Chen Yu vaguely rembered that Olajuwon’s attendance record throughout his career was actually quite high.
Besides that, there was another factor: arthritis. It went hand-in-hand with overexertion and was a major cause of joint deterioration.
As it happened, he currently had bursitis.
"Hakeem, what are your plans?" Chen Yu asked, evading the unspoken question.
’The guy is already 38 years old, a pri age for retirent.’
’If he’s already thinking about retirent, then there’s no point in going through all this trouble. My treatnts are hard-won, and frankly, it would be a waste to use them on a player who’s about to retire anyway.’
Just then, Chen Yu noticed another problem.
Olajuwon’s back.
His back muscles were inflad and damaged.
This was a significant problem.
But the bigger issue was his lumbar spine, which showed signs of impact-related damage.
This was actually to be expected. For a player like him, a big center who played through the nineties, impact injuries were par for the course.
What was more troubling was that Chen Yu saw a bulge in the disc of his third lumbar vertebra.
It wasn’t a full-blown herniation yet, but it was already compressing so of the surrounding blood vessels.
’The guy must have chronic back pain.’
Olajuwon paused, taken aback. "Chen, what do you an?" he asked.
On the court, Ray Allen had just finished a round of shooting. Chen Yu clapped while asking, "What I an is, have you considered retirent? After all, you’ve reached that age. If retirent is already in your plans, then undergoing treatnt right now might not be the best choice."
Olajuwon frowned.
If anyone else had brought up his age and asked if he should retire, he would have punched them square in the face.
But Chen Yu was a doctor, and asking such a question from a dical standpoint was perfectly reasonable.
A look of anguish and conflict flashed in his eyes. "Chen, for the past few years, I’ve felt my body declining rapidly. The pain is constant. Every ti I step onto the court, it’s torture."
"Many of the players from my draft class have already retired. Guys like Charles, and even Michael—he’s already retired twice."
"But I really don’t want to give up, Chen. You might think it’s ridiculous, but I really want to win one more championship. Just one."
Olajuwon held up a single finger. "One more championship, and I’ll retire imdiately. But with the Rocket..."
His expression turned pained once more.
They’d traded for Mobley and acquired Francis from the Grizzlies. Anyone could see the Rocket was already on the path to rebuilding.
Mobley was an excellent player and Francis had a lot of potential, but for the 38-year-old Olajuwon, ti was running out.
Olajuwon wanted to give it one last push at the end of his career, but he hadn’t made up his mind. It would an leaving the Rocket, the team he’d stayed loyal to for 17 years.
"Chen," Olajuwon said, his eyes pleading with Chen Yu. "I don’t need to be perfectly healthy. I’m not even dreaming of being perfectly healthy."
"I just want to get a little bit of my athleticism back. At least enough so my knees feel better. I don’t want every turn, every jump, to feel like soone’s carving into my knees with a knife. I just want to be able to go ho after a ga and get a peaceful night’s sleep. That’s all."
By the end, Olajuwon was visibly emotional.
For a player his age to still be competing on the court wasn’t so leisurely ride into the sunset of his career. It was pure torture, both physically and ntally.
He had to suffer through the physical pain, endure the frustration of his body not being able to keep up with his mind, and face the ridicule of others when he had a bad ga.
And on top of it all, there was the psychological blow of his own decline.
After all, he was once the best center on the planet.
Beside him, Lexi gently nudged Chen Yu with her elbow, giving him a look that said, ’Why haven’t you agreed yet?’
Chen Yu ignored her.
"Hakeem, let think about it." ’It’s easy to agree,’ he thought, ’but agreeing ans accepting an expectation, a responsibility.’
"Thank you."
Olajuwon nodded, patted Chen Yu’s shoulder, and stood up to leave.
Because of his conversation with Olajuwon, Chen Yu couldn’t really get into the subsequent dunk contest.
The only highlight was probably the big-bearded rookie from the Wasp, a guy nad Davis, who blindfolded himself with a headband and then proceeded to dunk on thin air.
That night, back at the hotel, Chen Yu, for once, didn’t "relax" with Lexi. Instead, he went online and looked up so recordings of Rocket gas.
Chen Yu had actually wanted to find a highlight reel of Olajuwon from the current season.
But he just couldn’t find one.
His world-famous Dream Shake had long since vanished from the court.
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