Today is the day of the Nuggets championship parade.
As the first championship in team history, this is very meaningful to the Nuggets team and the city of Denver.
This championship parade was organized by the Nuggets and the Denver city government in order to allow fans throughout the city to share the joy of winning the championship.
The parade route passes through the busiest streets in Denver, and nearly one million fans will participate in this grand celebration.
The value of a team is closely related to the size of the football market, but the size of the football market is not just a comparison of the size of the city.
For example, both Houston and Philadelphia are among the largest cities in the United States, but the Rockets and 76ers do not have a large local market.
The Nuggets' victory this time will inevitably create more fans.
The championship parade allows players to have close contact with fans, which can further enhance fans' sense of belonging and identification with the team.
When Li Yan drove to the arena, all the Nuggets players were basically there.
Li Yan looked at his watch and saw that he was not late. These guys were quite active when playing.
After a while, the parade started.
Li Yan boarded the open-top bus. There were as many as 10 vehicles in this parade.
In addition to the players, the Nuggets' management, coaching staff and some of the players' families also boarded the bus.
Li Yan stood on the bus. When the bus entered the street, Li Yan was shocked by the scene in front of him.
It was really a huge crowd. Li Yan always thought that the newspaper reports that millions of fans participated in the championship parade were bragging.
Now it seems that there is really no bragging, the crowd can't be seen at a glance.
Li Yan was infected by the enthusiasm of the fans. Not to mention, Wai Guoren liked to engage in these activities.
Everyone was shouting "Nuggets championship", it was a big carnival in the city.
Iverson took his whole family on the parade float, and "The Answer"'s wife, Tawanna, wore Iverson's jersey dress.
Several children stood next to Mr. and Mrs. Iverson, and the whole family seemed very excited.
Iverson was wearing a special T-shirt. On the T-shirt, Iverson was holding the championship trophy. Below were a few big words: "What else is there to say now?"
Obviously this was Iverson's response to those who criticized him for not winning the championship, and the "answer" proved itself.
The parade vehicles advanced slowly, and reporters following the report recorded the grand occasion with cameras.
When they arrived at the downtown square, the Nuggets players got out of the car and signed autographs, took photos, and interacted with the fans.
The atmosphere was great!
What makes others envious is that Li Yan's fans have a very high number of girls, and they screamed and surrounded Li Yan.
If Li Yan hadn't been blessed by James' physical talent, this physical confrontation would never have been easy.
After a round of interaction, Li Yan had a lot of lip marks on his face.
There was no way, the girls were so enthusiastic that Li Yan couldn't hide away.
At the climax of the parade, the San Antonio Spurs once again lied.
Tens of thousands of people simultaneously shouted, "San Antonio, Who's yOUr daddy!"
On the contrary, no one mentioned the Cavaliers, their opponent in the finals. There was no way, and there seemed to be no impression.
In the square, the Nuggets organized a simple ceremony.
The Nuggets' managers, coaches and players took turns taking the stage to speak.
The atmosphere at the venue continued to be high.
In fact, what fans are most concerned about is Li Yan, because Li Yan will become a free agent in the offseason.
When Li Yan picked up the microphone, countless fans shouted:
"Lee, stay!"
"Lee, stay!"
"Lee, stay!"
Li Yan has performed magically this season. Fans all know that Li Yan is actually the biggest contributor to the Nuggets winning the championship.
Not only the fans hope to get a positive answer from Li Yan, but the management, coaching staff and teammates are also looking at Li Yan.
Li Yan didn't want to make a promise easily, as that would make him look immoral if he didn't fulfill it.
However, unable to hold back the enthusiasm of the fans, Li Yan took the microphone and said:
"I love Denver and I'm very lucky to have such a great team in my rookie season, with the best coach, the best teammates, and the best fans...
Of course I want to stay here, same situation, why not stay in my own home? "
After Li Yan finished speaking, the crowd naturally burst into cheers.
Li Yan's speech was very skillful, and only the Nuggets management heard it.
If you want to keep Li Yan, you can't save a penny.
Nuggets general manager Sean Connery had a wry smile on his face. It is now too difficult for the Nuggets to use up their salary space.
…………
After the championship parade, Li Yan's vacation has begun.
As the biggest fish in the free agent market, Li Yan is pursued by almost all teams.
The general managers not only communicated with Li Yan's manager Bob, but also encouraged the team's star players to have a relationship with Li Yan.
Li Yan is not a player with only one function. He never shows mercy at critical moments and is a player with a big heart.
His ability to organize and assist in large-scale defense is also top-notch in the league. No star would not want a teammate like this.
Yao Ming, Anthony, Kobe, Garnett, Ray Allen, Pierce, Wade... many team stars have called Li Yan.
Li Yan's whereabouts even affected other transactions in the alliance.
Almost all teams have Li Yan as their first target, and they will not easily use up their salary space before Li Yan has determined his next home.
Just when teams were constantly trying to win over Li Yan, the league announced a new clause, the "Li Yan Clause."
This is tantamount to a bomb detonating the alliance.
You must know that next season, the league's salary cap is only 55.63 million, and the luxury tax line is 67.86 million.
According to the terms of the league, Li Yan's starting salary next season can reach 16.7 million.
There is only one team in the league that can take Li Yan's maximum salary contract without paying luxury tax, and that is the Bobcats.
Among other teams, the Grizzlies with the lowest salary exceed 60 million.
The Denver Nuggets' total salary has reached 65 million. If they want to keep Li Yan, they need to pay a cost of more than 30 million.
You must know that Garnett, the league's highest-paid player, will have a salary of 23.75 million next season, while top-paid players like Kobe and Iverson will only earn between 19 million and 20 million annually.
Anthony's salary next season is only 13.04 million, and Li Yan's starting salary actually exceeds the maximum salary contract signed by the 2003 Platinum Generation.
Li Yan himself did not expect that the league would issue terms for him, but this would be good, as he would lose many teams to talk to him about feelings.
In this way, Li Yan doesn't have to be so embarrassed.
The most obvious example is that the Nuggets have given up on renewing Li Yan's contract.
The Nuggets have Iverson with a super maximum salary. In addition, Anthony, Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby all have annual salaries of more than 10 million.
The Nuggets were already prepared to sell everything to raise a salary of just over 10 million to keep Li Yan. Even if they pay a little luxury tax, it is acceptable.
Now, Li Yan is very strong, but at a cost of 30 million, I really can’t do it!
Nuggets fans vented their anger on the league. They believed that this clause was basically aimed at the Nuggets.
The Nuggets once had great hope of keeping Li Yan, but now it's simply impossible.
The managers of each team reported the situation to the bosses one after another. If they want to get Li Yan, they will have to lose a lot of money.
The "cash-strapped" teams soon lost their voice, and those who could provide Li Yan with a maximum salary contract were all wealthy owners.
New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers...
