Last season, Olajuwon completed his title defense, and his popularity soared. David Robinson knew he wouldn't make the All-Star starting lineup again, and that newcomer on the opposite side might just make it into the All-Star starting lineup in his rookie season, with a lot of hype!
Just like when Pierce first saw those news articles, they felt off, but his first reaction was thinking Zhang Hao was going to be selected as an All-Star starter. There was a group of people who thought Zhang Hao was getting All-Star starter buzz, and media hype. The majority of the media's goal wasn't to suppress Zhang Hao, but to create a topic, and suppressing Zhang Hao wasn't important to most media; the topic was more important.
David Robinson was one of those who believed Zhang Hao had All-Star starter buzz, because last year Grant Hill achieved it.
The Spurs' center didn't say it aloud, but secretly desired attention and popularity.
