Generally speaking, few fans will pay attention to this game.
Because those participating in the Masters Game are basically retired NBA players, WNBA players, actors, musicians and athletes from other sports.
There are all kinds of contestants, but few "big names" participate.
However, this year's Masters Tournament is much more popular than in the past.
There is no other reason...
The venue for this year’s All-Star Game is Los Angeles, the City of Angels!
As the second largest ball market in the beautiful country, this place is backed by Hollywood and has a particularly developed entertainment industry.
Coupled with the blessing of the legendary Lakers team, there are so many celebrities willing to participate in this Masters Game!
These celebrities can be roughly divided into two categories.
One is NBA legendary stars and Hall of Fame players, including: "Magic" Johnson, Scottie Pippen, Bill Walton, AC Green, BJ Armstrong, Chris Mullin...
The second is well-known figures in the entertainment industry, including: Justin Bieber (pop singer), Jimmy Kimmel (ABC TV’s late-night talk show), Ty Burrell (movie star), and Bill Simmons (ESPn column writer)...
Of course, Shen Fei, the boss of the Rockets and Under Armor, is also involved.
With all the stars gathered together, this competition received several times more attention than any previous Masters competition!
............
Shen Fei arrived at the stadium early today.
As soon as the Asian young man appeared in the arena, the on-site director immediately focused the camera on him.
Shen Fei may not be the most famous person on the scene, but his identity is extremely special.
This young Asian boss, within one year of taking over the Rockets, has built a terrifying battleship that is hard to beat.
In addition, Under Armor, his brand, is also the hottest sports brand this year.
There are so many curious things about Shen Fei.
His behavior, his courage, his wealth, and even his appearance all make people want to know more about him.
The on-site director knew this very well, so he paid special attention to him.
In the camera, Shen Fei's sword-shaped eyebrows and starry eyes are full of heroism.
Different from his usual more formal attire, today he wore a full set of basketball equipment.
This made Shen Fei, who always showed his composure, look more youthful.
Especially the pair of Chinese-style sneakers on his feet are particularly eye-catching.
As soon as the scene of Shen Fei tying his shoes on the bench was posted online, it attracted many inquiries from sneaker enthusiasts.
Everyone discussed it, but no one could come to a conclusion.
Because except for the Under Armor logo on the shoe, no one can find any information for judgment.
"Did Under Armor release new shoes again?"
a fan asked in the comments section.
This idea is recognized by many people.
"It feels like the design is quite strong. Anyway, my wallet is ready hehe~"
"Under Armor has indeed spent a lot of money to hire designers. Whether it is this pair or the previous pg1 and sc1, they are all shoes with excellent styles and colors!"
...
Everyone was discussing, and the topic changed from sneakers to Shen Fei at some point.
"By the way, Shen Fei has such a good figure! When he puts on these equipment, he really looks like a basketball player at first glance."
"I also discovered it! His Achilles tendon is so long, and it looks like he can bounce very well."
"But Shen Fei shouldn't be very good at playing, right? He's busy doing business all day long, so he doesn't have time to practice ball. Just don't make a fool of yourself today."
...
The fans chatted one after another.
Other contestants from the Masters Tournament also arrived at the arena one after another during this time.
Shen Fei had never seen the list of contestants before, but now he looked around and was filled with surprises.
However, there was a figure among this group of people, which made Shen Fei feel a little strange.
This man is NBA Hall of Fame player Gary Payton, nicknamed "The Glove."
[Has Payton retired a few years ago? How come he came to play in the Masters?]
Shen Fei was confused.
As a senior fan, he still knows a lot about Payton.
This SuperSonics legend has one of the top three defensive abilities in history at the point guard position.
The Sonics team led by him and Kemp also fought against the God of Basketball - Jordan for 300 rounds back then!
However, Payton never got a championship ring.
Later, in order to win the championship, he began a "wandering" journey and went to many strong teams.
What impressed Shen Fei the most was that he joined the Lakers in 2004.
At that time, Payton teamed up with OK Group and Malone to form "f4".
But the star-studded Lakers lost to the civilian Pistons in the finals.
After that, Payton went to the Celtics and Heat, and finally won the championship with Wade in 2006.
After realizing his championship dream, Payton played for another year before officially retiring in 2007.
In other words, Payton has only retired for less than 4 years.
Moreover, judging from his figure, he is well maintained and has no signs of gaining weight at all.
But problems also arise...
Why would a star who has only retired for more than three years come to play in the Masters?
Isn’t this a dimensionality reduction blow?
Among the other retired stars present, which one has not been away from the game for more than ten or twenty years?
............
Shen Fei's eyes stayed on Payton for a long time, and the latter also felt it.
Payton turned around.
The two immediately looked at each other.
Shen Fei hasn't done anything yet.
Payton suddenly raised his chin.
The two were far apart, and Shen Fei couldn't clearly see each other's expressions and eyes.
But judging from Payton's body language, he is obviously hostile.
This left Shen Fei a little confused.
The two of them have never crossed paths before, let alone any feud... Payton has no reason to make provocative moves.
[ill?]
Shen Fei was confused.
He even wondered if he had seen it wrong.
But when I checked again, Payton still looked awesome.
"Ah..."
Shen Fei found it interesting and simply kept looking at him.
After about a minute, Payton turned around first and ended the "confrontation."
"cut."
Shen Fei smiled disdainfully.
With Payton's behavior, it's obvious that he came with a mission.
However, he still couldn't keep his face down and was worried about being caught by the camera, so he didn't dare to look at Shen Fei for a long time.
[Payton is owned by Nike, right?]
Shen Fei suddenly thought of it.
Then he realized what the other party wanted to do.
Is it nothing more than... bullying on the basketball court?
"This method is really low-level."
Shen Fei complained.
In order to combat competitors, a recently retired star was sent to play in such an entertaining game...
Shen Fei only felt angry and funny.
However, he is not worried about Payton targeting him during the game.
On the contrary, Shen Fei had an even bolder idea!
............
In the following time, the players participating in the Masters Game began to warm up.
Shen Fei shot baskets for a while and suddenly found someone waving to him in the stands.
When I looked up, I saw it was Ajiali whom I hadn't seen for a long time.
Since they parted ways in the casino, the two of them have been busy with their careers.
A few days ago, after the NBA officially announced that Shen Fei would participate in the All-Star Game, Ajiali called Shen Fei.
"I will also go to the scene in those two days, and I will go and cheer you up then!"
Ajiali said.
However, the two did not agree on a specific time to meet.
Therefore, Shen Fei was very surprised when he saw Ajiali waving to him today.
He dribbled the ball and walked to the sideline.
Ajiali trotted all the way from the box to the first level of the stands.
Today she wore a high ponytail and looked full of energy.
The slender neck is fully reflected in this hairstyle.
Wearing a pure white hoodie with a pair of jeans, Ajiali didn't wear any gorgeous clothes, but she somehow gave people a sense of nobility and high-end.
Anyone who meets him will be praised for his "temperament"!
"How's it going? How many points do you plan to get today?"
Ajiali's bright eyes flashed and she said with a smile.
"Let's win the scoring title."
Shen Fei replied casually.
"boast!"
"By the way, let's watch the game together in the next two days."
Ajiali made the invitation gracefully.
"Okay, I have quite a few shows I want to watch."
Shen Fei replied.
The two chatted for a while.
Seeing that the game was about to start, Shen Fei and Ajiali waved goodbye and returned to the stadium.
............
As the referee throws the ball high, the Masters Game officially begins!