Chapter 439: An Unexpected Scene, New Shoes Are Born
The Christmas Day game between the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers was a headline event before the opening tip even existed.
They were old enemies. Last season, Phoenix had eliminated Los Angeles in the Western Conference Finals. Fans loved storylines that carried over. They loved grudges that did not expire.
Chen Yan, meanwhile, had no special feelings about Christmas.
To him, it was not a holiday, it was overtime.
Doc Rivers once called the Christmas Day game a reward for great teams and great players. Chen Yan thought it sounded more like punishment. On a normal day off, you could actually rest. On Christmas, you had to work in front of the entire country.
Still, this matchup had plenty of heat.
The Suns and Lakers had been at each other's throats for years, and last season Phoenix stepped into the Finals by stepping over the Lakers. That alone was enough.
But the true centerpiece was obvious.
Chen Yan vs. Kobe.
No. 0 vs. No. 24.
The league and the media had spent days pouring gasoline on that fire. The hype had gotten so big that people joked it had already surpassed 23 vs. 24. Fans felt Chen Yan and Kobe were the real rivalry, not a marketing project.
Both of them hated losing. Both of them lived for one on one basketball. They had met on the international stage, then collided in the Western Conference Finals. Their history was real, their tension was real, and the game always felt personal.
LeBron and Kobe, by comparison, had always felt like a pairing the league wanted more than the players did. Two huge names, two massive spotlights, two convenient villains for the public to debate.
Whether they had real grudges did not matter.
The topic existed, so the matchup existed.
Now, though, there was someone even louder in the conversation. From a commercial and competitive standpoint, Chen Yan vs. Kobe simply sold better. The league leaned into it, and LeBron quietly got pushed to the side.
…
Two days before Christmas, Phoenix already looked festive. It was not New York or Los Angeles, but the holiday spirit was everywhere if you walked outside.
Christmas dinner usually happened on the night of the 24th. Families decorated trees, cooked heavy meals, and treated Christmas Eve like its own celebration. People even exchanged peace apples, a little ritual meant to bring good luck.
Chen Yan accepted Nash's invitation to spend Christmas Eve at his home.
This time, he did not come alone.
He brought Taylor Swift.
Nash's twin daughters, Bella and Lola, were thrilled the moment they saw Chen Yan. They ran circles around him, chanting "Godfather" like it was his actual name.
Chen Yan had gifts ready for them, carefully picked out by Taylor. Taylor knew exactly what would make 2 little girls squeal.
That night, Chen Yan finally felt something he rarely admitted.
Comfort.
Because of Nash, he had found a real sense of belonging in the United States. And on that Christmas Eve, neither Chen Yan nor Nash mentioned the Lakers game even once.
They were just friends, enjoying family time.
…
Christmas morning arrived, and Chen Yan received a mysterious package.
Inside was his second generation signature shoe, the AeroWing 2.
The brand had gone all in for this release. They brought in Peter Moore as lead designer, a legend known for iconic work across the sneaker world.
Chen Yan had not interfered much in the design process. He trusted Moore's taste completely, and the moment he opened the box, he knew he had been right.
The colorway blended white, brown, and golden orange.
The upper was white leather with a premium texture you could feel before you even put it on. The brown panels carried a wood grain style pattern that looked rich and felt soft, almost like suede. The midsole and eyelets were touched with liquid gold accents, subtle but sharp. On the heel, Chen Yan's personal logo sat beside his No. 0, embossed cleanly.
Simple, expensive, and unmistakably his.
Most importantly, the shoe felt perfect on foot.
His team had already planned it. He would debut the AeroWing 2 in the Christmas Day game. There was no bigger stage, and the shoe would officially release the next day.
Chen Yan did a light shooting session, then rested. On game days, he never overworked himself.
…
When he walked through the arena tunnel that afternoon, Christmas decorations were everywhere.
One detail stood out immediately.
A giant Santa Claus.
Chen Yan assumed it was a mannequin, something the team had placed in the hallway for atmosphere.
He walked closer.
The giant Santa suddenly moved.
Chen Yan flinched, pure instinct, and kicked Santa right in the crotch.
The "mannequin" collapsed to the floor, groaning in pain. Staff members rushed out from hiding, shouting and waving their hands like they were trying to stop a disaster that had already happened.
Chen Yan looked down.
It was DeAndre Jordan inside the costume.
They had planned a prank. The staff had not warned Chen Yan on purpose, because they wanted the reaction to be authentic.
DeAndre Jordan's reaction on the floor was definitely authentic.
Fortunately, Chen Yan had not kicked too hard. Otherwise, DeAndre Jordan might have become the first player in NBA history to miss a Christmas Day game because his teammate kicked him in the crotch.
…
The arena itself leaned into the holiday mood.
The big screen was wrapped in Christmas lights. The pregame playlist was switched to Christmas songs. And the giveaways for fans in the stands were doubled.
This Christmas Day was packed across the league.
Besides Suns vs. Lakers, the NBA scheduled 3 other games: Washington Wizards vs. Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets vs. Magic, Portland Trail Blazers vs. Mavericks, and San Antonio Spurs vs. an opponent not listed.
A total of 4 games, spaced across different time slots, running from early afternoon Eastern Time until midnight. The league wanted fans to have basketball all day.
Among them, Cavaliers vs. Wizards had the strongest built in storyline.
From 2005 to 2008, those teams met in the playoffs 3 straight years, and every series felt violent. The most famous moment came in Game 6 in 2006. Gilbert Arenas had dragged Washington into overtime at home. With 15 seconds left in overtime, he got 2 free throws.
He missed the first.
Before the second, LeBron walked over, patted him on the chest, and whispered something in his ear.
Arenas nodded, ignored him, and missed the second one too.
Washington lost.
The league hoped that rivalry would spark again, but it was unlikely. Arenas was out for the season, and without their leader, the Wizards could not realistically threaten Cleveland.
So the league's real centerpiece was still in Phoenix.
…
During warmups, Chen Yan laced up the AeroWing 2.
This year, he did not wait until the scorer's table to reveal them. Repeating the same entrance every season was too predictable.
While he was finishing his routine, an ESPN reporter caught him on the sideline.
"How does it feel to be on a 16 game winning streak?" the reporter asked.
Chen Yan smiled. "I forgot what losing feels like."
"Chen, do you consider today a revenge game?"
Chen Yan blinked, genuinely confused. "Revenge for what? Did the Lakers beat us, go to the Finals, and win the championship last season?"
The reporter scrambled. "No, no. I mean the last time Phoenix played the Lakers, the Lakers won."
Chen Yan looked at him. "You know I didn't play in that game, right?"
"Yes, I know," the reporter said, voice quieter.
"Oh," Chen Yan replied. "I thought you didn't. Since you do, next question."
It was not that Chen Yan was aggressive. It was that some questions made no sense.
Right then, his newest single started playing through the arena speakers.
"I Gotta Feeling."
Chen Yan tilted his head toward the reporter. "Have you heard this song?"
"No," the reporter said.
That was fair. It had just released today.
Chen Yan nodded. "How do you feel about it?"
The reporter stared at him, thinking he had just lost control of his own interview.
Still, he answered. "It's got a strong rhythm. It's catchy. Whose song is it?"
Chen Yan smiled and pointed at himself.
The reporter's eyes widened. "God. Chen, you're really a genius. You make great songs like you make great shots. How do you do it?"
Chen Yan shrugged. "Same as basketball. It just happens naturally."
The reporter tried again, reaching for another angle.
"Chen, would you ever hold a concert?"
Chen Yan froze.
He had 2 songs.
What kind of concert was that supposed to be?
He gave a few vague answers, escaped the sideline interrogation, and went back to warmups before the reporter asked him if he planned to direct a movie next.
…
Not long after, the starting lineups were announced.
"The Los Angeles Lakers will start Fisher, Kobe, Ariza, Garnett, and Marcus Camby."
"The Phoenix Suns will start Nash, Chen Yan, Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, and Stoudemire."
Up in the booth, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith began breaking down the matchup.
This game was nationally televised. Even overseas broadcasts locked in. Suns vs. Lakers was the most watchable game on the Christmas slate, and with Chen Yan and Kobe on the floor, it was not even close.
.....
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