Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1100 - 616 Tomorrow Will Be Better

Chapter 1100: Chapter 616: Tomorrow Will Be Better Chapter 1100: Chapter 616: Tomorrow Will Be Better The 2016 All-Star Weekend was the first time in NBA history to set the event in Toronto.

It was not easy, considering that the Toronto Meteorological Station had reported shortly before that this year’s All-Star Weekend would be the coldest in decades, posing many challenges for the NBA stars who had traveled far.

If everything went as expected, Yu Fei’s second child would be born this month.

This made Yu Fei seem distracted.

At the airport, a Toronto reporter asked: “Frye, what do you think about being the third eldest All-Star player?”

This was another matter that annoyed Yu Fei. With the gradual decline of the older generation of stars, up until this year, Kobe is the only player from the 90s who could still make the All-Star roster. Yu Fei was the only player from the 2001 draft class still selected as an All-Star, followed closely by Yao Ming. The three of them were the oldest players at the Toronto All-Star Weekend.

Faced with the reporter’s question that made one reminisce about where the time had gone, Yu Fei simply responded: “It means I’ve really played for a long time.”

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Boarding the car arranged by the league, the invited star players could enjoy the scenery of the northern country. Antetokounmpo came to Toronto with his family, sitting beside him was his brother Alex. Suddenly, Alex asked: “Is it easy to be selected for the All-Star Weekend two years in a row?”

He felt his brother seemed to have done it effortlessly. Antetokounmpo showed a helpless smile and finally answered: “Listen, there’s nothing easy here.”

Similarly, becoming an NBA city capable of hosting the All-Star Weekend is not easy, and those involved in the establishment of the Toronto Raptors in 1994 knew this all too well. However, the reward is huge. Only during the All-Star Weekend do you have the opportunity to ride an elevator with Hall of Fame players, chat leisurely with NBA power brokers, or witness moments that will be talked about for years.

Basketball itself is relaxed. Even in the fan festival at the heart of the NBA, the joy that children find in dribbling and shooting is still evident amidst the pervasive corporate sponsorship logos.

The true significance of the All-Star Weekend in Toronto has long since transcended the basketball game itself, which is more apparent than ever before. Canada is a country dominated by hockey, and although often joked to be the United States’ backyard, they have their own gods in the hockey realm. For many years, professional basketball in the United States has been hoping to break into this vast market, hence the aggressive expansion of two NBA teams into Canada in the 1990s.

However, the Vancouver Grizzlies ultimately moved back to the United States to survive. But the Toronto Raptors survived, and despite many ups and downs, with two core players of questionable loyalty as the foundation for building the team, their achievements over twenty years have been few and far between. Nevertheless, the Raptors’ survival in Toronto and their success in making basketball a fashionable sport in the city is a great achievement that transcends game results.

As a face of the league, Yu Fei naturally supported the NBA’s global promotion. Therefore, on his first day in Toronto, he hosted a photography exhibition called “Moments in Basketball” on the 68th floor of Canada’s First Tower. From here, one could overlook the magnificent views of Toronto and Lake Ontario through the windows. The exhibition featured copies of old photos of basketball founder James Naismith and the original basketball rules he established, as well as photos depicting classic matchups such as Bill Russell against Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson against Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan’s dominance in the 90s, as well as Yu Fei’s great moments since 2002.

Durant was also present, his responsibility being another exhibition, showing a special photo to the local media and fans who visited Toronto. The photo was taken during the 1966 NCAA Championship Final, where Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp and his players lost to Texas Western University, who became the first team with an all-black starting lineup to win the March Madness Tournament.

Durant rarely showed pride as he said: “You’ll find that it’s not just the result of a game. It’s a moment when America was undergoing change, and later everyone realized it.”

Then, Yao Ming arrived, surrounded by not only Chinese media but also a large number of Canadian media.

Although Yao Ming can’t be considered a superstar in the NBA, he has become an established global icon.

“In our youth, we knew very little about the outside world… the United States, the Hall of Fame, those things. It wasn’t until the late 90s that we found out. And now, time seems to have leaped by many light-years. And here we are, I stand here. I think this is not the end, but the beginning of a new generation.”

Everyone was discussing the “grand narrative,” so much so that Yu Fei felt they were like people online discussing politics with their keyboards.

Was it really that significant?

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In the end, he no longer talked about these things.

Until Antetokounmpo’s brother Alex asked him: “Frye, which is harder, being selected to eighteen All-Star games in a row, or winning ten championships?”

He’s just a kid, and judging by the talent he shows, he probably won’t succeed in professional basketball like his brother in the future.

But his brother would keep him under his wing, so he won’t have to live the life of a refugee again.