The news of Jordan's comeback to join the Clippers spread like wildfire. After the Clippers confirmed the news and announced the time of the press conference, it detonated the world sports world.
All sports media and fans are discussing this matter. Not only them, but also economic, entertainment, social and other news are reporting on this matter. Large TV stations, newspapers, brokerage companies, basketball supplies companies, transportation and Share prices in the travel industry...are rising.
On the Internet, major sports forums were down numerous times, and fans discussed it with more enthusiasm than when the Twin Towers were hit a while ago.
The news that the God of Basketball is back is sensational enough, and it’s actually the Clippers?
Including Clippers fans are joking: God of basketball, if Spider-Man threatens to break your ribs again and you join, you can call the police!
At 3 pm on September 21, 2001, the Clippers held a press conference on time.
Clippers majority owner Ballmer, owner Caesar Kanter, general manager Wally Walker, head coach Gentry and his coaching staff... and all the players on the team were all present.
David Stern came to the press conference to watch the ceremony in person and caught a lot of shots.
Ballmer announced that he signed a one-year, $13.314 million contract with Michael Jordan.
This is the maximum starting salary for an 11-year non-Bird rights veteran under the new season's salary cap. It is 30% of the salary cap, which is the maximum salary contract, which gives the God of Basketball enough face.
Looking at the expectant eyes of his young teammates, Jordan faced media cameras from all over the world and said those words again: "I'm back!"
Upon hearing this, everyone on the Clippers team, including some reporters who came to the scene, started cheering loudly.
Big Q was so nervous now that he forgot about his work. The boss behind him kicked him in the butt, and he quickly ran to Jordan and Ballmer and took off the No. 23 jersey he was wearing. Come down and hand it over to Ballmer.
Ballmer took the jersey, sorted it out, handed it to Jordan and said, "Welcome to you, our number 23."
Jordan took the jersey and said with a smile: "I can actually wear No. 45."
ESPN reporters took the opportunity to ask: "Big Q, there are rumors that you were originally the first choice to start the shooting guard next season. Now you may lose the starting opportunity and be forced to give up the No. 23 jersey. Are you dissatisfied because of this?" ?”
Da Q was angry when he heard this question, but he was so excited that he didn't know how to refute it. He shouted loudly: "The God of Basketball is always No. 23!"
Born in Chicago in 1980, he has been watching Jordan's games as long as he can remember. Naturally, he is a Jordan fan. His first choice for jersey number in the general election has always been No. 23 since he was a child.
When he came to the Clippers last summer, someone wore No. 23, veteran Derek Strong. He could only choose another number, so he took out a 3 from No. 23. Before the start of last season, Delhi K-Strong, a veteran small forward, was laid off because the forward position was crowded. He wanted to change to the No. 23 jersey, but he did not dare to tell the team. The boss knew about it and took the initiative to ask the team for help. He changed the number to 23.
Unexpectedly, my idol became a teammate! Not to mention the No. 23 jersey, if the boss hadn't said it was unsightly, he would have wanted to take off his jersey pants.
After this episode, the Clippers handed all the cameras to Jordan. There were no interviews with other people, and they were all in the background. Major shareholder Ballmer said that no one can steal the spotlight from today's protagonist.
It's definitely not about guarding against a certain dumb handsome guy. Everyone is treated the same, and Ballmer himself doesn't have an interview session.
On Jordan's side, a half-hour question and answer session began.
When asked whether his comeback was related to the 9/11 incident, Jordan replied: "I came back because of basketball. Basketball can bring people courage and hope."
The two-meter tall man in the last row slandered like crazy and was shameless!
Although he didn't admit it, he didn't deny it either.
When asked about not worrying about being defeated by young people after not playing for 3 years and coming back at this age, Jordan replied: "I was winning before I retired. I won until the end and retired directly. This is very difficult for young players." It wasn't fair and I regretted it for a long time, I felt like I should have given the younger players a chance to beat me.
From Russell to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, from Irving to Magic, from Magic and Big Bird to me, the torch of basketball is constantly passing, and rulers need to be defeated in order for new rulers to be born.
Now I'm back and here I am. "
These words caused cheers again.
Li Ao said "tsk tsk" twice. He defeated two of the four major centers head-on in the playoffs. The two that he didn't defeat were because he didn't meet him. In the finals, he defeated the second shooting guard and the first power forward of two generations head-on. , two generations of No. 1 point guards... This year's goats are very different.
Did Joe the Wizard in the original time and space stain God's career? Li Ao has always thought this way before, but now he feels that it may also be another kind of greatness...
Don't consider anything else, just basketball itself, and you have to put aside his team operations in those two years.
When reporters asked Jordan why he chose the Clippers, all the Clippers players were focused.
Jordan smiled and said: "The management gave me enough respect, and they gave me a maximum salary so that I could get back on the court with dignity.
Here is my favorite pitcher, Steve Kerr, and my favorite coach, Doug Collins. Over the years, I have kept in touch with Doug. Whenever I encounter setbacks and hesitation in my career, He inspires and empowers me every time and I'm happy to be working with him again.
And here is Spider-Man, he is the most talented young player I have ever seen, and I hope I can personally hand over the torch of inheritance to his hands..."
When Li Ao heard this, he finally understood.
It’s all connected!
In mid-August, Reuben Patterson's contract extension with his parent team, the SuperSonics, collapsed. The Sonics gave up Reuben Patterson's right to renew his contract with his parent team, and the Clippers did not take it. This blue-collar player who performed well last season was finally signed by the Trail Blazers for a full mid-level contract worth US$34 million over six years.
He initially thought that the team was worried that Reuben Patterson's thorn in the side would affect the team's atmosphere. This was reasonable. They had a big Q who could train towards a 3D line, and they were younger and more talented.
But now that I think about it, it’s not right!
Reuben Patterson is just a thorn in the side, but it’s not like he doesn’t play well. Is their team still afraid of a thorn in the side?
And they were worried about the impact on the development of young players like Big Q, but they sent out two players who were still on rookie contracts in exchange for veteran Rafonso Ellis who was ready to fight.
The arrival of Laphonso Ellis will inevitably occupy part of the playing time of Matt Halprin and his Spider-Man at power forward. They will have more time in the backcourt and will also reduce Big Q's playing time. time
Signed Steve Kerr, signed Doug Collins...
These operations are all in preparation for Jordan's comeback! It’s even a necessary part!
etc!
Li Ao's pupils were shaken, what should he do about his plan to punch the nursing home?
The number one boss in the nursing home has become a teammate!
…
The God of Basketball has returned, and many of the dark clouds hanging over the Taaka-chan family have been lifted.
Fans of other NBA teams became excited, wanting to buy tickets for the home game against the Clippers, and wanting to see with their own eyes the god of basketball who was back again.
Transportation, hotels, catering, retail... and other industries have also benefited from this.
Of course, the Clippers have benefited the most. Not counting preseason and playoffs, they have 41 home games. They already opened up the ball market last season, and the ball market is even more popular this season.
At the beginning of last season, the average ticket price of the Clippers ranked 17th in the league, with an average ticket price of 27 US dollars, which was almost only one-third of the Lakers’ average ticket price of 79 US dollars. The cheapest ring at the top of the stands had the most seats. Tickets can be purchased for $5.
By the end of the season, the Clippers' average ticket price of $45 was a little more than half of the Lakers' late-season average ticket price of $89.
The day after Jordan joined, the Clippers announced their ticket prices for the new season. Some media calculated and reported that the average price was $91, exactly the same as the Lakers next door, and second only to the Knicks, whose average price was $99. .
The most expensive ticket is the opening game ticket, with the average price exceeding $300.
In mid-September, other teams have already announced their ticket prices for the new season. Except for the Knicks and Lakers, which have increased their prices, all other teams have lowered their ticket prices, which are lower than at the beginning of last season. The reason is naturally because of those three planes. airplane.
Not only the sports industry, but all other industries in the Yingjiang family have shrunk due to this incident, except for the group of people selling firecrackers.
Even after Jordan returned and each team raised their ticket prices, they still did not return to last season's level.
Here at the Clippers, good guys, it’s doubled!
But the price doesn't make people feel too expensive. With Spider-Man, a super popular star, and the God of Basketball, the Clippers have overshadowed all teams at this moment.
When the Clippers become the most popular team at the moment, there are two other teams that are repeatedly mentioned by fans.
One is the Bulls team that forced Jordan to retire in 1998.
The other one...the Spurs are gunning for it.
The Clippers gave Jordan, who had retired for three years and would turn 39 in the second half of the season, a maximum salary contract. The Spurs gave Duncan $30 million over three years and was criticized again.
The Clippers' salary situation has caused fans of other teams to curse.
After giving Jordan a maximum salary, their salary has not yet filled the salary cap.
Among the five predicted starters, three are players on rookie contracts. O'Neal Jr., a center who averages a double-double per game, will have two more years of salary of more than $6 million. Li Ao's annual salary of $3.67 million is the third highest on the team. The fourth highest scorer is newcomer LaFonso Ellis.
Judging from the Clippers' current salary structure, next summer, if Jordan, who has been playing for a year, retires again, the Clippers will still be able to free up a maximum salary space! Even in 2003, while retaining the Bird Rights of Odom and O'Neal, there were still conditions to create maximum salary space.
The Clippers already won 51 games last season!
The most lively discussion among fans now is - how successful is the God of Basketball? How much improvement can it bring to the Clippers?
Anyway, fans of the Lakers, Pistons, Knicks, Pacers, Trail Blazers, Suns, Jazz and other teams all belittled Jordan, who had not played in three years.
And he made reasonable but malicious speculations - the God of Basketball and Spider-Man will have a conflict over the ball rights, and the God of Basketball will have his ribs broken again and retire...
…
The outside world is constantly noisy. For Li Ao, after attending the press conference yesterday, he went home and entered training mode to make up for the time wasted in the afternoon.
After the training, he called his next-door neighbor to make an appointment for training. The other party rejected him and said he wanted to train with his teammates.
What a liar!
Is there anyone on the Lakers willing to practice with an afro?
You must have lost your temper again.
Without a sparring partner worth 50 achievement points, Li Ao could only regretfully call Jordan to make an appointment to train together, and the other party readily accepted.
This morning, Li Ao came to Jordan's club again. This time, the place was a lot different. Except for the receptionist and the bar, all the other waiters became serious people.
Li Ao was very sorry. Although he didn't want to be in the same league as Jordan, he had to say that LSP had good taste and those swimsuit models had very attractive looks and figures.
This LSP actually fired all those people because they were worried about weak legs. Bah, the god of basketball, can you be more confident?
Li Ao entered the training ground. James Worthy, Skywalker, and Xavier Johnson were already preparing with the trainer. Cole put on training clothes today. He also had to prepare for the new season. Although it was foreseeable that It won't be many games, but you have to make a contribution when you play.
Jordan raised his chin and said to Li Ao: "Isn't it a surprise to be my teammate?"
"A little."
"Only a little?"
"Well, it's more of a pity that I don't have the chance to beat you on the court."
Cole on the side saw Spider-Man's expression of regret, and turned his attention to his former boss. When he saw the former boss's fists tightening, he felt instantly relieved.
Jordan was a little stingy, but he felt very relieved. He pointed at the court with a dark face and said: "Go to training!"
Li Ao curled his lips, went to warm-up preparations, and began intensive training in passing, post-up, and mid-range shooting.
In the afternoon, it was time for sparring.
Li Ao's interest is not that high. Once he becomes a teammate, he cannot trigger the individual sparring mode. There is only the team sparring mode. This achievement is something he "looks down upon".
After sparring with Afro for so long, the reward for defending a dozen balls is higher than the reward in team sparring mode.
However, the elderly Joe began to reserve energy for the new season, and the sparring time was shortened to one hour. In order to help his veteran teammates find their condition, Li Ao chose to accept it. He cheered up and warmed up to prepare.
When he finished the warm-up and came to the court, he unexpectedly received a sparring prompt from the system!
"Excellent sparring partner:
Sparring partner: Michael Jordan.
Level judgment: 5 stars.
Sparring content: one-on-one defense.
Sparring rewards: You can get rewards after 1 hour of sparring time. Every time you defend against a basket attack, you will be rewarded with 10 achievement points. Every time you defend against a mid-to-long-range shot, you will be rewarded with 20 achievement points.
Because the host is a sparring partner for 5-star players, he has the opportunity to gain additional insights. It is determined that the direction of the insights is: post-up singles and fadeaway jumpers.
Note: Since the host has enough time to train with and learn from the players on the same team, the host will be a sparring partner for his teammates. The individual sparring mode can only be turned on when the level is 5 stars. If the level is lower than 5 stars, the team sparring mode can be turned on. "
Li Ao suddenly became energetic!
Although it’s not as expensive as Afro’s 50 achievement points, God is a teammate, so we have more opportunities to make appointments to train, and Afro is still next door, so when Afro’s awkward troubles are over, we can still make an appointment to train together!
"Michael, how can one hour of sparring be enough? Let's fight until dark!"
"?"
(End of chapter)
