Chapter 655: Chapter 472: Do Not Stop Talking About Number 23 (Unity) Chapter 655: Chapter 472: Do Not Stop Talking About Number 23 (Unity) Since 2007, the Supersonics’ media day has been a heavyweight media access day.

Initially, Yu Fei was the center of attention; now, the entire team is targeted by the press.

Yu Fei remains the king of stars, but not every journalist is qualified to interview him.

To interview him on this occasion, reporters need to get “permission”.

Unfortunately, Frye didn’t allow such people to be in abundance.

Those who could directly interview him were none other than famous writers from major newspapers, but none of them had Yu Fei’s trust more than Marc Stein.

“Frye, I heard you turned down John Jones’s interview request?”

Stein asked with a smile.

Yu Fei replied, “Who is John Jones?”

To Yu Fei, this was an unfamiliar name.

Yet, at Grantland, the website launched in collaboration with ESPN by Bill Simmons, Jones was a well-known sports writer.

Stein said, “He’s one of the most outstanding sports writers in recent years.”

“Better than you?” Yu Fei asked.

Stein humbly replied, “I’m not a writer.”

Indeed, top media figures like Stein, acknowledged to be Yu Fei’s mouthpiece and having exclusive sources in almost every NBA team, don’t consider themselves sports writers.

“How are the Lakers doing?”

Yu Fei casually asked.

“Since their public debut in the media, the Lakers team has been low-key, especially LeBron.” Stein said, “There are indications that LeBron might serve as the full-time point guard for the Lakers in the new season.”

Yu Fei joked, “After his ‘Not 1, Not 2, Not 3’ statement, does anyone still think they’re low-key?”

“Given the hype around the KJ duo, they indeed have been low-key.” Stein said, “After all, they’re considered the duo that could surpass OK.”

“What about Rip? Has he been overlooked?”

Stein said, “Rip is now facing an awkward situation similar to that of Glen Rice back in the days with OK.”

Yu Fei earnestly asked, “Who is Glen Rice?”

Stein gave a “right, that’s exactly it” expression.

“So, how are the Supersonics doing?” Stein inquired.

Yu Fei countered, “What aspect are you referring to?”

“How well is the new addition fitting in?” Stein wanted to know if Chris Bosh would experience an awkwardness like that of Glen Rice.

“Chris, you mean?” Yu Fei laughed, “He’s doing well, I heard he worked on his three-point shooting over the summer.”

***
As a contracted writer for the ESPN brand, John Jones’s reputation in the basketball world mainly comes from his sharp articles.

When Yu Fei refused to take a stance on the Darfur incident because “Chinese people buy shoes too” and “I have no conscience”, Jones cast him as the modern-day Michael Jordan.

However, Jones also stated in the article, “Frye goes further than Michael; at least Michael wouldn’t think he’s forsaken his conscience for the devil’s money.”

When LeBron James announced his signing of that famous envelope, the nation’s firepower shifted to Yu Fei.

Jones believed this was the tipping point in the breakdown between Yu Fei and James. With Yu Fei’s slaughter of the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals and his championship win over the Spurs followed by a messianic transfer to his hometown team, all moral criticisms against him vanished.

This is the nature of modern sports stars.

Sport is the war of peacetime, and those who dominate their field are the kings of war in a peaceful era.

They are worshipped like heroes, and if their conduct is unheroic, people feel disappointed.

That’s the series of issues that arose when Jordan separated from his first wife during the 2001-02 season. The sponsors had built him up as someone too perfect.

As the new millennium’s Jordan, Yu Fei seemed to have avoided this issue.

This man, profit-driven and self-proclaimed devoid of morality, did many ethical deeds during the offseason. He focused on African refugees, was concerned about the Middle East conflict, and even lent his name to an annual sports event in China’s Sichuan province that saved countless lives during the 512 earthquake.

He claimed to have no morals, yet he did many honorable things.

As long as this global icon continues to succeed, he will remain invincible.

But John Jones did not expect that people around Yu Fei would introduce the concept of the “Only Empire”, laying the seeds of trouble for someone already at the height of glory.

Jones wanted to know Yu Fei’s thoughts on this matter, but his interview request was denied.

This was not surprising.

His articles were well-known in the basketball community, especially the critical ones.

And the player he criticized the most was Yu Fei.

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After Jones became famous, Yu Fei’s associates called to tell him that if he stopped writing critical articles about Yu Fei, he would be facilitated in interviews. But Jones refused; he carried the mentality of enlightening masses. In his view, revealing the true nature of sports stars was his mission.

With that, he couldn’t possibly get an interview permission.

That’s the rule, and he accepted it. He understood very well why the servants of the empire protected their master so fiercely, because only a perfect image of the master could generate endless fame and fortune for them. Their basic duty was to shield the master from any external influences and to keep people like him away from the master.

The game of submission takes place in the sports world every day.

Stars get media folks on their side by giving them benefits, making them feel like friends, and thus gaining everything from them–sources, stances, and platforms to speak out.