Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Therefore, the Clippers' training camp was filled with passion.

They couldn't wait for the new season to begin.

Training camp, media day, preseason games...

Every one of these events was so familiar to Yu Fei, and soon he wouldn't have to think about them anymore.

The new season's opening game took place at the Clippers' home court.

This was a special moment.

The Clippers raised their third championship banner at the Staples Center, and although they still couldn't match the historically wealthy Lakers, people live in the present.

Only those dissatisfied with the current state soak themselves in memories of the past and expectations for the future.

Adam Silver handed out the championship rings one by one.

When he got to Yu Fei, he couldn't help joking: "This is your eleventh ring, are you going to wear it on your toes?"

"That's an idea worth considering," Yu Fei responded with a smile.

Afterward, the Clippers' owner Steve Ballmer gave a speech on the spot.

As the franchise owner, he, of course, did not wish for Yu Fei to retire after this season.

But since Yu Fei had decided, the team had to make the most of this gimmick.

As a reward for Yu Fei, Ballmer announced that the Clippers' new arena would be named "Fly Arena" while retaining the naming rights.

It was not a grand name, but like UCLA's Baoli Arena, a sports venue that carries a great legacy does not need a grand name to burnish its own legend.

As a dynasty team in its golden age, their task was to do something that Milwaukee and Seattle could no longer do - to tightly bind Yu Fei's name together with the team.

After the opening game, the Clippers' season sped up to a fast pace.

Yu Fei did not play capriciously, even though this was his last season.

No, he did the exact opposite.

He gave more opportunities to Antetokounmpo and Jokić.

Thus, the Greek averaged 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in the first month of the season.

The media exclaimed: "Giannis' numbers are infinitely close to Fei's during his Milwaukee days!"

Jokić finally broke through 20 points per game, along with 10 rebounds and 7 assists.

Yu Fei, under extreme restraint, produced 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists per game.

It was evident that this season was indeed a turning point for the Clippers.

Antetokounmpo and Jokić were ready to burst onto the superstar scene, but they were too young, hadn't faced much adversity, and without Yu Fei's guidance, they would have struggled to continue the Clippers' dynasty.

With Yu Fei there, it was a different story.

Even as Yu Fei's stats approached the lowest level of his career, no one dared to underestimate him.

In mid-December, Yu Fei exploded for 50 points against the Knicks, leading the team to a victory with a 3-point margin.

"If we had defeated Fei in the Finals, perhaps he wouldn't have retired," Durant said after the game.

Then came the Christmas Day game, where the Clippers showed how a team with explosive talent can massacre their opponent when they're on fire.

The Warriors Team, despite making no major mistakes throughout the game, had 135 points slashed in their face right to their "mere" 121 points, losing the match by a 14-point margin.

And then, the year came to a close.

Yu Fei celebrated his 35th birthday.

The true farewell tour began.

The first team to bid Yu Fei goodbye was the Cavaliers.

In the beginning of January, the Clippers visited Cleveland for the first and last time this season, a team entrenched in hardship.

James had come and gone, humiliating them on national television for the first time, and although the second departure was more straightforward, it was after the Cavaliers had maxed out their future.

This year, their draft rights were still in The Celtics' hands, but they continued to produce the worst record in the League.

How could one not feel for such a sight?

Perhaps out of spite towards James, Cavaliers' owner Dan Gilbert presented Yu Fei with a lifetime VIP seat at the Quicken Loans Arena on site, remarking: "I've dreamed this — if we had chosen Fei in 2001 and not traded him to D.C., professional basketball in Cleveland would have been entirely different. Upon waking, it suddenly struck me: What does it matter if Fei played for the Cavaliers? Some have played here for a decade and left nothing behind, whereas Fei, without playing a single game for Cleveland, has made a tremendous contribution to professional basketball — without a doubt, he's the greatest player in history, and I don't even want to see anyone else in the League wear the number 44 jersey!"

Yes, Gilbert was calling for the retirement of the number 44 jersey across the entire League.

The first to respond was the Bucks.

Nearly eleven years had passed since Yu Fei's days in Milwaukee, but the Bucks still believed they were entitled to be the first team to retire Yu Fei's jersey.

At the end of January, on his last visit to Milwaukee as a player, the audience erupted into thunderous applause, followed by a touching tribute video. Cheers of "Fei!" and "G-O-A-T!" filled the air, and the atmosphere was fervent. At the end of the game, standing ovations and applause rose again.

Yu Fei scored 28 points, blew a kiss to the audience, patted his chest in salute to the fans, and then walked off the court.

After the game, the Bucks announced that they would retire Yu Fei's number 44 jersey next season.

Just as the Bucks announced this, the Washington Wizards also began to release news: "The team is considering retiring the number 44 jersey."

Yu Fei had only played for the Wizards during his rookie season.