NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 500: The Team's First Championship Parade

June 16th arrived in the blink of an eye, a truly memorable day for the Clippers and their fans. Los Angeles has never lacked attractions that draw global attention, and today the city was practically deserted as everyone celebrated the Los Angeles Clippers' first-ever championship.

ESPN will provide full coverage of today's championship parade, bringing the latest news and updates to Clippers fans worldwide.

Although it was a workday, more than 10 people took to the streets to celebrate, including a large number of Chinese fans of the NBA who also came to join in the festivities.

Although the Clippers won the Finals relatively easily, sweeping the Cavaliers who boasted former NBA legend Kevin Durant, this championship is still exceptionally precious to them. They defeated the Warriors, a super team with Kevin Durant, making this title truly remarkable. Moreover, this is the first NBA championship in the history of this team, which shares the same city as the historically powerful Lakers.

Although the event was scheduled to start at 11 a.m. and it was a workday, downtown Los Angeles was already packed with enthusiastic fans who came to watch the parade before 8 a.m.

The parade featured 10 floats. Jia Fei, smoking a cigar and wearing sunglasses, appeared on the lead float. Beside him were team owner Steve Ballmer, the team's logo-wearing figure, and head coach Mike Budenholzer—all key figures in the team's championship victory!

Many fans at the stadium were chanting Jia Fei's name, and many Chinese fans were even wearing Jia Fei's number 3 jersey, showing their enthusiastic support for their idol...

Jia Fei waved to the crowds on both sides from his float. Many players also took photos to capture the wonderful moment, while the enthusiastic fans had been waiting for hours for their hero to appear on the street.

“We only saw them for two minutes, but all the waiting was worth every minute,” said a 30-year-old fan. “The only request is that they drive a little slower.”

One Chinese fan said, "I hope they can defend their title, and if that happens, I'll come back here next year!"

A young male fan, Wang, who had traveled all the way from China, was also very happy to have the opportunity to witness the Clippers' championship victory. When asked which star he definitely wanted to see, he replied without hesitation, "Jia Fei, of course, Jia Fei!"

Jia Fei, who won the championship MVP title, raised the trophy and waved to the fans in the arena, who chanted "MVP" and "MVP"!

It is estimated that at least 10 people participated in the march that noon, which cost more than $200 million, all paid for by the Clippers.

For many people, $200 million is a huge sum of money, but for Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, it's really small change, really too small to be worth mentioning.

As in previous years, local police deployed a large number of officers to maintain order. The fans were so enthusiastic that several fainted from excitement, but upon hearing someone say that an ambulance had been called for them, they immediately got up and said they were fine.

The championship parade is over, and the Clippers' championship celebrations have finally come to an end. Jia Fei does feel a bit tired; he hasn't been training lately and has been indulging in all sorts of food and drinks, gaining several pounds. It seems that once people let themselves go, it's really easy to gain weight.

He has a lot of work to do now. Winning the championship is not the end. His career will continue. The team still needs to play next season. Defending the title will not be easy. He needs to seriously plan for the team's future.

The day after the parade ended, Logo Man visited Jia Fei at his home, and the two began discussing the team's next steps. Ballmer had tasted the benefits of delegating authority; both Jia Fei and Logo Man were incredibly capable, and the two helped the team win the championship in just one season together.

So Ballmer chose to continue trusting them and giving them more power; all he needed to do was see them bring him more surprises.

As for the team's general manager, Wenger, he was merely the executor of the decisions made by Jia Fei and the "Logo Man." The team's plans were all formulated by them, and he was only responsible for execution.

Now, Jia Fei is faced with the team's offseason plans, and according to his previous idea, he did not intend to trade this year's draft picks.

This year, the Clippers have three first-round picks (their own, the Rockets', and the Pistons'), plus a second-round pick from the Magic (from the Dekker trade). Next year, they've already traded their own first-round pick, but they do have the Rockets' first-round pick.

As a championship team, having three first-round picks in the draft is almost unbelievable. But they really did have that many, and sometimes you just have to admire them.

2018 was a strong draft year, with several rookies showing the potential to become cornerstones of their teams, making many teams eager to acquire them.

The Clippers have three first-round picks: the Pistons' pick is 14th (lottery pick), the Rockets' pick is 29th, and their own pick is 30th. While their own and the Rockets' picks have limited value, they are still first-round picks. They could package them together with the Pistons' lottery pick and trade them up to acquire better players.

The Magic have a second-round pick of 35, which is quite high. We can see if there are any overlooked players we can pick up.

"Mr. Jia, are you planning to trade the draft pick or keep it for yourself?" The man with the logo needed to understand Jia Fei's strategy.

“We’re using it ourselves. There aren’t any good trade targets right now. Our salary cap space seems fine for now, but it will get tighter as time goes on. We need fresh blood and we need to make good use of the rookie bonus!” Jia Fei said.

Logo Man really admires Jia Fei. Jia Fei not only has a unique vision, but also great foresight. His unique vision is evident in his discovery of Ti Lung using a second-round pick, and his foresight lies in not rushing to form a Big Three, but instead focusing on discovering young talent and pursuing a sustainable development path.

Why do many NBA teams fail to win four consecutive championships? It's because the salary cap space of teams explodes as the season progresses, and coupled with the aging or injury of key players, they ultimately lose the opportunity for a four-peat.

The Clippers may not be able to win three consecutive championships, but their team-building strategy is long-term and sustainable.

Jia Fei and the Logo Man communicated smoothly and drafted a general draft plan. They will also observe the free agent market to see if there are any suitable players to acquire.

This year's free agency market will be very exciting, as the "Running Man" will become a free agent. Reliable sources indicate he is very likely to leave the Cavaliers.

Although he's 34 years old, he maintains excellent form and will continue to attract the attention of many teams in the league. However, acquiring him won't be easy. Unless you're in a major market, or a smaller market where you have championship potential, he won't go.