Chapter 838: Chapter 838

"Why do you play basketball?" After a moment of silence, Hansen looked at Tatum and spoke.

"To win." Tatum answered without a hint of hesitation.

Hansen looked at Tatum and nodded.

Previously, his biggest impression of Tatum was his hard work; Tatum’s competitiveness was unquestionable.

"So what do you think it takes to win?" Hansen continued to ask.

Tatum didn’t dare to look directly into Hansen’s eyes, but after thinking, he replied, "Strength, strength like yours."

Although he felt uncomfortable, no one could deny Hansen’s strength, especially this season when he joined a weaker team, Hansen had showcased his personal abilities to the fullest.

Including the previous game between the Kings and the Warriors, Hansen’s dominance in critical moments made it evident: as long as you have enough strength, you can overcome anything.

Tatum looked up at Hansen, his eyes filled with confusion, "Is there more?"

"If it were just about being strong, there wouldn’t be so many upset games."

Hansen’s words caused Tatum to fall into deep thought.

Exactly, if you don’t just consider single-game upsets, even in the playoffs, there are many examples of the weak defeating the strong.

In fact, from Hansen’s own experience, he accomplished it both in Memphis and Cleveland.

"Determination," Hansen continued to give that answer.

"If you don’t have enough determination, your choices on the court will become hesitant. Without enough determination, even a simple fake can’t deceive your defenders."

Hansen’s meaning was clear; Tatum lacked determination in his play, and that was the root cause of all the issues.

"I am here to win, I have that determination, and what I need are teammates with the same determination. As for everything else, I don’t care." Hansen’s meaning was evident; he wasn’t concerned about whether Tatum was a Kobe fan or a James fan, he cared about whether Tatum had that determination beyond his capabilities.

Clearly, if Tatum constantly felt that kind of [discomfort], he couldn’t possess that determination.

Moreover, Hansen implied that it was okay if Tatum was a bit less skilled or took longer to grow, but if Tatum never developed that determination, then he wasn’t the teammate Hansen needed.

Hansen spent his first Christmas Eve in Sacramento.

He gave gifts to his Kings teammates and received a room full of physical gifts in return.

These weren’t just gifts from teammates, but also from friends, like Jokic who sent him a massive lawnmower.

Of course, most of them were from sponsors.

This was the result of Hansen’s hard work throughout the year.

With comprehensive endorsements, he didn’t even need to buy anything anymore. Official source ıs 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖑~𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖾~𝖓𝖊𝖙

While Hansen was enjoying this Christmas Eve, an incident on social media made the night less peaceful.

It was a status posted by James, showing a picture of him training at the Golden One Arena on Christmas Eve.

Pictures like "look how hardworking James is, training even on Christmas Eve" weren’t a big deal; fans were used to them.

But more importantly, the photo had been edited, and what was removed was just one letter: S.

The Kings’ name is KINGS, and there’s an electronic screen displaying it on the second floor during arena operations.

James posted a training photo with the S edited out, obviously implying that his claim to be the KING was officially acknowledged, that he was the real king.

This instantly blew up the topic of true versus false kings on social media.

Moreover, most fans found James amusing, after all, Hansen had six championships and two dynasties. Only extreme followers of James could think that he was the true king.

Nobody knew what James was thinking, but perhaps he thought he was being clever, as he was only hinting at it indirectly.

Just after spending this somewhat special Christmas Eve, the much-anticipated Christmas game officially kicked off in the Kings’ home court, the Golden One Arena.

Already a Christmas showdown, coupled with James personally warming up the atmosphere before the game, the arena was packed, and the fans’ enthusiasm was unprecedented.

During the pre-game warm-ups, in front of the camera, James looked as if he was enjoying a spring breeze.

He had forgotten when the last time was that his team held such an advantage over Hansen.

The Warriors period didn’t count, because although the Warriors were strong, the Cavaliers, as defending champions, weren’t weak either.

That might have to be traced back to the Grizzlies days, and it was also in Hansen’s first two seasons with the Grizzlies.

Back then, although Hansen ended up winning, he relied on countering play styles to achieve it.

But now, the Pelicans had an all-around advantage over the Kings.

No need to compare lineups; just looking at the respective win-loss records told the story.

The photoshoot before the game was his self-confident champagne moment.

Moreover, there was Tatum.

James smiled as he approached Tatum, the young man he had favored back then.

Strictly speaking, he was like an uncle to Tatum.

After all, back then, he had taught Tatum quite a few basketball skills, and even basketball philosophies.

Tatum’s versatile style now was somewhat influenced by James back in the day.

Seeing James approach, Tatum hesitated for a moment but still went up to meet him.

His discomfort wasn’t entirely from his childhood; since entering the league, James had helped him quite a bit privately.

After some pleasantries, James returned to the Pelicans’ half court, his expression no longer cheerful but with a smug look of assurance.

Hansen made the most foolish decision this summer, and he must accept the consequences of that foolish decision!

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups for both teams were announced.

Kings: Mitchell, Hansen, Tatum, Sabonis, Stan

Pelicans: Huoledi, Bradley, James, Davis, Baines

Davis won the jump ball for the Pelicans, and with the cheers of the fans, the highly anticipated Christmas game began.

James seemed very excited at the start, posting up against Tatum and calling for the ball.

"Getting back at a familiar face" is common in all industries, and with all the help James had given Tatum off the court, it was only natural for Tatum to repay him on the court.

However, Tatum’s defense was solid on this play, or rather, his effort on defense had always been consistent since he entered the league, though his offense was often criticized.

Putting aside the effectiveness, at least his desire to contribute was very strong.

As a result, although James used his physique and an elbow to get past Tatum on his first post-up, his shot was disrupted by Stan and missed the basket.

James started off with a miss, yet he didn’t raise his hands to the referee to request a foul, nor did he show anger, but instead touched Tatum’s head in appreciation of his defense as they retreated.

After all, they were his people; missing the shot wasn’t a loss, and it could be seen as intentionally giving away the opening shot.

Besides, the Pelicans were much stronger than the Kings overall, so he could afford to play loosely.

While James started off relaxed, Hansen was the complete opposite; he showed full commitment right from the start.

On the right high post, after a hand-off with Sabonis, Hansen drove into the paint, scored against Davis’s help defense, and even drew a foul.

This was a very difficult play, earning a burst of cheers from the crowd.

Even though the Kings seemed weaker than both the Grizzlies and the Cavaliers, nobody would deny Hansen’s strength just because the Kings were weaker.

The broadcast replayed Hansen’s recent play right away.

Davis’s defensive timing was perfect, and the pressure he applied was significant; even Bradley’s help defense was almost in position.

However, Hansen immediately jumped against Davis, absorbed the contact, and adjusted mid-air to finish, perfectly showcasing his talent and ability, while also allowing everyone to sense his decisiveness.

Hansen stood at the free-throw line, and Tatum finally took his eyes off the LED screen.

If he hadn’t fully understood what Hansen talked about earlier, he now realized it deeply.

He could feel the determination to win the game in every movement Hansen made.