Excited about the future of these two.
<><>Gonna Take On The World Some Day: John Li<><>
- Thread starter lids4
- Start date
rockchalkjordan
Star
- Jun 25, 2011
- 20,816
- 10,952
Diana's back? leggo
I dont see this working out. Too much of a stretch.
Together
My routine for each the next eight days went something like this:
I’d wake up at 9, eat a small breakfast, and have Thoc drive me to the Warriors facility by 10. I’d lift weights run athletic drills, depending on the day, then take my usual 1000 jump shots. That was all the trainers wanted from me--my body still needed to recover from a long season and grueling playoffs, and they would send me home after a couple hours of work.
Around 12:30, Diana would text me to say hello, usually catching me in the middle of cooking something for lunch. Eating most of my meals at the Warriors’ training table (or room service) had eroded my culinary skills, which were already meager. While Diana would inevitably ask to try my cooking while we conversed, I wasn’t about to let that happen before I had a lot more practice.
I’d eat and then relax by playing the piano for a bit. In mid-afternoon, Diana and I would both finally take a shower to refresh from our morning workouts, and once that was done, I’d suggest meeting up, she’d agree, and I’d have Thoc take me down to San Bruno, then let him go for the day. She’d invite me in, and we’d sit in her building’s garden until the sun went down, reading. When it got too dark for that, she’d take me up to her place for awhile, make us lemonade or applejuice or some such thing with the fancy auto-juicer that had been a sample from her latest ad campaign, and when we’d finally run out of things to say for the day, call a cab and send me home.
I didn’t plan it this way, and neither did she. Each day I’d get up, do the things I needed to, and have the rest of the day free to do whatever I wanted. And wouldn’t you know it, each day at around that time, what I wanted was to have Diana’s company. On her end, it was much the same story.
When it was time for her to leave for Brazil, I went to the airport with her and we shared a kiss goodbye, then a warm, solid hug. As she waved at me from past the security checkpoint, before disappearing into the masses headed for the gates, I realized we both felt something new that hadn’t been there before. Our many goodbyes had never been agonizing, thank God, but until this one they had all been casual, matter-of-fact. Not this time. This one was warm, buoyed by anticipation of the day when we would be together again. After almost a year, we were finally getting to know each other. This time, I was saying goodbye to a friend.
My routine for each the next eight days went something like this:
I’d wake up at 9, eat a small breakfast, and have Thoc drive me to the Warriors facility by 10. I’d lift weights run athletic drills, depending on the day, then take my usual 1000 jump shots. That was all the trainers wanted from me--my body still needed to recover from a long season and grueling playoffs, and they would send me home after a couple hours of work.
Around 12:30, Diana would text me to say hello, usually catching me in the middle of cooking something for lunch. Eating most of my meals at the Warriors’ training table (or room service) had eroded my culinary skills, which were already meager. While Diana would inevitably ask to try my cooking while we conversed, I wasn’t about to let that happen before I had a lot more practice.
I’d eat and then relax by playing the piano for a bit. In mid-afternoon, Diana and I would both finally take a shower to refresh from our morning workouts, and once that was done, I’d suggest meeting up, she’d agree, and I’d have Thoc take me down to San Bruno, then let him go for the day. She’d invite me in, and we’d sit in her building’s garden until the sun went down, reading. When it got too dark for that, she’d take me up to her place for awhile, make us lemonade or applejuice or some such thing with the fancy auto-juicer that had been a sample from her latest ad campaign, and when we’d finally run out of things to say for the day, call a cab and send me home.
I didn’t plan it this way, and neither did she. Each day I’d get up, do the things I needed to, and have the rest of the day free to do whatever I wanted. And wouldn’t you know it, each day at around that time, what I wanted was to have Diana’s company. On her end, it was much the same story.
When it was time for her to leave for Brazil, I went to the airport with her and we shared a kiss goodbye, then a warm, solid hug. As she waved at me from past the security checkpoint, before disappearing into the masses headed for the gates, I realized we both felt something new that hadn’t been there before. Our many goodbyes had never been agonizing, thank God, but until this one they had all been casual, matter-of-fact. Not this time. This one was warm, buoyed by anticipation of the day when we would be together again. After almost a year, we were finally getting to know each other. This time, I was saying goodbye to a friend.
PDizzle2020
Almost Not a Noob
- Aug 4, 2008
- 200
- 0
John and Diana are the Tom and Gisele of this era! I like it!!!!
rockchalkjordan
Star
- Jun 25, 2011
- 20,816
- 10,952
Jeremy Lin is John Li.
rockchalkjordan said:
That's exactly what I thought the other day.
Me too it's weird how these stories intertwine themselves into my perception on sports. Everytime I watch I sportscenter, I expect to see John Li and Michael Eady on there. One time I got Keyan Farlander and Tyler Hansborough mixed up lol. Same thing for Travis Buchanon over on the NCAA boards.Saints101 said:
Sorry for the delay. Double update tomorrow night.
Shifting Sands
While I was preoccupied with more important things, the offseason shakeups began in the NBA. Ivan Radovic, as we had all long expected, announced his retirement. Vittorio D’Angelo also left the Warriors, explaining to us that he was disappointed at falling behind the younger Mark Stanhope and Helmut Heinzenbacher in the competition to play as a “stretch” big man. The Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires had agreed to buy out D’Angelo’s contract, and he was likely to be a starter for them. That left us with two roster spots to fill and only a single draft pick (the very last pick, in fact).
Even with the short roster, Previn stuck around to practice with us. The main change for the upcoming season was the introduction of a real “small ball” strategy. Previn’s preference was always to have two bigs, two wings, and a point on the floor; and thanks to Cameron’s and Farlander’s explosiveness and agility, he largely had been able to get away with playing them against smaller men when an opponent chose to put in an extra guard or small forward. With Radovic’s retirement, however, Yehudi was our only remaining bench wing, so Previn experimented with using Namoor Hassan at the shooting guard position to give a little more flexibility. Results were mixed. Previn said he would give the matter more thought while he was away coaching the French national team over the rest of the summer. Given our draft position and lack of cap space, there could be no quick fixes, no saying that we were “one player away.” Our own guys’ development over the past two seasons would determine the quality of our rotation for the coming season.
The Lakers, beaten by us in the West Finals, and by the Pistons in the NBA Finals the year before, lost their longtime coach to his country estate and hired Mike Brackins from UNC Chapel Hill to replace him. Brackins had three NCAA titles to his name, and his program had remained mostly untouched by the scandal and upheaval still raging through college athletics. In addition, USA Basketball had hired Brackins to coach our national team in the FIBA Worlds over the summer, meaning I would encounter him at tryouts and get to know him very well indeed if I made the team. I was looking forward to it. UNC alumnus Keyan Farlander spoke of him with reverence and awe.
While I was preoccupied with more important things, the offseason shakeups began in the NBA. Ivan Radovic, as we had all long expected, announced his retirement. Vittorio D’Angelo also left the Warriors, explaining to us that he was disappointed at falling behind the younger Mark Stanhope and Helmut Heinzenbacher in the competition to play as a “stretch” big man. The Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires had agreed to buy out D’Angelo’s contract, and he was likely to be a starter for them. That left us with two roster spots to fill and only a single draft pick (the very last pick, in fact).
Even with the short roster, Previn stuck around to practice with us. The main change for the upcoming season was the introduction of a real “small ball” strategy. Previn’s preference was always to have two bigs, two wings, and a point on the floor; and thanks to Cameron’s and Farlander’s explosiveness and agility, he largely had been able to get away with playing them against smaller men when an opponent chose to put in an extra guard or small forward. With Radovic’s retirement, however, Yehudi was our only remaining bench wing, so Previn experimented with using Namoor Hassan at the shooting guard position to give a little more flexibility. Results were mixed. Previn said he would give the matter more thought while he was away coaching the French national team over the rest of the summer. Given our draft position and lack of cap space, there could be no quick fixes, no saying that we were “one player away.” Our own guys’ development over the past two seasons would determine the quality of our rotation for the coming season.
The Lakers, beaten by us in the West Finals, and by the Pistons in the NBA Finals the year before, lost their longtime coach to his country estate and hired Mike Brackins from UNC Chapel Hill to replace him. Brackins had three NCAA titles to his name, and his program had remained mostly untouched by the scandal and upheaval still raging through college athletics. In addition, USA Basketball had hired Brackins to coach our national team in the FIBA Worlds over the summer, meaning I would encounter him at tryouts and get to know him very well indeed if I made the team. I was looking forward to it. UNC alumnus Keyan Farlander spoke of him with reverence and awe.
Star Treatment
Reuters Wire Report
CHARLOTTE - John Li of the Golden State Warriors has been cut from the USA men’s national basketball team one day into tryouts, sources close to USA Basketball report.
USA Basketball entered the summer training period with eight spots filled by returning players from last year’s team, which went undefeated to win the FIBA Americas championship. Approximately thirty American NBA players were invited to vie for the remaining four roster spots. Li is the first to be cut. Team USA Head Coach Mike Brackins had no comment.
Li, 25, was the Finals MVP last season, helping the Warriors to win the NBA championship for the first time since 1975. He averaged 21 points, 14 assists, 4 steals and 4 rebounds in the regular season and was named Defensive Player of the Year.
Reuters Wire Report
CHARLOTTE - John Li of the Golden State Warriors has been cut from the USA men’s national basketball team one day into tryouts, sources close to USA Basketball report.
USA Basketball entered the summer training period with eight spots filled by returning players from last year’s team, which went undefeated to win the FIBA Americas championship. Approximately thirty American NBA players were invited to vie for the remaining four roster spots. Li is the first to be cut. Team USA Head Coach Mike Brackins had no comment.
Li, 25, was the Finals MVP last season, helping the Warriors to win the NBA championship for the first time since 1975. He averaged 21 points, 14 assists, 4 steals and 4 rebounds in the regular season and was named Defensive Player of the Year.
Well, looks like Brackins is a dick.
G-Man_Graves
Title: Asshole
Was he the coach during that Northwestern-UNC game?
DaaaaaBears
Super Star
- May 30, 2006
- 51,757
- 29,338
I've been craving some new reading material lately, and I chanced upon this while looking at other forums.. haven't started reading yet, but I'll share my thoughts when I'm done ![[face_peace]](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ignboards.com/styles/ign/ign/smilies/classic/peace.gif "Peace [face_peace]")
I thought this was Jeremy Lin for sure and someone bumped it because of how good this guy predicted it. I was wrong....
DaaaaaBears said:I've been craving some new reading material lately, and I chanced upon this while looking at other forums.. haven't started reading yet, but I'll share my thoughts when I'm done
Well Bears, you came to the right place. This is like the Travis Buchanon of the 2K boards. It's the only reason I venture over from hip hop and NCAA. He might, maybe, be a better writer than you. Either way y'all are 2 of the 3 best writers on here.
Id Versus Ego
I was still in a daze when Thoc picked me up from the terminal at Oakland International. The phone call I got from Michael during the ride back snapped me out of it.
Coach Brackins had given no indications that I might be cut before he told me to leave, because there were no indications. It had nothing to do with my performance at all. Rather, Steven Lancer had gone to Brackins and demanded that I be sent home, threatening to quit if I were kept around. Given this ultimatum to choose between Lancer or me, Brackins chose to keep Lancer. While this had all been done behind closed doors, Lancer had spent today bragging about it to the other players, as one more way to assert his alpha-dog status. Michael’s response, instantly, had been to march into Brackins’ office and quit the team. He would fly home tomorrow or the next day.
Henry Wilson and Richard Khan called each of us about it later that day, and wasted no time having the Warriors’ front office put out a press release on their stars’ homecoming. The wire reports had already been out for hours, though, and by the time Michael caught his flight out of Charlotte, the machinery of the Internet had already begun to work.
The blogosphere screamed some rumors that we would never know for certain were true: that Brackins, as the longtime iconic coach at UNC, held a grudge against me for The Bird Incident my sophomore year in our game against them (as did most of the Carolina faithful, Keyan Farlander notwithstanding); that Brackins, as the new coach of the Lakers, was eager to win the favor of his star shooting guard; that Lancer held a personal dislike of me after the hard-fought and emotionally-wrought Western Conference Finals series we had played over the past two seasons, not to mention some rather uncharitable remarks while he stood accused of sexual assault (of which I continued to believe he was guilty, legalities aside). All of that might well be true, and no doubt had an impact, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought basketball really was the driving force behind Lancer’s demand. This was a man who absolutely, positively, had to be the undisputed master every time he picked up a basketball. It was for this reason that Billy Hopkins had ceased to be the field general that he bad been for so many years when he put on a Lakers uniform, and remained a point guard in name only. Lancer was an only child. He did not like to share. He did not play well with others. There was no way he would share a team with a point guard who would call the plays, handle the ball and distribute it. Period.
I was still in a daze when Thoc picked me up from the terminal at Oakland International. The phone call I got from Michael during the ride back snapped me out of it.
Coach Brackins had given no indications that I might be cut before he told me to leave, because there were no indications. It had nothing to do with my performance at all. Rather, Steven Lancer had gone to Brackins and demanded that I be sent home, threatening to quit if I were kept around. Given this ultimatum to choose between Lancer or me, Brackins chose to keep Lancer. While this had all been done behind closed doors, Lancer had spent today bragging about it to the other players, as one more way to assert his alpha-dog status. Michael’s response, instantly, had been to march into Brackins’ office and quit the team. He would fly home tomorrow or the next day.
Henry Wilson and Richard Khan called each of us about it later that day, and wasted no time having the Warriors’ front office put out a press release on their stars’ homecoming. The wire reports had already been out for hours, though, and by the time Michael caught his flight out of Charlotte, the machinery of the Internet had already begun to work.
The blogosphere screamed some rumors that we would never know for certain were true: that Brackins, as the longtime iconic coach at UNC, held a grudge against me for The Bird Incident my sophomore year in our game against them (as did most of the Carolina faithful, Keyan Farlander notwithstanding); that Brackins, as the new coach of the Lakers, was eager to win the favor of his star shooting guard; that Lancer held a personal dislike of me after the hard-fought and emotionally-wrought Western Conference Finals series we had played over the past two seasons, not to mention some rather uncharitable remarks while he stood accused of sexual assault (of which I continued to believe he was guilty, legalities aside). All of that might well be true, and no doubt had an impact, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought basketball really was the driving force behind Lancer’s demand. This was a man who absolutely, positively, had to be the undisputed master every time he picked up a basketball. It was for this reason that Billy Hopkins had ceased to be the field general that he bad been for so many years when he put on a Lakers uniform, and remained a point guard in name only. Lancer was an only child. He did not like to share. He did not play well with others. There was no way he would share a team with a point guard who would call the plays, handle the ball and distribute it. Period.
DaaaaaBears
Super Star
- May 30, 2006
- 51,757
- 29,338
leeec13 said:DaaaaaBears said:I've been craving some new reading material lately, and I chanced upon this while looking at other forums.. haven't started reading yet, but I'll share my thoughts when I'm done
Well Bears, you came to the right place. This is like the Travis Buchanon of the 2K boards. It's the only reason I venture over from hip hop and NCAA. He might, maybe, be a better writer than you. Either way y'all are 2 of the 3 best writers on here.
It's a crime that Spike's chapters are so sporadic, but I've always mantained that he's the best writer update-for-update (think Mayweather pound-for-pound, lol) on IGN..
On page three so far, Lids.. really loving the journalistic entry feel to this..
simms2bavaro
No Longer a Noob
- Jan 3, 2006
- 7,463
- 646
Interesting way to put it...but I guess that's pretty accurate. Main difference is that this is a lot more centralized around the main character, whereas Bears has put more effort into developing the supporting cast. Neither method is better or worse than the other; John Li moves along more quickly (this thing's covered well over a decade so far), Travis Buchanon has more depth.leeec13 said:
@Bears yeah, Spike is really gifted, just like you two.
@Simms2Navarro Yeah. I actually think that it's better that there is variety, but there's nothing bad about any of it.
Man, Lancers a bitch. Im glad that John beat his ass. I hope Warwick falls on him and ends his career with a double ACL tear lol.
@Simms2Navarro Yeah. I actually think that it's better that there is variety, but there's nothing bad about any of it.
Man, Lancers a bitch. Im glad that John beat his ass. I hope Warwick falls on him and ends his career with a double ACL tear lol.
Lancer = Kobe?...
redsoxaholic said:
Ink
I made practical use of my early return. During my first week back, J.T. Allen and I fielded a small number of additional sponsorship offers. I retained my existing deals, but the major new additions were few:
AT&T (telecommunications) Dallas, Texas, USA
IBM (information technology, business consulting) Armonk, New York, USA
SkyTeam (airline alliance) Amsterdam, Netherlands
Wells Fargo (bank) San Francisco, California, USA
What was interesting to me was that in none of these cases did my spokesmanship have anything to do with basketball. I wasn’t playing, wearing my uniform, or anything in the ads. The ads they wanted generally had me speaking the copy directly into the camera, bookending my voice over the more interesting visual part of the commercial (which did not feature me). I was also rather surprised that I picked up any new offers at all--being cut from Team USA should have been a major black mark for my draw as a sports figure.
After signing those deals, Allen had a niggling feeling that he might not have underestimated my bargaining position, and I agreed to commission a study by several teacher at the Haas School into my public brand image--a more detailed version of the Q-rating study Frankie Gibson had presented a year prior. We would await their results before negotiating for any more endorsements, should offers materialize in the meantime.
A much easier situation was on the table when Robert Bennett and I met Henry Wilson and Richard Khan. My contract was due to expire at the end of the coming season, and there had been a few free-agent rumblings for that time, though meanwhile the Warriors had made it clear that I was not available for trade at any price. We met in an unusual place for a contract negotiation: outdoors in Union Square, on a bright sunny day, with dozens of media people watching. It was a formality used as a publicity stunt--there really was nothing to negotiate. Three minutes after sitting down, they had offered and I had signed a contract extension for the maximum over seven years.
With the Square and a pair of parked tour buses in the background, I answered a handful of the usual questions from the reporters before heading home. There wasn’t much to say, except that everyone was happy. I was going to be a Warrior for life.
I made practical use of my early return. During my first week back, J.T. Allen and I fielded a small number of additional sponsorship offers. I retained my existing deals, but the major new additions were few:
AT&T (telecommunications) Dallas, Texas, USA
IBM (information technology, business consulting) Armonk, New York, USA
SkyTeam (airline alliance) Amsterdam, Netherlands
Wells Fargo (bank) San Francisco, California, USA
What was interesting to me was that in none of these cases did my spokesmanship have anything to do with basketball. I wasn’t playing, wearing my uniform, or anything in the ads. The ads they wanted generally had me speaking the copy directly into the camera, bookending my voice over the more interesting visual part of the commercial (which did not feature me). I was also rather surprised that I picked up any new offers at all--being cut from Team USA should have been a major black mark for my draw as a sports figure.
After signing those deals, Allen had a niggling feeling that he might not have underestimated my bargaining position, and I agreed to commission a study by several teacher at the Haas School into my public brand image--a more detailed version of the Q-rating study Frankie Gibson had presented a year prior. We would await their results before negotiating for any more endorsements, should offers materialize in the meantime.
A much easier situation was on the table when Robert Bennett and I met Henry Wilson and Richard Khan. My contract was due to expire at the end of the coming season, and there had been a few free-agent rumblings for that time, though meanwhile the Warriors had made it clear that I was not available for trade at any price. We met in an unusual place for a contract negotiation: outdoors in Union Square, on a bright sunny day, with dozens of media people watching. It was a formality used as a publicity stunt--there really was nothing to negotiate. Three minutes after sitting down, they had offered and I had signed a contract extension for the maximum over seven years.
With the Square and a pair of parked tour buses in the background, I answered a handful of the usual questions from the reporters before heading home. There wasn’t much to say, except that everyone was happy. I was going to be a Warrior for life.
simms2bavaro
No Longer a Noob
- Jan 3, 2006
- 7,463
- 646
Wonder what a max deal pays in the 2030's...
Niggling?
Wut ?
Wut ?
John Li really is a warrior, in every way, shape, and form. Dude has been through so much, but he always came out on top in his way. Proud to have been a reader of this for so long.
So, thank you, Lids, for posting this amazing story. Hopefully, it continues for MUCH longer haha
So, thank you, Lids, for posting this amazing story. Hopefully, it continues for MUCH longer haha
DaaaaaBears
Super Star
- May 30, 2006
- 51,757
- 29,338
Just finished this after a week of ignoring my studies to get through all 45 pages, and all I can say is bravo, Lids... bravo. Never before have I come across such an introspective tale that fleshed out a character as well as this. After all that I've read, I feel like I know everything about Mr. Li; it's that in-depth. I could probably predict what John thinks of every political candidate or how he would rate a new movie that just hit theatres. It takes a certain talent to convey the thoughts and psyche of the central character in the way that you have for over three years now, and it's only gotten better as John's morals and quirks become known to the whole world.
This blows everything that I've read on IGN out of the water - even Spike's (whose Casey Slade story I've always considered considered to be the pinnacle). I think he's just as talented of a writer, but you've mastered your story lines and wrapped them together with such skill and intricacy that I never thought was possible from an "amateur".
I have to ask - where do you go to school? What's your background? Aside from your obvious bevy of basketball knowledge, you're quite the cultured individual. Food, music, foreign lands, geopolitcs... as a political science major who hopes to attend law school as well in the near future, your fluency in these fields weren't lost on me. I literally couldn't take my eyes away from my screen when I got to the Marcus Freeman scandal - the subsequent fallout was nothing less than riveting. Flawless. That was the best example I could provide if I wanted to show others just how well you've tied everything together. The domino effect was absolutely fascinating (and I'm glad my Kentucky Wildcats were spared the embarrassment of being one of the focal points
).
There are very few critiques on my end, and they really only pertain to some of the basketball happenings that have occurred (as your grammar and writing ability are unmatched). While I found the NBA landscape of the 2030s to be very well thought out and reasonable in design (I especially appreciate this, because so many stories on IGN that are based in the future completely ignore inevitable changes in society), I have to agree with simms2bavaro's earlier dissension on Li's scoring advantages in college and at the professional level. A 6'0'' point guard has zero chance at scoring 97 points in an NBA game unless the defense was being paid to allow it, and 32 assists seemed pretty unbelievable for a first year starter. The scoring totals in general seemed pretty generous throughout the story - Maybach often went for 40 or 50 at Northwestern, and 60+ point games from Max Johnson and others seemed almost routine in the NBA years of this story.
However, that's very minor. This is sensational, and I'll be following this as long as you're posting updates. You've got a beautiful thing going here, Lids, and you're the kind of writer who I strive to reach the level of one day. C'est magnifique, as Previn would say.
This blows everything that I've read on IGN out of the water - even Spike's (whose Casey Slade story I've always considered considered to be the pinnacle). I think he's just as talented of a writer, but you've mastered your story lines and wrapped them together with such skill and intricacy that I never thought was possible from an "amateur".
I have to ask - where do you go to school? What's your background? Aside from your obvious bevy of basketball knowledge, you're quite the cultured individual. Food, music, foreign lands, geopolitcs... as a political science major who hopes to attend law school as well in the near future, your fluency in these fields weren't lost on me. I literally couldn't take my eyes away from my screen when I got to the Marcus Freeman scandal - the subsequent fallout was nothing less than riveting. Flawless. That was the best example I could provide if I wanted to show others just how well you've tied everything together. The domino effect was absolutely fascinating (and I'm glad my Kentucky Wildcats were spared the embarrassment of being one of the focal points
).There are very few critiques on my end, and they really only pertain to some of the basketball happenings that have occurred (as your grammar and writing ability are unmatched). While I found the NBA landscape of the 2030s to be very well thought out and reasonable in design (I especially appreciate this, because so many stories on IGN that are based in the future completely ignore inevitable changes in society), I have to agree with simms2bavaro's earlier dissension on Li's scoring advantages in college and at the professional level. A 6'0'' point guard has zero chance at scoring 97 points in an NBA game unless the defense was being paid to allow it, and 32 assists seemed pretty unbelievable for a first year starter. The scoring totals in general seemed pretty generous throughout the story - Maybach often went for 40 or 50 at Northwestern, and 60+ point games from Max Johnson and others seemed almost routine in the NBA years of this story.
However, that's very minor. This is sensational, and I'll be following this as long as you're posting updates. You've got a beautiful thing going here, Lids, and you're the kind of writer who I strive to reach the level of one day. C'est magnifique, as Previn would say.
The Getaway
I had bad news for Diana. While my other sponsors, new and old, would shoot their commercials and ads with me in the Bay Area, one of SkyTeam’s members had other plans. Two SkyTeam members--Delta and Air France--wished to use me in commercials once I signed with their alliance. Delta was no problem, the ads would be made locally. Air France, though, wanted to show me running in several landscapes of the French countryside. They could CG me in, of course, but the effect was never quite the same. Besides, while I had taken Delta back from being cut from the USA training camp, I had never flown Air France. They wanted to be able to say “oui” truthfully if anyone asked--and truth be told, when I thought about it, so would I. Unfortunately, they wanted to shoot the commercial the week that Diana was returning from Brazil. It looked like we would miss each other after all.
That is, until Previn gave me a call to buck me up after Team USA cut me. “Well, that means I still have a chance to beat them, you know. I feel much better. France will be your revenge.” Then I explained the Air France situation--he had been an Air France spokesman himself since winning his second French Championship--and his mood brightened instantly.
“You are not on USA team, so you are not doing anything right now, correct? And Diana is not doing anything now, correct? And a model of her stature, she must have an agent over here, or a branch of her agency.”
“Where in France are you?”
“I’m in Paris now, we’re having the national team practices here. We’ll be here until pool play starts in August. Then we’ll have to go to the FIBA site in Sydney. Why don’t you both come over, shoot the commercial, and visit for awhile? I’ll get you a gym membership, your training won’t suffer a bit. And if I may say, you really need to get away from it all. When’s the last time you went on vacation?”
I mulled it over. It was very tempting. And I hadn’t gone on vacation since...well, since my family went to Hawaii when I was a young teenager. My fling with Melinda had been a long time ago indeed. Previn was right.
“Alright, if Diana agrees, we’ll be on the next flight. One thing,” I said. “You’ve heard my middle-school French.”
“Yes, it’s atrocious.”
“I’m a little worried.”
“Well, think of it this way: it won’t get any better if you don’t practice. I remember how my English was when I moved to Sheffield to coach the Sharks. It was awful. But I had to use it all day every day for months. If you want to get better, what better way to practice? And,” he chuckled, “here you will have to practice, because even if French people understand your language, they will not speak to you in anything but French.”
“Ha. Alright, what the hell. Let’s do it.”
I had bad news for Diana. While my other sponsors, new and old, would shoot their commercials and ads with me in the Bay Area, one of SkyTeam’s members had other plans. Two SkyTeam members--Delta and Air France--wished to use me in commercials once I signed with their alliance. Delta was no problem, the ads would be made locally. Air France, though, wanted to show me running in several landscapes of the French countryside. They could CG me in, of course, but the effect was never quite the same. Besides, while I had taken Delta back from being cut from the USA training camp, I had never flown Air France. They wanted to be able to say “oui” truthfully if anyone asked--and truth be told, when I thought about it, so would I. Unfortunately, they wanted to shoot the commercial the week that Diana was returning from Brazil. It looked like we would miss each other after all.
That is, until Previn gave me a call to buck me up after Team USA cut me. “Well, that means I still have a chance to beat them, you know. I feel much better. France will be your revenge.” Then I explained the Air France situation--he had been an Air France spokesman himself since winning his second French Championship--and his mood brightened instantly.
“You are not on USA team, so you are not doing anything right now, correct? And Diana is not doing anything now, correct? And a model of her stature, she must have an agent over here, or a branch of her agency.”
“Where in France are you?”
“I’m in Paris now, we’re having the national team practices here. We’ll be here until pool play starts in August. Then we’ll have to go to the FIBA site in Sydney. Why don’t you both come over, shoot the commercial, and visit for awhile? I’ll get you a gym membership, your training won’t suffer a bit. And if I may say, you really need to get away from it all. When’s the last time you went on vacation?”
I mulled it over. It was very tempting. And I hadn’t gone on vacation since...well, since my family went to Hawaii when I was a young teenager. My fling with Melinda had been a long time ago indeed. Previn was right.
“Alright, if Diana agrees, we’ll be on the next flight. One thing,” I said. “You’ve heard my middle-school French.”
“Yes, it’s atrocious.”
“I’m a little worried.”
“Well, think of it this way: it won’t get any better if you don’t practice. I remember how my English was when I moved to Sheffield to coach the Sharks. It was awful. But I had to use it all day every day for months. If you want to get better, what better way to practice? And,” he chuckled, “here you will have to practice, because even if French people understand your language, they will not speak to you in anything but French.”
“Ha. Alright, what the hell. Let’s do it.”
I <3 you, Lids.
I damn achieve literary orgasm everytime I read this. Maybe John and Diana will, you know, get it on. It is the City of Love isnt it? ![[face_mischief]](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ignboards.com/styles/ign/ign/smilies/classic/mischief.gif "Mischief [face_mischief]")
Small Steps
Diana practically squealed with glee when I broached the topic, and three days after she got back from Rio, we got complimentary first-class tickets from Air France, nonstop San Francisco International to Paris Orly. Those three days also saw me take my first three Pimsleur audio courses in French, and also purchased a print and phone app dictionary to add words not covered by the course when I needed them. I was amazed how easy it was to pick up, given that learning French (and later Spanish in high school) was like pulling teeth when I took academic classes. On the other hand, the lessons lasted only a half an hour each day--human memory needed time to assimilate before moving on--and there were 30 levels to the course of 30 lessons each. It would be a long process to reach anything resembling fluency. Diana was fluent already, though, and she helped me practice a bit before we left.
“How many languages do you speak?” I marveled.
“Let’s see: obviously I grew up speaking Slovak, which is basically the same as Czech, so I count them as one. English, of course. Had to learn French for the fashion industry, and Italian because I did so many shows there. Portuguese was pretty easy after those two, it’s very similar, and I’ve spent a lot of time in Brazil doing shows and shoots there. Chinese, too-- Fashion Week in Hong Kong was my first job outside Europe, and I’ve worked it a few times.”
My jaw was on the floor.
“I can get by in Polish and Rusyn, too, but only because they’re so similar to Slovak. So I guess that’s 6 well and 2 badly?”
“Damn...I barely have 2 badly.”
She chuckled. “It always amuses me that America is the most globalized nation in the world--you have peoples from every corner of the globe here and the whole world as your playground--but Americans never want to learn anything except English!”
“I guess I just never thought I’d have a use for them. And it’s a pretty daunting task, sitting here thinking ‘oh, I’ll just learn to speak a whole ‘nother language.’ And hey, I think of myself as an American, why shouldn’t the American language be good enough for me?”
“You are, but you are becoming an international icon. Air France wouldn’t pay for your endorsement if you weren’t popular over there, for instance. And not only that, you’re becoming an international icon of Americanness. Think about those Coke ads. It’s not the ads; the ads reflect something about you, about your story and your family’s story. Everywhere I travel, people have heard of you. When they know who I am, they ask about you. People out there look at you and see the best in the United States, the American Dream that we came so close to losing in the last generation. So, do you play the Ugly American and complain that people in another country don’t speak better English? Or do you try to meet them halfway, try to add this skill to yourself so that your essence--that clean-cut All-American boy I know you are--can come through to them?”
“Ha. Well when you put it that way...”
Diana practically squealed with glee when I broached the topic, and three days after she got back from Rio, we got complimentary first-class tickets from Air France, nonstop San Francisco International to Paris Orly. Those three days also saw me take my first three Pimsleur audio courses in French, and also purchased a print and phone app dictionary to add words not covered by the course when I needed them. I was amazed how easy it was to pick up, given that learning French (and later Spanish in high school) was like pulling teeth when I took academic classes. On the other hand, the lessons lasted only a half an hour each day--human memory needed time to assimilate before moving on--and there were 30 levels to the course of 30 lessons each. It would be a long process to reach anything resembling fluency. Diana was fluent already, though, and she helped me practice a bit before we left.
“How many languages do you speak?” I marveled.
“Let’s see: obviously I grew up speaking Slovak, which is basically the same as Czech, so I count them as one. English, of course. Had to learn French for the fashion industry, and Italian because I did so many shows there. Portuguese was pretty easy after those two, it’s very similar, and I’ve spent a lot of time in Brazil doing shows and shoots there. Chinese, too-- Fashion Week in Hong Kong was my first job outside Europe, and I’ve worked it a few times.”
My jaw was on the floor.
“I can get by in Polish and Rusyn, too, but only because they’re so similar to Slovak. So I guess that’s 6 well and 2 badly?”
“Damn...I barely have 2 badly.”
She chuckled. “It always amuses me that America is the most globalized nation in the world--you have peoples from every corner of the globe here and the whole world as your playground--but Americans never want to learn anything except English!”
“I guess I just never thought I’d have a use for them. And it’s a pretty daunting task, sitting here thinking ‘oh, I’ll just learn to speak a whole ‘nother language.’ And hey, I think of myself as an American, why shouldn’t the American language be good enough for me?”
“You are, but you are becoming an international icon. Air France wouldn’t pay for your endorsement if you weren’t popular over there, for instance. And not only that, you’re becoming an international icon of Americanness. Think about those Coke ads. It’s not the ads; the ads reflect something about you, about your story and your family’s story. Everywhere I travel, people have heard of you. When they know who I am, they ask about you. People out there look at you and see the best in the United States, the American Dream that we came so close to losing in the last generation. So, do you play the Ugly American and complain that people in another country don’t speak better English? Or do you try to meet them halfway, try to add this skill to yourself so that your essence--that clean-cut All-American boy I know you are--can come through to them?”
“Ha. Well when you put it that way...”
Anybody else find that this new Boards setup makes it a pain to find the NBA 2K boards and this thread? I had to resort to a Google search myself.
DaaaaaBears
Super Star
- May 30, 2006
- 51,757
- 29,338
Nothing? Just curious.
John's global image is blowing up. He'll never be like Yao in China, but I'm wondering if he can surpass Kobe/LeBron levels world-wide in the next few years..
I have this favorites so I don't really have any trouble ever finding it.
I just noticed something so scary. Earlier in this, like November 2010, Somebody compared John Li to Jeremy Lin. Crazy how it worked out.
PM me if you're curious, Bears. Or anyone else curious. I don't mind sharing between us, but I try to keep my thread posts to the story.
Im pretty sure if I was an NBA star I would go on vacations every year... But it will be interesting to see how Lids knowledge of France influences John's summer.
Mr. Hobbes’s Neighborhood
“John, check the news.”
I found a TV on the airport wall tuned to France24. Even with my French in a primitive state, I could understand enough. The story made my stomach drop like a rock.
“...total of thirty children, along with two teachers, and two adult visitors.” The visitors’ pictures were on the screen: Yitzak Yehudi and Namoor Hassan.
It seemed that gunmen had raided a school in East Jerusalem, kidnapping the students and both teachers from one classroom, along with my teammates, who had been visiting the school as guests. The school was part of a program called Hand in Hand which dated back to the 1990s but had gained traction since the last war ended, educating Israeli and Palestinian students together and gaining them fluency in English, Hebrew, and Arabic. Groups like Hamas and Hezbollah which wished the conflict to continue naturally hated these schools, and it was not surprising that they should choose one as a target. No one had as yet claimed responsibility, but it was likely just a matter of time.
France24 correspondents also interviewed a number of people whom Yitzak and Namoor had spent time with earlier on their trip. Their affiliations and stations were varied: the coach of the Israeli national basketball team (Yitzak was training with them), the Palestinian shopkeeper who served them coffee, the Indian Army medic running the refugee camp they visited, the curator of the Dome of the Rock, the imam of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the French Ambassador. They all essentially said the same thing: what a joy our friends were to have around, what an inspiration it was to see their friendship, and the light of optimism they obviously drew from it--and what barbarous people could not see that light, nor comprehend it, to have taken them and the children from a place where they might learn the same.
The American general leading the UN peacekeepers was very matter-of-fact, and had little to say. The bulk of his combat forces were still tied down in Syria and Lebanon rooting out the last of Hezbollah and Ba’ath Party holdouts, and while there had been little violence lately, that may simply have been an indication that the enemy had gone to ground--and wherever they were, there they may have been hiding their captives. In the bad old days of the Cold War, militias in that part of the world had kept hostages hidden for years. Of course, there was also the possibility that they were already dead. Namoor’s big mouth and hot temper could get him in trouble, and Yitzak was a strapping man at 6’8” and had seen combat with the IDF during the last war. It was entirely possible the gunmen would consider either of them too dangerous to leave alive.
As Diana and I headed for the train station, Paris felt a lot less romantic. I wasn’t likely to enjoy this much until I knew my friends were safe.
“John, check the news.”
I found a TV on the airport wall tuned to France24. Even with my French in a primitive state, I could understand enough. The story made my stomach drop like a rock.
“...total of thirty children, along with two teachers, and two adult visitors.” The visitors’ pictures were on the screen: Yitzak Yehudi and Namoor Hassan.
It seemed that gunmen had raided a school in East Jerusalem, kidnapping the students and both teachers from one classroom, along with my teammates, who had been visiting the school as guests. The school was part of a program called Hand in Hand which dated back to the 1990s but had gained traction since the last war ended, educating Israeli and Palestinian students together and gaining them fluency in English, Hebrew, and Arabic. Groups like Hamas and Hezbollah which wished the conflict to continue naturally hated these schools, and it was not surprising that they should choose one as a target. No one had as yet claimed responsibility, but it was likely just a matter of time.
France24 correspondents also interviewed a number of people whom Yitzak and Namoor had spent time with earlier on their trip. Their affiliations and stations were varied: the coach of the Israeli national basketball team (Yitzak was training with them), the Palestinian shopkeeper who served them coffee, the Indian Army medic running the refugee camp they visited, the curator of the Dome of the Rock, the imam of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the French Ambassador. They all essentially said the same thing: what a joy our friends were to have around, what an inspiration it was to see their friendship, and the light of optimism they obviously drew from it--and what barbarous people could not see that light, nor comprehend it, to have taken them and the children from a place where they might learn the same.
The American general leading the UN peacekeepers was very matter-of-fact, and had little to say. The bulk of his combat forces were still tied down in Syria and Lebanon rooting out the last of Hezbollah and Ba’ath Party holdouts, and while there had been little violence lately, that may simply have been an indication that the enemy had gone to ground--and wherever they were, there they may have been hiding their captives. In the bad old days of the Cold War, militias in that part of the world had kept hostages hidden for years. Of course, there was also the possibility that they were already dead. Namoor’s big mouth and hot temper could get him in trouble, and Yitzak was a strapping man at 6’8” and had seen combat with the IDF during the last war. It was entirely possible the gunmen would consider either of them too dangerous to leave alive.
As Diana and I headed for the train station, Paris felt a lot less romantic. I wasn’t likely to enjoy this much until I knew my friends were safe.
To forewarn you all, we're heading into my off-month. Last update for awhile will be on 3/4, and I will then return on 4/4.
Working Holiday
I lifted weights. I shot baskets. I ran drills. My sea legs were returning after the physical abuse of the season, and I had adjusted to the time difference. I was training longer and harder than I had back home, and for now concentrating on squeezing out even more from myself athletically than adding new skills. I shot the Air France commercials--at least they didn’t expect me to smile while running on the landscapes, although I did manage to fake one decently in the shot at the boarding gate. I moved away from the Pimsleur lessons, taking Diana’s advice to make lists of the words I most needed, and learn those first. Other than speaking to the gym staff. I wasn’t speaking as much as I might, given most of my time was spent training. Previn was busy coaching all day, and Diana went off with local friends or to do one-off gigs her agent found. I didn’t blame her. I wasn’t good company.
One thing I did not do was enjoy myself. The few times I tried to go for a stroll or go to a museum, a voice in my head would start screaming your friends are in trouble! And there is absolutely nothing you can do about it! When I’d told her where I was going, April told me it was impossible to be miserable in Paris. She was wrong.
It was ten days before Diana called me as I was playing the piano in a cheap little cafe.
“Johnny, they’ve found them.”
I lifted weights. I shot baskets. I ran drills. My sea legs were returning after the physical abuse of the season, and I had adjusted to the time difference. I was training longer and harder than I had back home, and for now concentrating on squeezing out even more from myself athletically than adding new skills. I shot the Air France commercials--at least they didn’t expect me to smile while running on the landscapes, although I did manage to fake one decently in the shot at the boarding gate. I moved away from the Pimsleur lessons, taking Diana’s advice to make lists of the words I most needed, and learn those first. Other than speaking to the gym staff. I wasn’t speaking as much as I might, given most of my time was spent training. Previn was busy coaching all day, and Diana went off with local friends or to do one-off gigs her agent found. I didn’t blame her. I wasn’t good company.
One thing I did not do was enjoy myself. The few times I tried to go for a stroll or go to a museum, a voice in my head would start screaming your friends are in trouble! And there is absolutely nothing you can do about it! When I’d told her where I was going, April told me it was impossible to be miserable in Paris. She was wrong.
It was ten days before Diana called me as I was playing the piano in a cheap little cafe.
“Johnny, they’ve found them.”
...and I'm out. See you April 4.
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Nooooooooooooo!
I'm sure they're ok...
It's not the worst cliffhanger, but it'll gnaw at me for the next month. Have fun doing whatever you're doing.
DaaaaaBears
Super Star
- May 30, 2006
- 51,757
- 29,338
Saw a bit of a Raptors game a few days ago that featured raw, unpolished products like DeMar DeRozan and Jerryd Bayless, and I immediately thought of guys like LaMarcus Cole, LaShawn Roberts, Isaac Taylor, DeLeon Cloud, and so many more. Got me thinking about how I would compare the main characters in this story to real life counterparts..
John Li - no comparison
Michael Eaddy - Grant Hill
Keyan Farlander - Kevin Love
Cornelius Cameron - Bruce Bowen? I'm sure he's based around some ABA players that I'm ignorant to
Billy Hopkins - Chris Paul
Jupiter Jones - Jason Kidd
Mareek Stele - Shaq
Steven Lancer - Kobe
Richard Maybach - Dirk, maybe Bargnani with a post game
Robby Gold - Bill Laimbeer
Anyone agree/disagree with those?
John Li - no comparison
Michael Eaddy - Grant Hill
Keyan Farlander - Kevin Love
Cornelius Cameron - Bruce Bowen? I'm sure he's based around some ABA players that I'm ignorant to
Billy Hopkins - Chris Paul
Jupiter Jones - Jason Kidd
Mareek Stele - Shaq
Steven Lancer - Kobe
Richard Maybach - Dirk, maybe Bargnani with a post game
Robby Gold - Bill Laimbeer
Anyone agree/disagree with those?
A lot of those look good, if you're talking about a young Grant Hill.
Updates resume tomorrow.
At midnight.
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Anticipation. Rising