All-Star weekend was the first time in 6 years since I last stepped inside an NBA arena - Oracle Arena during Game 6 of the NBA Finals back in 2019. I wasn’t quite sure what to feel or expect. In all honesty, that’s partially why for the first couple months of 2025, I adamantly told my business team I wanted to decline this opportunity. For a while after 2019, I lacked closure w how my NBA career ended. When I thought about it, I couldn’t appreciate all that I had accomplished bc I was still confused at how and why things ended. After this All-Star weekend, I felt a sense of peace and gratitude I couldn’t find in prior years. Watching the All-Star festivities, I felt amazement at the skill, athleticism and talent of all the athletes. As the weekend sunk in, my next thought was that I used to be them, competing on that same court making history: scoring the most points ever in NBA history in a player’s first 4 starts, compiling 9 seasons in the NBA, and becoming the first Asian-Americ...