love basketball nearly as much as they do.

That won't do; I must strengthen my training.

He gets to train with the number one and number two draft picks.

The key point is that you don't have to pay for any food or accommodation yourself.

This is such a great thing.

Oakley couldn't arrange anything with him.

……

Time passed by day by day.

Yao Ming was tormented to the point of wishing he were dead by these two.

This is way too difficult.

Especially at the beginning, they couldn't score even one out of ten goals.

Iverson managed to occasionally get past one player, but as soon as he got inside, there was Ben Wallace waiting to block his shot as he drove to the basket.

However, he wasn't in a hurry. He was only sixteen or seventeen years old, and he was happy as long as he could improve a little each time.

There are still 5 years until I entered the NBA in my previous life.

You are Wenban Yama, you met these two when you were 16.

I doubt I'll get away with it.

Friendships among young people are always formed quickly; otherwise, how could it be said that the younger one is, the easier it is for them to enter another person's heart?

Two months later, everyone had become quite familiar with each other.

We eat and live together every day.

They're practically sleeping together.

Even living together day and night is nothing more than this.

In the process, all three of them found their own happiness.

Allen Iverson practices on the court and off the court. He even gets to show off in front of his female idol.

It offers maximum emotional value.

The program includes room and board, and you can train with the top two draft picks.

It offers maximum emotional value.

Yao Ming used Allen Iverson as a tool to practice dribbling.

Use Ben Wallace as a utility player to practice attacking the basket after receiving the ball.

Never mind the efficiency.

Anyway, it's much better than at the beginning, that's good.

His emotional value is also off the charts.

When three men get together, they're either a cobbler or a genius.

Of course, a lot of things happened during this period.

Domestically, the first event was the 2nd East Asian Games. In the group stage, the Chinese men's basketball team only managed to defeat three weak teams: Guam, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan. They lost to South Korea and Taiwan.

In particular, the Chinese men's basketball team lost to Taiwan 56-73 and 54-62 in the two matches. This was due to factors such as the inability to adapt to the local diet, and especially because Wang Zhizhi was unwell throughout the East Asian Games. He missed the semi-final match against Chinese Taipei due to a cold, which gave the Taiwanese team a significant advantage.

And so, both the men's and women's basketball teams lost the championship.

And they lost to the Taiwanese team in both cases.

Compared to the Taiwanese team in this era, it was like the national team losing to a provincial team.

This has truly infuriated the public in China.

If we only mention this one thing, there's still an excuse.

Just in the last few days.

The 19th Asian Men's Basketball Championship is being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Our team achieved a perfect record in both the group stage and the second round.

But in the semifinals, they faced the South Korean team.

Liu Yudong and Li Xiaoyong were injured one after another, and the team's inside and outside shooting went awry, resulting in a 72-86 defeat and the end of their dream of a six-peat.

South Korean MVP Jeon Hee-cheol scored 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

You have to understand that losing to anyone else is one thing, but losing to the South Korean team caused a huge stir. This is because there are historical reasons behind it; the last team to end our Asian Championship winning streak was none other than South Korea.

The 1985 Asian Championships were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In the first group stage match, the Chinese team defeated Indonesia by a whopping 107 points, setting a new record for the largest winning margin for the Chinese team in an international competition. However, as the competition progressed, the Chinese team became complacent and lost to South Korea, ending their 41-game winning streak and ultimately only managing to secure third place.

After that, they went on a five-peat, until this time in Saudi Arabia. They were defeated by South Korea by 14 points and missed the final, with the Chinese team ultimately taking third place.

Yes, historically, before Yao Ming joined the national team, after the 96 golden generation was plagued by injuries, our position in the whole of Asia began to be insecure, and we suffered one defeat after another in Asian events at the East Asian Games and Asian Championships.

Moreover, there are other impacts as well.

Failing to win the championship or runner-up position resulted in losing the qualification to participate in the 98 Men's Basketball World Championship.

He made it to the World Championships for six consecutive years, and then suddenly collapsed here. No one could accept that.

Of course, there are many stories behind the strength of this Asian Championship, such as why Battulga was not there. Even if Wang Zhizhi was not feeling well, Battulga should still be there.

Battier, a promising young center in Asian basketball, suddenly requested to leave the national team, citing the team's rigorous training. To establish authority among the players and demonstrate his strict discipline, Zhang Bin, after failing to persuade or retain Battier, removed him from the national team. He repeatedly stated publicly: "The national team can do without anyone."

However, Zhang Bin's approach failed to intimidate the other players. Some veteran players, though outwardly compliant, remained defiant and refused to obey management. With the major tournament approaching, Zhang Bin had no better solution for them. Some veteran players felt no novelty about being re-selected for the national team, let alone any sense of honor. The Asian Basketball Championship also held little appeal for them.

Nike, the company that packaged the Chinese basketball team, hired three veteran players to take photos of their bodies before the team's departure for a major tournament. They promised each player top-of-the-line Nike sportswear and a $10,000 fee per person. While $10,000 might be insignificant to a star player in the Chinese Super League (CBA) football team, it was a very tempting extra income for basketball players with modest salaries. The three players' pre-tournament body-photography for extra money disrupted their training, creating a negative impression within the team and causing strong resentment among other players. This created a rift among the players, undoubtedly becoming another potential source of trouble for the Chinese team's defeat.

Furthermore, the night before the Chinese men's basketball team's game against South Korea happened to be the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the team members were invited to the Chinese Embassy in Saudi Arabia to enjoy the moon. The team believed that the Chinese team was well-prepared and had thoroughly studied the South Korean team's playing style and player characteristics. It should be said that the Chinese men's basketball team was superior to the South Korean team in terms of height, technique, and roster stability, but they did not fully anticipate the ruthlessness of the game.

……

These behind-the-scenes stories were not truly uncovered until 2021.

There are many other aspects you may not know about.

Even Yao Ming was unaware of this aspect.

Because his joining the national team is a matter for the next term.

Now you understand why, historically, the first thing Yao Ming did in the team was to establish his absolute authority and subdue anyone who disagreed with him.

If you don't listen, get out.

It doesn't matter who you are.

Even if you're Sun Wukong going to the NBA, it's the same.

Because the national men's basketball team has far too many problems, and if it's not rectified...

It is difficult to form a combat force.

This was the true state of the national men's basketball team before Yao Ming became the team's leader.

That's why he had to make a name for himself in the NBA before he could go back and take over the national team.

Because of the people inside.

You don't have an absolute status to suppress them.

Even a seasoned center like Zhang Bin, one of the two most experienced centers in Asia.

They can't control it.

Therefore, one needs an absolute identity to command the respect of most people, and then deal with any troublemakers.

Instead of beating everyone up, which would compromise our fighting strength.

So this time he could only watch from the sidelines.

He used this year to establish himself in the NBA and win over most people.

Then take over the team.

As in history, this loss to South Korea was met with a barrage of criticism, and the team lost the opportunity to participate in the World Championships.

At that time, the media people watched were mainly print media and television.

That was a collective attack from top to bottom. Yao Ming still remembers the overall tone of public opinion, which was called "a great humiliation, the fall of the Asian hegemon, and a historic defeat."

"The Golden Generation? A Degenerate Generation!"

"Chinese Men's Basketball Team: Are You Really Afraid of South Korea?"

These were all classic titles back then.

Yao Ming felt quite uncomfortable watching this.

But he knew that if he wanted to take the national team to new heights, he needed to step in at the right time.

This crushing defeat will leave the entire nation waiting for the return and leadership of a strongman.

Then I am undoubtedly the best candidate.

Although I heard that the blue shoes were criticized so harshly this time that some people even tried to contact Yao Ming.

But Yao Ming, relying on his contract, only acted according to the contract, and there was nothing they could do. This only made some people resentfully think, "If you can't bring him to new heights..."

There are plenty of ways to show you what's what.

There are petty people everywhere. If you really expose them, they will all smile at you again.

Having lived two lives, how could Yao Ming not know this trick?

They completely ignored these people.

If you play your best in the NBA, everything will fall into place.

Besides the domestic situation, many stories have also unfolded in the NBA.

For example, Bulls general manager Krause secretly plotted to trade Pippen for Boston rookie McGrady plus other players.

They were threatened by Jordan and had to give up.

Then, contracts worth hundreds of millions of yuan started to appear more and more frequently, including those for Mourning, Huo Ershu, and Garnett.

A second contract after 3 years and $540 million, now worth $1.26 million over 6 years.

It seems that the NBA will enter the era of hundreds of millions of dollars by the end of the 90s.

This made Iverson envious, and he muttered while touching his dreadlocks, "If he's worth so much money, then I want one too!"

"I want two hundred million!"

Yao Ming could only say that it's no wonder these bosses want to shut down the company; they really can't stand it.

This isn't decades from now, when NBA teams will only cost an average of over 100 million.

So forget it.

With the new collective bargaining agreement in place, Allen Iverson's $200 million dream will be shattered.

They won't even have 80 million by then, yet they want 200 million.

But if I had money, making 200 million would be a piece of cake.

You can't rely solely on a fixed salary to make money.

At that time, one night Iverson was sneaking around the basketball court.

When Yao Ming asked him what he was doing, Iverson simply said he was preparing a surprise for his Black Pearl.

Where is my little alarm clock?

Iverson replied that Ben Wallace had been temporarily called upon to do some physical labor.

Upon hearing this, Yao Ming lost interest.

He's only interested in improving his basketball skills right now.

As for the other balls...

Forget it.

He arrived at the training ground at 4 a.m. as usual. He usually trained for 2 hours before coming, and then Iverson came.

When I opened the door today, oh dear, the light was broken?

How should I prepare to call someone to fix it so as not to interrupt my practice time...?

Suddenly, the light in front of me came on.

But it wasn't the training ground lighting.

Instead, Allen Iverson appeared singing a rap-esque "Happy Birthday."

Behind them was Daben pushing a cart.

There's also a black pearl that's already shaped like Allen Iverson.

"this……"

Then I saw a huge cake behind it.

There were even pictures of himself, Allen Iverson, and Ben Wallace on it.

Although it's a bit ugly, it's already pretty good for 97.

Happy birthday, Yao.

Happy birthday, Sheng.

Happy birthday, Yao! May you grow taller and taller!

These three people were saying this to me.

Add this ugly cake.

An ugly candle was stuck in it.

Even in a foreign land, Yao Ming still felt...

A strange sense of warmth.

No matter what happens in the future, just like the friends I made in school, even if the relationship fades in the future, at least for this moment...

Everyone is sincere.

"Yao, this is a gift for you, a pair of nunchucks, isn't it cool?" Iverson pulled out a pair of nunchucks from behind and handed them to Yao Ming.

There was also a very eye-catching word written on it—

AI sends.

Goodness, hahaha.

Yao Ming couldn't help but burst out laughing.

This is so Iverson-like, even his gift-giving is so AI-like.

That's the answer.

But I'm a basketball player, what do you mean by giving me nunchucks?

The gift from Ben Wallace almost made Yao Ming lose his composure.

He actually gave me a pair...

Boxing gloves used by mixed martial arts athletes.

"Hey boss, when you're fighting in the street, it's best not to use your bare fists. My boss Oakley said that getting hit with a bare fist hurts too much. Here's a pair of boxing gloves for you. That way, it won't hurt as much when you hit someone, and it won't hurt you as much either."

"I hope... I hope you like it."

Since Ben Wallace was signed by Pelinka.

Like Pelinka, he learned to call himself "little boss."

Even if I ask him to change it, he can't.

We had no choice but to give up.

After saying all this, Ben couldn't help but glance at Yao Ming.

It seemed as if he was afraid Yao Ming wouldn't like the gift.

Even this black pearl, whom he himself had pulled over to persuade Iverson to practice.

They each gave themselves a mini... gold belt.

What's wrong?

They all see themselves as boxers.

Damn it...