Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

When Yu Fei returned to the gym, he unexpectedly found Kwame Brown there.

He remembered that Brown had felt some discomfort in his back after eating yesterday and had planned to take a leave today.

Had he woken up this morning feeling much better?

"Didn't you take a leave?" Yu Fei asked.

Brown said resentfully, "The coach denied my leave request."

Denied?

This twist was something Yu Fei hadn't expected. Was this the NBA? Even if Brown was underperforming, he was still a first overall pick. Had his status fallen to such a low level after being brutally dominated by Jordan?

Was this the NBA he remembered, where players with minor injuries would be thoroughly pampered until every health indicator was perfect before they were allowed to play in a game?

Indeed, this was not the NBA Yu Fei knew.

The NBA of the future was exceedingly accommodating when it came to looking after its players; for those with a stable position on the team, simply feeling uncomfortable would warrant a scheduled rest.

Now what? Regardless of whether you're a first overall pick, rookies are supposed to work hard, endure discomfort, and deal with pain. This is a rite of passage for every NBA player.

In fact, it was precisely because Brown had shown himself to be too lazy and weak that Jordan destroyed him on the spot.

With things having come to this, Yu Fei could only wish Brown good luck for the day.

Besides, he had no time to worry about Brown, since he still had Ratner to deal with.

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That literal son of a bitch who undoubtedly had some nasty trick up his sleeve.

As Yu Fei entered the gym, he first saw a group of veterans practicing their shooting.

Jordan usually didn't train with them.

Today was no different.

Jordan was with Grover.

Watching Grover instruct Jordan to perform various movements, Yu Fei couldn't help but wonder, what was so special about these exercises?

But in the end, he just stood there.

He'd never spoken to Grover, who looked like a carbon copy of Jordan.

Like Jordan, he was bald, and although shorter in stature, he had a solid frame and well-developed muscles. Also, he deliberately chose to wear the same clothes as Jordan.

It was as if he were Jordan's avatar.

The most ironic part was that Grover's influence over Jordan was evidently greater than that of the head coach Doug Collins.

In some cases, Collins might have to rely on Grover to remind Jordan of certain things.

The Wizards Team was in full attendance today, and on top of tactical drills, they were also set to have an official scrimmage.

For a team that started its training camp later than others, the Wizards Team had all its training progress delayed, so Collins demanded the mindset of actual combat for today's scrimmage.

The grouping was interesting as well.

Jordan and Richard Hamilton each led a team.

Jordan's team was almost entirely made up of old veterans, including himself, Ratner, (Chris) Whitney, Tyronn Nesby, and Jahidi White.

Nesby was the only player on Jordan's team who could be considered young. He was an undrafted pick from 1998 and was now in his fourth NBA year. As a blue-collar big man even smaller than Ben Wallace, his way of surviving in the NBA, apart from playing hard, was to ingratiate himself with the team's big shot.

Therefore, from the day Jordan made his comeback, Nesby became his devoted lackey.

Younger players naturally gravitated toward Richard Hamilton.

Besides Yu Fei, there were Kwame Brown, Tyronn Lue, and Hubert Davis.

Hamilton called himself and the other teammates "The New Jacks," a term from the gangster movie New Jack City.

Yu Fei liked this nickname; he believed Hamilton's deliberate distinction between the young players and the veterans was no spur-of-the-moment decision.

Hamilton was well aware that Jordan's comeback had postponed his own time as team leader, but Jordan would retire eventually, so the team would be his sooner or later.

Yet, as a vibrant part of Generation Y, Hamilton had already experienced what it was like to play a supporting role to a superstar.

Back in Philadelphia, before he went to UConn, he and Kobe had fought side by side on the same AAU Team. Kobe was the strongest player in their class and the core of the team, while he was just a nobody who appeared out of nowhere.

Now Kobe had achieved fame and glory, capturing two championships at a young age, seemingly the next Michael Jordan. Hamilton had no ill will towards Kobe—they were buddies and often chatted on the phone. But Jordan? Why was this old-timer who had been retired for three years able to suit up and return to the fray? What did he have left to prove?

Despite his immense dissatisfaction, Hamilton could only suppress it.

Because from any angle, the Wizards Team was Jordan's team.

"New Jacks, let's perform well today!" Hamilton shouted encouragement to his young teammates before the scrimmage started, "Don't let those old guys look down on us!"

He really wanted to do well in this game.

Yu Fei smiled, looked at his teammates, and, according to the New Jacks' player assignments, he was to play the small forward position.

This was just right for him as it was how he saw himself fitting in the NBA.

He would start at small forward, and whether he would move to play inside later would depend on how much weight he gained.

The game started with a jump ball, with Brown taking the center position for the New Jacks, contesting for possession against Ratner.

Although Ratner had the height advantage, age and injuries had taken away his jumping ability.

Therefore, Brown easily won the tap.

Yu Fei hustled to the frontcourt, positioning himself on one side with Hamilton on the other, and upon focusing, he realized that Tyronn Nesby was the one matching up against him.

As a shorter player in the frontcourt, Nesby's strengths were his footwork and speed, indeed capable of guarding anyone without discrimination.

However, his defensive tendencies were still geared towards playing inside.

Yu Fei was about to ask for the ball when Coach Lu noticed Brown had gotten into position and instead lobbed the ball inside.

Matching up against Ratner, Brown was full of energy.

Suddenly, he seemed to have regained his confidence.

If I can't play against Jordan, can't I play against you? That was the vibe he was giving off.

But when Ratner's rough play and patently foul-worthy handcheck were ignored by the referee, Brown's small hands and weak ball-handling skills were completely exposed.

The ball was stripped from his hands, and as he opened his mouth to protest the foul, he was ignored.

Ratner picked up the ball and led Jordan with a pass.

The man's character might be questionable, but his basketball skills were among the NBA's elite, delivering such a smooth pass even without ever practicing with Jordan.

"Michael, watch your back!"

Ratner's expression changed.

His warning came a fraction too late.

Jordan, aiming for a soaring dunk, did not expect the utterly disrespectful madman behind him to leap into the air and forcefully swat the ball away from the side.

Jordan cast a sideways glance and saw the face of the pesky "Anti-Mike" clearly—it was infuriating!

Just as Yu Fei completed the chase-down block and was ready to start a counterattack, Johnny Bach, serving as the temporary referee, blew the whistle.

Hitting foul!

"No way?" complained Hamilton, "That was a clean, awesome defensive play!"

Bach ignored Hamilton, focusing instead on Yu Fei, "Not clean enough. In a real game, referees would call that because you're a rookie."

Yu Fei understood the logic, but he wasn't willing to let it go, "You just missed a defensive foul in the frontcourt that referees would 100% call in a real game, and now you're telling me you made this call because it's something referees might do to me in an actual game?"

"Hmph," Jordan said quietly, watching the distinctive 'Anti-Mike', "That's reality, rookie. Welcome to the NBA."

Yu Fei stared back at Jordan, unyielding, and replied coldly, "Then, that block just now can be called 'welcome back to the NBA'."

Yu Fei radiated an aura that even Jordan found dangerous.

This rookie's eyes held no respect, not for Ratner and not for him.

This was different from Kwame Brown, who, after being hyped to the heavens, lost his bearings and showed disrespect without understanding the gravity of it.

Brown's behavior could be interpreted as a kind of "passive humanity," but humans are humans because they have self-control, knowing what to do and what not to do. Therefore, when Jordan kicked Brown back down to earth, Brown came to his senses.

Yu Fei, however, was different.

What Yu Fei showed was not passive humanity but "true nature."

He didn't care about the NBA's unwritten rules, so he refused to do laundry for Ratner, and now he equally ignored Jordan, showing dissatisfaction towards Bach's double standards, and even dared to talk trash to Jordan.

For about ten seconds, the atmosphere on the court was serious.

Jordan approached the free-throw line, taking a deep breath.

No matter how thorny the newcomer, once tamed, they could be a great asset.

Jordan made both free throws, and as he backed away, Ratner approached and said, "Don't mind him, Michael. I'll handle the ignorant little brat."

Jordan had his doubts about Ratner's ability. However, considering Yu Fei was just a high school rookie, his immediate impact shouldn't be too great. Ratner might not be at his peak anymore, but he should be more than enough to teach a high schooler a lesson.

Thus, with a noncommittal response, Jordan essentially gave Ratner the green light to discipline the rookie on his behalf.