Chapter 369: Awards Ceremony (2)
“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome back to Golden One Arena!”
The DJ’s booming voice echoed through every corner of the arena. The stands were packed shoulder to shoulder, a sea of people buzzing with anticipation. Everyone who had managed to get a ticket was waiting eagerly for the ceremony to begin.
At that moment, all the lights went out.
Chen Yilun, dressed in a sharp, well-fitted suit, slowly walked to center court as a single spotlight followed his every step. Hosting in front of such a massive crowd for the first time, he looked a little stiff. He took a deep breath to steady himself, then spoke.
“So… many people~”
The unexpected comment drew immediate laughter from the crowd.
“Today, we’ve gathered here,” Chen Yilun said, glancing at the small table being carried onto the court by two cheerleaders, “to celebrate our success last season. A full year of hard work hasn’t gone to waste—today, it finally bears fruit.”
With the brief opening complete, Chen Yilun began reading out names one by one. Each time a name was called, a player stepped forward to receive their championship ring.
“It really feels like a dream.”
Fred VanVleet stood off to the side, staring at the ring on his finger.
“I didn’t even do anything, and now I’ve got two rings.”
For two straight playoff runs, VanVleet had been glued to the bench by Malone, serving as little more than a water boy. Those two rings were about as close to a “free ride” as it got.
“And you’re actually proud of that?”
Caruso, standing nearby, couldn’t help mocking him.
“So what? Other people can say it, but you—baldy—you don’t get to laugh at me. If I hadn’t convinced you to stay with the team back then, would you even have a ring?”
The two immediately started bickering back and forth.
“What are you idiots doing? Can’t you act normal on a day like this?”
Gay had just finished receiving his ring and walked over, frowning as he scolded them.
“Derrick, you too—aren’t you going to keep those two in line—”
His words suddenly caught in his throat.
Rose was standing there, staring blankly at the ring on his finger.
His gaze burned with such intensity it looked as if he might melt the ring just by looking at it.
“…Sigh.”
Gay let out a long breath and turned away, unwilling to look at Rose any longer.
Rose’s career had been anything but smooth. After all the twists and setbacks he’d endured, this ring meant more to him than almost anything else in his professional life.
The league had been considerate with today’s opponent, scheduling the Heat so that last season’s starting five could receive their rings together.
“So nice…”
Watching Josh Richardson absentmindedly fiddle with his ring, the Heat’s new leader, Kristaps Porziņģis, couldn’t help voicing his envy.
“Ah, it’s nothing,” Richardson said casually, though his eyes never left the ring for a second. “There’ll be chances in the future. We’re still young, right?”
When the last ring finally went to Durant, the Finals MVP from last season, the honor of pressing the ceremonial button naturally fell to him.
Staring at the oversized button, Durant paused for a moment, then suddenly turned around to look at everyone behind him.
“Don’t just stand there,” he said with a grin.
“Hurry up and come press it together. This championship wasn’t won by me alone.”
The Kings players froze for a brief moment, then broke into smiles and stepped forward. Hands stacked one on top of another before slamming down together.
The instant the button was pressed, a beam of purple light shot up from the ceiling, slicing through the night sky like a blade and soaring straight into the clouds.
“A new era has begun.”
Inside the VIP box, Adam Silver watched the beam and sighed softly.
“Sacramento—the place we never took seriously—has turned into a wild, runaway horse. Where it ends up now is no longer something we can control.”
Hearing this, Vice President Tatum leaned in and asked quietly, “Boss… what about that thing we discussed before?”
He was referring to the issue that had kept league executives arguing all summer.
Should the rules be changed to limit Chen Yilun?
“Change them? How?”
Adam Silver smiled faintly, not elaborating.
“Did Chen Yilun invent some brand-new trading method? Exploit a loophole in the rules? He didn’t do anything at all. If we change the rules now, all we’d do is make life harder for every other team’s front office.”
The reason Adam Silver hadn’t moved against Chen Yilun was simple: Chen Yilun’s team-building philosophy wasn’t revolutionary—it was almost old-fashioned.
Draft rookies and develop them. Make moves in the free-agent market. These were the most basic responsibilities of any general manager.
The results had been earned through pure, undeniable strength. If the league stepped in, it was unclear whether Chen Yilun could even be contained—but it was guaranteed that other teams would suffer alongside him.
“Let them have this season,” Adam Silver said lightly. “Building a dynasty isn’t that easy, after all…”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but Tatum already understood.
If the league really wanted to hurt a team, it was easy. A brutal schedule alone could peel the skin right off.
Two teams, same talent level. One gets a reasonable schedule and plenty of rest. The other is thrown into nonstop back-to-back high-intensity games. The gap in competitiveness would be enormous.
And next season, Booker’s rookie contract would expire. With the salary cap tightening, it would be impossible for Chen Yilun to maintain such a luxurious roster.
“I guess that’s all we can do,” Tatum sighed, turning his attention back to the game.
The game itself was straightforward. Rose, now fully adjusted to his new role, filled the void left by Richardson’s departure seamlessly, posting 15 points and 10 assists in his first start.
In the second half especially, the Rose–Jokić two-man game left the Heat scrambling to keep up.
With Durant and Butler turning up the heat together to close things out, the Kings comfortably secured their first win of the season.
But the biggest surprise of the night was Dejounte Murray, returning after two quiet years.
Coming off the bench, Murray played as if he were determined to unload every bit of frustration he’d bottled up, all in one night.
On defense, he completely locked down his former teammate Josh Richardson, who had hoped to put on a show in front of familiar faces, only to be thoroughly embarrassed.
On offense, Murray’s relentless attacks on the rim were exactly what the Kings’ bench had been missing.
His performance left everyone impressed.
“No wonder…”
Heat coach Spoelstra muttered to himself as he watched Murray on the opposite side of the court.
“No wonder that hyena was willing to trade Richardson to us. He really polished this Murray up.”
“Josh, you in a rush to head back? Let’s get together tonight.”
After the game, Gay caught up to Richardson at the entrance to the player tunnel.
“Is Dejounte going? If he is, I’m not!”
Richardson complained loudly.
“That kid has no sense of honor! I come back for my first game and he’s chasing me down all night. Is that how you treat a friend?”
“Alright, alright.”
Gay pulled him into a side hug.
“I’ll make him apologize tonight. Come on, let’s go. Nobody’s leaving sober tonight!”
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