The genius of the basketball madman is on the left

Different from the slightly congested urban pattern of New York, there are few high-rise buildings in Los Angeles, and the rich prefer to live in the suburbs far from the city center, or even in satellite cities, such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, whose mansion is located in BelAir, a relatively Wealthy town.

There is also an old interesting story here. In January 1983, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s mansion in this small town broke out in a fire. The mansion covering an area of ​​1 square meters and worth a total of 2200 million U.S. dollars was turned into ruins. Let Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's collection of more than 250 jazz records and countless basketball memorabilia be reduced to ashes.

Afterwards, the insurance company only paid Kareem Abdul-Jabbar $150 million.

However, this seems to be a tragic past, but it was changed because of the fans. Fans from all over the United States sent countless condolence letters to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which moved Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and changed his previous life of isolation from the outside world.

That's why Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who is now known to fans, will celebrate with his teammates, cheer for his teammates on the bench, and play the violin during timeouts on the court.

Off the field, he founded a jazz brand, made movies, and he also shot commercials for American Airlines. He finally had more contact with the world, eased his relationship with his parents, and improved his relationship with his wife and children. He began to truly fulfill his father's responsibilities and obligations, and even wrote his first autobiography.

And this also indirectly affected his career. He originally planned to retire after 15 seasons. He played until the age of 40 and became the scoring leader in NBA history.

You know, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a very lonely person before. Except on the court, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hardly communicated with others off the court, did not participate in any gatherings and parties, and did not even communicate with his teammates in the locker room. Even from 1971- In 1973, he did not accept an interview with even one media for three years, and even almost severed his relationship with his parents.

All that changes is this fire, so he is always grateful for this fire, despite the loss of what he has unloaded.

So he still chooses his address here, which can be regarded as a commemoration of the old days and new life.

It's just that it took Zuo Li a few extra hours to come here.

So when Zuo Li rang the doorbell of the mansion, it happened to be lunch time, and Abdul-Jabbar's lunch had just been served on the table.

"So, let me see who's going to visit me at noon."

Abdul-Jabbar ran through the names in his mind, but there was no answer. Today is Christmas Eve, and people of their age basically choose to stay at home and be with their families.

His children happened to be away, and his wife was also going to the city to buy things for tomorrow, so Jabbar rode his beloved small motorcycle nonchalantly and walked all the way to the door.

Usually, he would let his nanny bring people in, but today he was in a good mood, as if he had a faint feeling that something good would happen.

So when he opened the door and saw Zuo Li's smiling face, he wondered if his hunch was a little too accurate.

Especially when he saw the basketball in Zuo Li's hand.

"Take the liberty to pay a visit, Mr. Kareem, I hope I didn't disturb your interest in celebrating the festival." Zuo Li said with a slight bow and a smile.

"Ah, of course not, you are Zuo Li, I recognize you, hahaha, I'm glad you can come, although I don't know how you found this place, but... welcome!" Kareem Abdul-Jabbar moved sideways to open the passage.

On the way back, Jabbar pushed his beloved small motorcycle. The normal-sized motorcycle looked more like a toy in front of the two giants, but the two of them obviously didn't care about the motorcycle.

"I knew from the very beginning that you were that guy's disciple, I knew we would meet one day." Jabbar looked ahead, as if lost in memories.

"That's an unbelievable guy, you know, I've always been very vain about my physical gifts, growing up, I've met no one I could match, I could easily crush them, not even It needs my special skill, yes, it is the biggest impression people have of me, 'Skyhook'."

"Until I met that guy."

"That was when I was in high school, the first time I met him on the street, he was fighting against a group of guys who were bigger and stronger than himself, and it was unbelievable, he beat them easily, easily, easier than imagined , he just takes one or two moves to get them out of their wits, and then he just flies up and puts the ball in the rim."

"You know, I had almost no opponents in high school in New York at the time, so I challenged and..." Abdul-Jabbar paused, seemingly recalling the fight.

"I lost."

"It was the first time I went all out and still got beaten, and it's one of the games I remember the most. Even my first NBA championship didn't have as much influence on me as he did. That was the first time I realized , There are people beyond people, and there is a sky beyond the sky.”

"Do you know this feeling?" Kareem Abdul-Jabbar turned to Zuo Li and asked.

"Of course." Zuo Li shrugged.

"Forget it, I've heard your story. It's been a smooth journey, and you have almost never lost."

Zuo Li shrugged and did not refute. This life seems to be like this, but Zuo Li has experienced too many failures.

"In short, I became friends with that guy. Although I didn't talk about everything, I always thought he was a real genius. It's just a pity that we took different paths. When he gave up his career, I still regretted it."

"But you're all legends, aren't you?"

"Maybe." Abdul-Jabbar sighed. In high school, he was still autistic and didn't know how to communicate with others. His friendship with the goats was played out on the court. After that, he moved to Los Angeles. They were two big men again. In that era of underdeveloped information, there was not much news exchange.

In the end, only this basketball was left.

That's right, this ball was originally given to the goat by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The reason is that the goat is the only opponent he loses more than he wins, and because the goat is also his friend.

It's hard to be friends with someone who is withdrawn, but once you do, it's a lifetime.

"It's really great to see this ball now." Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took the ball from his left hand and put it in his hand, as if feeling its weight.

"That guy McCourt..."

"already left."

"That's it..." Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sighed, and then adjusted his mood. At his age, he can basically see everything.

"Okay, let's stop talking nonsense. I don't believe that you came all the way from New York during your vacation just to see me, an old guy. Tell me, what do you want?"

"Become stronger!"

"Huh? Are you not strong enough? Among the current batch of rookies, none of them are good enough for you."

"Well, modesty makes people progress, although I also think so." Zuo Li scratched his head: "But it's not enough!"

"Not enough? You kid is ambitious."

"Life is endless, progress is endless!"

"Hahahahaha, good! No wonder you can be valued by goats. That's right. This is what a basketball player should do. A little achievement is enough. After all, it won't make much progress. Michael Jordan back then was more than Others are more domineering!"