Chapter 1112: Chapter 620: Not That Regret Chapter 1112: Chapter 620: Not That Regret “Unless you promise me another three years like this, I won’t hand this trophy over to you.”

After the 2016 Finals, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made a joke to Yu Fei while holding the microphone.

“Three years like this” means leading the Clippers, a team universally known as perennial underdogs, to the Western Conference Finals and then winning the championship two years in a row.

Such an impossible task could only be accomplished by the greatest player in history.

Sparse laughter emerged from the crowd, for it was an away game, and New Yorkers found it hard to accept their team being defeated by the Clippers in this manner.

Nevertheless, this moment was truly extraordinary.

Fifteen years, ten championships, tenth time FMVP.

Yu Fei just smiled and didn’t say anything.

Then, Bill Russell handed him the trophy.

“How many more times do I need to do this for you?” Russell joked.

“At least one more time,” said Yu Fei.

Russell might be the only person in the world who understood Yu Fei.

“From now on, it’s going to be the toughest part,” Russell said.

Afterward, the Clippers returned to the locker room and began their familiar celebration.

Most of the young players had experienced this once already.

The veterans exhibited more of a calm acceptance.

Yu Fei bathed in champagne, constantly wiping the liquor from his face.

For some, such a moment is dreamlike, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

But for Yu Fei, it had become routine.

He reflected on Russell’s words.

Is this the hardest part starting now?

He was right.

As a player, Yu Fei had no regrets left.

Chasing Russell’s championship tally was just lip service, but was it really necessary?

Jordan surpassed Bill Russell with only six championships, and Yu Fei had already won ten; he had no reason to aim to surpass Bill Russell as a driving force.

His motivation had been to lead the Clippers to success, to end the last part of his career beautifully.

Now, the Clippers had shaken off their “cursed” reputation, winning back-to-back championships and reigning supreme in the league, even overshadowing the Lakers in their own city.

If possible, the Bass Family might hire some wizards to cast spells, hoping for the Clippers’ misfortune.

Because if things continued like this, the Clippers could indeed surpass the Lakers as the totem of the city.

But that wasn’t Yu Fei’s concern.

He faced deteriorating physical abilities, pressure from younger, strong competitors, and a waning motivation for the game.

As a player, he had little drive left to move forward.

Back in the day, Jordan had exhausted himself with only three championships in a commercialized league, while Russell retired after thirteen years in a less commercialized era; Yu Fei had been going for fifteen years now.

Therefore, this was a real concern; Yu Fei didn’t have time to celebrate his tenth championship, he needed to forcefully suppress his fatigue and think about where his journey would end.

The next day, the Clippers flew back to Los Angeles.

Los Angeles held a grand celebration for the Clippers’ championship victory.

However, Yu Fei informed the Clippers’ management through Christian Laettner that he would be exercising his player option to opt out of his contract this summer.

Arne Trem was shocked: “Opting out of the contract? Is Frye leaving?”

Laettner said, “No, Frye just needs some time to think about the future.”

Then, Trem recalled Yu Fei once mentioning his plan to retire at 35.

Yet, Yu Fei’s performance this year had dispelled many doubts.

It looked like he could maintain his star player status for a prolonged period like Karl Malone.

Why would a superstar who could maintain his competitive edge choose to leave?

Jordan’s story had passed.

Malone wouldn’t tell them that he continued playing for so many years because he wanted to win a championship, something trivial for the GOAT who spent 2/3 of his career winning championships.

Trem was thrown into disarray by Yu Fei’s notice.

Just when the team had just won back-to-back championships and was looking forward to aiming for a three-peat dynasty.

The draft was imminent, which was supposed to be the busiest time for management, but Trem handed over his duties to his assistant and took it upon himself to visit Yu Fei’s home.

On June 17, exactly one week before the draft, Trem arrived early at Yu Fei’s house.

He didn’t see Yu Fei in the living room nor on the golf course; he heard that Yu Fei was working out in the gym.

Yu Fei was surrounded by his training team.

“Frye, what you need most now is to lose weight,” the nutritionist said, “Excessive weight puts additional stress on your body. If you want to play for a few more seasons, you need to lose at least 10 pounds.”

“Losing 10 pounds and I can’t hold my position in the paint anymore!” Yu Fei said.

The nutritionist, knowing the GOAT would say this, responded, “As far as I know, even if you lose 10 pounds, you’d still have more physical advantages than most of the current big men.”

“Is there any other way?”

“No, this is the only way to stay healthy.”

Trem’s heart gradually eased.

If Yu Fei wanted to retire, he wouldn’t be pushing himself to train after the season ended, nor would he think about losing weight affecting his play in the paint.

After a while, Yu Fei finally noticed Trem and was puzzled, “As a general manager, you should be incredibly busy right now; how could you still have time to come spy on me?”