One Thousand Two Hundred and Fourteen: The Last Peaceful Night

Chris Wallace's mind went blank, and he wondered if he heard wrongly.

But seeing the already chaotic media reception room, Wallace told himself-it was all true.

Retirement and Link, before Link said those words just now, no one would have connected these two words together.

To be honest, few reporters are so shocked when a star announces his retirement.

Because before they announced it, everyone could more or less guess that they planned to retire.

For example, Kobe Bryant in the past few years caused a huge sensation when he announced his retirement, but fans and reporters would never be surprised.

After all, Kobe has reached the age where he should retire. Everyone has been mentally prepared for this.

The same situation applies to Wade, Garnett, Nowitzki and others.

Although they were both very sensational and sad when they announced their retirement, fans will never be surprised.

But Link is different. He just established his second dynasty last season. He is not yet 32 ​​years old. He is still the strongest star in the league. He even has the ability to lead his team towards four consecutive championships. impact.

At this juncture, people are unprepared for Link's retirement!

Although there are some players who retired at a young age in NBA history, most of these players are not stars. If he is not a player, he may be looking for a better way out and a better position.

Fans will not be too surprised if players like Yao Ming and Roy choose to retire early due to injuries.

However, Link is none of the above!

He just chose to quit when he was at his peak without any warning.

The last player who chose to retire at his peak was Michael Jordan, who announced his retirement for the first time!

That guy Link is really getting closer to Jordan in every way!

"Are you serious!? Why did you suddenly announce your retirement?"

"Can we know the reason? What was the reason for retirement?"

"This is so sudden. Do your teammates know about this? Does the Grizzlies management know about this?"

The reporters exploded instantly,

Even the most senior reporters can't keep their composure now.

Chris Wallace swallowed. He couldn't imagine what impact Link's retirement would have on the entire basketball world.

He glanced at Sam Smith beside him and found that the guy was also in a confused state.

Yes, now that Link is gone, who will Sam Smith be quarreling with? Who does he depend on for food?

"Link, are you serious!?" Beside Link, Derrick Rose also came over in panic and asked.

"I'm serious, Derek. Next season will be my last season. Therefore, I will never allow myself to fail." Link nodded firmly. These people he recruited, Link will not let them down. .

Although he will retire in a year, he will at least give them a championship ring!

Link wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and then leaned closer to the microphone: "Well, at least I didn't leave without saying goodbye. I told you my intention to retire a year in advance. Back then, Michael Jordan was the day before the pre-season training camp. , I suddenly announced my retirement. Compared with him, I am considered kind."

At this time, Link felt his phone vibrating crazily in his pocket.

You don't need to think about it, there must be hundreds of text messages bombarding him, and there must be many people wanting to ask him what's going on.

Kobe, Dinwiddie, Wade, Butler, Harris, Whiteside... Link didn't know how to reply to them one by one later.

It seemed that in less than a minute, the news that he was retiring had spread around the world.

In the online world, the timeliness of news is really terrible.

"Why retire? It's not as complicated as you think. I just want to change my way of life. If I can really achieve four consecutive championships, then I will have no challenges in the NBA. I have nothing to prove. .So, next I will explore some new areas, and more importantly, spend more time with my family, that’s it.”

"There's nothing to prove," the words coming out of Link's mouth were definitely not bragging.

When Jordan retired for the first time, he won 3 championships, 3 MVPs and 3 FMVPs in 9 seasons.

Where's Link? Until now, he has played for 9 seasons and won 6 championships, 5 MVPs, 6 FMVPs, 7 double teams, and 4 Defensive Player of the Year awards!

His personal honors completely surpassed Jordan's at the same time!

Not just Jordan, no player can win so many honors in the ninth season of his career!

Therefore, Link is the most qualified to say "I have nothing left to prove."

Link's reason for retiring is indeed unexpected by most people.

He may be the first superstar in NBA history who wanted to retire early to spend time with his family because he was so invincible.

"You said you would retire after winning the championship next season. What if you fail to win the championship next season? Will you continue to stay until you win the championship?" A reporter who regained his composure asked a sharp question.

"There's no way I can't win the championship, I have to do it." When Link said this, he was as confident as when he said on an ESPN show a few months ago that he would strive for four consecutive championships.

Yes, the competition next season is indeed very fierce. In both the Eastern and Western divisions, there are several teams that are capable of competing for the championship.

But the Grizzlies had survived the Heat's Big Three and the five-star Warriors back then, so what's this difficulty?

Link never writes a blank check, he only brags about what he can accomplish.

All the reporters stayed where they were, while Link stood up, said thank you to everyone, and left the FedEx Arena.

This was probably the most polite Link had ever been to reporters.

Link closed the door to the media reception room, and his ears instantly became much quieter.

He looked at the familiar tunnel and couldn't help but smile.

In the last year, I must win a big victory!

After the press conference, Link officially announced his retirement after this season, which became the most high-profile news of the day.

Yes, Link's influence extends beyond the sports world. His announcement of retirement became a big event that shocked the whole world!

Some experts have analyzed that after Link retires, the city of Memphis will lose billions of dollars in direct income and tens of billions of dollars in indirect losses every year!

NBA ratings are expected to drop by 20% to 30%. Nike's sneaker sales are expected to drop by about 30%, jersey sales will drop by 25%, and stock prices will also fall significantly!

These are all things that will 100% happen this time next year!

Such economic losses are simply a natural disaster in Canby.

This is the impact that a historical superstar announcing his retirement will have on the sport and even the world.

Overnight, fans all over the world signed a letter begging Link to stay.

Local fans in Memphis gathered outside FedEx Arena and waited all night with signs reading "Don't go, Link."

The mayor of Memphis publicly asked Link to play for the Grizzlies for a few more years.

Adam Joke rushed to Memphis overnight, supposedly just to meet with Link.

The whole world is in chaos. Even when Wade, Nowitzki and even Kobe Bryant announced their retirement a few years ago, they never caused such a big sensation.

When they retired, their influence had actually declined a lot.

Link announced his retirement when he had the greatest influence, which caught everyone off guard.

Link did not reply to anyone's text messages that night, nor did he agree to any requests for meetings.

He just stayed at home quietly with his wife and children.

Despite the chaos outside, Link himself spent a peaceful night.

Because he knew that this was his last peaceful night before the start of the new season.

Starting tomorrow, the pre-season training camp will officially begin, and Link will officially face the huge challenge of four consecutive championships.

In Link's retirement year, unlike Dirk, Kobe and Wade, they just have to enjoy themselves and complete their retirement tour under the admiration of everyone.

His goal for the last year is still to win the championship!

No one will be soft on Link in the final year.

The last and most difficult season of his career, Link is ready for it.

So Link must cherish this last peaceful night...

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