Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1120 - 622 Everything Has Changed Yet

Chapter 1120: Chapter 622 Everything Has Changed, Yet Nothing Has Changed_3 Chapter 1120: Chapter 622 Everything Has Changed, Yet Nothing Has Changed_3 Stein chuckled, “I believe you can find common ground with Number 23 in this respect.”

“Perhaps, how’s Number 23 doing lately?” Yu Fei casually asked, “Is he still alive?”

“He’s still very much alive.”

“That’s good, we’re all still alive.”

Perhaps what Yu Fei really meant to say was, why he was still alive. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that Stein realized that the Greatest of All Time still regarded him as a friend, just like the old times.

That mattered more than anything.

Unlike the Greatest of All Time, who saw himself high and mighty, refusing all interviews, Giannis Antetokounmpo was actively building his brand influence.

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As one of Reebok’s heavily promoted Rising Stars, Tocumbo received comprehensive training in the summer on understanding “brand,” “image,” and “influence.”

Now, he portrays himself very friendly towards the media, both humorous and patient, willing to answer any question.

When the media tried to pit him against the Greatest of All Time in terms of competition, Antetokounmpo would say, “There’s no competition between Frye and me, we’re more like mentor and mentee. For me, the most important thing is to make him proud. I want to be a player like Frye!”

The Greek indeed possessed starry charisma.

But his biggest issue was that he was Greek.

Even someone as great as the Ice Hockey Emperor, Wayne Gretzky, could not outshine Magic Johnson in Los Angeles.

Though the United States is a country of immigrants, claiming inclusivity, nationality still plays a crucial role in all competitive arenas.

The biggest obstruction to Antetokounmpo becoming like Yu Fei might not be his skills but his identity.

Americans would not allow a Greek black man to become a deity in sports.

After solidifying his relationship with the Clippers, Stein also needed to develop his own contacts within the team.

He knew the Greatest of All Time would eventually retire; he couldn’t hang all his hopes on one branch.

When he asked the Greatest of All Time who he favored more, Jokić or Antetokounmpo, the Greatest of All Time diplomatically chose the former.

So, Stein approached Jokić, hoping to conduct an interview.

Jokić himself was somewhat resistant to interviews, but he didn’t want to appear unfriendly.

“Sure, I’m okay with it.”

So, the interview started.

Stein quickly realized that when he asked Jokić about basketball, the answers were always cursory. However, when the topic shifted away from basketball, everything changed.

“You’ve lost quite a bit of weight since you arrived in Los Angeles. I know the food here is quite different from Serbia. What’s the hardest to give up?”

“Definitely the meat from my hometown, I miss it terribly! I’ve even stockpiled a bunch at home.”

“Is that to prevent sudden cravings?”

“Exactly! But what I miss most is the fish soup, served with some pasta on the side. If you ever go to Serbia, you must try it!”

“Is that something you allow yourself to eat?”

Jokić’s face slightly changed, “Of course.”

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“Do you still drink cola?”

“It’s my life, I can’t refuse it.”

“How much do you drink daily?”

“One gallon (3.7 liters)!”

As the discussion shifted to diet, Stein saw the most genuine side of Jokić, but this also made him a bit concerned about the future of this European giant—his self-discipline seemed lacking.

After the interview, Stein and Jokić immediately added each other as friends on social media, even though they were not familiar before, they established a connection. Stein would maintain this connection in his own way, and continue it for many years.

The day ended, and Yu Fei still did not give any media without “permission” a chance to interview him. He suddenly felt tired of the training camp, which was filled with too many young people.

After the day’s training, Yu Fei returned to the locker room and saw Siakam placing things in Kwame Brown’s locker. He warned, “Rookie, this locker is taken, this guy has a bad temper and specifically bullies newcomers like you. You better hurry up and clear your stuff before he notices.”

“Thank you, Frye, I almost made a mistake!” Siakam gratefully responded.

He quickly moved his belongings and chose a locker in the corner.

As his figure disappeared into a corner of the locker room, the empty locker suddenly caught Yu Fei’s eye—it was Kwame Brown’s old locker, a presence he was once very familiar with.

Now, the owner of the locker had retired.

The team assigned that locker to a rookie, a young player he favored.

Everything seemed natural, yet Yu Fei felt a strange emotion stirring inside him.

The locker was still the same locker, and the training camp was still the training camp, but everything here seemed foreign to him.

Faces he once knew had left, replaced by young smiles, and time had quietly changed everything around him.

Although it appeared nothing had changed, in reality, everything was no longer the same.

PS: On leave tomorrow.