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Text/Mu Qiao
Editor/Mu Qiao
preface
Yao Ming was only 18 years old when he first met Mu Tiezhu.
He once said in his mourning:
I had never spoken to Mu Tiezhu, because at that time, I was not qualified to talk to him.
"Whether physically or mentally, I look up to him."
Yao Ming mourned Mu Tiezhu
In the 70s of last century, it was precisely because of the existence of Mu Tiezhu that basketball began to become another pride of Chinese, and he led the Chinese men's basketball team to the world with the momentum of overcoming difficulties and was China's "first elder".
In 2008, when the Chinese people were cheering for the Olympics, Mu Tiezhu wore the Bayi military flag in Babaoshan and left safely at the age of 59.
In December 2022, Mu Tiezhu was inducted into the China Basketball Hall of Fame, and he really deserves this honor.
Unfortunately, after the information of staying in the Hall of Fame was released, many people in the comment area did not pay attention to the name "Mu Tiezhu".
They focused on the question of "why is there no Yao?"
A generation of basketball stars died young, will Mu Tiezhu's achievements be forgotten?
And when did his body begin to collapse?
The National Sports Commission once exchanged 20 old basketballs for this "stupid big one"
Mu Tiezhu's family, except for him, is not particularly tall.
When he was 7 years old, there was a flood in his hometown of Shandong, and Mu Tiezhu's father and his family of five began to wander all the way from Shandong.
While walking and making a living, they reached the border of Xinjiang until they finally stabilized.
But to everyone's surprise, he was born in 1949, and in this way, in the era of lack of food and clothing, he broke through to a height of 1.9 meters at the age of only 13.
In 1968, 19-year-old Mu Tiezhu had broken through two meters, and his height that was incompatible with the people around him made him feel inferior in his strange gaze.
In his own words: "Probably eating the wrong thing." ”
However, this height, in the eyes of those who care, is a unique advantage.
At that time, Mu Tiezhu, who had just returned to his hometown in Shandong with his father, even if he was squatting in the corner of the market, was particularly conspicuous, and was immediately seen by the cadres of the sports committee of Dongming County.
He felt: "This is a naturally good seedling, so suitable for playing basketball." ”
After several lobbying, he reported Mu Tiezhu as a special talent and brought him into the sports team.
Who knows that the talent has not yet warmed up, and the news that the sports team has dug a big man more than 2 meters tall in Shandong was received by the National Sports Commission.
They used 20 old basketballs as a condition and replaced Mu Tiezhu.
Since then, Mu Tiezhu has officially opened the main line of life.
From not being able to play to being the pillar of the team
Mu Tiezhu was discovered shortly after he was accepted into the national team, and he seems to have no other characteristics except height.
Because he has never been trained systematically, he always appears to be half a beat slower when playing basketball.
It is not a good family environment, which makes his physical fitness a little "weak".
For Mu Tiezhu, who is 2.28 meters tall, the 13-meter-wide basketball court is really not big, but after a few laps, he is tired and panting.
He can reach the basket on tiptoe, but he can neither score the ball nor block the attack.
Many people think that Mu Tiezhu may not be suitable for playing basketball, just a "stupid big man".
Fortunately, the coach did not give up, and after thinking about it again, he threw Mu Tiezhu to the track and field team and decided to start training by exercising first.
For the coach's support, Mu Tiezhu held his breath in his heart.
When he first started exercising, he could only start in short distances such as 500 meters and 1,000 meters, and he could not even run an eight-year-old.
After gradually improving his physical fitness, Mu Tiezhu trained for 10,000 meters almost every day, and what matched his height was his self-esteem and determination to join the national team.
These advances are all seen by Yu Bangji.
In the first 19 years, Mu Tiezhu had almost no contact with basketball, so forcing him to quickly grow into a skilled player could only be embarrassing each other.
He arranged a targeted transformation plan for Mu Tiezhu, focusing on three aspects of skill training: passing, foot and turning, and free throws.
Mu Tiezhu, on the other hand, analyzed his own problems: "With his height, as long as he plays, he is the focus of everyone, how can he not be seen through?" ”
In order to overcome this, he practiced various feints hard while training.
In the end, he became the biggest threat in the heart of the stadium, and his one-handed long-range passes, one-handed fake passes, and fake throwing abilities were outstanding.
The burly man stood in the restricted area, and no one dared to ignore it, let alone stop him.
The basketball flew up and down in his big hand, doing whatever he wanted, but turning around so that the opponent could not even see where the ball was.
In 1972, after Mu Tiezhu joined the army, he joined the representative team of the Jinan Military Region, and in 1973, with his strength, he joined the "Bayi men's basketball team".
The glory begins here.
From 1973 to 1977, Mu Tiezhu became the "killer app" of the Bayi men's basketball team, when he was mainly active in domestic competitions, continuing to practice skills while cultivating tacit understanding with his teammates.
He has a good temper, and because of his height, he always pays attention to the feelings of others, and even if he is joked, he will not be angry.
During this time, Mu Tiezhu, who was once considered to have "no basketball talent", scored 80 points alone in an open match with the Suzhou basketball team.
In 1977, Mu Tiezhu and his team won the Asian Championship, and China's reputation as the "first elder" gradually revealed.
In 1978, he once again led everyone to the eighth Asian Games basketball championship.
In 1979, the American Collegiate Star United visited China to compete.
There are two equally tall talented cadets, Carver Knicks was selected by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 1980 NBA Draft, and Bill Hanzrick was taken away by the Seattle SuperSonics in the same year's draft.
But this time, under the leadership of "China's No. 1 center" Mu Tiezhu, even though the players were amazingly talented, the United States team still lost both games.
The Chinese team won the Asian Championship again.
The American coach at the time said: "I think the Chinese team played a very good game, and Mu Tiezhu played an important role at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends. ”
This battle has added new confidence and vitality to China's men's basketball team.
Countless young people began to fall in love with basketball and learn basketball.
As Zhu Jiazhi said: "It is precisely because Mu Tiezhu turned the impossible into a possibility, since then, when the Chinese men's basketball team plays against the world's strong teams, it will no longer be daunted, and we have truly become the Asian hegemon." ”
Is such a high achievement just because of outstanding height?
In 1982, in preparation for the 1983 Asian Championship, the Chinese Basketball Association re-recruited several veterans, including Mu Tiezhu, who had left the national team.
This competition was also a tryout for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, and if it won, it would represent the Chinese team in advance to win the Olympic Games.
Mu Tiezhu was 33 years old at the time, and he and Wang Libin, a 19-year-old player who had just entered the national team for only one year, were assigned to the same dormitory.
The two lived in the same room for nearly two years, which made Wang Libin, who originally admired Mu Tiezhu, China's "first elder", see a lot of different things.
In the words of Wang Libin: "The reason why the Asian Championship was so smooth was because of Mu Tiezhu behind it. ”
"The iron pillar plays with brains!"
In order to ensure that the ticket to the "Olympic Games" can be secured, they prepared three sets of lineups for the Asian Championships at that time:
One set is a "high throw, high throw" big man lineup composed of Mu Tiezhu and other veteran players.
One set is a small lineup of a new generation of talented players.
In addition, they also discussed with each other to match a set of interspersed mobile lineups.
During the game, as the situation changes, Mu Tiezhu can give people great pressure whether he appears on the bench or on the field.
Under the three changes, the Chinese team at that time could be said to have no opponents in Asia.
And Mu Tiezhu is the backbone of everyone.
The Japanese team later also dug up a 2.30-meter-tall player named Okada, and North Korea also had a 2.35 Lee Myung-hoon, but their achievements were mediocre.
At present, the only one who can break through Mu Tiezhu's aura is Yao Ming.
However, although the players on the field are quite dependent on Mu Tiezhu, in terms of life, everyone in turn worries about him.
Marriage comes like a surprise
Mu Tiezhu, as the "first center in Asia", is full of security on stage and gentle offstage, which is actually very attractive to girls.
But after really entering life, the huge height difference will still cause a lot of inconvenience, so although he has tried to fall in love several times, it all ended in the girl's abandonment.
Everyone looks at it in the eyes, anxious in the heart, almost 30 years old and not married, can anyone accept this big man?
At this moment, Mu Tiezhu received a letter from an anonymous fan: "I have watched almost all your matches, you are a real man. ”
Such a veiled confession was not taken to heart by Mu Tiezhu at the beginning.
At the most popular time, it took him more than an hour to walk to the hot pot restaurant 100 meters away, and countless fans blocked the water around the road, and he had heard all kinds of bold confessions.
Just after "scaring" several girlfriends in a row, he has already begun to discourage his feelings.
Although Mu Tiezhu did not reply to the letter, his teammates and leaders were attentive.
After investigation, they found that this "anonymous fan" was actually a basketball player, but compared to the highly accomplished Mu Tiezhu, this girl could only be called the main force of the women's team in her factory.
After tracking down me, they first quietly contacted the girl, and after obtaining consent, the leader quickly arranged the first real meeting between the two.
In order not to scare away the beauty on the first side, Mu Tiezhu was explained by his teammates, sat on the seat the whole time, and easily did not get up if there was nothing to do.
In the end, the meeting between the two ended with extraordinary satisfaction on both sides.
For Mu Tiezhu, it is his greatest honor that the girl is willing to spend her life with her.
Years later, his wife Wang Zhuanhong said, "It is my luck that he saw me among thousands of letters." ”
Both parties feel that it is their "blessing" to be partners, so the two get along very well.
In order to marry Wang Zhuanhong, Mu Tiezhu first spent his years of savings, adding a few pieces of furniture to the new home he was assigned, and also bought Maotai and Chinese cigarettes to entertain the team members and his future wife's family.
The Bayi basketball team specially used a van to pick up the bride, and also arranged the wedding in the auditorium of the training camp, which was very decent overall.
After 29 years together, this couple with a huge size difference has never quarreled.
Occasionally, there are stirring mouths, and they will reflect on each other, and at this time, Mu Tiezhu will always be the first to say soft words and reconcile with his wife.
He is such a thick and thin character, and in the "giant-like" body, it is full of tenderness that cannot be concealed.
Wang Zhuanhong, on the other hand, took care of Mu Tiezhu for many years after his retirement and poor health, and never complained.
For the future of the two, Wang Zhuanhong summed up in one sentence, with her usual implicit and love:
"I want to be a crutch for him for life, and the two of them grow old together."
Unfortunately, this wish was suddenly shattered in 08.
At the memorial service, Wang Zhuanhong always couldn't help crying, a lifelong idol and husband, left her forever and left everyone.
The two sons and daughters are also particularly sad.
Every day is earned
Because his height grew too fast in his early years and he was overtrained in his middle age, a doctor once said bluntly to Mu Tiezhu: "You may not live to be 40 years old." ”
In this regard, Mu Tiezhu was more relaxed: "Then if you are more than 40 years old, every day you live more is extra earned." ”
However, the pain is menacing, and even the "iron pillar" can "erode".
In 1988, Mu Tiezhu had to retire from the court due to lumbar spine problems, and after announcing his retirement to the people of the whole country, he began to coach the Bayi men's basketball team at the age of 39.
In 1996, he was diagnosed by doctors with premature heart beats, which may have been the direct cause of his later death.
When he competed on stage, his heart beat as fast as 200 beats per minute, but when he calmed down, he only had 50 beats per minute.
In 1999, due to physical reasons, Mu Tiezhu had to retire early.
In 2003, Mu Tiezhu, who was out of town, fell violently because of heavy snow, and when he was sent to the hospital, his leg was swollen and could not see.
In order to make him recover as soon as possible, Wang Zhuanhong would take him out for a walk every day, prepare hot water for him to soak his feet, even if his hands were hot and red, he didn't care.
One person is used to putting his hand on the other's shoulder and using his wife as his warm crutch.
The other person is used to and happy to bear the weight, and the two are at each other's throats.
During the August 2008 Olympic Games, Mu Tiezhu, who was also happy, couldn't help but be invited to participate in the program recording of Beijing Radio.
It was his last appearance in front of the nation.
In the early morning of September 14, Mu Tiezhu got up to exercise according to his habit, and suddenly, he felt a pain in his chest, although it was very close to the hospital, but he still could not be rescued.
At his memorial service, Zheng Haixia, a women's basketball player who is also 2.06 tall, burst into tears several times because of grief and refused to be interviewed by the media several times.
His good partner Wu Xinshui said even more bluntly: "The iron pillar will always live in people's hearts." ”
epilogue
The basketball era belonging to "Mu Tiezhu" is over, but the myth he created for the Chinese men's basketball team should not be forgotten.
He has been pushed onto basketball because of his figure, and he has been questioned several times because of his technique.
To be able to reach the position of "Asia's No. 1 center", he has sweated a lot.
Leaving in the Babaoshan Mountain wearing the August 1st Army Banner and being mourned by countless people is the respect and honor he deserves.