At the postgame press conference, camera flashes blazed like free incandescent bulbs, flickering madly and nearly blinding everyone.
Kobe had changed into a clean training outfit. There was little emotion left on his face, but his clenched fists still revealed the turmoil within him.
Surrounded by the reporters' cameras and microphones, he appeared unusually calm.
"We played a great game, especially in the third quarter," Kobe said evenly. "But we couldn't hold on until the end. The Knicks are a great team, and Li Fei is a great player. They seized the opportunity and finished the game. We lost. That's all."
"Next game, we'll play better."
At that moment, an ESPN reporter threw out a pointed question. "Kobe, we all know you just signed with Li Fei Brand and became one of its most important endorsers. In a sense, Li Fei is now your 'boss.' After battling him so fiercely on the court, and then being 'humiliated' by him that way after the game, will it affect your business partnership? Or will this 'employment relationship' affect your mentality on the court?"
The instant the question was asked, the room fell silent. Everyone pricked up their ears, eager to hear how Kobe would answer such a sensitive topic.
Kobe's gaze abruptly sharpened, like an enraged Black Mamba.
He gave the reporter a cold look, a frosty smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"First of all, let me correct you. Business is business. Basketball is basketball. They're two different things."
"Li Fei Brand is one of the best sports brands in the world today. Their products and technology can help me perform better on the court. I chose it because it's good enough—because it's worthy of me. It has nothing to do with who Li Fei is."
"As for this