Generation Z Artists

Chapter 174 Manipulating the Entire Alliance
It's madness, everything's gone mad.

The audience erupted in screams, and the hosts in the studio screamed as well. This screams then spread to households across the country, where viewers also began to scream.

Fang Xinghe is so handsome and awesome.

In the United States, there are quite a few people who like to boast and talk big. In the NBA, there are rookies every year who make outrageous remarks about their seniors.

However, from 90 to the present, no rookie has dared to point at Jordan's nose and provoke him with such domineering words, and the number has decreased over time.

Jordan did not build his own media empire; his relationship with the media was not even good. He simply established absolute dominance in the NBA, a legacy that continues to this day, making him seem like a god or a demon.

Fans who didn't experience this era will never understand what kind of icon Jordan is.

Even after two disappointing seasons with the Wizards, players still idolized him, and even after the next Goat candidate built his own media empire, no one dared to offend him.

Only Fang Xinghe not only openly and directly brought Jordan out for criticism, but also used such language that it was so...exciting.

Barkley was overjoyed, slamming his fist on the table and yelling loudly.

"Hahaha! Michael has finally met his match! He must be furious, I bet $100,000 he's absolutely livid!"

Smith also looked incredulous and, unusually, raised his voice.

"Wow, is Star River challenging Jordan? I know I shouldn't interpret it this way before confirming with him, but friends, you've seen his attitude, and I can't think of any other way to describe it... Sir Charles? What do you think?"

"No problem, don't doubt yourself!"

Barkley was still immersed in excitement and passion.

"He was just provoking me, you know? I've done the same thing countless times on the court, I know this all too well. Besides, I like him, yes, I like Star River. He's more than just a tough guy to me. From today onwards, I'm going to be his fan!"

"All Star?"

"Yes, All Star, the most passionate!"

Smith couldn't help but complain: "Fang's fans are just as crazy as his, and now there's another one like you, oh my god!"

Fang Xinghe's official name for his Western fans is All Star, not the direct translation Gypsophila.

This name was chosen by a collective vote of fans on StarNet's European and American website. It shares the same name as the NBA All-Star Game—they don't care at all; they just want to smugly criticize the NBA.

However, the number of All Stars is relatively small, and their influence is not significant. It's quite remarkable that Barkley and Smith both know about them.

They are all professionals when it comes to hosting.

When it comes to being a bad friend, Barkley is a pro.

"As long as he dares to criticize Jordan, we're good friends!"

Amid Barkley's loud laughter, Jordan's fans angrily changed the channel.

"Damn it, Joker!"

Yes, at this time, Jordan fans were still strong and active, spread all over the United States, and were fanatical and belligerent, far from being able to become passive.

Amidst the widespread criticism, TNT's viewership ratings were affected.

Even if TNT is gone, there's still ESPN.

Hubie and Mike were seriously analyzing why Fang Xinghe did this and Jordan's reaction.

"What does Star River mean? His words seem to have a deeper meaning."

"Under those circumstances...it is clear that there was some unpleasant news between them."

Hubie's eyes were incredibly intelligent, yet he wasn't gossipy at all, instead maintaining a serious demeanor despite the explosive scene.

"For the past few months, some sports media outlets have been hyping up the conflict between Star River and Mike, but have never received a response from the parties involved. Now we can confirm that there is indeed a problem between the two of them."

"What do you think the problem is? Could it be the rumored fight?"

"No, no, no, it should just be a one-on-one match. Fang Xinghe won against Mike who was out of form, and then Mike, driven by his competitive spirit, challenged another one-on-one match... We all know what he'll do."

"Yes, he will train hard, lose weight and gain muscle, get back in shape, and then dominate Star River on the court... That's very Michael Jordan."

"Have you ever considered that Star River would do this?"

"Tell the truth?"

"YES."

“I never thought about it, but when it actually happened, I wasn’t surprised at all. This is very Fang Xinghe.”

"Look, this is the most exciting part—we know Michael Jordan well, his competitiveness, his ruthlessness, his never-give-up attitude, his fighting spirit, and so on, all of these constitute his great personality and make him the one and only GOAT in basketball history."

Hubie gradually began to exude a passion.

“We are not familiar with Star River. He rarely gives interviews. All I know is that he is a frank martial artist who does not accept any grievances and wholeheartedly carries out his will.”

Now, these two individuals, both geniuses, have come together, one already old and the other still a child. What will happen next?

"A collision, a violent collision."

Mike is not only good at playing the straight man, but also at summarizing.

"Those who are old do not accept their age, and those who are still young do not consider themselves weak. The declining gods and the rising kings will surely have some unimaginable stories unfold at this time!"

"Honestly, I'm really looking forward to it."

"Same here. The league has become much less interesting without Michael Jordan. What were the viewership ratings for this year's Finals? Over ten million? Unbelievable."

"AI is strong, but not enough to challenge OK's dominance. We've already seen his ceiling this year. Forgive my disrespect, but if no one changes the West's dominance over the East, the viewership for next year's finals will be even lower."

Do you think Star River can do it?

"Star River alone can't do it all. He's very strong, but the Wizards are too weak."

Hubie shook his head, his gaze suddenly becoming profound.

"But if he could fully awaken that tyrant, perhaps the combined efforts would be enough..."

This possibility deeply moved many neutral fans.

Fang Xinghe + Michael Jordan?
OH MY GOD!

That's insane! Maybe even crazier and more entertaining than OK!

"I like his idea!"

In the Washington, D.C. area, many basketball fans jumped up and started looking forward to the next season.

This is quite remarkable, as the Washington area has a strong affinity for college sports and the Wizards don't have many supporters, but things are starting to look up.

However, not all fans can remain calm and rational, especially now that so many media outlets are fanning the flames and adding fuel to the fire.

NBC is one of them.

"Star River is too arrogant and disrespectful to Mike."

"Nonsense! Michael Jordan is indeed great, but he's old. In competitive sports, the winner takes all, and whoever wins is right. What king's respect is something he has to earn?"

“Michael didn’t ask for respect; I asked him to respect Michael. That’s fine. Everyone gets old, and it’s not honorable to defeat an aging god!”

"Come on, what's so disrespectful about this? Star River just issued a challenge. If Mike thinks it's not worth it, he can refuse."

"McDonald's will never refuse a challenge!"

"Yes, he will accept, but he can't win. We all know that. The Fang from China will step on his corpse to become the new king."

"FUCK! You bastard!"

"Hey buddy, getting angry won't solve anything. You should calm down, go home, take a nice shower, have a drink, and then have a sweet dream!"

"Fuck you! And Fuck SR!"

They started arguing, half-jokingly and half-jokingly, and the conflict escalated rapidly.

The fans of Fang Qiao and his companion were also enraged.

Oh, right, Danzi herself.

Jordan's face was ashen, and he chewed gum until his cheeks were rock hard.

David didn't want to provoke him at this moment, but he had to speak up to remind him.

"If you decide to work with him, similar situations will happen many more times in the future, and you will have to learn to adapt to him."

“No.” Danzi’s eyes blazed with fury. “I will crush every bone in his body and make him do as I please.”

Oh, that's a metaphorical device. Danzi just meant playing ball.

David wasn't optimistic, so he shrugged and said, "You're almost 40, why bother?"

The two held differing opinions on the decision to return to the entertainment industry.

David, of course, couldn't dissuade Jordan from his insistence, but he had reminded him several times: a comeback would do no good for your god-like status.

"I know."

Danzi emphasized forcefully, "I know!" His voice contained a strong sense of suppression: "But I need to fight. Before my leg is completely broken, I just want to fight one more time."

That's the core reason.

Shares are important, but getting back on the court is even more important.

How could he not feel his own aging and decline?
Seeing the overwhelming praise for Kobe and Iverson in the newspapers, and seeing that the world has forgotten the reason why a god is a god, how could he not be angry?

But unlike any of his previous outbursts of anger, this time, the anger also stemmed from a sense of powerlessness.

A rare look of melancholy appeared on God's face.

"I can't teach the next generation a lesson anymore. I just want to seize this last opportunity to tell the world who I am."

David raised an eyebrow in surprise.

He wasn't surprised by Jordan's extremely rare displays of weakness; what surprised him was that, even in his rage, Jordan didn't target Fang Xinghe too much.

what is this?
Is it genuine appreciation?

His tone softened slightly: "If you can maintain your current attitude, perhaps you will have a good outcome."

Jordan immediately straightened his face and grinned coldly: "He's the one who needs to show attitude. David, you don't think I'm going to lose, do you?"

really.

David slapped his forehead.

The boss is still the same boss; I was just overthinking it...

……

Kwame was drafted by the Clippers without much fanfare, and it was expected that he would have a very different career. However, nobody cared, and even the head coaching staff only gave him a brief appearance.

Reporters swarmed towards Fang Xinghe, blocking him at the exit of the players' tunnel.

Just before they asked their first question, Jordan came out of the draft room, and the two stood facing each other across half an aisle.

The media subconsciously left the middle area empty, allowing them to move freely between each other.

The next instant, the cameras were pointed at both of them, and the scene was filled with noise.

"Fang, Fang!"

"McK, McK!"

The two looked at each other across the crowd and stopped in their tracks at the same time.

As is customary, they must meet, one representing the team and the other, as a rookie, to look to the media about the future.

There could be no more dramatic scene than this.

The reporters were so agitated that their eyes turned red, and the flashes of light from the cameras flooded every inch of the space.

The two stood frozen in the passage for a few seconds before suddenly taking a step and walking towards the center.

Step by step, his gaze never left his side.

Finally, they reunited.

The reporters suddenly held their breath.

Jordan raised his hand, pointed at Fang Xinghe's hat, and said with a half-smile, "Rookie, you should wear it on your head."

"And if I don't?" Fang Xinghe asked calmly, "Would you trade me?"

Wow!
Point to point!
Fang Xinghe's aggressiveness was too strong. He immediately brought up trades. This wasn't just disrespect for Jordan, but essentially disrespect for the NBA. He had no fear of this world of fame and fortune.

This makes the fans even more proud—our idol is a star among stars, whether he plays basketball or not!
It also makes true fans both disgusted and hopeful—the more you act like this, the more I want to see you play!

The reporters were extremely excited, but dared not utter a sound, only focusing on taking pictures.

On the big screen at the talent show, the scene suddenly cut to this moment, showing millions of homes in America, with the audience clenching their fists.

The viewership ratings skyrocketed from a base of 350 million, quickly surpassing 500 million.

"of course not."

Jordan didn't deliberately display any so-called seniority; he stared intently into Fang Xinghe's eyes, his gaze carrying a hidden meaning.

"This is just a suggestion. In your life, the closest connection between you and Michael Jordan is this hat. Now, the future is in your hands."

A brilliant response.

Fang Xinghe smiled genuinely, thinking: Danzi, you've finally learned to use standard language for high-quality conversations. I'm very pleased.

To avoid breaking Danzi's defenses on the spot, he even deliberately toned down his sharpness.

"A beautiful hat."

Fang Xinghe raised his hand, examined the Wizards' cap closely for the first time, and then let out a heartfelt sigh.

"It connects two great people and carries everything about the Wizards, but Mr. Michael, the Wizards are not your everything, nor mine. Unfortunately, it cannot carry more."

The boy withdrew his hand and handed the hat to Wang Charlie, who was standing to the side.

“Take good care of it. Mr. Michael will decide when I wear it for my first photo.”

Jordan's pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints.

He wasn't stupid; he was fully capable of understanding all of Fang Xinghe's hidden meanings.

He didn't have the habit of running away, so he announced the official ruling in front of the media.

"Bring it to the gym at the end of September, and that's it?"

"That's it."

Fang Xinghe nodded and turned to walk towards the exit of the passage.

Jordan did the same, hands in his pockets, walking toward the other exit.

The media were stunned for a moment, then cut in line and ran after the two.

"Fang, could you please explain that sentence? Are you declaring war on Michael?"

"Which sentence?"

Fang Xinghe remained calm in the face of a large group of excited reporters who seemed like a horde of zombies.

American journalists are no more difficult to deal with than Japanese and South Korean journalists; in fact, he feels more free here because he can swear and use foul language.

"I know what kind of person I am. Beat me and we'll go on together, or obey me and I'll lead you on together. Is that line aimed at Mike?"

"No, of course not."

To everyone's surprise, Fang Xinghe denied it.

But before they could lose heart, Fang Xinghe added the following sentence.

"That was just a gentleman's agreement, not a targeted one. If I wanted to target someone, it would be far more cruel and violent than it is now."

"So, what exactly is the agreement?"

Fang Xinghe stopped and looked at the camera that was almost right in his face, his expression finally becoming serious.

"I only have two kinds of connections with the NBA."

The first scenario is that Mr. Jordan defeats me in a one-on-one match, making me realize the challenge of basketball. In that case, I will follow his instructions and do what a rookie should do.

The second option is that I defeat him, and Mr. Jordan and the entire Wizards team acknowledge my leadership. In that case, I will take responsibility and lead them to the championship.

Any other outcome would mean a brief and permanent connection between me and the NBA.

The scene suddenly became quiet.

This is not something you should hear from a rookie.

Initially, they only wanted to ask some routine questions such as "What are your thoughts as the first Asian to be the champion?" and write a sensational news article like "A historic breakthrough! Chinese people can fly too."

And now... screw your yellow-skinned champion! Screw your Chinese can fly too!
Why make a fuss about race? That's incredibly low!

This is a madman. Yes, the NBA has finally found a madman who is detached from the mainstream, not here to dominate, but simply to treat this brutal battlefield as a big toy.

His first step in manipulating everyone was to manipulate the gods of the league.

Few people realize this, but everyone who understands the cause and effect can't help but tremble with fear and bewilderment.

Fang Xinghe is destined to ignite the NBA.

After the explosion, what will become of the league?
Nobody knows right now.

Right now, everyone is eager to write big news.

(End of this chapter)