Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Milwaukee, Felix Hotel.

Over the years, as Yu Fei's fame grew, his mother Yu Fenglin's business also gradually upgraded, initially starting with a chain of Chinese restaurants and opening the first hotel in Milwaukee a few years ago.

Tonight, the Supersonics' celebration party was held in this hotel.

This event was supposed to happen secretly, but somehow, the news mysteriously spread.

The first leak was, "Frye will be holding a celebration party tonight at the Felix Hotel near downtown!"

The following scoop was, "Frye will leave tomorrow morning at nine."

These pieces of news brought crowds to the outside of Felix Hotel, eventually turning into a sea of people.

Thousands gathered outside the hotel.

They initially wanted to see Yu Fei up close, and getting an autograph would be even better.

But unexpectedly, there were additional surprises.

The first to arrive were the celebrities who came to watch the game at the Bradley Center tonight.

The appearance of Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson triggered the first climax at the scene.

Then, the arrival of some second-tier stars also elicited cheers.

The more celebrities appeared here, the more excited the fans became.

This indicated that the source of the news was reliable, and that Yu Fei really was going to host a party here.

Finally, a red Mercedes-Benz sedan came into the view of the crowd.

Sharp-eyed people had already recognized the distinguished guest in the car.

"Frye~~~~!!!!"

Someone shouted out loud, and others immediately followed suit.

This group of fans... no, a more precise term would be worshippers; their number in the world exceeds that of any age group. In any industry, where there are outstanding figures, there will be followers. This demographic transcends skin color and age, surpassing every statistical demographic line.

Every time someone got out of the car, there was a buzzing sound at the scene.

But this time, the crowd welcomed the person in the car with piercing screams.

Then, the person in the car entered his 'The Chosen One' mode, smiling, moving forward, signing autographs for the fans closest to him, and then waving to the fans.

He didn't look like an athlete, but rather like those political stars chased by voters.

But every action of his reaffirmed his identity.

His stride reminded people of his game. Compared to other athletes, he was like a born noble, elegant, cool, and breathtaking. His games were not-to-be-missed trademarks, his resume was a myth that could illuminate sports history, tying everything about himself to the game.

Agile, swift, wonderful.

From on the court to off the court, he entered and left fans' lives as quickly as he played.

The fan who got the autograph excitedly told the reporters, "I witnessed Frye hoist the cup with my own eyes, and now he has signed an autograph for me, I'm so excited..."

The surrounding fans felt envious and jealous, but amid those emotions, they found their emotional value satisfied by Yu Fei.

Indeed, Frye only signed one autograph, but that person was very ordinary with nothing special about him; he represented all the fans, just luckier. If Frye was willing to sign for him, he would sign for others too; it was just a matter of time.

Therefore, even though Yu Fei only signed one autograph, it had the effect of satisfying all the fans.

They couldn't help thinking: That's me!

The media at the scene exchanged looks. It had been eleven years since they had seen someone like this.

But when he appeared again, they saw a familiar figure amid that overpowering pressure.

Frye Yu appeared like number 23, but was proving to possess an even greater influence than number 23. Could this really be achieved?

Could someone from an era when traditional media was on the decline really compare with someone who created a legend in the satellite era?

Yu Fei entered the hotel, and he was getting farther away from the fans.

60 yards, 100 yards... and finally, he disappeared from view.

The fans' frenzy continued.

They shouted Yu Fei's name, as if on a pilgrimage.

Yu Fei arrived at the top floor and first greeted his teammates, and then went to the area where the celebrities were.

Besides those stars who proactively came over to greet him, Yu Fei mainly mingled in the Marvel circle.

Because tonight, it wasn't just Iron Man and Black Widow who were there, but also Kevin Feige, the founding father of the Marvel Empire.

In the conversation, Yu Fei learned that although "Iron Man 2" had been officially greenlit and the script was completed, the casting was not yet finished.

Especially for the role of Black Widow.

This surprised Yu Fei, because Scarlett had come to watch the game tonight with Downey.

Scarlett was undoubtedly determined to get the role of Black Widow, so much so that she had already dyed her hair red.

"As a Reebok colleague, I definitely have to recommend Scarlett," Yu Fei stated bluntly, "and even setting aside the fact that she's my colleague, I'd still choose her."

Fey asked, "Why?"

"Because I've seen 'Match Point,'" Yu Fei replied.

Donnie laughed.

Scarlett complained, "I have better works, you really are vulgar."

"Hey, lady," Yu Fei said, "this vulgar person is fighting for the most important role in your career, so at the very least, you should be supportive given the circumstance."

Fey indeed viewed Scarlett as a potential candidate for Black Widow, but not the only one. In fact, had it not been for Emily Blunt turning down the role due to a scheduling conflict, he wouldn't have had to worry about it at all.

Thanks to the massive success of 'Iron Man,' many people were keen on playing Black Widow for its sequel, which had become a big deal; it was a major role that required careful consideration.

However, as a top producer with a superb business sense, Fey had already felt Yu Fei's fame and influence through various channels.

This gave him a bold idea.

"Frye, would you be interested in making a cameo in the movie?"

Yu Fei was well aware that Marvel was heading to its peak in the 2010s, and tying himself to them would benefit his popularity in pop culture and Hollywood. So when Feige suggested this, he demurred a bit before agreeing.

Yu Fei had a few drinks, then saw his agent Trem signaling to him from afar.

He knew it was time to move on to the next phase.

So he bid farewell to several people from Marvel and left.

The other purpose of tonight's party was to have preliminary negotiations with several sneaker companies.

The first to meet with Yu Fei was a representative from Adidas.

Over the years, Adidas has been like the Cavaliers of sneaker companies.

They, like the Cavaliers, had Yu Fei for a moment before they lost him.

When Yu Fei rose to fame at the ABCD Camp, Sunny Vacarro, as the rep for Adidas, gave Yu Fei a lot of support.

For Fei, Adidas was the ideal choice at the time.

But Adidas's executives changed some of the previously agreed upon contract terms during negotiations to save millions of US Dollars, ultimately costing themselves the chance at billions in revenue.

If one said that the Cavaliers just picked the right person at the wrong time—they didn't want to choose Yu Fei, it was Jordan who insisted they pick him, so they did and sent Yu Fei to the Wizards—it's fair to say that he was always meant for the Wizards, with the Cavaliers merely a layover.

Adidas, however, was different.

They plotted and schemed but missed out on the most unmissable person in modern sports.

They wanted to make up for it, so they sent Sunny Vacarro, who had been laying low for a time, to negotiate.

With the NBA banning high schoolers from the draft, Vacarro's ABCD Camp became solely a high school training site rather than a testing ground for the NBA as it used to be.

"Uncle Sunny, you've gotten old," Yu Fei remarked as he looked at Vacarro.

"Who doesn't?" Vacarro replied. "But you, kid, you've turned out even more remarkable than I imagined."

Because of past events, Yu Fei harbored no fond feelings for Adidas. Still, since they played the Vacarro card, out of respect for the elder who helped him numerous times in the past, he was willing to seriously listen to Adidas's offer.

As a professional, Trem had professional duties to perform. "Sonny, tonight may just be a casual meeting, but we still want to know Adidas's offer so we can judge if formal negotiations are necessary," he said.

Vacarro cast a meaningful glance at Trem.

Back then, it was he who had recommended Trem to Yu Fei. Now Yu Fei was as notable as the famed number 23, yet Trem didn't possess the clout of a David Falk who stood beside 23 back in the day.

Falk was considered a vulture, but Trem? He might just be a tool for Yu Fei.

As an agent, he only had the right to negotiate, and his role was severely restricted; even a chance for reminiscing was not provided before moving straight to the matter at hand, obviously trying to show his competence to Yu Fei.

"Fine, Aern," Vacarro said. "We plan to write a check for Frye—you fill in the figure you want and the terms."

"No, Sonny, you come up with the offer," Trem said decisively. "We won't make an offer. That's the point of negotiation, it's up to you to decide what Frye is worth, and we will choose whoever respects Frye the most with their offer."

Vacarro gritted his teeth before saying, "6 years for 250 million US Dollars, a completely independent 'The Chosen One' brand, and a 10% profit share."

Trem nodded slightly and turned to Yu Fei, saying with some irony, "Adidas is rarely so sincere."

"I know," Yu Fei said as if he were an outsider, "otherwise, they wouldn't have sent Uncle Sunny here."

Yu Fei was satisfied with the offer, which relieved Vacarro, but when he tried to proceed to the next stage of negotiation, Trem rejected him. "You know, Sonny, there are two other representatives waiting. We've seen Adidas' sincerity. Wait for our word."

This was exactly as Sonny Vacarro had anticipated: Reebok was definitely Yu Fei's first choice, and the efforts of Adidas and Nike would be the greatest catalyst for increasing the price.

Even so, they couldn't give up, even if there was only a 1% chance.

But for some people, a missed opportunity remains missed.