The moment the game ended, golden confetti rained down over the arena. All the players on the sidelines rushed onto the court, hugging, laughing, and shouting.
After hugging Westbrook, Wang Yi hugged Rose, then Little Danny. He ruffled Little Danny's hair. "How does it feel to be a champion?"
Little Danny said excitedly, "A little dizzy."
Little Danny had averaged 15 points and 5 assists per game in this year's Playoffs.
For a rookie, especially a 1.65-meter-tall rookie, that was already an outstanding achievement.
Wang Yi continued, "You proved your worth in this year's Playoffs. Given your performance, if you'd played in the old days when huge contracts were everywhere, you could've gotten 15 million without any problem. But now, you'll probably only get around 10 million."
After Wang Yi retired, the NBA market shrank, and players' contracts were reduced by at least 20 percent. The market had recovered somewhat after Wang Yi returned last season, but it still hadn't returned to its peak.
Besides, the new collective bargaining agreement had only been signed two years ago. Labor negotiations only took place every six years, and players' salaries couldn't rise before those negotiations—except for Wang Yi, of course.
Little Danny said, "Nine months ago, I was still waiting tables at a restaurant. Back then, I never would've dreamed that I'd play in the NBA one day, let alone get to make an impact on the NBA Finals stage. As for 10 million dollars, I never even dared to dream of that."
"Now I've achieved all of it, and I feel like I'm about to be overwhelmed with happiness. I owe it all to you. None of this would've been possible without you."
Wang Yi shook his head and nodded toward Rose. "You should thank Rose."
Little Danny nodded. "Of course.