The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 170 - 117 Hansen’s Big Move_2

Swift was now his girlfriend, and while he didn’t mind, he couldn’t help but care for Swift’s feelings.

Swift didn’t say anything further, but simply buried her head back in Hansen’s embrace.

Hansen pondered what he should say next, but by the time he decided to speak again, he found that Swift had fallen asleep again.

After all the turmoil last night, and waking up to a barrage of public opinion this morning, she must have been completely exhausted.

This time, Hansen waited until Swift was sound asleep before gently placing her back in bed and properly covering her with the blanket.

He then took a shower in the bathroom.

Bathrooms are the best places for humans to get inspired.

It was during the shower that Hansen had a new idea.

A hot topic could not only be naturally cooled down but also be overshadowed by another hot issue.

When he first arrived in Memphis, he said he would bring a championship to the Grizzlies, and the main reason the blacklash hadn’t reached the expected level was the arrival of free agency.

In essence, that was a case of overshadowing.

If he could do something that shifted people’s attention from this issue to another hot topic, he could achieve the same effect.

He thought of something.

After showering, Swift was still sleeping soundly. Hansen took his phone out to the balcony and made a call to Carrell.

That afternoon, Hansen drove Swift to the airport.

Swift didn’t wear sunglasses this time and shared a kiss with Hansen before parting.

The TMZ report sparked intense debate, but it also confirmed that the two were in a relationship.

Now that it was public, there was naturally no need to hide it anymore.

Not long after Hansen saw Swift off, Carrell shocked the League with a report on TMZ.

Carrell described an incident from last season with the Cavaliers, the day after the Christmas battle, when Hansen led the Cavaliers’ third string to demolish the first and second strings, proclaiming, "You guys so f**king need me."

"Who’s the most talented on this team? LeBron!

Who’s the most experienced on this team? Shaq!

Then who’s the one who can help the team win? Me!

Without me, you couldn’t beat the Magic; without me, you couldn’t beat the Celtics; you guys so f**king need me! Without me, you wouldn’t even make it to the finals!"

This statement, even if only appearing in Carrell’s report, was still very shocking.

LeBron fans immediately came out to question it.

Their biggest doubt was that they couldn’t believe Hansen could actually do all that.

Keep in mind that during that time, both James and O’Neal were on the Cavaliers, and the idea of rookie Hansen blowing them away was ludicrous!

The second point of contention was, if such an event really occurred, why was there no inkling of it at the time? Was there any evidence?

However, as LeBron fans expressed their doubts, many fans subconsciously believed its credibility.

It sounded exactly like something Hansen, known for running his mouth, would say.

And importantly, what he said was all true.

During the regular season, Hansen was crucial in their victories over the Magic and the Celtics.

This became even more apparent in the playoffs.

With Hansen, the Cavaliers beat the Celtics.

Without Hansen, the Cavaliers lost to the Magic Team.

And the key point was, without Hansen, the Cavaliers indeed didn’t make it to the finals.

Social media erupted with a "self-conceit showdown."

Even at this moment, another incident was also brought to light.

During a previous season’s Cavaliers practice, Hansen blocked James, and the media captured photos, but were then asked to delete the footage.

Back then, because James was still with the Cavaliers, the reporters had no recourse, but now, the timing was just right for the incident to be leaked.

Fans’ teasing shot straight up the search rankings.

"Want a video of LeBron’s team? No way in hell!"

That was truly a boomerang strike that hit its mark.

And to confirm these matters, aside from video evidence, there’s actually another way – that is, to seek validation from the Cavaliers players who were present at the time.

If James was still with the Cavaliers, this approach would never work, because the Cavaliers would definitely order the players to keep tight-lipped.

But now, LeBron has become Cleveland’s "traitor," and some players have also left the Cavaliers.

The Dallas media moved the quickest, interviewing the "Big Shark" O’Neal as their first target.

Everyone thought O’Neal would beat around the bush, but he was quite candid.

"Yes, he said those things. I was very angry at the time, but afterwards, everything he said proved to be true—he is someone who can help the team win." freēnovelkiss.com

O’Neal’s response was very genuine; he’s living the good life in Dallas now, and with the Mavericks having a decent season with a shot at the championship, of course he’s happy.

And all of this was thanks to Hansen’s initial suggestion. He could help Hansen and merely had to tell the truth, so why not?

Following that, Cleveland’s reporters also interviewed several of the Cavaliers players and received affirmative responses.

For them, affirming this incident was also to validate the legitimacy of their previous game’s defeat.

After all, Hansen led the Cavaliers’ third-string to an explosive victory over them, so it made sense for him to help the Grizzlies thrash them as well.

Finally, Miami’s reporters also managed to interview Ilgauskas.

"It wasn’t a pleasant experience because he blew us out. We underestimated his abilities and determination at the time, but he indeed achieved what he said he would."

Ilgauskas was still the "Big Z," and although he’s still with James on the same team, he didn’t twist the truth.

After this round of interviews, even without a video, the situation was essentially confirmed.

What’s more, the issue of James confiscating the videos also came to light.

When it rains, it pours. Just when the story was gathering momentum, a report by TMZ delivered the final verdict.

This leading American entertainment media somehow got their hands on a videotape and published it on their official website.

It was the infamous 2009 "Dunkgate" footage that people wanted to see but couldn’t.

In the summer of 2009, Nike organized a training camp, where James, as Nike’s leading man, appeared.

Being the top of the mountain naturally attracts challengers looking to scale it.

Just like Jordan, who faced such challenges throughout his career.

James was no exception. Even the organizers, to bolster the players’ confidence, announced that anyone who dunked over James would receive a reward of 500 US dollars.

Driven by money and desire, the youngsters were all fired up.

Jordan Crawford, a well-known sophomore from Xavier University, was one of them.

He seized an opportunity and executed a slam dunk over James.

In the end, he didn’t get the 500 dollars, but instead, the two reporters in charge of filming had their footage confiscated.

Despite denials from both James’ team and Nike about the incident’s credibility, even though those present, including one of the recording journalists, Ryan Miller, validated the event, a lack of conclusive evidence combined with Nike’s full-force PR left "Dunkgate" unresolved.

But unexpectedly, TMZ managed to get the video at this critical moment.

Of course, the footage could not possibly come from an official perspective, but rather from an audience member’s recording.

Nike may have confiscated the cameras, but they had no authority to confiscate the mobile phones of the audience at the time.

Although not from the best angle, the scene was recorded clearly.

This truly tied all the events together.

Even Carrell, the instigator of the incident, had an old news headline dredged up.

"Jordan brought Nike to the altar, Nike put LeBron on the throne—that’s the difference."

That statement couldn’t be more fitting now.

Hansen didn’t expect the aftermath that his maneuver would stir up, but it perfectly attained his initial objective of achieving widespread interest.

And for James, the "victim" of the incident, his days on the court became harder, and off the court, he faced an unprecedented crisis.