NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 571 Returning to China

Big Fish Number Four – Kemba Walker. The old rogue seems to have grown tired of Kemba Walker as his team's star player. In his view, with his drafting ability comparable to the Thunder's Presti, selecting a talent many times better than Kemba would be a piece of cake. Why waste everyone's patience with this almost 30-year-old guard?

Therefore, Kemba Walker will most likely leave the team this summer. He is now a free agent and can choose to go to any team he wants, as long as that team can offer him a satisfactory contract.

Many predicted the Clippers would try to acquire Kemba Walker, given the close personal relationship between Jia Fei and Walker. This would have been a perfect opportunity for "Brotherhood Basketball 2.0." However, salary experts analyzed the Clippers' current salary structure. With Paul George re-signing last season and Jia Fei also expected to re-sign this season, the Clippers would need to trade away players like Gallinari to offer Walker a contract worth over $3000 million. In reality, Walker might be seeking a max contract. If so, for the Clippers to implement a "Big Three" strategy, they would need to trade away their role players to free up salary cap space. This is too difficult, and even assuming everything goes smoothly, acquiring Walker would mean sacrificing roster depth, potentially making the team stronger than it is now. Walker isn't a young, inexperienced player; he doesn't have the same level of roster depth to carry the team.

Unless Kemba Walker chooses to take a pay cut, the Clippers simply cannot acquire him. However, it's unlikely they'll get him to take a significant pay cut; he's still in his prime, and as the Hornets' star player last season, he certainly won't accept a contract below the second-highest salary, let alone a mid-level exception.

Big Fish Number Five: Jimmy Butler. His departure from the 76ers is a done deal, and it's unknown where he'll go next. As a 30-year-old player, many teams are hesitant to build around him, while those that want him can't afford him—a very awkward situation.

Jia Fei knew how fierce JB was in his previous life; this guy was really good in the playoffs, but the Clippers couldn't afford him, so he could only dream about it.

There are many other large fish, which will not be listed here.

On June 28th, Jia Fei invited Lin Ning to play golf. Although he wasn't very good at it, he really enjoyed the feeling of playing golf. It wasn't so much the swing itself, but rather the experience of feeling like a wealthy person. Sometimes, it's just that mundane!

"I plan to go back to China in the next couple of days!" Jia Fei and Lin Ning walked around the golf course, with caddies following them not far away.

"Are you going back to prepare for the Men's Basketball World Cup?" Lin Ning asked.

"Yes, this World Cup is very important for the Chinese men's basketball team. It concerns their qualification for the Olympics, and it's happening on home soil. Artest and I will definitely be going back!" Jia Fei said.

"Going back is great!" Lin Ning said with a smile in her eyes.

"What about you? Are you going back?" Jia Fei turned to look at Lin Ning.

Lin Ning felt flustered under Jia Fei's gaze and didn't dare to meet his eyes. Her face was a little hot, and she answered softly, "I...I have to go to work. I don't have time to go back!"

"Without you, our lucky charm, I can't guarantee how well we'll perform!" Jia Fei joked.

"You're so good, I think even if you can't win the championship, you shouldn't be unable to win the game!" Lin Ning said with an embarrassed smile.

"Are you so sure?" Jia Fei looked at her with a smile.

"Of course!" Lin Ning's eyes darted around, but she still mustered up her courage to say it.

Two days later, Jia Fei, Art Mayork, along with their trainers, nutritionists, and others, boarded a plane in Los Angeles bound for the capital of China.

The long flight left Jia Fei with mixed feelings. This wasn't his first time visiting China, but it was truly his first time returning as a Chinese citizen.

Many people don't understand why he accepted naturalization. Chinese basketball is beyond saving; why get involved in this mess? But Jia Fei has his own understanding. He's not trying to prove how strong he is; he genuinely wants to contribute to Chinese basketball. That's all. As for how much he can do, and what the outcome will be, those are not entirely within his control.

Do your best, listen to destiny.

At Beijing Airport, basketball association leaders came to greet him, a very high-level reception. A large number of fans gathered at the airport upon hearing the news; these fans were incredibly enthusiastic, constantly chanting Jia Fei's name.

"Jia, the Chinese fans are really enthusiastic!" Art Mayork was very happy. To him, the fans' love for Jia Fei was the same as their love for him. He was even more excited than Jia Fei.

"Do you like the fans here?" Jia Fei asked.

“I love it!” Art Mayork nodded emphatically.

Jia Fei traveled to the hotel in a business vehicle arranged by the Basketball Association. In the evening, the leaders arranged a welcome dinner for him.

The welcoming party was held at Quanjude, a famous Peking duck restaurant in Beijing. There, Jia Fei and Art Mayor enjoyed authentic Peking duck.

The Peking duck in Beijing is indeed better than the Peking duck in Chinatown in the US. The Peking duck in Chinatown is definitely a bit of a knock-off. There's no way around it, when you're in a foreign country, if you want to taste the authentic flavor, you can only come back.

Jia Fei didn't like these social engagements, but he had no choice; sometimes you have to go with the flow. In China, drinking culture is prevalent, and you have to adapt whether you like it or not—that's reality.

The following day, Jia Fei was arranged to visit the training base of the Chinese men's basketball team and meet with the players and coaches.

In the previously announced 12-man roster for the Chinese men's basketball team, Jia Fei and Art Mayok were prominently featured.

The full 12-man roster is as follows: Jia Fei, Yi Jianlian, Zhou Qi, Wang Zhelin, Guo Ailun, Fang Shuo, Zhao Jiwei, Zhao Rui, Abudushalamu Abudurexiti, Kelanbaike Makan, and Zhai Xiaochuan.

At the training base, Jia Fei met Li Nan, the head coach of the Chinese men's basketball team, and Zhou Qi, known as the "Big Demon King." In Jia Fei's previous life, these two had created many memes after this Men's Basketball World Cup, such as "Polish Center," "Bull Horn Diamond," and "Nan Ci Qi Jiu," etc.

Strictly speaking, Jia Fei had only met Yi Jianlian among this group; he had only seen the others on television in his previous life. But now, the way they looked at him was different, especially the young people like Zhao Rui and Zhai Xiaochuan, who looked at him with admiration.

"I don't need to introduce myself, do I?" Head coach Li Nan said with a smile.

The players on the field all smiled and applauded.

"Hello everyone, I'm Jia Fei!" Jia Fei introduced himself.

"I am Art Mayork!" To everyone's surprise, Art Mayork introduced himself in broken Chinese, which astonished the Chinese men's basketball players present. They never expected that this big black guy could speak Chinese.