Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." — Philippians 4:11-13 (New Testament)

Doug Collins was very "thoughtful," folding in advance the pages he wanted Yu Fei to read. Yu Fei just needed to open the book to find those pages.

As a non-believer, Yu Fei understood that Collins wanted him to behave and not complain.

However, such spiritual comfort had no effect on Yu Fei, because Collins, who took it seriously, obviously hadn\'t gained any teachings from the Bible.

If the admonitions and morality conveyed by the Bible had helped Collins, he wouldn\'t have been fired after leading the Chicago Bulls into the Eastern Conference finals. If his devotion to the Lord was genuine, he wouldn\'t have applied double standards in his treatment of Jordan and other players.

"Tony, you keep it," Yu Fei handed the book to Lawson.

Lawson took the book, and then he threw it aside, "He might as well treat you to a pork chop meal."

"Indeed." Continue your journey on m|v-l\'e m,p| y- r

On November 5th, the Wizards Team returned to D.C. from Detroit.

They came back to their home court not because of a match, but because they had two days off.

The day after tomorrow, the Wizards would head to Boston to challenge The Celtics.

For the Wizards, the trip to Boston was infused with narrative because of Jordan\'s presence.

It was a tale from before Jordan\'s comeback, when Paul Pierce openly spouted off to the already retired Jordan, claiming, "If you dare come back, I\'ll beat you badly."

This was no different from the future Jeremy Sohan repeatedly mocking the vice dog on Twitter.

The difference was that Pierce sprayed it to his face, while Sohan was just one in millions of James haters on the internet.

Yet, Jordan and his staff had no time to handle this issue right now. The buildup to the game against The Celtics was of less concern to Jordan than the more troubling issues he faced.

A nearly 40-year-old hairdresser by the name Carla Knafel hoped Jordan would keep a promise to pay her five million US Dollars in hush money. Why? She had been Jordan\'s mistress for several years in the 90s, Carla had become pregnant, and it was impossible to rule out the possibility of Jordan being the child\'s father. Initially, Jordan had given her 250,000 US Dollars to keep quiet, but now, with the deity back on stage, the hairdresser remembered her old lover, and a quarter of a million dollars was far from enough.

Moreover, such issues never come singly, and Jordan himself was not exactly a squeaky-clean figure.

In Cleveland, a male stripper named Robert Mercer sent a letter to Jordan and the Wizards\' executives, claiming that Jordan had a five-year extramarital affair with someone in Mercer\'s family. Following that, Mercer sent a similar letter to a secretary at the Air Jordan Company headquarters in Chicago. Thus, the allegations of the male stripper began to spread privately.

This quickly turned into a serious public relations crisis and caused a tremendous fissure in Jordan\'s godlike image. Jordan\'s high-profile lawyer in Chicago, Frederick Sperling, hastily wrote a letter denying these allegations and threatened Mercer that if he publicized them, legal action would be taken. Enraged, Mercer wrote a letter back to him, swearing he wouldn\'t be intimidated. At the same time, he was prepared to send a letter to Jordan\'s wife, Juanita, claiming he had concrete evidence of "embarrassing news for both our families."

With decisive action taken by Jordan\'s legal team to defend the deity\'s reputation, Mercer\'s allegations quickly fell apart, the truth being that Mercer\'s wife was a fanatical Jordan supporter and had mental health issues. Mercer didn\'t want to pay for a psychologist and believed Jordan should foot the bill, so he tried to fish in troubled waters.

The Mercer-induced storm settled quickly, but the impact on Jordan\'s image was irreparable. Such is the fragility of fame — a trivial stripper could send Jordan into a panic.

How different was it from the fabricated stories in QQ Spaces post-2008, claiming "Jay Chou refused to donate to the Wenchuan earthquake and took a private jet to the disaster area to secretly eat instant noodles"? Jordan was ultimately lucky, the negative press and gossip that exploded in 2001 were devoured by the growing internet, and a decade later, nothing remained.

Jordan disappeared for two days.

Collins claimed Jordan was treating tendinitis in another city, but those who watched the news knew what he was really up to.

With Jordan away, the Wizards\' training atmosphere was relaxed; after all, who likes to have a stress monster as a teammate?

The only thing Yu Fei wasn\'t satisfied with was that the team\'s commercial executive, Susan O\'Malley, had arranged a lot of PR and community activities for him during his spare time.

Besides spending two hours in training sessions, Yu Fei also had to spend another two hours attending team events daily.

If everyone had to take part in these activities, it wouldn\'t be so bad, but it was often only Yu Fei and Hamilton who attended.

"Why doesn\'t anyone else have to participate?" Yu Fei asked.

O\'Malley explained, "Because they\'re not famous enough."

"So you guys just keep making me do these activities? Don\'t you think that\'s a bit too much?" Yu Fei\'s words confirmed O\'Malley\'s belief in his "rebellious" nature. "Maybe the others are less popular, sure, but if they don\'t participate in team events, doesn\'t that make them even less popular? Should Rip and I take care of all the team\'s activities from now on?"

O\'Malley said with no room for debate, "We will discuss this matter in a future meeting, but right now, what you need to do is attend the activities."

Yu Fei faced a communication disconnect with the team.

He thought that everyone at the Wizards from top to bottom was loyal to Jordan, so he assumed that the heavy load of community and team activities assigned to him was Jordan\'s idea.

This was a complete misunderstanding of Jordan.

Jordan also hated Susan O\'Malley\'s approach to wringing every bit of marketing value out of star players.

All in all, apart from this minor issue, the two days without seeing Jordan were pleasant.

On the morning of November 7 at 9 a.m., the Wizards Team took a charter flight to Boston.

Aboard the plane, Jordan, who had not shown himself in two days, finally appeared.

Upon seeing Jordan, Brown showed a look of discomfort.

Jordan walked over to Brown, grabbed his arm, and made him bend down to listen to his teachings. Brown complied. Jordan whispered a few words to him and then affectionately patted Brown on the head.

Brown, as if struck by lightning, stood up straight and almost like a football player, used his head to fend off Jordan\'s hand; he hated being touched on the head. Or more precisely, he hated being touched on the head by Jordan.

One could say this was Brown\'s instinctive reaction to Jordan; he couldn\'t accept the old man who controlled the team showing him concern one second like a kind uncle and insulting him like an enemy the next.

He could only accept one of these responses—either love or hate.

Brown had already decided not to establish any close relationship with Jordan.

But, there\'s always some bootlicker who believes their flattery to be exceptional.

Tyrone Nesby greeted Jordan\'s return like a Labrador who hadn\'t seen its owner for days, "Hey, Michael, with you here, our confidence is stronger! Dude, I heard about what happened to you, it\'s really too bad, I..."

Jordan, however, gave him a cold glance, "Shut up."

"OK... OK..." Nesby walked away awkwardly.

Yu Fei asked the beat reporter beside him with a smile, "Has the boss always been like this?"

Steve Wyche replied indifferently, "I only know the Michael from the D.C. era. But I can assure you, the Michael from the Chicago days was even tougher."

Observing Jordan\'s PUA tactics with his teammates was part of Yu Fei\'s daily routine—not just for amusement, but because it was highly educational.

Jordan\'s actions vividly conveyed an undeniable message to Yu Fei: In the world of sports, the powerful wield absolute authority, and the weak must comply.

Yu Fei\'s generation was the quintessential AAU generation, accustomed to the spotlight and others\' respect from a young age and sensitive to any criticism. This was completely different from Jordan\'s leadership style, which required humility from those around him. If anyone was too presumptuous, he would personally rectify their behavior until they met his approval. Jordan also calibrated his emotional investment based on these people\'s performance and their attitude towards him, like a machine.

In Chicago, this is how he treated his teammates, and when the Chicago Bulls achieved unprecedented success in the post-merger era, Jordan\'s worshippers and the media believed that the Bulls\' players grew into a dynasty under his tough love. Chicago\'s success proved the philosophy of the so-called \'God\' to be indisputably correct.

This prestigious status and tempting power made Yu Fei contemplate from another perspective as the plane took off.

If I were Jordan, what would I do?

This thought only lasted a moment before Yu Fei harshly dismissed it from his mind. How could he ever be Jordan?

No, even if he one day achieved Jordan\'s power and status, he would not act like that.

There were so many successful figures to learn from, why emulate Jordan? Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Bird, Shaquille O\'Neal, Duncan, Curry, James... who among them liked to bully their teammates, asserting their status with a double assault on spirit and body? Those who couldn\'t stand the pressure were easily labeled "cowards," and those who endured and persisted were then told, "You became excellent because you withstood Jordan\'s test." Why? By what right?

"Do you think this is right, Steve?"

Yu Fei retorted to Wyche, who wasn\'t merely the team\'s beat reporter but Jordan\'s confidant. He knew the implications of speaking out but, hell, who cared?

"I think it\'s wrong. We\'re humans first, then NBA players. As humans, we have our own dignity and inviolable sensitivities," Yu Fei glanced at Jordan, who was resting with his eyes closed, "I won\'t let this happen to me."

(1) If you have reposted the rumor "Jay Chou refuses to donate to Wenchuan and steals instant noodles in the disaster area," please identify yourself here.

PS: There will be five more chapters tomorrow, accompanied by a small climax. The last two chapters are mainly to set the stage for the plot tomorrow.

Thank you to those who have been ever loyal to Pepsi, Feather Blade, Spontaneous Wood, Reader 20220331003455304, Grand Thousand 520, Aite Na Moon, Reader 20230910002807386, Life Goes On With A Bundle of Wind and Rain, 99 Bookcases, Skies of Azure Clouds, Diamond Province 5, Period Zero, Spring Before the Sick Tree, the Passionate Writ of Zha Ghost Town for their rewards.

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