NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 352 Taking Over Los Angeles

"No need for a trade, let's keep them for now!" Jia Fei stated his position. He knew that in his previous life, Lou Williams and Harrell's pick-and-roll combination was very powerful. Now, after trading away 58 and Shaq, the team's offensive strength has been greatly reduced. He alone can guarantee the starting offense, but the bench still needs someone who can maintain the offensive firepower, and Lou Williams is a very good candidate.

As for that conflict, a long time has passed, and he doesn't think it's a big deal anymore. But he thinks it's definitely a good thing that the Clippers respect his opinion so much.

Later that day, another major piece of news emerged in the free agency market: four-time Defensive Player of the Year, Happy Beast, signed a three-year, $70.5 million contract with the Hawks.

The Hawks' signing of Happy Beast to a big contract means they don't really intend to give up; they're showing everyone that the word "tanking" has nothing to do with them now.

Since leaving the Magic, "Happy Beast" has played for the Lakers and Rockets. Partnering with two shooting guards with vastly different styles, "Little Iron Man" and "Flopping Harden," he was clearly unhappy.

Although he is no longer as good as he used to be, even a fallen camel is bigger than a horse. No matter how bad he is, he is still one of the strongest defensive centers in the league. His physique is still in good condition, but his style is not quite suitable for this version of the game.

The "Happy Beast" is also from Atlanta. When he agreed to sign with the Hawks, he said, "I'm from Atlanta, and I finally have the opportunity to play for my hometown team!"

When Jia Fei saw the interview video on his phone, he couldn't help but laugh: "Wow, you're still the best at basketball in our hometown!"

These days, basketball is all sorts of concepts flying around. Back when Ah Tan ran away, he teamed up with other teams and created the "brotherhood basketball" concept; Happy Beast left Little Blacksmith to join the Rockets and created the "happy basketball" concept; Running Man returned to the Cavaliers and continued to team up with other teams and created the "hometown basketball" concept.

Now everyone in our hometown is playing basketball. Running Man is playing it, Happy Beast is playing it, and Jia Fei is playing it too!

I never imagined that these days everyone would be playing with concepts...

On July 5, Jia Fei and Art Mayor packed their things and prepared to leave.

“Jia, we only have this much stuff!” Art Mayork said, somewhat surprised.

“Men don’t have much stuff when they move. We throw away old clothes, leave the things we don’t need, the house is rented, and we’ll sell the car. That’s it!” Jia Fei shrugged and laughed.

"Did you know all along that we would leave here one day, which is why you didn't buy a house?" Art Mayor asked curiously.

"Of course not!" Jia Fei gently tapped his friend's head. "I'm not a god, how could I predict the future? The reason I don't buy a house is because I don't need such a big place to live alone, and renting is more flexible!"

“Fine, I’ll do whatever you say!” Art Mayork said, feigning helplessness.

Jia Fei had an agent handle his rental contract and car, and then he and Art Mayork boarded a plane to leave Atlanta for Los Angeles, the "City of Angels"!

Los Angeles is a truly big city! Moreover, as a Chinese American, the number of Chinese Americans there is among the largest in the entire United States.

Los Angeles, located in California, boasts a pleasant climate and is indeed a great place to live. Of course, it's a paradise for the wealthy; life is tough for the poor everywhere. Jia Fei belongs to the former group, and he's heading there to begin a new chapter in his career!

Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the United States and the largest city in the western United States, is home to Hollywood, the world's film center, and hosted the 1932 and 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

As a city that has hosted two Olympic Games, can you say it's an ordinary city?

At the airport, Jia Fei was picked up by the Clippers' team and driven to a stretch Lincoln.

Jia Fei and Art Mayork were both very satisfied; the Clippers really did a great job in terms of hospitality.

The car went directly to the hotel, where Jia Fei and his group were checked in. That evening, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer personally hosted a banquet at the hotel to entertain Jia Fei and his team.

That evening, Jia Fei's agent, Jeff Schwartz, was also invited and joined them for dinner.

Upon seeing Jia Fei, Ballmer gave him a warm hug. He whispered in Jia Fei's ear, "Jia, I told you I liked you. Now that you're here, everything we've done has become even more meaningful."

"What do you plan to do if I don't come?" Jia Fei's curiosity finally got the better of him, and he asked the question.

“If you don’t come, we’ll officially rebuild!” Ballmer said softly.

Jia Fei was somewhat surprised, but he was satisfied with the answer. Not making any so-called "two-pronged approach" meant letting you know that everything we did was for you. If you didn't come, we wouldn't have a Plan B; we'd go straight to reconstruction and start a new era.

Ballmer is a truly decisive and efficient boss! He has a lot of charisma, and Jia Fei quite likes him.

On July 6, Jia Fei and Art Mayork completed the signing ceremony at the Clippers headquarters.

After signing the contract, Jia Fei shook hands with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and general manager Michael Wenger.

"Welcome to the Clippers!" Ballmer was clearly delighted, his brow unfurrowed. He had wanted Jia Fei for a long time, and today his wish had finally come true.

"Thank you, I will prove my worth and will not let the team down!" Jia Fei's words were a gesture of appreciation; the team had indeed done a very good job so far. Now, it was time for him to do something for the team.

After the signing ceremony, the Clippers held a rather high-profile press conference.

The press conference attracted a large number of media reporters, including ESPN's Marc Stein, Chris Haynes, and Zhou Ling'an, whom Jia Fei is familiar with.

At the event, Jia Fei and Art Mayork displayed their jerseys. Jia Fei retained his number 3 jersey, while Art Mayork continued to wear number 35.

Also present at the press conference were Clippers General Manager Michael Wenger and head coach Doc Rivers.

Old Li showered Jia Fei with praise, calling him a "star player" at every turn, but Jia Fei knew it was just a rhetoric. In the world of motivational speeches, Old Li might be considered an elder, but who dared to claim the leadership?

After the presentation, Jia Fei answered questions from reporters. The most frequent question was why he chose the Clippers instead of other teams.

There has been much speculation about his choice of the Clippers, with a variety of reasons. The most convincing reason is the one he himself has to say.

The spotlight kept flashing, but Jia Fei showed no nervousness whatsoever. He calmly recounted his experience, showing everyone what a seasoned veteran was like.