164: 086: The Most Hated Person (Seeking Monthly Tickets)_3 164: 086: The Most Hated Person (Seeking Monthly Tickets)_3 Nike didn’t dare to offer Roger the same contracts as Penny.
But now, people are saying that Nike regrets choosing Penny.
Penny is extremely discontent with his situation.
Therefore, no matter the game, as long as there is a chance, he wants to beat Roger.
Jordan nodded in satisfaction.
It seemed that aside from Dumars, everyone was willing to side with him.
As for the other members of the Eastern Conference All-Stars, Jordan didn’t need to dictate to each one.
He believed the others would understand his intent after seeing his actions on the court.
By then, no one would dare oppose him.
He was confident in that.
Roger and Shaq were destined to achieve nothing during the All-Star Game.
“Have a good time this weekend, gentlemen.” Jordan took a puff of his cigar, relishing the feeling of being in control.
This year’s All-Star Weekend was held in Phoenix, Barkley’s home court.
Roger didn’t participate in the first two days of the All-Star Weekend activities, although Reebok had been hoping he would join the Slam Dunk Contest, as it was a great opportunity to promote their shoes.
In ’91, Reebok benefitted a lot from having Dee Brown in the dunk contest, showcasing their sneakers’ pump-up feature.
But Roger had no interest in that stuff; he didn’t want to waste his energy on such games.
Some players might need the Slam Dunk Contest to gain popularity, but Roger felt he didn’t need it at all.
When interviewed by reporters, Roger said frankly, “As of now, I have no plans to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest.”
After the interview, O’Neal criticized Roger for his low EQ: “You’ll lose your buzz answering questions like that, you idiot.”
“Then how should I answer to maintain the buzz?”
“You should tell the reporters every year before the All-Star that you’re going to join the Slam Dunk Contest.
That way, they’ll pay special attention to you.
When it’s actually time for the contest, just find some excuse not to go.
Repeat this the next year.
People will always be on tenterhooks, always watching you.
You can keep this up until you’re 30, maybe even 40, leeching off the buzz from the Slam Dunk Contest every year.”
Isn’t that like toying with the fans as if they were donkeys?”
“Just tell me if it maintains the buzz or not.”
Roger thought Shaq had a point, but this kind of behavior felt sheeplike, not in line with his way of doing things.
Over the past two days, aside from the league’s community activities and Reebok’s commercial events, Roger and O’Neal mostly spent time with each other’s families.
Roger paid for his uncle to come to Phoenix for a visit, and O’Neal brought his entire family over as well.
And a day before the actual All-Star Game, the two arranged a meal for their families together.
O’Neal’s stepfather, Sergeant Harrison, a chubby man wearing glasses, was very friendly toward Roger, showing none of the “strict officer” demeanor O’Neal described.
His mother kept telling Roger embarrassing stories about O’Neal’s childhood: “When he was a kid, I had to carry his birth certificate everywhere.
Bus drivers, subway conductors, or McDonald’s cashiers, no one would believe that hairy Bigfoot was only eight years old.”
Shaq’s grandmother, Odessa, appeared to be a kind elderly woman, but her health seemed poor, confined to a wheelchair.
She always smiled at Roger, saying vaguely, “Child, you’ll succeed; you must succeed.”
As for O’Neal and the uncle, they got along even better.
By the end of the meal, O’Neal was calling him brother.
“Bro, I’ll introduce you to some girls.
In this area, you can trust my taste.”
“No need to be so formal between good brothers.”
Roger pulled Shaq close to him: “Jerk, that’s my uncle!”
From now on I’ll call you brother, and you call me uncle.
Each of us will keep our own.”
Watching Roger and Shaq teasing each other, O’Neal’s mother smiled contentedly: “How many championships could they win if they always played basketball together?”
Sergeant Harrison shrugged his shoulders and replied meaningfully: “Ambition inflates, especially in young people.
They are all too young.”
Sergeant, does your answer have anything to do with my question?”
“No relation, forget it.
Let’s not worry about basketball.”
It wasn’t until the day of the actual All-Star Game that Roger and Shaq appeared on the basketball court.
Because of Roger, the anticipated one-on-one match between O’Neal and Jordan before the game did not occur, and it might never happen again.
Once the game started, O’Neal and Roger quickly realized something was amiss.
Pippen was keen to inbound the ball almost every possession, but he only passed it to Jordan.
Jordan became the man carving up the cake for everyone, assisting Pippen for a three-pointer, dishing an alley-oop to Grant Hill.
However, he never passed the ball to Roger or Shaq even once.
When O’Neal finally grabbed an offensive rebound, Barkley actually went in for a double-team, resulting in a missed layup.
This year’s Eastern Conference All-Stars head coach was Magic head coach Brian Hill, who noticed Jordan’s scheming.
But he couldn’t just bench Jordan and Pippen; if he did, Stern would probably come after him with a knife.
Halfway through the quarter, Jordan, Pippen, and O’Neal were all subbed off.
It wasn’t the first time Shaq had put up with this kind of treatment.
He still remembered how he was targeted during his rookie All-Star appearance: “What’s the point of doing this?
After the All-Star, Roger and I will still crush you guys.”