The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 245 - 156: LeBron at the Crossroads

Chapter 245: Chapter 156: LeBron at the Crossroads

Danny Ferri saw Zhu Fangyu’s comments and immediately engaged in friendly negotiations with him, "Whether you’re thinking about trading to another team or planning to go back to the CBA, I will fully cooperate. I don’t know exactly what’s going on between you, LeBron, and Jeff, but I hope we won’t have any misunderstandings. Our stance has always been very clear, and I think you should have been in touch with Su Wan, too. You can ask him; we’re very good friends!"

After speaking with Zhu, he actually called Su Wan right away to ask whether he should stay in the League or go back to play in the CBA.

Su responded, "Take your time to think about this. What I want to know now is, are you satisfied with LeBron’s apology?"

"Of course not!" Zhu exclaimed.

Although LeBron had apologized, the reason he gave was that his actions had led to a misunderstanding on Zhu’s part, for which he felt sorry, and he even magnanimously forgave Zhu for hitting him.

Zhu was very clear that there had been no misunderstanding!

At that time, LeBron had indeed tried to stop him.

But without proof, Zhu couldn’t pursue it any further. It was actually quite satisfying to have come this far.

Yet, judging by Su’s tone, it seemed like there were options to recover face?

Well, of course he wasn’t satisfied then!

"Since that’s the case, just let the word out that you’re thinking about going back to play in the CBA!" Su continued.

"And then what?"

"Then just sit back and enjoy the show!"

"Alright!"

Without asking further, Zhu did as Su Wan suggested, signaling to the outside world that he was preparing to leave the NBA and return to the CBA.

That same night, reporters asked Su Wan for his opinion on the matter.

"He must be somewhat disappointed, with the league not taking a stance for so long, and the Cavaliers merely suspending McGinnis. As the team’s leader, LeBron got off with a flimsy excuse and a light-hearted apology, even going as far as to generously forgive Zhu Fangyu for hitting him. I would like him to answer frankly, did he see Jeff trying to snatch Zhu Fangyu’s lunchbox!"

"Furthermore..."

"Is what Jeff said on Facebook true?"

"Does LeBron truly dislike all Huaxia people?"

"This is a sensitive topic, and I think the League and LeBron must provide an explanation!"

"I don’t want yet another insubstantial apology like Shaquille O’Neal’s from back then; I want to see a serious attitude. Since Yao became the No.1 Pick in ’02, it’s only been two years and yet we’ve already seen one incident of racial discrimination. Now there’s another suspected one. Did we tolerate Shaquille back then just to end up with LeBron today?"

"Asian Weekly" was quick to show support for Su Wan.

Back then, when Shaquille had used racially insensitive language, and Yao Ming hadn’t retaliated yet, they were the first to strike back, threatening that if O’Neal dared to come to Huaxia City, they’d tear him apart.

It was their protests and questioning, along with Shaquille’s father’s stern criticism, that had led to Shaquille O’Neal’s apology.

In fact, Asians and Asian-Americans have always had a hard time in the United States, often subject to racist remarks, with nowhere to turn to for support. Those Asians who had climbed up the ladder would only hate their own skin and then hate Asians and Huaxia people even more than the Blacks and Whites, never speaking up for them.

When Yao Ming faced that incident of racial discrimination, they thought they’d found someone to speak up for their community. But to their surprise, Yao was a softie; Shaquille got off lightly with a simple "sorry."

The good news was, they once again had someone willing to speak up -- Su Wan’s tough reputation was well known in the League.

When Su Wan voiced his opinion, this time all Asians and Asian-Americans gathered all their energy to push from behind.

They knew if they missed this chance, who knows when they would encounter someone as tough as Su Wan again!

Not only them, but all the fans from Indiana were also a spiritual support for Su.

With these groups standing behind Su Wan, his questioning once again caused a stir in the League.

Shaquille O’Neal, who had been smugly dismissive of Su Wan this season, didn’t dare to be tough this time and reiterated his stance:

"At that time, I was at the peak of my career and sometimes spoke without thinking. Now I’ve come to deeply realize the gravity of the issue and have been reflecting ever since. Even to this day, I regret not having understood the meaning of those words correctly."

He was visibly shaken.

Meanwhile, David Stern at the headquarters slammed his glasses down on the table.

He had just finished a meeting with the investigative team that returned from Cleveland, and the results of the Cavaliers’ handling were out:

Since the evidence of bullying by McGinnis was conclusive inside the Cavaliers and he had been suspended indefinitely, and LeBron James explained his actions as mere misunderstandings for which he had apologized, the League would not impose further punishment on McGinnis and LeBron. However, the Cavaliers’ management would be fined $300,000.

The reason was that they had failed to foster the right locker room atmosphere, causing significant damage to the League’s image.

But as the "dog-fight" between McGinnis and LeBron dragged out even more serious issues, the punishment naturally became inadequate.