Chapter 196 Tim, Happy Retirement

Nass was Benson's partner and the second-largest shareholder of the Pelicans.

Benson already liked Tang Tian a lot, so what Nass said was basically what the Pelicans meant.

Tang Tian nodded when he heard that.

Now that he had chosen to make a move against Xiao Hua, it was a good thing to have someone supporting him.

And when it came down to it, whether a league president or the league's number one player would win in the end depended on how many people supported them.

After saying those words, Nass privately contacted several team representatives with good relationships and had already decided to bring up the issue of referee calls at the next regular meeting.

Just like Tang Tian had said, constantly avoiding the problem for immediate gains would ultimately lead to losses for the league, and irreversible ones at that.

There was still some time until the next regular meeting, and this time was also for Nass to work hard to gain the support of more representatives.

If he couldn't get enough support, even if he brought it up, there wouldn't be any concrete results.

In the blink of an eye, a few days passed, and the Pelicans finished their November games.

Their record was fixed at 19 wins and 0 losses.

Although the Tang Tian incident made them seem a bit turbulent, they continued their winning streak.

On December 2nd, they set off to San Antonio, where they would face the Spurs for the first time this season.

Although Duncan's retirement made the Spurs' roster look much weaker on paper.

But this season, they continued their ageless myth. Under the leadership of Leonard and Aldridge, their record surpassed the Rockets and ranked fourth in the Western Conference.

This was also the Pelicans' first challenge in December.

This game received a lot of attention, not only because both teams were strong, but also because Duncan's jersey retirement ceremony would be held during the game's intermission.

Duncan's playing style was simple and unadorned. In terms of fame, he couldn't compare with Kobe and James, but he was undoubtedly the greatest power forward in NBA history.

His jersey retirement ceremony was naturally the focus of attention for fans and the media.

And according to the news released before the game, Duncan chose to retire his jersey today because of the Pelicans.

After all, his most important teammates, Parker, Ginobili, and Diaw, were still with the Spurs, and the only one who had left was Tang Tian of the Pelicans.

The next day, the game between the two teams kicked off at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.

The venue was packed, and there were Duncan's large head cutouts everywhere in the arena.

This was probably the last time fans would hold them up in the arena.

Before the game, Tang Tian also saw Duncan in the front row of the audience.

It had only been a while since they last met, but Duncan's beard and hair had already turned very white.

It seemed that repairing cars was much harder than playing basketball.

The two of them smiled at each other when they met, and then gave each other a big hug, and touched each other's heads at the same time during the hug.

This was the best way to greet each other and reminisce.

The game between the two sides started quickly, and the Pelicans showed their strength after the opening, steadily expanding their lead.

At the end of the first half, they led the Spurs by 12 points with a score of 55 to 43.

The game entered halftime, but the players from both teams didn't return to the locker room because Duncan's jersey retirement ceremony was about to take place.

The staff on site had already set up the stage. Like Yao Ming's jersey retirement ceremony, there were also many Hall of Famers and Duncan's teammates on the court.

On one side were league president Xiao Hua, team owner Holt, team general manager Buford, and Duncan's high school coach Dave Odom.

On the other side were Popovich, Parker, Ginobili, and Tang Tian.

Both sides were the most important people in Duncan's career, but at this time, the atmosphere on both sides was a bit complicated.

And the person who made the atmosphere complicated was Tang Tian.

Buford was the scapegoat for Tang Tian's departure from the Spurs, and almost became depressed because of Tang Tian;

Holt, needless to say, his heart disease was because of Tang Tian;

Of course, the main thing was Xiao Hua, Tang Tian had just recently confronted this league president.

At this time, the two of them were sitting face to face, and the scene looked inexplicably comical.

Spurs commentator Elliott was the host on the scene. His sentence "Having Duncan was our happiness" ignited the AT&T Center.

Duncan's contribution to San Antonio was unparalleled. He was already one of the symbols of the city.

Tang Tian felt the enthusiasm of the fans and was also filled with emotion.

This was the charm of one person, one city. If the Spurs hadn't given up back then, he should have become the next totem of San Antonio.

But because of some people and some things, he could only be from New Orleans now.

After Elliott, Xiao Hua, Holt, Buford, and Dave Odom successively gave short speeches.

Xiao Hua talked about Duncan's contribution to the league, Holt and Buford talked about Duncan's contribution to the team, and Odom recalled some of Duncan's high school experiences.

These speeches were all quite satisfactory, but when it came to Popovich's side, the atmosphere on the scene became lively.

The order here was reversed, and the first to speak was Tang Tian.

"I have to thank Tim."

Tang Tian's opening immediately drew cheers from the audience.

Tang Tian had already left the Spurs, but the first words he spoke at Duncan's jersey retirement ceremony were still thanks to Duncan.

"Thank you for showing mercy to me, otherwise my hairstyle would definitely be the same as Manu's."

But Tang Tian's next words made the whole audience burst into laughter.

Only the Spurs players knew about Duncan touching Tang Tian's head. Now that it was said, the fans realized that Ginobili wasn't the only one who had been victimized by Duncan!

Duncan was also amused, and he recalled some very interesting things that happened with Tang Tian back then.

Davis couldn't help but touch his mohawk at this time. He suddenly realized that Tang Tian liked to touch his head, probably because he was influenced by Duncan.

"I also have to thank Tim, he taught me a lot of things, even though he really rarely speaks."

Tang Tian's humor continued to explode in the AT&T Center. The San Antonio fans found that in the end, Tang Tian was the most like the GDP.

If the Spurs had kept him back then...

"Tim, happy retirement."

Tang Tian said to Duncan with a smile at the end.

This sentence brought the atmosphere to a climax.

Duncan was the number one power forward in history, and the current number one player in the league used to be his little brother. This was the proudest thing for the Spurs fans.

After Tang Tian, Ginobili and Parker successively gave their speeches.

They were also witty and humorous.

"If the team doesn't play well, Tim will stand up and take responsibility. He will come to the arena very early the next day. Thank you, Tim, you have always been my role model. I am willing to follow in your footsteps, except for the dress style."

"Just like Parker said, we were under a lot of pressure in the first few years of our NBA career. We needed hugs and support, and Duncan was the one who gave us those things. This is also the reason why I became bald, Tang, not just because of touching my head."

Ginobili also interacted with Tang Tian, and the laughter on the scene lasted for a long time.

This was probably the happiest jersey retirement ceremony for a basketball player.

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