Legendary basketball manager

"You misunderstood. I didn't mean to threaten you by saying this."

"Because, even if the Heat add Ray Allen, I still have confidence in 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 and asked back.

"If you are willing to meet me today, you must have something to ask for."

"Since we each have what we need, why don't we have an open and honest talk, and I want to know your thoughts too."

Shen Fei said noncommittally.

"Okay, then I'll be straight."

"Your identity is very special. You are both the boss of the Rockets and the boss of Under Armor."

"This Houston Rockets team can even be called the Houston Under Armor team."

"Do you think Nike will let you grow and become the overlord of the league?"

Stern spoke eloquently.

"So they asked you to help the Heat strengthen?"

"That's right. James is Nike's top card. If he can lead the Heat to beat the Rockets, it will be like Nike beating Under Armour."

"How does that benefit the NBA, though?"

Shen Fei tried his best 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 for a day, the Chinese market will be absolutely open to the NBA!

Second, the Rockets play gorgeously.

Not only does the team have players like Tracy McGrady, Curry, and Griffin, who are very entertaining to play.

The Rockets' "small ball" style of play is a subversion of traditional basketball!

The look and feel of the game they bring will definitely make many people fall in love with the NBA and basketball.

Shen Fei didn't believe that Stern didn't understand these benefits!

"Ugh..."

Stern let out a long sigh.

He took off the glasses slowly, took out a square towel from his pocket, wiped the lenses carefully, and put them back on.

After doing this, he opened his mouth slowly.

"The essence of the NBA is a commercial league, but it only ranks third among the four major professional sports leagues in the beautiful country."

"In the past, in order to get more heat, I...created some 'great matchups.', you know what I mean?"

Stern gave Shen Fei a complicated look.

Shen Fei nodded.

The so-called creating a wonderful matchup is not to control the game, let the fans want to watch the game happen, let the game that should have lost suspense go to the last moment...

Hasn't Stern been exaggerating the "23vs24" battle of the century for the past two years?

It's a pity that the Cavaliers repeatedly overturned in the Eastern Conference in the past two years, which prevented Kobe and James from having a "big battle".

And now, James has joined the Heat, and his strength has gone a step further, but Kobe's Lakers are not as strong as the previous two years.

"In this process, nike helped me a lot, but it also left some traces when helping..."

"Now they want to maintain their dominance in the NBA, so 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: "It really is."

"You guessed it?"

Stern was surprised.

"It's not hard to guess. But, are you really going to be hijacked by Nike like this?"

Shen Fei asked.

Stern smiled wryly, but did not answer.

"You are also approaching the age of retirement. If there is a new dynasty team in the league before you leave office, future generations will definitely have a higher evaluation of you."

Shen Fei said lightly.

Stern was taken aback.

Shen Fei's last words touched him a bit!

自1984年，斯特恩成为nba执行总裁以来，有2支被广泛认可的王朝球队出现——芝加哥公牛（1991-1998，8年6冠）；洛杉矶湖人（2000-2004，5年3冠）。

The god of basketball—Jordan, and the strongest duo in history—the ok combination were all born under his rule.

These two dynastic teams alone are enough for Stern to compete for the first president in NBA history.

But if at the end of the term, there is another dynastic team in the league, then there will be no controversy about the title of No. [-] in history!

When people are old, money is sometimes not as important as reputation.

Such an achievement is undoubtedly Stern's dream!

However, after a short period of excitement, this battle-tested 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 it is not worth mentioning compared with winning the championship for three consecutive years."

"Even if you can beat the Heat this year, how can you ensure that there won't be another youth army born like this year's Rockets in the future?"

Stern asked seriously.

"The Rockets' rise can be attributed 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 allow the Rockets to grow wildly..."

"I promise, a dynasty will be born!"

Shen Fei smiled and said confidently.

"This... well, you convinced me of this!"

"Second question. I have some things in Nike's hands. Once those things are exposed, my reputation will be ruined."

"By then, the Rocket Dynasty may not 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 soon Shen Fei 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 who will be affected."

Stern was taken aback when he heard the words: "What do you mean?"

"Those black materials may also discredit some NBA teams and even Nike itself."

Shen Fei said lightly.

"This..."

"It is indeed possible!"

Stern's brain shut down for a while, and he said suddenly.

"I think they don't dare to disclose the black material at all."

Shen Fei looked into Stern's eyes and said firmly.

In the original time and space, Stern was not attacked by much public opinion from his retirement in 14 years to his death in 20 years.

There is no such thing as nike exposing his black material.

"But no one can guarantee that..."

Stern still hesitated, but his attitude had changed subtly.

"To tell you the truth, Nike put a lot of pressure on me."

"They asked for fewer Rockets players to appear in the various selections at the end of the season."

"For example, the selection of mvp...Nike believes that even if it is given to Derrick Rose, it cannot be given to T-Mac."

Stern said helplessly.

Obviously, in the eyes of Nike, the threat of the declining Adidas to them is far less than that of the rising Under Armour!

"These personal honors are not what I am most concerned about."

"But I want to remind you that the core of those dynastic teams in history is full of honor."

"Can you imagine Jordan without the mvp?"

Shen Fei said calmly.

He has now figured out what Stern wants, so every word has a purpose.

Don't you want to create another dynasty?

Then I will use this point to make you submit!

"I think...you may use the mvp evaluation to test Nike's attitude."

"If they just show anger without any follow-up means, it means that my guess is correct."

Shen Fei suggested.