Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

"You know, Frye is like a big brother to me, he's already had two great elite seasons, and I have to measure up to him, which of course is tough. I know there will be comparisons, it's inevitable, it's the media, the commentators' game, I won't be affected by it. You know, I just play basketball, all I want is to reverse the curse that's plagued the Cleveland Sports Circle for nearly half a century."

Then came the most controversial question of the interview.

About whether James would be willing to play for the country after the season ended.

"Of course! Of course!" James was extremely excited, "It's my dream, I believe it's every American's dream, and Athens is a city of dreams, I'd love to represent my country there, man, I can't think of anything sweeter than that!"

James's show of patriotism sent his jersey and sneaker sales soaring once again.

Because of the intense comparison, Yu Fei's team had to step in and state, "Frye plans to join the national team's training camp in the summer of 2004."

As for Yu Fei himself, he didn't want to play any national team games, he needed to rest during the offseason, screw playing any damn games.

Now was the time to say something to calm things down and to slow the pace, or it would be all over once the smart injury kicked in during the offseason.

But what upset Yu Fei the most was little brother stepping in and throwing a wrench into things.

"LeBron, what was that interview about?"

If it were the case that they were both competing for the regular season MVP and James did this to hurt his brotherly feelings for the sake of MVP, possibly damaging his image and lowering his MVP votes, then that would be one thing.

After all, LeBron had done even harsher things before.

But now, out of nowhere, this came at him, leaving him both puzzled and angry.

James seemed to have anticipated Yu Fei's call, his excuse wasn't perfect, but at least it was riddled with holes.

The interview was arranged by Nike.

Yu Fei believed it was arranged by Nike, but James should have had the right to refuse to answer that question since both parties review the questions before every interview.

Even if he had to answer it, he should have given himself a heads-up.

Nothing of the sort happened.

However, James apologized over the phone.

The little brother didn't get it, what could Yu Fei do? Of course, forgive him and next time they met, school him with a 49-point game as a little punishment.

Anyway, the issue of not playing for the national team would keep coming up, and while in the short term the growing chatter could damage his reputation, over time people would get used to it.

"Next time something like this comes up, give me a call in advance," Yu Fei said, "and also, pass a message to the person who arranged this interview for you—FUCK YOU!!!!!"

For a moment, James didn't know if Yu Fei's "FY" was directed at that person or at himself.

But then, although it was unfair to Brother Yu, James felt that the company's arrangement was very correct.

Living in the media's spotlight, a star should be flawless, Yu Fei had given outsiders a reason to attack him, so he couldn't blame others for exploiting it.

Although the season wasn't over, James was already looking forward to the journey at the Athens Olympics.

At the end of December, the Bucks announced that Ray Allen had started participating in 5v5 scrimmages.

This signaled a full-return was imminent.

On the last day of the year, Yu Fei gave everyone, including Lawson, the day off, and spent a quiet day at home with Christina.

The next morning, when Yu Fei woke up and saw the chaos in the bedroom, he could imagine what had happened the night before.

Yu Fei didn't wake Christina, and after getting ready, he had Lawson arrange for a major cleaning of the home, then he went to check his schedule for the day.

During the season, his life was basically fixed.

In the afternoon, several media outlets came to the St. Francis Training Center.

They wanted to see the progress of Ray Allen's recovery.

Yu Fei was wearing headphones while Allen approached him.

Allen's knee was covered in a blue plastic brace that extended from the right knee to the ankle. It looked like a catcher's shin guard, with buckles that could be fastened and unfastened at any time.

"Frye, there's a TV interview, and they want both you and me in it," Ray Allen tried to tell him about his condition, "I can't come back yet, I've tried. I've tried running. But every time I stride with force, it feels uncomfortable."

Yu Fei, listening to Eminem through his headphones, didn't really listen to what Ray Allen said and casually replied, "Hmm?"

Thinking that Yu Fei had heard him, Allen continued, "I feel bad, um, the knee is still fragile."

"Hmm, then you better rest up," Yu Fei politely responded.
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Allen had hoped Yu Fei would show some concern, or say something nice, ideally what he most wanted to hear: "You are an indispensable part of the team, once you're back, you'll still be our main man."

But Yu Fei didn't say that.

Allen watched him, Yu Fei slouched and engrossed in the music.

An awkward silence fell between them as Allen continued to talk about his knee issues, and finally, Yu Fei took off his headphones.

At 21, Yu Fei possessed a sophistication well beyond his years.

Despite only playing two seasons, his status rose rapidly; at the Bucks, he stood tall like a Titan.

Allen was unsure how to approach him; what remained between them was nothing more than a strained friendliness and politeness.

Last season, they shared a common goal, but now that it had been achieved, Yu Fei had it all, and the rest were just hangers-on.