On October 4th, the Wizards 'first preseason game was about to begin. The MCi Center was packed with people.
It was hard to imagine that 30,000 to 40,000 fans would flood the stadium in just one preseason game.
There were nearly 20,000 seats in the stadium, but it did not prevent the fans who could not buy tickets from feeling the atmosphere of the stadium.
This was a grand occasion for the Wizards after Michael Jordan, the first player in the history of the league, returned.
His name alone could attract the attention of countless fans, not to mention his original fans.
Even though the Four Great Forward Guards were at their peak and their popularity was soaring, Jordan was still the most eye-catching Zeus.
"This grand occasion has already lasted for a year. This year will probably be even more explosive, right?”
Some of the fans who entered the stadium looked at the audience seats that were beginning to fill up and sighed proudly.
Before Jordan took over, the home stadium of the Wizards was a famous library, and the attendance rate was less than half all year round.
However, after Jordan chose the Wizards to return, everything changed.
The Wizards also became one of the most popular teams in the league.
This not only brought about a surge in the team's market value, but also doubled the revenue. It also brought about huge traffic and attention.
It could be said that the boss, Abbe Boleyn, had made a lot of money from Jordan's comeback. He had almost made up for the losses he had suffered in the previous decade.
Otherwise, he would not have allowed Jordan to permeate the team so thoroughly and make it into a one-man team.
The head coach, the teaching assistants, and the management were all controlled by Jordan.
Jordan was even more decisive in changing players and configuration. He could trade whoever he wanted, and the management would kowtow to bring whoever they wanted back.
Of course, this statement was a bit exaggerated, but it also proved Jordan's influence on the Wizards.
It couldn't be helped. During Jordan's time as a player, he was too dazzling. Even the team's owner sometimes had to avoid him.
"This attention might be more than you can imagine. At Michael's age, he'll watch fewer games with every game. If he doesn't make it to the playoffs this year, it might be his last tour.”
"You're right, friend. We don't get to watch many of Michael's matches anymore.”
"Even if he retires, stops playing, or even becomes the owner of the team, I will always support him no matter where he is!”
"He's the god of basketball. What do you think?”
The audience chattered and it was very lively.
Almost everyone's eyes were looking for a certain figure on the field.
That figure was in the warm-up area of the half-court. He was calm and composed, like a quiet beast, full of confidence and danger.
He went back and forth between the basket and the team. His ordinary warm-up attracted the attention of countless fans.
"I really hope that he will never retire.”
One of the audience members had an infatuated look on his face, as if he was a die-hard fan.
The match soon began.
Because of Jordan's presence, the Wizards 'preseason game had received a lot of attention.
People weren't paying attention to the game itself. After all, winning or losing the preseason didn't affect the results of the regular season.
They only cared about Michael Jordan.
However, a guy who entered the arena with Jordan caught their attention.
He was more than 2.10 meters tall, had yellow skin, and short black hair that reached his eyebrows. He had a handsome and heroic appearance that was extremely beautiful in the East.
The number 13 on his back and Jordan's number 23, one tall and one short, one young and one old, looked inexplicably harmonious.
"Who is that guy?"
A fan who didn't pay much attention to the Wizards draft asked in surprise.
He might not have expected that after a holiday, the team's starting center would be replaced. It was not the familiar top scorer, Kuo Mei Brown, nor was it Brandon Haywood, Brown's rookie of the year.
It was an unfamiliar Chinese player.
"Our Xia Lian O'Neal."
There were people who did not pay attention to the operation of the team, but there were naturally people who paid close attention.
"O'Neal of Xia Lian? Is there any explanation for this?"
"Because he played like Shaquille O'Neal in the summer league.”
"O'Neal of Xia Lian? Interesting."
"What's even more interesting is that the top pick, Kuo Mei, was a substitute last year, and it looks like he's still a substitute this year. He'll always be replaced by someone lower in the draft than him.”
"How pitiful."
"There's nothing to be pitiful about. He's just a greasy hand. He can't even catch the ball well.”
"I hope this No. 13 can bring us something different.”
"I also hope that he will be the team's answer inside. I don't want to see Michael end up in failure in his final moments.”
Duke's appearance attracted a lot of attention and discussion. Many people even placed their hopes on him, a rookie who had not played in an official game.
However, he did not react at all. It was his first time playing in the starting lineup, and he was very calm, as if he was used to it.
"Rookie, do your best!"
They knew that Duke had extraordinary talent and ability, and they had seen similar scenes in training matches. However, when they saw Collins put him on the starting list and play together, other than Jordan, Kristen Leitner, Tyrone Lue, and other starting players were still surprised.
However, as someone who had experienced this before, Leitner still acted like a good guy. He thought that Duke would be nervous because of this, so he spoke to calm Duke down.
Duke thanked him. He wasn't nervous, but more excited.
The preseason was not the regular season. It was just a game to practice tactics. It was not much higher than the summer league.
It was just that because the players on the field were the normal starting lineup and rotation, it seemed a little different.
He was excited that he was actually going to be in the starting lineup.
As expected, to become a starter, one needed not only talent but also ability. The key was still Jordan.
He wondered if there would be any rewards for winning the preseason.
(New book on the road, reward the reviews, the more the better!) He was a little sluggish today and was hesitating whether he should write a little in the preseason. After thinking about it, he decided to mention it a little and write about the protagonist's path to fame.）
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]