its amazing how long this thread has been here since i was in the 8th grade now im a college freshman i wish i didnt get so far behind on it i think this story should have a book lol great job lids
<><>Gonna Take On The World Some Day: John Li<><>
- Thread starter lids4
- Start date
DaaaaaBears
Super Star
- May 30, 2006
- 51,757
- 29,338
Glad to see this is still alive. Looking forward to seeing the end of John's saga.
2-part epilogue coming next week which will be the final updates. Thought I'd be able to finish the season but I can't. Thanks to everyone, it's been an amazing 5 years.
Epilogue, Part 1
Cornelius Cameron left the Golden State Warriors in free agency in 2042 when the Atlanta Hawks surprisingly offered him a near-max contract. He earned two more Defensive Player of the Year awards in Atlanta, giving him a total of three, but never became the franchise player they had hoped. He retired from the Hawks in 2049 and now owns a beachfront resort on Oahu.
LaMarcus Cole never made it back to the NBA, floating through the CBA and a sting as an MMA fighter before landing as a shooting guard for the Soweto Panthers of South Africa’s Premier Basketball League. He became a citizen in 2039, in time to face John Li’s USA team in the 2040 FIBA Worlds.
Michael Eaddy retired from the Golden State Warriors in 2047 with 2 MVP awards and 9 Finals rings--by any definition, a wildly successful career. He was a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. Never particularly large-living even during his playing days, he settled into a quiet home life with Jennifer and their three children, appearing as a commentator for only a precious 10 NBA games each season.
Keyan Farlander will no doubt be remembered as one of the NBA’s true greats at power forward, averaging double-doubles in 12 of his 13 seasons in the league, shooting over 50% from the field in 10 of them, and over 20 points per game in 10. He also averaged 20.2 rebounds per game in 2041-2042, the first player to average more than 20 since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968-1969. That season was cut short after 48 games, however. Keyan was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a form of bone cancer, and required chemotherapy. After almost a year of fighting cancer and recovering, Keyan returned the following season for the last 52 games, starting 40 of them. He retired from the Warriors in 2047, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility.
Frankie Gibson continued to manage John’s publicity until his first retirement from the NBA in 2049. She had her wastrel sister civilly committed after an incident in Monaco involving the Crown Prince of the Netherlands, three barrels of algae paste, and a ham sandwich. Thereafter she became the sole steward of the Gibson family fortune and could always be found writing the first check at John and Diana’s charity events.
Caroline and Gerald Han wed three years after graduating Northwestern and remain happily--and dysfunctionally--married to this day, proof positive that God has a sense of humor.
April Harrington became fast friends with Frankie after they met at John’s 26th birthday party. The two could often be sighted tearing up the San Francisco nightlife and scouting eligible bachelors when Frankie was in town. April took early retirement from her job as an allergist to join Frankie in writing a lifestyle blog and host entertainment segments for Galaxy News Radio.
Namoor Hassan was signed and traded to the Detroit Pistons upon the expiry of his rookie contract in 2039 along with his new brother-in-law, Yitzak Yehudi. They formed the offensive core of a Pistons team that would make deep playoff runs over the next decade, although they never won the Finals. He was one of only three point guards, along with John Li and Jupiter Jones, to average over 10 assists per game every season during this stretch of NBA history. The local kid, jokingly nicknamed “the Mayor” because of his personal popularity, was elected Mayor of Dearborn as a write-in candidate following an influence-peddling scandal there in 2042. He accepted the office and served as Mayor while continuing to play for the Pistons, in addition to his charitable work and frequent trips to the Middle East with Yitzak. Following his retirement from the Pistons in 2047, he was named US Ambassador to Israel, traveling frequently around the Middle East and doing more to heal old wounds than anyone since John Paul II. Elected Governor of Michigan in a landslide in 2052, he improved the state’s K-12 education system to become the second-best in America, behind only Minnesota. In 2060, W.W. Namoor Hassan (D-MI) was the first Muslim to be elected President of the United States.
Jupiter Jones took his Nets to five Eastern Conference championships before his retirement due to ankle injuries in 2046. With one MVP award to his credit, Jones also remained in the top 5 players for annual jersey sales throughout his career. He has yet to be voted to the Hall of Fame.
Richard L. Khan remained owner of the Golden State Warriors through 2062, when he retired in favor of his daughter Wendy. He always preferred to remain in the background, leaving Henry Wilson to handle the day-to-day operations and personnel transactions. His main interaction with the team was the annual start-of-season dinner party at his house, where he and Previn cooked for the players and staff.
Steven Lancer won his first and only MVP award in 2043, and in 2044 won his first and only NBA Finals without Maarek Stele at his side. In time, his sexual assault in Detroit was forgotten and within a few years, the media was comfortable lavishing praise on him again. However, his inability to break the Wilson-Previn-Li Warriors’ stranglehold on the Western Conference damaged his popularity, and his jersey sales never rose above 5th best after 2046. He retired in 2051 and was a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.
Pierre Previn remains the only coach in human history to win championships in the French league, the British league, the Euroleague, the Olympics, the NCAA, and the NBA. His 9 NBA championships rank 2nd, tied with Red Auerbach and behind only Phil Jackson. Following his retirement in 2049, Previn took US citizenship and became a commentator. Unlike Michael Eaddy, who jealously rationed time away from his family, the bachelor Previn threw himself into broadcasting and was a constant fixture at NBA games for years to come. His cool, insightful, rational dissection of strategy and his pompadour haircut made him immensely popular with viewers.
Diana Stefanik married John Li in August 2039 at a large outdoor ceremony on the Presidio with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. She was 29 and he had just turned 27. They would go on to have two children and be ridiculously happy for over a decade--but more on that later.
Yitzak Yehudi proposed marriage to his girlfriend, Noor Hassan, and two days later was signed and traded to the Detroit Pistons along with his prospective brother-in-law, Namoor. The Warriors’ 6th man became the regular starter at small forward and made three East All-Star teams at that position. He and Noor were married in August 2041, which caused quite a stir as she converted to Judaism and he renounced his Israeli citizenship in favor of naturalizing in the United States. When he made his first visit back to Israel three years later--along with Namoor--there were two crowd of demonstrators outside the airport, one welcoming him, one condemning him. This would be a continuing feature as these two continued their humanitarian work in the years to come, although as time went by the welcome became warmer and the protesters became fewer.
Cornelius Cameron left the Golden State Warriors in free agency in 2042 when the Atlanta Hawks surprisingly offered him a near-max contract. He earned two more Defensive Player of the Year awards in Atlanta, giving him a total of three, but never became the franchise player they had hoped. He retired from the Hawks in 2049 and now owns a beachfront resort on Oahu.
LaMarcus Cole never made it back to the NBA, floating through the CBA and a sting as an MMA fighter before landing as a shooting guard for the Soweto Panthers of South Africa’s Premier Basketball League. He became a citizen in 2039, in time to face John Li’s USA team in the 2040 FIBA Worlds.
Michael Eaddy retired from the Golden State Warriors in 2047 with 2 MVP awards and 9 Finals rings--by any definition, a wildly successful career. He was a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. Never particularly large-living even during his playing days, he settled into a quiet home life with Jennifer and their three children, appearing as a commentator for only a precious 10 NBA games each season.
Keyan Farlander will no doubt be remembered as one of the NBA’s true greats at power forward, averaging double-doubles in 12 of his 13 seasons in the league, shooting over 50% from the field in 10 of them, and over 20 points per game in 10. He also averaged 20.2 rebounds per game in 2041-2042, the first player to average more than 20 since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968-1969. That season was cut short after 48 games, however. Keyan was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a form of bone cancer, and required chemotherapy. After almost a year of fighting cancer and recovering, Keyan returned the following season for the last 52 games, starting 40 of them. He retired from the Warriors in 2047, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility.
Frankie Gibson continued to manage John’s publicity until his first retirement from the NBA in 2049. She had her wastrel sister civilly committed after an incident in Monaco involving the Crown Prince of the Netherlands, three barrels of algae paste, and a ham sandwich. Thereafter she became the sole steward of the Gibson family fortune and could always be found writing the first check at John and Diana’s charity events.
Caroline and Gerald Han wed three years after graduating Northwestern and remain happily--and dysfunctionally--married to this day, proof positive that God has a sense of humor.
April Harrington became fast friends with Frankie after they met at John’s 26th birthday party. The two could often be sighted tearing up the San Francisco nightlife and scouting eligible bachelors when Frankie was in town. April took early retirement from her job as an allergist to join Frankie in writing a lifestyle blog and host entertainment segments for Galaxy News Radio.
Namoor Hassan was signed and traded to the Detroit Pistons upon the expiry of his rookie contract in 2039 along with his new brother-in-law, Yitzak Yehudi. They formed the offensive core of a Pistons team that would make deep playoff runs over the next decade, although they never won the Finals. He was one of only three point guards, along with John Li and Jupiter Jones, to average over 10 assists per game every season during this stretch of NBA history. The local kid, jokingly nicknamed “the Mayor” because of his personal popularity, was elected Mayor of Dearborn as a write-in candidate following an influence-peddling scandal there in 2042. He accepted the office and served as Mayor while continuing to play for the Pistons, in addition to his charitable work and frequent trips to the Middle East with Yitzak. Following his retirement from the Pistons in 2047, he was named US Ambassador to Israel, traveling frequently around the Middle East and doing more to heal old wounds than anyone since John Paul II. Elected Governor of Michigan in a landslide in 2052, he improved the state’s K-12 education system to become the second-best in America, behind only Minnesota. In 2060, W.W. Namoor Hassan (D-MI) was the first Muslim to be elected President of the United States.
Jupiter Jones took his Nets to five Eastern Conference championships before his retirement due to ankle injuries in 2046. With one MVP award to his credit, Jones also remained in the top 5 players for annual jersey sales throughout his career. He has yet to be voted to the Hall of Fame.
Richard L. Khan remained owner of the Golden State Warriors through 2062, when he retired in favor of his daughter Wendy. He always preferred to remain in the background, leaving Henry Wilson to handle the day-to-day operations and personnel transactions. His main interaction with the team was the annual start-of-season dinner party at his house, where he and Previn cooked for the players and staff.
Steven Lancer won his first and only MVP award in 2043, and in 2044 won his first and only NBA Finals without Maarek Stele at his side. In time, his sexual assault in Detroit was forgotten and within a few years, the media was comfortable lavishing praise on him again. However, his inability to break the Wilson-Previn-Li Warriors’ stranglehold on the Western Conference damaged his popularity, and his jersey sales never rose above 5th best after 2046. He retired in 2051 and was a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.
Pierre Previn remains the only coach in human history to win championships in the French league, the British league, the Euroleague, the Olympics, the NCAA, and the NBA. His 9 NBA championships rank 2nd, tied with Red Auerbach and behind only Phil Jackson. Following his retirement in 2049, Previn took US citizenship and became a commentator. Unlike Michael Eaddy, who jealously rationed time away from his family, the bachelor Previn threw himself into broadcasting and was a constant fixture at NBA games for years to come. His cool, insightful, rational dissection of strategy and his pompadour haircut made him immensely popular with viewers.
Diana Stefanik married John Li in August 2039 at a large outdoor ceremony on the Presidio with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. She was 29 and he had just turned 27. They would go on to have two children and be ridiculously happy for over a decade--but more on that later.
Yitzak Yehudi proposed marriage to his girlfriend, Noor Hassan, and two days later was signed and traded to the Detroit Pistons along with his prospective brother-in-law, Namoor. The Warriors’ 6th man became the regular starter at small forward and made three East All-Star teams at that position. He and Noor were married in August 2041, which caused quite a stir as she converted to Judaism and he renounced his Israeli citizenship in favor of naturalizing in the United States. When he made his first visit back to Israel three years later--along with Namoor--there were two crowd of demonstrators outside the airport, one welcoming him, one condemning him. This would be a continuing feature as these two continued their humanitarian work in the years to come, although as time went by the welcome became warmer and the protesters became fewer.
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Just was at ign for a review of some game and figured I'd log back on to check out if lids ever finished this. After reading the epilogue, I want to ![[face_cry]](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ignboards.com/styles/ign/ign/smilies/classic/cry.gif "Cry [face_cry]")
Then I read this:
They would go on to have two children and be ridiculously happy for over a decade--but more on that later. Looking forward to part 2 lids
Then I read this:They would go on to have two children and be ridiculously happy for over a decade--but more on that later. Looking forward to part 2 lids
I finally finished reading this whole thing the other day. And here are some thoughts since no one asked:
- I don't feel like the entire story line regarding the trouble in Israel really made sense in the grand scheme of things unless perhaps it was just drama for dramas sake. Also I think there were a few times where it was just presumed that everything in that area was exactly the same in year 2029 or whenever it was as it was in 2011. Lids could have really made up whatever he wanted to as having happened over those years.
- I'm really surprised through the entire journey since John was like 14 or something none of the characters really called him out on how selfish he was. Maybe someone on the boards brought this up and I skipped over that part but the struggles he has with making friends for a good portion of the story really comes down to his selfish nature and judgment of those around him. Maybe this was intended by the writer but I found it to make him wholly unidentifiable as a character.
- Just to chime in with what others have said; its rather awesome that this was a free story because I totally would have paid to keep reading after I was through like 3 pages of updates
- Charles Barkley is the best "character" in this story... Hilarious
- I don't feel like the entire story line regarding the trouble in Israel really made sense in the grand scheme of things unless perhaps it was just drama for dramas sake. Also I think there were a few times where it was just presumed that everything in that area was exactly the same in year 2029 or whenever it was as it was in 2011. Lids could have really made up whatever he wanted to as having happened over those years.
- I'm really surprised through the entire journey since John was like 14 or something none of the characters really called him out on how selfish he was. Maybe someone on the boards brought this up and I skipped over that part but the struggles he has with making friends for a good portion of the story really comes down to his selfish nature and judgment of those around him. Maybe this was intended by the writer but I found it to make him wholly unidentifiable as a character.
- Just to chime in with what others have said; its rather awesome that this was a free story because I totally would have paid to keep reading after I was through like 3 pages of updates
- Charles Barkley is the best "character" in this story... Hilarious
Oh man I never thought I'd see that day this was finished. Sad times indeed but this is without a doubt among the greatest texts I've ever read.
I still remember the night I stumbled across this incredible story in 2010 and the countless nights I spent catching up. I'm grateful to you lids. You're one of the best writers on these boards, if not the best. And you're also one of the greatest writers I've come across on all the sites I've been on, including VSN and other numerous sights. I'm honored to have been given the opportunity to read this amazing story, and I'd much rather call it a novel, because that's what it felt like. All of us were able to see John evolve over his high school, college, and NBA years and the final product was worth waiting for. He drove himself to become who a 9-time NBA champion. And I'm well aware that this is all fictional, but it felt so real.
Thank you, Lids
![[face_applause]](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ignboards.com/styles/ign/ign/smilies/classic/applause.gif "Applause [face_applause]")
Thank you, Lids
u people are nuts, this is one of the most wasted internet space ever created, dude lids flips w/e the fuck u call yourself, get a life! get a gf ,bf, something this is just sad spending 5 years on fictional people
zello144
No Longer a Noob
- Dec 20, 2010
- 1,185
- 767
If you dont like it dont comment....
I enjoyed this story here the man spent years making this
Your such a piece of shit it makes me laugh.
This story.
This story is the reason i signed up for IGN just so I could post and show my support.
This story is the reason I always came back to this board over the years.
I've followed this story at it's start, back in 08. I was in 8th grade, now I'm about to graduate high school.
Now it's crazy to see that it's ending. Thank you for this lids. One of the best things I've read.
This story is the reason i signed up for IGN just so I could post and show my support.
This story is the reason I always came back to this board over the years.
I've followed this story at it's start, back in 08. I was in 8th grade, now I'm about to graduate high school.
Now it's crazy to see that it's ending. Thank you for this lids. One of the best things I've read.
DaaaaaBears
Super Star
- May 30, 2006
- 51,757
- 29,338
rockchalkjordan
Star
- Jun 25, 2011
- 20,816
- 10,952
Just read the epilogue, awesome
PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT'
I wasn't around for most of this, but I remember reading parts of this all the time back when this board was at it's prime around 2008, 2009. You're one of the only ones to actually finish a story around here. Kudos to you bro.
Bump. Simply because this thread shall not be locked, purged nor forgotten as one of the most beautifully made topics and stories in the section, and on IGN.
Wow. I have been following the NCAA boards quietly for about a year and a half now and I ventured over into the 2k boards wondering if there were other chises like Bears (my favorite). I just spend the majority of the last 3 days reading this and I am amazed. As shameful as this sounds, being able to read this will probably be the highlight of my winter break. While my opinion holds no weight because no one knows me but I just thought I would put it out there. Also, I caught the Zeke McCall reference too!
Bump for glory. This is a landmark of the entire IGN forums.
KayJay718
Noob
Bump. Greatest story ever.....
Just saying. Lids, you totally called Steph Curry haha. The entire time during the playoffs, every time I watched the Warriors play, I thought of John LI.
This is a bonafide classic.
This is a bonafide classic.
rockchalkjordan
Star
- Jun 25, 2011
- 20,816
- 10,952
Lakers should sign Michael Eaddy to win free agency
Trying to carry on the legacy of what these boards used to be. Maybe one day it'll return.
Damn, I guess we never got the second part of thee epilogue. I started following this back in 2009 and lost track before Lids finished, now it seems like these 2k boards are completely and utterly dead. Honestly such a shame. RIP
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Wow what a blast from the past.
Absolutely a legend in IGN.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Absolutely a legend in IGN.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
rockchalkjordan
Star
- Jun 25, 2011
- 20,816
- 10,952
A classic
rockchalkjordan
Star
- Jun 25, 2011
- 20,816
- 10,952
John Li is Jeremy Lin no? Never gave a chance because of his race, caught on eventually, etc?
zello144
No Longer a Noob
- Dec 20, 2010
- 1,185
- 767
Yeah just Steph Curry's run with the Warriors in 2015 made me think of John Li a lot. But I agree Jeremy Lin pretty much is John Li he just hasn't had as much success with all of the injuries he's had or won a ring yet.
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indefinitegamer
No Longer a Noob
- Jun 10, 2018
- 7,155
- 5,203
BUMPING THIS. the only thing wrong with this story is that it hasn't been made into a book, or used as nba 2k's MYCAREER mode story. show some love to this man's talent for writing @NBA2K
zello144
No Longer a Noob
- Dec 20, 2010
- 1,185
- 767
If I ever get put into a position where I get money and I'd start my own video game company get the NBA license and then try to contact lids4 to for permission to use this as the story for the career mode.
rockchalkjordan
Star
- Jun 25, 2011
- 20,816
- 10,952
Need to reread this tbh
zello144
No Longer a Noob
- Dec 20, 2010
- 1,185
- 767
zello144
No Longer a Noob
- Dec 20, 2010
- 1,185
- 767
Watching the finals and seeing Chris Paul made me think of this thread.
rockchalkjordan
Star
- Jun 25, 2011
- 20,816
- 10,952
I legit thought the same thing lol he predicted CP3’s game aging super well
