Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

From mid-July to mid-August, Yu Fei had been participating in the shooting of "Iron Man 2", but before the shooting started, he requested that Marvel prepare a basketball court for him, as he couldn't go an entire month without playing basketball.

For Marvel, this was no problem.

Yu Fei even hosted a small training camp during his breaks from shooting.

Kwame Brown, Jermaine O'Neal, and Alonzo Gee, whom the Supersonics had selected as their second-round pick that year, all joined in.

Brown also basked in the reflected glory from Yu Fei, landing a small role as a passerby with one or two lines in "Iron Man 2".

If the theme of the sports world in July was James's "Decision" and the subsequent impact of that "Decision", then by August, the basketball world had returned to the "main plot".

Over the past year, the theme of the basketball world had been "44 VS 23". Now, with Yu Fei capturing his sixth championship in seven years, including double and quadruple consecutive championships, his top honors had equaled those of Jordan.

Marc Stein, Yu Fei's mouthpiece, speaking about the GOAT debate said bluntly, "Everyone has their own GOAT in their heart, but for those fans who regard number 23 as the unshakeable number one, Frye, as a basketball player, has now matched number 23 in terms of honors."

Sam Smith, the Chicago journalist who wrote "Jordan Rules" that once made Jordan lose his cool, as a member of the established camp, took it upon himself to publicly contest Stein's claim.

"Really on the same level, Mark? True, Frye and Michael both won six championships in the same decade, but as a player, Michael won more scoring titles and was selected to more All-Defensive Teams. Their highest honors might be comparable, but as a player, Michael was more exceptional at both ends of the court."

Smith seemed to be fair.

He referred to Yu Fei as "Frye" and not as "number 44", the manner an ally of the Jordan camp might have done out of animosity.

However, his method of defending Jordan revealed that the conservative forces had a stronger preference for Jordan.

As a media man in his prime, Stein was not one to back down: "Sam, you're playing the 'big card against small card' game. Scoring titles are just a statistic, even if Frye didn't win as many scoring titles, no one would question his scoring abilities. In the playoffs, which symbolizes the highest stage, Frye once achieved 71 points in a single game, something number 23 never accomplished. I must remind you, this broke the record of the game where 'God wore number 23', and no one ever said 'God wore number 44'. And you say number 23 was selected to more All-Defensive Teams, that's a fact, but you're saying number 23 was more exceptional at both ends of the court? We may never know the answer, but I can confidently say Frye is a more versatile player than number 23 – his number of triple-doubles, his average rebounds per game, and assists per game all lead number 23 by a wide margin."

When a topic couldn't reach a definitive conclusion, a different way of expression was needed.

"If scoring titles are just a statistic, then triple-doubles are just a statistic too," Smith retorted, "That's not a great statistical achievement; Michael had 10 triple-doubles in 11 games once, and he could have had hundreds if he wanted. This is why Michael can still defeat Frye in current narrations. He left too much 'possibility'. He completed two three-peats in the 90s but retired at the peak of his competition. Had he not retired, we might have witnessed the Bulls achieve an eight-peat."

Smith shifted the dispute to a narrative and legendary aspect.

Jordan's famous comeback to win another three-peat was indeed the stuff of legend.

One must admit, it was a potent argument.

The 1994 Bulls, with Pippen as the core, reaching the Semi-Finals is often considered a dark spot in Jordan's career, but what if you think about it differently? What were the odds they would have achieved a four-peat if Jordan had stayed?

"'Possibility'? Is that what number 23's supporters rely on?" Stein countered mercilessly, "Do you know, number 23 left too many 'possibilities'. If he hadn't made a comeback in D.C., Frye's career might have been completely different. If he hadn't traded Frye away, he might have retired with seven rings... Frye doesn't need 'if's', but Frye is very good at making others consider 'if's, and that's what a true winner looks like. By the way, the 2000s are not over yet. Six championships in a decade was number 23's limit, but not Frye's limit."

The debate between Marc Stein and Sam Smith could be perceived as the beginning of "44 VS 23" Season Two.

Only this time, Yu Fei had moved from being a disrupter to a true GOAT contender.

More than 60% of the younger generation believed Yu Fei to be the GOAT.

If you take all age groups into account, this debate was nearly split fifty-fifty.

Reebok, sensing the signs of Yu Fei's ascendancy, named its upcoming ninth generation of The Chosen One sneakers "GOAT".

At the same time, they also developed a series of sports apparel related to The Chosen One brand named "SoleImperium" closely linked to Yu Fei, which was also highly popular.

Reebok at that time had the mindset of Nike in the 90s.

They were aware that Yu Fei was changing the status quo, but before Yu Fei took that step forward, they wanted to go further.

Last season, Marc Stein brought up the concept of "The Empire".

This was mainly to contest the definition of Yu Fei's success after switching teams.