When pride still matters

Chapter 53 Special Training
Character determines fate.

Goute said it well, but Yu Fei didn't agree.

As far as basketball is concerned, talent determines destiny.

It is true that in the past, present and future of the NBA, there will be people like Bird, Nowitzki and Curry to comfort ordinary fans and make people feel that talent is not absolute, but you must know that the height of Bird and Nowitzki is also Talent, Curry's touch and ball skills are also talents. If these three people are only 170 centimeters tall, will they still be the same people that fans are familiar with?
The answer speaks for itself.

Yu Fei was not interested in what Goute said, but a large number of media were pestering him, asking him about his thoughts on possibly being teammates with Jordan in the new season, and his views on Jordan's second comeback.

Thoughts on being teammates with Jordan?On the lips there is anticipation, excitement, excitement, but in the heart there is apprehension, resistance and even disgust.

There are really no young people who like old men, right?Besides, this old man has a bad temper.

As for his opinion on Jordan's second comeback, Yu Fei adopted a vague tactic: "I don't have any opinion. This is MJ's freedom. We just need to wait for him to make a decision."

Yu Fei's inner view is simple. This is just like UZI's shocking choice to come back in EDG in 2023.

No one knows if YYDS was touched by Deft's unrepeatable S12 ending, and regardless, his decision is questionable.This is different from his farce in BLG in the spring of 2022, which was comparable to Bob Cousy's brief comeback with the Royals. This time he played in the game with great fanfare, but in the end he was completely defeated in the playoffs.If he loses heart and never comes back, then this will be the last impression he leaves on the audience.

And this impression should have been his 90% invincible year in 2018 and his 2019 year when he was determined to kill the enemy but was unable to save the day. There was no supreme honor, but it was still worth remembering, and now...
Jordan's comeback is far more outrageous than UZI.

Yu Fei is right, most Jordan fans think so.

Goute shouldn't make a comeback, is it necessary?He has already suppressed a generation, and he himself is getting old. Does he want to prove that he can still suppress a generation after leaving the game for three years?

The curtain call in 1998 was a rare perfect ending in sports history. Jordan had seen Magic Johnson in 1996. He should have known what would happen to a former superstar who still had arrogance but lacked strength after his comeback.

Yu Fei gradually realized how torturous the days walking with God would be.

50% of the media interviews on the day of the draft were related to Jordan.

Yu Fei didn't know why this group of people could derive so many questions from the name Jordan, and he didn't know how he answered so many questions about Jordan.

In the back, he was numb.

Jordan?Who is Jordan?It's just a boring name. If these Jianzhong reporters didn't ask questions related to Jordan, they might be fired.

Don't blame Yu Fei, this is the aggression behind Dandan.

Even more painful than the interview was the three consecutive days of "Alliance Safety Education Classes."

These courses are mainly designed to let rookies know several key points.

First, to manage your money properly, it is best to hire someone to help you, and the league will recommend it if needed.

Second, manage your little brother well and be careful of those flesh and blood that stick to the door.

"Remember, you can have fun countless times, but if you go wrong once and get the other person pregnant, you're done! She and the child will become ghosts for the rest of their lives, like vampires that never disappear!"

Finally, you must abide by the relevant regulations and do not touch contraband
This was the most boring three days that Yu Fei had spent after traveling through time.

Everyone can tell you the truth, but execution is a personal matter.

Yu Fei believes that this so-called safety education class will continue to be held, but there will definitely be many players who go bankrupt after retirement, cannot control their younger brothers and create a bunch of illegitimate children, and are fond of contraband.

Yu Fei is confident in his self-control. He will not touch these things, so these three days are a complete waste of time.

Three days later, Yu Fei and the other rookies were finally free.

Although he no longer has to listen to the league staff talking about it, Yu Fei still has to go to DC with Kwame Brown to sign a rookie contract.Since the league introduced a standard rookie contract in the mid-90s, the amount of money you get depends entirely on the draft, so there is no need to talk about it at all.

As long as the agent is present, the team takes out the contract, the players sign it, and then they happily take photos and send news to the media, the process is considered complete.

Yu Fei signed a four-year rookie contract, in which the total salary for the first three years is US$4 million, and the fourth year is a team option with an annual salary of US$650 million.

Including additional expenses, Arne Trim will receive a 10% commission, totaling US$940 million. After deducting various taxes, Yu Fei will ultimately receive no more than US$300 million.

Even if it's $300 million, it's a lot of money, and if managed well, it can last a lifetime.

And this is just the first money he has earned as a player, and there is also an endorsement contract with Reebok that is about to take effect.

It can be said that he no longer has to worry about money.

After signing with the Wizards, Yu Fei gave the US$20 signing bonus he received from signing with Reebok to his mother and asked her to find a house in a wealthy community in DC as a new home. Busy business activities began.

Until the start of the summer league, Yu Fei only had 3 hours of practice time every day, because this was his first summer as an endorsement for Reebok, and there were many things he needed to get familiar with, including shooting commercials and participating in events.

Just when Yu Fei was looking forward to the summer league, unexpected injuries came to his door.

At that time, Yu Fei was shooting an advertisement for his first signature sneaker for Reebok.

The director hopes Yu Fei can do some beautiful dunks.

Yu Fei did as he wished and performed several difficult moves.

All the dunks were completed, but an accident occurred when the last dunk landed. He sprained his knee, which shocked the staff on site into a cold sweat.

Fortunately, there was nothing serious after the examination. It was just a slight sprain, but it was enough to make Yu Fei miss the summer league.

Ironically, before the injury, Yu Fei was so busy that he wished he could be used as two persons.

After he recovered from his injury, Reebok's activities were basically completed, and the Wizards' summer league was also over.

Yu Fei has time, but there are no commercial activities or competitions at the moment.

It was late July, and Yu Fei, who had found some time off, decided to completely close himself off and use the next month or so to conduct arduous special training.

His goal is to gain 10 pounds before preseason training camp begins.

For this reason, Yu Fei went to the Wizards' nutritionist and asked him to design a reasonable weight gain plan for himself.

This was originally the responsibility of a nutritionist. Yu Fei quickly got a scientific weight gain plan, and then started special training non-stop.

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"Age and injuries make MJ's comeback prospects full of doubts." - "Sports Illustrated"

"Countless precedents prove that even Michael Jordan will not have a successful comeback." - "The New York Times"

“Shaquille O’Neal’s relationship with agent of [-] years breaks down.” —Los Angeles Times

"Good morning, DC. If you're lucky, you may see Frye Yu running past you on Liberty Avenue." - The Washington Post

(End of this chapter)