After the news conference ended, Hansen saw Conningham still in the locker room.
"Boss, I just went to the locker room to catch up with them." Conningham stood up to greet Hansen when he saw him come in.
"How’s Nikola doing?" Hansen still favored Jokic.
"Him? He’s doing great, but that kid Luca looked hostile when he saw me. It’s just a game, but we have deeper feelings for Cleveland than he does." Conningham couldn’t help but complain.
Hansen smiled. It seemed Doncic might really become the "Wiggins" of "history." If they meet the Cavaliers in the finals, things could get interesting.
"Boss, guess who else I saw there?" Conningham suddenly had a mysterious look on his face.
"Jason!" Hansen didn’t need to guess this kind of question since Conningham had already given the answer right away.
"Tatum?" Jason didn’t necessarily mean Tatum, but Conningham’s expression probably meant it was him.
Conningham nodded, "He was chatting with the Cavaliers’ staff, and they seemed very familiar with each other, which really surprised me."
This indeed surprised Hansen as well.
Tatum was from Duke, so it would make more sense if he were in Charlotte, but here he was in Cleveland.
Tatum was not like James, who was the son of Akron.
However, Hansen didn’t mind much, as his understanding of Tatum was also quite limited.
The next day, the Kings returned to Sacramento. Their season started on the road, but the next two back-to-back games were at home, sparing them from the hassle of travel.
That day, Hansen was training at his estate.
Ever since he bought the place, he made some renovations, building an indoor and an outdoor court near the castle.
While he was training, Rondo suddenly arrived, looking rushed.
Hansen stopped his training, puzzled, and walked toward him.
Usually, even if Rondo had something to discuss, he would wait in the living room until Hansen finished training, so it seemed like something serious had happened.
"Henry has passed away."
Hansen’s expression turned solemn accordingly.
This summer, after helping Hansen handle the transfer-related matters, Thomas started to have some health issues.
Thomas, born in 1953, was 64 years old this year, which wasn’t very old in this era, as in Hansen’s previous life, retirement at East University was only at 65.
However, the stress of an agent’s work took a larger toll on the mind and body than it did on the average person.
Hansen had advised Thomas to put his work aside and return to Chicago to recuperate, but he didn’t expect to receive such news in the end.
Hansen asked about Thomas’s burial date, which was two days later, coinciding with their next game against the Jazz.
He directly called Lue to ask for leave.
Since entering the NBA in 2009, Hansen had always been working with Thomas, who not only handled his affairs perfectly but also used his strong connections to create many opportunities for Hansen.
Hansen was very grateful for this agent, who had been working with him for nine years, and attending the funeral was a must.
Two days later, Hansen appeared in Chicago.
Thomas was a Chicagoan, and his funeral was held in a church there.
At the scene, Hansen saw many familiar faces.
This included Wade, Bosh, Livingston, and even some retired players like Michael Finley, Larry Hughes, and others.
Thomas had a good reputation in the agent circle. Those who worked with him, or had worked with him, chose to come to the scene.
When they saw Hansen arriving, they all came over to greet him one after another, and the focus of everyone present also shifted to him.
Given Hansen’s stature now, he would be the center of attention no matter where he went.
Hansen and Wade talked a lot, chatting about some experiences from their past.
That’s how people are; in a particular setting, specific emotions are evoked, making people become sensitive at a funeral.
Especially for someone like Hansen, who has already "died" once, experiencing death around him once more deepened his reflections.
There would be speeches from relatives at the funeral. To everyone’s surprise, Wade was on the list of speakers and broke into tears during his speech.
Wade was also a Chicagoan, and his relationship with Thomas was not simply that of a player and agent but more like a father and son relationship.
After the speech ended, with the minister presiding over the ceremony, Thomas’s casket was covered.
Then, a group of people drove different vehicles together with the bus to the cemetery.
There are many types of funerals in the United States, and burial is, of course, one of them, usually done at a suburban cemetery.
Here, the minister would again bless the deceased, and then everyone would throw flowers onto the casket before a final fill of earth completed the funeral. The rıghtful source is 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⁂𝘯𝘦𝘵
As the earth was being filled, someone Hansen did not expect stood by his side.
By the time Hansen entered the NBA, Hughes already had few opportunities to play, so they never crossed paths on the court.
Speaking of Hansen’s impression of him, it probably still lingered on that "history" where in the previous season, he was still a steals leader and a first-team defender, but then quickly turned into a CBA teammate when he joined the Cavaliers.
Hughes talked about Thomas’s life, lamenting that someone as good as Thomas should pass away so early.
"Nobody knows whether tomorrow or the unexpected will arrive first." Hansen also sighed.