Guys there is already content on patreon, if anyone wants to become a chunin or jonnin.
patreon.com/Chuga320 (More 50 chapters)
—————————————————————————————————————————————
"Kobe! Bryant!"
"MVP! Best player!"
"Black Mamba~~"
On February 20, tens of thousands of fans gathered at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, bringing together 24 of the league's most popular stars, both on and off the court.
But not all stars are created equal, and the All-Star Weekend also has to decide who the real star of stars is. In Los Angeles, at Staples, under the dome of 16 championship banners, Kobe Bryant was the center of attention—a well-deserved star of stars!
In the recently concluded All-Star Game, Kobe Bryant made 16 of 24 shots, scoring 37 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. He led the Western Army to a 148-143 victory over the Eastern Army and won the MVP of this All-Star Game. This was also his fourth time winning this award, tying the legend of the Hawks, Bob Pettit. Both of them now share the record for the most All-Star MVPs in NBA history.
On the court, Kobe Bryant received the AMVP trophy from David Stern, held it high, smiled, and looked at the cheering fans, feeling immense pride.
"This is my territory, this is my moment, and I will be the next superstar after Michael to win it three times in a row!
Once we win another title, there should be no more debates between Shaq and me, right?"
Kobe Bryant left triumphantly, raising his right hand and waving it in all directions, which once again sparked a roar and applause like a tsunami, turning Staples Center into a full-blown carnival.
That night, people shifted their attention away from the fierce Big Three of the Heat, the rapid rise of teams like the Bulls, Warriors, and Thunder, and suddenly realized that the Lakers were ranked second in the West. Kobe Bryant seemed to be the first person in the league, his legend not over yet, the king still standing proud, and the defending champion with a full lineup still the favorite to win the title.
Behind Kobe Bryant stood a group of stars, and Rose and Curry, who had been in the spotlight this season, were quietly talking, whispering about something, and switching the "por tata" on the court at that moment.
"Derrick, why are you so defensive when you're playing an All-Star Game? It's a vacation, you know? Take it easy!" Curry said with a bit of embarrassment.
In the first quarter, Curry attempted a three-pointer, but Rose fiercely attacked, forcing Curry into a tight defense, and Rose grabbed the ball, dunking it on a fast break, which only made the already loud Staples Center even more excited.
But soon after, Rose entered a "coasting" mode. Curry tried to take him on one-on-one to get some revenge, but Rose didn't even extend his hand, simply watching Curry shoot, which made Curry more and more annoyed. Soon after the game, he went to find Rose to "settle the score."
Rose shrugged and casually said, "I'm just greeting you, you know. Tonight's meant to belong to Kobe. I have to do something to impress others, or else it won't be long before I get nothing."
"Wow!" Curry hit Rose forcefully, and Rose didn't defend himself; he just laughed and blocked the shot.
Curry, who had spent a long time with Rose, had learned that behind Rose's introversion and silence was a heart unwilling to be alone. Pride and humility coexisted within him.
The tough growing environment had made Rose suffer greatly, leading him to develop an introverted personality. But his outstanding talent quickly made him shine and become the pride of Chicago. Though still quiet and reserved, there was tenacity and pride within him, stemming from his basketball achievements. After spending a lot of time with Curry, Rose began to show his more lively side.
After the two played together for a while, they caught the attention of other stars, mainly focusing on Curry. Although stars who were famous would show their playful sides in front of the public, especially O'Neal and Howard, a star like Curry, with his baby face and childlike heart, was one of a kind.
Looking at them both, one belonged to Delong, who stood behind Curry. His face was originally a bit gloomy, but under the influence of their laughter, he relaxed slightly, and envy appeared in his eyes.
From Curry and Rose, it seemed like he was seeing himself at the beginning.
When Delon first joined the league, he was also the pride of the heavens, and the entire Jazz team, including the fans, considered him the savior of the team, placing all their hopes of returning to the playoffs on him.
And Delon lived up to the expectations. After a season of moderation, he played a near-double-double performance, averaging 16.2 points and 9.3 assists in his second season, becoming a first-class point guard in the league and leading the Jazz back to the playoffs with Boozer, directly to the Western Conference Finals, becoming the well-deserved star of the team.
The next season, he improved again, averaging 18.8 points and 10.8 assists per game, solidifying his place as one of the league's top point guards, and entered his peak early.
But the Jazz never went any further in the playoffs, and Delon's modest playing style kept him from building the same massive popularity as Paul. It wasn't until the previous season that he was selected as a reserve for the All-Star Game for the first time.
Ironically, he was named to the Second Team in 2008 and was seen as a new generation of superstar point guards alongside Paul, but he still couldn't make it to the All-Star Weekend.
Jerry Sloan, who had absolute control over the Jazz, had gradually become a tyrant who wanted to control everything in his sight. The contradiction between the two had become more intense, culminating in Jerry Sloan's sudden resignation just ten days ago.
But that wasn't good news for Delon, who had become a symbol of the Jazz during Sloan's long career as head coach. Sloan was to the Jazz what Popovich was to the Spurs.
His resignation shocked the Jazz fans, and instead of promoting Delon, the management unsuccessfully tried to keep Jerry Sloan, but instead, they moved forward with the idea of trading Delon and completely rebuilding the team.
Although the Jazz management didn't officially inform Delon, Delon's agent team was no fool. They quickly discovered the general direction of the incident within the team, and Sloan's overwhelming influence within the Jazz was too strong. It was said that Jazz owner Greg Miller immediately told Sloan that if he returned, Delon would be traded, but Sloan disagreed.
Delon knew in his heart that Sloan wouldn't return.
The first half of the game on February 9 between the Jazz and the Bulls was intense, with Sloan and Delon once again diverging over their tactical choices.
During halftime, a violent argument erupted between the two men in the tunnel, and Sloan asked, "Do you want to coach this team?" To which Delon responded firmly, "You have the right to get everything, but I also want to get what I want." When he said that, he saw a mixture of surprise, confusion, loss, and relief in Sloan's eyes—something he had never seen on Sloan's face before.
Sloan simply stared at him without saying a word before turning around.
In the second half, Sloan and Delon didn't communicate anymore, and the Jazz lost the game in the end. But unlike before, Sloan didn't shout his usual phrase "One, two, three, Jazz!" after the game, as he had for more than 20 years in his career. Instead, he calmly said, "One, two, three, good luck."
He looked deeply at Delon and left the arena.
The next day, Sloan arrived at the arena at 7:30 a.m. for a press conference and shocked the league by suddenly announcing his resignation.
Delon looked at the teary Sloan on the report and, besides feeling joy, felt a sense of loss. He knew he would never be coached by the old coach again.
Delon looked deeply at Curry and Rose, walking shoulder to shoulder and laughing, then suddenly shook his head, sighed, and turned to leave.
It seemed like he had won the battle with Sloan, but he didn't know what decision the Jazz would make, nor did he know where he would go in the future. He only knew that he would never go back to the past, and the glory he had worked so hard for would never be available again.
The Day After the All-Star Game, Liu Zhiyuan hummed the melody of Jay Chou's new song "Fireworks Are Easy to Cold," opened the security door to his rental house, and quickly entered.
In the All-Star Game yesterday, Curry and Chandler, representing the Warriors, had rather unimpressive statistics, but Curry worked hard a few times, especially when Rose covered him for his three-pointer just after the opening. The surprised expression and the move of holding his head with both hands really made people laugh, adding a bit of joy to the All-Star Game.
Curry had participated in two All-Star Games, and although his scoring was minimal, he made a big impression.
Liu Zhiyuan recalled Curry's performance yesterday and couldn't help but smile. He put his things down, put on some casual home clothes, and turned on the computer.
Even though there was no game today, he continued his habit of watching NBA news after work.
When he entered the NBA official website, Liu Zhiyuan casually glanced through the news, but his expression froze immediately. His lips parted slightly, and he stared directly at the headline.
At 5:18 p.m.
On February 22, the Nets, Jazz, and Warriors officially announced the completion of a deal, with the specific details of the trade being as follows:
The Nets paid Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, two first-round picks, and $3 million in cash. These two picks were: the Nets' first-round pick in 2011 and the Warriors' first-round pick in 2011 (which is lottery protected), in exchange for Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews.
The Jazz paid Deron Williams and Andrei Kirilenko, Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, the Warriors' 2011 first-round pick, the Cavaliers' 2012 first-round pick, the Warriors' trade exception, and $3 million in cash.
The Warriors paid Wesley Matthews, the Cavaliers' 2012 first-round pick, a $9 million trade exception, Andrei Kirilenko, and the Nets' 2011 first-round pick.
End of this chapter
Note: Hi if you really like NBA novels, you can support me either in this pg with stones, reviews etc, or in patreon since the niche of sports and specially NBA is very small is Webnovel since people prefer to read Naruto, Pokemon, comics etc.