Chapter 366: The Youngest Finals MVP, and Bronny Cried Anyway
The moment the final horn sounded and the Suns were officially crowned champions, the celebration was not confined to Cleveland.
Across Asia, from Small to Large Countries, a roar rose from living rooms, sports bars, and crowded street corners. Before Chen Yan entered the league, most fans could not even picture an Asian perimeter player holding his own on an NBA floor. A championship as a centerpiece, as a starter, felt even more impossible.
And yet it was real. Not a fantasy, not a video game simulation, but the real NBA, with real pressure and real history.
Back in Phoenix, the same shock turned into joy. Fans packed the plaza, watching on giant screens, screaming until their voices cracked. Some cried openly. Not because they were soft, but because Phoenix had waited a long time to touch this moment.
On the broadcast, Mike Breen's voice cut through the noise.
"The Phoenix Suns are champions for the first time in franchise history."
Mark Jackson followed immediately.
"This is legacy. This is what they have been chasing."
Jeff Van Gundy, half laughing, half stunned, added, "And they did it their way. Fast, fearless, and a whole lot of 3s."
On the court, everyone moved like they were trying to remember every second.
Barea, Azubuike, and Barnes hugged so tightly they nearly toppled over. For role players like them, a championship was not just a ring, it was proof. Proof they belonged.
Stoudemire somehow found a ladder and climbed up to cut down the net. It was a ritual as old as American basketball, a symbol of arrival, a piece of history you could hold in your hands.
Nash held his daughters, tears slipping down his face. After 12 years of grinding, injuries, near misses, and noise, he finally got what he had chased his entire career. He had pictured this moment in quiet hotel rooms and empty gyms. Now it was in his arms.
Chen Yan brought his parents to midcourt and kissed each of them on the cheek.
They looked embarrassed at first, stiff with the instinctive reserve of a different culture, but Chen Yan did not care. It was his simplest language. Love, gratitude, and relief, all in 1 motion.
Then more people joined the circle.
Taylor Swift stepped onto the floor. His agent, Bill Duffy, was there too. Different kinds of support, different kinds of pressure, all part of the same road.
Just as Chen Yan, Taylor, and Duffy embraced, Diaw and Raja Bell crept up behind him with a massive cooler.
Gatorade time.
They tipped it.
Chen Yan caught it in the corner of his eye and slid away on instinct, the same footwork that left defenders grabbing air all season.
He escaped clean.
Bill Duffy did not.
The entire cooler poured straight down, soaking the front of the suit.
Breen could not help himself. "He avoided the celebration bath."
Mark Jackson laughed. "That is elite footwork. Opponents cannot catch him, and his own teammates cannot catch him either."
Van Gundy added, "That agent is going to renegotiate the contract in a towel."
Not far away, cameras found LeBron.
He stood in place, staring without blinking, the look of a man who had fought for every inch and still ended up at the same wall. Another Finals loss. Another sweep. He did not need anyone to tell him what the headlines would say.
Chen Yan did not gloat.
He went down the line and hugged Cavaliers players one by one. Competition was real, but so was respect. He understood that truth, and he always had.
When he reached LeBron, the two embraced. LeBron forced a smile for the cameras and said, "Congratulations. You earned it."
Chen Yan replied quietly, close enough that only LeBron could hear. Whatever he said, no microphone caught it.
Then the league staff rolled out the cart.
The Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Even in a loud arena, it made people go silent. Players, coaches, media, fans, everyone locked onto it like it had gravity. A gold symbol that turned careers into legends.
The Cavaliers, still on the floor, had to watch it all. By custom, the champions leave last. So Cleveland stood there, waiting, forced to watch another team celebrate in their house.
David Stern walked out under the lights.
"I am proud to announce that the 2007 to 2008 NBA champions are, the Phoenix Suns."
He lifted the trophy and handed it to Nash.
Nash raised it high, and the Suns swarmed in, hands stacking onto gold. Chen Yan placed his hand on it too, feeling the cold metal that had been chased with sweat, pain, and years of disappointment.
Cameras flashed nonstop. For a moment, the world froze on smiling faces.
Then Stern glanced down at a card in his hand.
And he decided to have some fun.
"The winner of the 2007 to 2008 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player is…"
He paused, letting the suspense hang.
Then, with a grin that only made him look more like a mischievous old man, he finally announced it.
"Cheeen Yaaaan."
Stoudemire and Nash shoved Chen Yan toward center stage.
Breen's voice rose. "There it is. Chen Yan is your Finals MVP."
Mark Jackson nodded. "The moment is here. The biggest stage, and the biggest impact."
Jeff Van Gundy added, "And he is still basically a kid. That is the scary part."
Bill Russell stepped forward to present the trophy. The legend moved carefully, but his smile was steady.
He shook Chen Yan's hand and said warmly, "I admire you. Magical kid."
"Thank you," Chen Yan replied, respectful and short.
He did not want speeches yet. He wanted the trophy.
When it touched his hands, he went still for a heartbeat, like his brain needed time to accept reality.
Then Nash and Stoudemire yelled at him to lift it.
Chen Yan raised the Finals MVP trophy over his head.
Flashbulbs lit up his face, young, confident, and glowing under the brightest lights in basketball.
The youngest Finals MVP was born.
Magic Johnson had once held that record at 20 years and 10 months. Now Chen Yan had taken it at 20 years and 8 months.
His teammates swarmed him, ruffling his hair, thumping the top of his head, shoving him playfully from shoulder to shoulder. On the court, he was a cold blooded scorer. Off it, to them, he was still the youngest brother in the family.
Even the bench guys took their turns. If you were going to mess with a future superstar, you did it before he started collecting statues.
Chen Yan did not mind. This was the Suns. Loud, loose, and together.
He held the championship trophy in 1 hand and the Finals MVP in the other, then stepped to the microphone.
If this were Phoenix, he might have talked for 10 minutes and soaked in every cheer. But this was Cleveland, and he understood the mood.
So he kept it clean.
He thanked management, coaches, teammates, and the fans. He thanked his parents. He thanked everyone who had believed in him when belief felt ridiculous.
Then he looked straight into the camera and lifted the trophy again.
"Phoenix, this is for you."
Back home, millions of fans exploded all over again.
Not just because a team won, but because what he represented was bigger than a scoreboard. In a league dominated by Black and white athletes, an Asian guard holding Finals MVP hit like a thunderclap.
After the ceremony, the Suns headed toward the locker room. Another celebration waited inside.
In the tunnel, Chen Yan noticed a child crying hard enough to be heard over the chaos.
Bronny.
LeBron's oldest son stood there, face red, tears spilling. Even if he liked Chen Yan, seeing his father lose hurt in a way a kid could not hide.
Chen Yan stopped.
He crouched, patted Bronny on the head, and for a second it looked like he was going to offer comfort.
Instead, he said, calmly and matter of fact, "Little man, you should get used to this. You're going to see it a lot over the next few years."
Then Chen Yan stood up and walked away with his teammates.
Bronny stayed in place.
And somehow, he cried even louder.
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