I'm teammates with Kobe

Chapter 72 McGrady is Coming to the Lakers
The meal at Kobe's house was extremely rich, and there was still a lot of food left, so Tracy helped Vanessa pack the remaining meals into the kitchen for continued enjoyment the next day.

The men came to welcome the guests at the gate of the courtyard, and after a while, they saw a red sports car appearing at the end of the road, and stopped in front of them in the blink of an eye.

The car door opened, and a tall, sleepy-eyed man stepped down from the driver's seat. He had a cropped cut, was wearing a suit but no tie, and had a domineering arrogance.

Chu Xiao immediately recognized Yao Ming's former teammate Tracy McGrady who currently plays for the San Antonio Spurs.

He was watching intently, when he found that the passenger door closest to him was also opened, and a bald man with a thicker figure came out of it. He was wearing short sleeves, his arms were covered with tattoos, and there was a faint evil look on his face. The fierce look in his eyes makes people shudder.

When he came out, he happened to stand in front of Chu Xiao, so he stared at him with wide eyes, wishing he could swallow the young man in front of him.

"Caron, don't make trouble! This is Chu Xiao, who is also my brother, don't scare him!" Kobe knew that this friend with a gang background likes to play pranks, so he knew what he meant when he saw it, and immediately reminded him.

"Ha, I was just kidding him." Caron Butler burst out in a second, grinning with big white teeth.

Kobe smiled and shook his head, first gave him a big hug, then opened his arms and hugged McGrady who came over, "Brother, we can finally fight side by side together!"

"Yes, but the transaction has not officially started yet." McGrady also put his arms around him.

"Could it be that McGrady is coming to the Lakers?" Chu Xiao was so shocked that his jaw dropped.

"Boy, aren't you welcome?" Caron Butler changed into a fierce look again, but he didn't scare the other party, because the other party's face was full of disbelief, so he had no choice but to give up and hugged the young man in front of him Come over and say, "What's so difficult to understand, if the Clippers don't let people go, I also want to go back to the Lakers, so that our three old guys can play in one team."

Kobe and McGrady hugged each other for seven or eight seconds before separating, and then motioned everyone to go into the room to avoid paparazzi outside.

In the living room, Vanessa had prepared boiled water, drinks and various fruits, and then led Tracy upstairs with the children, leaving all the space on the first floor for the men to talk about things.

McGrady sat down and drank a glass of boiled water before speaking, "This matter has not been fully settled, but the two old men met for the first time, and then Zen master proposed to trade me with Morris and the Lakers' 13-year first-round pick. With the Spurs' 13-year first-round pick, Popovich is a little bit tempted, because your first-round pick is protected, but he wants to hear my opinion before agreeing, and I haven't considered it yet."

"What are you still hesitating about? Just agree and it's over." Caron Butler said without thinking, "The Spurs have a chance to win the championship, and so do the Lakers. Anyway, it's your last season anyway. Instead of hugging that statue Stone Buddha's thigh, it's better to fight side by side with Ke Boss once, brothers join hands, its strength can break gold, damn it, how passionate it is!"

Butler, born in 1980, and McGrady, born in 1979, are 2 and 1 year younger than Kobe respectively. In private, they both call Kobe the boss of Kobe, which is exactly the same as what Chinese fans call him the boss.

Kobe is older than them, and he entered the league earlier, so his ideas and knowledge are much more mature.

He stopped Butler from continuing to be passionate, but stared at Tracy McGrady's sleepy eyes and asked in a deep voice, "If you come to the Lakers, it means you have to be a substitute for me. Are you going to lose face and psychologically?"

McGrady was obviously caught in the heart, hesitated for a moment and said, "How did you find out?"

"Hi..." Kobe breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that it would be easy to handle if this was the case.

He and McGrady met as early as 1996, even earlier than this time.They are about the same age, they are both high school players, and they are also talented teenagers. They have each led their high schools to fight against each other, but they are partners who talk about everything when they come off the court.

These two people can be said to be lifelong friends and lifelong competitors.

So Kobe knew that McGrady would never give in to him, because he had his own pride.

For example, the time was pulled back to November 2008, 11. At that time, McGrady had two years left on his contract with the Rockets. He said in an interview with the famous ESPN host Stephen A. Smith that if he could choose an NBA player As a teammate, he will only choose Kobe, because he feels that Kobe is his best teammate on the basketball court. One of them can be responsible for the pull-up three-pointer, and the other is responsible for the fadeaway jumper.But he also emphasized that he can only join forces after he has won an NBA championship, otherwise he will feel very humiliated.

"Tracey (that's what Kobe calls McGrady in private), you can choose not to join forces with me, but don't forget, we are all old, you will retire after this season, and I can't play for many years, I will also leave this alliance. When we get together again one day, recalling all the things we did when we were young, we will find that we have never fought side by side except for tit-for-tat on the field. I don’t know if you will regret it then, anyway. I am very sorry. Because I want to leave a good memory for our friendship." Kobe picked up the boiled water and drank it, and then continued.

"You always say that if you win the championship, you will join forces with me, but winning the championship alone is not as interesting as winning the championship with good friends? We practiced together when we were young. I know your ability best, and mine is yours. And most clearly, you know that if we joined forces at our peak, we would definitely be able to sweep all the teams in the world, but now that we are not at our peak, if we can still win the championship together in our twilight years, does this prove that we at our peak The two will only become stronger? Do you think this is the truth? This is far more important than your so-called face?!"

It is said that friends know themselves best. What Kobe said touched McGrady's heart. He began to hold his hands, obviously trying to restrain the urge to move deep in his heart.

Kobe didn't urge him, and he didn't allow Butler to urge him either. He knew that McGrady was a slow-moving person.

So Kobe turned to chat with Chu Xiao and Butler, "Caron, how is Odom doing with the Clippers?"

"He is completely out of shape." Butler picked up a piece of watermelon and gnawed a couple of bites, "You don't know, since he was traded by the Lakers to the Mavericks, he has been in a sleepwalking state. Remember when you played against the Mavericks last year? Well, after the game, wearing a Mavericks jersey, he actually walked straight towards your player tunnel. This made Cuban, who has always admired him, couldn't bear it, so he was laid off directly, which made the Clippers pay the basic salary. The price was signed, and Odom, who put on the Clippers jersey, made a joke again. He said at the press conference held by the Clippers for himself, Hello everyone, I am Odom, a player from the Los Angeles Lakers. You said, in How can everyone tolerate him in the locker room, even I can’t help much.”

"Hey..." Kobe let out a sigh.

Lamar Odom, born on November 1979, 11 in Jamaica, New York, USA, is an American professional basketball player who serves as a forward and now plays for the Los Angeles Clippers.

He was a man with a lot of troubles. He lost his father since he was a child, and he was dependent on his mother. Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long, and his mother passed away soon, so he had to move to live with his grandmother.

After he was 15 years old, his grandmother couldn't keep an eye on him, so his aunt offered a helping hand.Like many children in single-parent families, Odom also used basketball as a way to escape, and used this as a springboard. He was selected by the Clippers with the fourth place in the first round of the 1999 NBA draft.

Originally thought that his life would skyrocket, but bad luck always seems to like to find him. In 2004, his beloved grandmother passed away.Two years later, Odom's 6-and-a-half-month-old son, Jayden, died of suffocation in the cradle. This was the heaviest blow in Odom's life.After losing his son, he was in a trance for a while, and he was immersed in grief for a whole month, which could not be relieved.That same year, while in Queens, New York, he was held at gunpoint, robbed of his watch and cash, then shot and nearly died. In 2011, his nearly 24-year-old cousin was shot dead. Just 3 days later, on the way to attend his cousin's funeral, Odom's car crashed into a motorcycle. The 15-year-old boy who drove the motorcycle was subsequently killed The head injury was too serious, and the rescue failed.Odom collapsed, he couldn't believe what he was seeing... felt that death always seemed to hang around him...

Also in December of the same year, Odom was traded to the Mavericks by the Lakers, leaving the team he was most attached to in his career and his closest comrade-in-arms.

Why do you say it is the most intimate? In the 2004-05 season, when the Lakers were at their lowest point, he came and witnessed the Lakers' sad journey from the 7th in the Western Conference to the top of the league in 12 years. The company from the bottom to the top made him have a strong relationship with the Lakers. personal emotions in it.

It can be said that the Lakers are the team that gives Odom the most sense of belonging. It is his home, while other places are just a temporary residence.

After a brief silence, Kobe broke the silence, "We saved him, let him feel warm, and can no longer break the can."

"How to save?" Butler spit out a mouthful of watermelon seeds upon hearing this.

"As long as you think about it, there will always be a way. Since your Clippers can't accommodate him, then the Lakers must." Kobe clenched his fists, expressing enough determination.

"Come on, it was the Lakers trade that broke his heart. If you want him to go back, he may not be willing." Butler said dismissively.

"If it was before, you were right, but now it's different. Both Jim and Kubchak who traded him have been suspended, and the Zen master is back, holding the power to trade. As long as he agrees, this matter is feasible!" Bryant suddenly grabbed Butler's arm and said, "Caron, do me a favor?"

"What?" Butler said defensively, startled.

"It's very simple. I want you to relay to him what I just said. As long as he voluntarily applies for a contract buyout, the Lakers welcome him back at any time!"

(End of this chapter)