"Daddy, I want to watch you play basketball."
Tang Tian joined the Celebrity Game entirely because of something his son, Towns, said.
As a doting dad, he naturally could not refuse.
And after he revealed to the media that he was participating because of his son, Kobe quickly responded that he would also join the Celebrity Game.
He was showing support for Tang Tian.
After Kobe, Ginobili and Parker also responded one after another.
Seeing that all these old guys were itching to get involved, Tang Tian simply called Yao Ming in as well.
This year's Celebrity Game used a USA Team versus International Team format.
Everyone who had agreed to play so far was on the International Team. When Kobe saw that, he tagged Jordan on Twitter. Jordan had long wanted to face Tang Tian too, and he actually agreed.
Jordan, Barkley, Reggie Miller...
As a result, this year's All-Star Game Celebrity Game became a carnival for the fans. Retired legends all took the court to put on an exhibition game for Towns.
For a time, Towns became the biggest name in the house.
The league also knew this Celebrity Game was unlike any before. It had usually been held in smaller arenas, but this year they moved it directly to the United Center.
The arena was packed to capacity, and the fans seemed even more excited than they were for the All-Star Game itself.
That was only natural.
The All-Star Game came every year, but a Celebrity Game like this was a once-in-a-lifetime event. No one wanted to miss it.
That day, major media outlets all arranged live broadcasts, while the number of reporters and media personnel on site also hit a new high.
No one had expected the Celebrity Game to develop into this. It had originally