"You misunderstood. I didn't say this to threaten you."
"Because, even if the Heat add Ray Allen, I am sure of my team."
"What I'm wondering is...why are you helping the Heat so much?"
Shen Fei asked.
"You really don't know?"
Stern smiled slightly and asked.
"If you are willing to come to meet me today, you must be asking for something."
"Since we each have needs, let's talk openly and honestly. I also want to know what you think."
Shen Fei said noncommittally.
"Okay, then I'll tell you straight away."
"You have a very special status. You are the boss of both the Rockets and Under Armor."
"This Houston Rockets can even be called the Houston Under Armor team."
"Do you think Nike will let you grow and become the dominant player in the league?"
Stern spoke eloquently.
"So they asked you to help the Heat strengthen their strength?"
"That's right. James is Nike's number one. If he can lead the Heat to defeat the Rockets, it will be like Nike defeating Under Armor."
"But what good does this do to the NBA?"
Shen Fei worked hard to guide the conversation.
If the Rockets can soar into the sky, it will be of great significance to the development of the NBA.
First, the Rockets have three of China's best players.
As long as Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, and Jeremy Lin are on the team, the Chinese market will be absolutely open to the NBA!
Secondly, the rocket style is gorgeous.
Not only does the team have players like Tracy McGrady, Curry, and Griffin who are very entertaining to watch.
The Rockets' "small ball" style of play is a subversion of traditional basketball!
The game perception they bring can definitely make many people fall in love with the NBA and basketball.
Shen Fei doesn't believe that Stern doesn't understand these benefits!
"well..."
Stern let out a long sigh.
He slowly took off his glasses, took out a square towel from his pocket, wiped the lenses carefully, and put them back on.
After doing this, he slowly spoke.
"The NBA is essentially a business league, but it only ranks third among the four major professional sports leagues in the beautiful country."
"In the past, in order to gain more popularity, I...created some 'wonderful duels.' Do you know what I mean?"
Stern glanced at Shen Fei with complicated eyes.
Shen Fei nodded.
The so-called creation of exciting duels does not mean controlling the game, making the game that the fans want to watch happen, and letting the game that should have lost suspense until the last moment...
Hasn't Stern been exaggerating the "23vs24" battle of the century in the past two years?
It's a pity that the Cavaliers repeatedly overturned in the Eastern Conference in the past two years, resulting in Kobe and James never being able to have a "big showdown".
Now, James has joined the Heat and is even stronger, but Kobe Bryant's Lakers are not as strong as the previous two years.
"During this process, Nike helped me a lot, but it also left some traces while helping..."
"Now that they want to maintain their dominant position in the NBA, they will naturally ask me for help."
Stern said frankly.
After saying this, he looked at Shen Fei, waiting to see the latter's surprised expression.
But Shen Fei just nodded calmly and said lightly: "As expected."
"Did you guess it?"
Stern said in surprise.
"It's not difficult to guess. But do you really plan to be held hostage by Nike like this?"
Shen Fei asked.
Stern smiled bitterly and did not answer.
"You have reached the age of retirement. If a new dynasty team emerges in the league before leaving office, future generations will definitely rate you higher."
Shen Fei said lightly.
Stern was stunned when he heard this.
Shen Fei's last words touched him a bit!
Since Stern became NBA CEO in 1984, two widely recognized dynasty teams have emerged - the Chicago Bulls (1991-1998, 6 championships in 8 years); the Los Angeles Lakers (2000-2004, 3 championships in 5 years). ).
The God of Basketball, Jordan, and the most powerful duo in history, OK, were all born under his rule.
These two dynasty teams alone are enough for Stern to compete for the first president in NBA history.
But if at the end of the term, another dynasty team can appear in the league, then there will be no dispute about this title of No. 1 in history!
As people get older, money is sometimes not as important as reputation.
Such an achievement is undoubtedly what Stern dreams of!
However, after the brief excitement, the battle-hardened veteran immediately calmed down.
"There are two problems here."
"The first question. How do you guarantee that the Rockets can become a dynasty team? It is difficult to win a championship, but compared with winning three consecutive years, it is not worth mentioning."
"Even if you can defeat the Heat this year, how can you ensure that there won't be another youth army emerging like this year's Rockets in the future?"
Stern asked seriously.
"The rise of the Rockets is due to the players and the coaches, but in the final analysis, it is because of me."
"I don't need preferential treatment from the league, as long as you remain fair and let the Rockets grow wildly..."
"I guarantee that a dynasty will be born!"
Shen Fei smiled slightly and said confidently.
"This...Okay, you convinced me on this point!"
"Second question. I have some information on Nike. Once those things are exposed, my reputation will be destroyed."
"By then, I'm afraid the Rockets Dynasty won't be able to save my reputation."
Stern said sadly.
Shen Fei frowned slightly.
He didn't know how to solve this problem for a while.
But Shen Fei soon came to his senses and said with a smile: "Have you ever thought that once the black material in Nike's hands is released, you will not be the only one affected."
Stern was stunned when he heard this: "What do you mean?"
"Those shady materials may also bring disrepute to some NBA teams and even Nike itself."
Shen Fei said lightly.
"this..."
"It's indeed possible!"
Stern's brain shut down for a while, and he suddenly realized.
"I think they don't dare to disclose the dirty information at all."
Shen Fei looked into Stern's eyes and said decisively.
In the original time and space, Stern retired in 2014 and died in 20, without much attack from public opinion.
There is no such thing as Nike exposing his black material.
"But no one can guarantee this..."
Stern is still hesitant, but his attitude has changed subtly.
"To tell you the truth, Nike put a lot of pressure on me."
"They requested that fewer Rockets players appear in various selections at the end of the season."
"For example, in the MVP selection... Nike believes that even if it is given to Derrick Rose, it cannot be given to T-Mac."
Stern said helplessly.
Obviously, in Nike's eyes, the declining Adidas poses far less threat to them than the rising Under Armor!
"These personal honors are not what I care about most."
"But I want to remind you that the core of those dynasty teams in history is full of honors."
"Can you imagine Jordan not having an MVP?"
Shen Fei said calmly.
He now knows what Stern wants, so every word he says is on target.
Don’t you want to create another dynasty?
Then I will use this point to make you submit!
"I think... you might be able to use MVP competition to test Nike's attitude."
"If they just show anger without any follow-up means, it means that my guess is correct."