After more than three months of recovery training in the swimming pool, Yao Ming has "overcome" his injury and is ready for the Olympics.

Now he has to rush back to China to participate in the warm-up match and get familiar with the national team members as soon as possible.

Of course, Xu Yong, who returned to China with Yao Ming, knew that Yao Ming was still limping when he walked, and he really tried his best.

On the plane, Yao Ming and Xu Yong sat next to each other, and neither of them spoke much.

Yao Ming was worried about the Olympics, but Xu Yong didn't know how to start the conversation.

Regarding the matter of [travelling through time/rebirth to persuade Yao Ming to lose weight], that is a must-see plot in all the basketball novels he has read, and it is as classic as the adventure of falling off a cliff in fantasy novels.

But after what happened with McGrady, he knew that even if he tried to persuade him, the result probably wouldn't change.

Because people's choices are basically determined by their personality.

The difference in choices between Harden and McGrady is a reflection of this situation.

In Yao Ming's character, competitiveness and responsibility are the two most important aspects.

His competitive spirit is more reflected in his NBA career, which is why there is the most classic "Player Tunnel Going and Coming Back" scene.

His sense of responsibility is more reflected at the national team level, whether it was this time when he frantically compressed his recovery time in the swimming pool in order to catch up with the BJ Olympics, or the "I" when he needed to take responsibility during the World Cup at home in history, or the fact that he could get a lot of endorsements but chose to be the chairman of the Basketball Association and be criticized.

Can anyone really convince such a person?

Not to mention convincing, even if Yao Ming himself was reborn, the choices he would make would probably be exactly the same as in history.

However, if you really have such an opportunity to be reborn, and if you don't say something to Yao Ming, it will really be like seeing a martial arts secret book at the bottom of a cliff but pretending not to see it.

"Brother Yao." Xu Yong finally spoke.

Yao Ming turned his head and looked at Xu Yong in confusion.

"I want to go to London with you." Xu Yong looked at Yao Ming and said.

Yao Ming was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

Because of his height, Yao Ming is called a "big fool" by some of his haters, but in fact Yao Ming's emotional intelligence and EQ are very high, which can be seen from his performance on the court, his interactions with teammates, and even his Hall of Fame speech.

How could he not understand the meaning of Xu Yong's words?

London had already confirmed its successful bid for the Olympic Games as early as 2001, so Xu Yong’s London naturally refers to the London Olympics.

"Of course we will go together." Yao Ming said with a smile.

"Is it really possible?" Xu Yong said, looking at Yao Ming's injured leg.

Because Yao Ming became famous too early, he has never changed his age. He is now 27 and will soon be 28.

Four years later in London, when the Olympics began, he would be 31 years old.

For the inside players of this era, the 31-year-old has already begun to decline, but he is still barely at his peak, and can be called the end of his peak.

But that was under normal circumstances. Xu Yong knew that if Yao Ming did not make any changes, next season would be his swan song in the NBA.

Yao Ming smiled bitterly when he heard this. He seemed to remember that Xu Yong was not someone who could be easily persuaded.

"What on earth do you want to say, kid?" He put away his smile and asked Xu Yong seriously.

"Brother Yao, you gained weight in order to fight against O'Neal, right?" Xu Yong asked again, and when he saw that Yao Ming did not refute, he continued.

"At the beginning, with so many Chinese people watching you, you had no choice but to gain weight. But now O'Neal is about to retire. Can you consider losing weight? I know losing weight can't change your injuries and it will also reduce your inside threat, but it can prolong your career."

After finishing speaking, Xu Yong looked at Yao Ming and said seriously again: "Brother Yao, I really want to go to London with you."

The 2008 Olympics at home was naturally the best opportunity, but he was very clear that the help he could give to the national team was very limited.

But four years later in London, if Yao Ming can still play, that will be the best opportunity.

Although he did not come from the system, as he comes from a basketball family, he is also passionate about playing for the national team.

That has nothing to do with the Basketball Association or anything like that. As an athlete, winning honors on behalf of the national team is the most proud and fulfilling thing.

Yao Ming let out a long sigh.

Xu Yong's persuasion was very sophisticated, and it could even be said that it directly hit his soft spot.

In order to continue playing for the next national team, he lost weight and lowered his status in the NBA. This logic, which does not work for others, works for him.

Because compared to his achievements in the NBA, he really cares more about the national team.

Moreover, four years later, if Yi Jianlian, Sun Yue and Xu Yong could have performed well, they should have already done so. That would indeed be the best opportunity.

"Thank you for your suggestion. I will consider it." Yao Ming looked at Xu Yong and said formally.

This way of speaking also shows that he is different from McGrady before, and he really listens.

Although this still does not mean that he has made a decision, it is much better than Xu Yong imagined.

And there is another reason why Xu Yong persuaded Yao Ming to lose weight. Adelman will take over the Rockets next season. Even if Kobe hadn't hit him with that elbow, it would only be a matter of time for Yao Ming, who ran all over the court, to fall down if he didn't lose weight.

…

Time flies, and it is already the end of August.

The BJ Olympics opened amidst great anticipation and closed amidst great attention.

Xu Yong was shortlisted for the national team's 12-man roster and played all six games with the national team.

As in history, the men's basketball team was eliminated in the quarterfinals, but what was different from history was that the men's basketball team successfully defeated Spain in the group stage and made history.

It is worth mentioning that Xu Yong, who experienced this Olympics, knew that the men's basketball team, which had experienced the "eye-pulling incident" of the Spanish team, was holding back their desire to beat the opponent.

The difference is that in history they failed at the last minute, but now with his joining, Yao Ming was able to get a few more minutes of rest time, and they finally did it.

Xu Yong averaged 18 minutes per game in 6 games, contributing 7.2 points and 2.5 rebounds, with a shooting percentage of 51%.

And in the game against Spain, he completed his most classic scene in the Olympics, completing a dunk over Gasol.

He really threw himself into the air, and the scene almost scared Gasol to death.

This dunk also made Xu Yong famous in international competitions.

Everyone knows that among the younger generation of the Chinese men's basketball team, in addition to Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue who have been selected by the NBA, there is also Xu Yong who plays in the NCAA.

…

After finishing his journey with the national team, Xu Yong rushed back to Tempe without stopping.

The Devils' training camp has already started for a while, and he has to rush back to get acquainted with the team and prepare for the start of the new season.