From Genius to Abandoned Son | Noel: I rejected 70 million, but I can’t buy a do-over

I am a player who has been called a "genius" since I was a child. I thought that the world was at my feet and everything was under my control. However, in fact, after I passed by the 70 million contract, I realized that I was really insignificant...

My name is Nolens Noel. Thank you for listening to my story.

Saginaw, Massachusetts, a small place with a population of less than 100,000, is surrounded by cold and struggle. The children here are all good at sports and are looking for opportunities to escape from here and change their destiny. Of course, I am no exception. The first birthday gift I received was It's basketball, "use it to smash fate", this is what my mother said to me most often. I remember that the community court is dilapidated, but a large group of children will still gather. As a young and thin person, I will inevitably be expelled by them, so I can only wait until night and the crowd disperses before I can walk to the center of the court.

The cold wind at night could bite into my bones, and my fingers were red from the cold, but I still kept hitting the ground with the basketball, practicing the skills I just learned over and over again. As my body continued to grow, I gradually became the king here and could easily defeat the group of adults. Each of them said to me, "Brother, you will definitely be able to enter the NBA in the future."

My fame is growing, attracting the attention of many schools and some scouts. Since my senior year of high school, my name has appeared in the top five in the United States. USA Today even named me the best high school student in the United States. ESPN will also regard me as one of the top high school students in the United States. The number one draft pick, after graduation, I entered the famous basketball school Kentucky, hoping to use this springboard to continue to consolidate my title as the number one draft pick. I averaged 10.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 4.4 blocks per game, helping me win the title of SEC Defensive Player of the Year.

The predicted pick can almost lock in the top three, but just 4 months before the draft, I suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in my left knee. I knew what it meant. On the operating table, I seemed to hear the scouts whispering, "This kid is finished."

I kept asking my agent to confirm my draft prospects. They only told me to relax and be patient with my injuries. The impact would be certain, but it was not expected to be too big.

With the sixth pick, my hanging heart finally fell. I am very grateful to the 76ers for choosing me even though they knew I might be reimbursed for the season. I couldn't wait to lead them to victory, but reality gave me a blow in the head.

Although my performance is still very dazzling, I have dominated the inside many times.

For example, against the Thunder, I scored 8 points, 13 rebounds, 4 steals and 5 blocks;

against the Jazz, I scored 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 steals;

and against the Clippers, I scored 30 points and 14 rebounds;

I will The name has been written into many team histories, as well as the youngest record. Everyone said that the 76ers picked up a treasure, but unfortunately, we still lost most of the games, which is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We lost numbly, and the locker room was filled with the smell of failure. I began to understand that data cannot win the game, let alone save a rotten team.

The Mavericks saw my predicament. They got me through a trade and handed me a four-year, $70 million contract at the end of the season. My agent smiled and said, "Reject it, and you will be worth more." I believed it, but in the following time, I never heard any offers. In desperation, I could only accept a one-year, $4.1 million qualifying contract.

My agent continued to paint a bright future for me, which made me think that I still had the opportunity to earn a high salary. But in fact, my behavior had already broken the hearts of my teammates and Dallas fans. I was ostracized in the locker room, and the coach and the team were no longer tolerant. From starting to being a substitute, and then guarding the water cooler, I spent the most gloomy year of my life and only got a report card averaging 4.4 points per game.

70 million evaporated into the air in Dallas. People called me a "greedy fool". I couldn't refute it.

In the days that followed, I was thrown around like a piece of luggage: Thunder, Knicks, Pistons, Nets. In the Thunder, I was paid a minimum salary to play as a substitute; in the Knicks, I signed a contract for 5 million for one year, and had a brief period of stability for 32 million for three years. But the shadow of 70 million always gnaws at me - the total career salary is 27 million, which is less than half of the contract he refused back then.

I once turned to LeBron's agent Rich Paul, but he couldn't save me. It was only then that I realized that I was not a superstar at all, just a defensive coolie who was teased by fate.

Now that I am 30 years old, I am still wandering around the league. People only remember me as "the fool who refused high salary", but I want to say: I have never betrayed basketball.

I am still the monster who can jump from the penalty area to the three-point line to block shots, the blue-collar guy who is willing to break his ribs for a defense. I lost to greed and injuries, but not to pride.

If I had it to do over again, would I still refuse 70 million?

No.

But that’s life – only by breaking something can you learn to bend down and pick up the pieces.

I am Nolens Noel,

I am not a legend, but I am a warrior.

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