The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 480 A Will That Cannot Be Taken Away

February 5th, the day before the official start of the Chicago All-Star Weekend.

In the banquet hall of the Hyatt Hotel, a tense and important meeting is about to begin.

More than 40 players who participated in the NBA All-Star Game attended the meeting, including 23 players' union representatives.

The meeting was chaired by Larry Fleischer, the players' union's chief advisor, president, and board member.

Also present were union executive vice president Charlie Grantham, union legal counsel Jim Quinn, union labor law expert George Cohen, and retired player and current union president Ulysses Bridgeman.

The atmosphere in the banquet hall was somewhat oppressive. The star players, who were usually so dashing and confident on the basketball court, all wore expressions of anxiety and unease.

Although they are celebrities and heroes in the eyes of fans, at the end of the day, they are all human beings, members of society who need to work and support their families.

Basketball is a job, part of the social division of labor, and tonight's meeting could potentially cost them their jobs, the halo of basketball heroes, and their status.

The world can still function without basketball and the NBA.

But without basketball and the NBA, life is different for the players.

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird sat together, whispering to each other.

Parish and McHale sat in the corner, arms crossed, expressionless.

Moses Malone and Charles Barkley sat together. The young Barkley looked confused. He probably couldn't fully understand what was going on and why they were deciding to dissolve the union.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sat next to union president Bridgeman, and the two were discussing something.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has always been aloof in front of the media, but he has always been very proactive when it comes to matters of interest.

As the oldest and most senior player, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's opinion is very important.

Gan Guoyang sat with Jordan and Drexler. He had the calmest expression, but he was also very serious.

Both Jordan and Drexler seemed a bit unsettled, especially Drexler.

Because this season is Drexler's contract year, if a conflict arises between the labor and management, leading to a major strike and the suspension of the league, Drexler will definitely suffer significant losses, and no team will be willing to sign his contract.

Many players share similar sentiments with Drexler.

Star players don't have to worry about contracts, so they naturally hope that the labor and management sides can be more stable. They tend to be more inclined to side with the owners, and they may even become capitalists themselves in the future.

The methods used to dissolve the union were far too intense. They were worried that if the owners did not compromise and the union was indeed dissolved, the players would have no one to rely on.

The example of MLB is still fresh in our minds; the lockout caused heavy losses for both labor and management.

Larry Fleischer understood the players' anxiety. When the meeting officially began, he cleared his throat, and the room immediately fell silent.

Fleischer first reviewed the series of struggles between the players' union and the owners that began in June 1987 and continued to the present.

In the past two years, as the NBA has become increasingly successful, its revenue has tripled compared to when Stern first took office in 1984.

The attendance and viewership of the games soared, and the owners made a fortune.

However, the players' treatment did not improve as a result. Therefore, before the collective bargaining agreement expired, Fleischer had Jim Quinn and Bruce Meyer draft a document entitled "Players' Position on Free Agents" and submitted it to the NBA office.

The document put forward three major requirements, which were naturally rejected by the alliance and investors.

Thus began arduous negotiations.

During the negotiations, David Stern, who had achieved remarkable success in the past two years, was full of pride and made sarcastic remarks about Fleischer, Quinn and others.

Quinn and Stern nearly came to blows at the negotiating table.

With the owners refusing to back down, Fleischer recruited labor law expert George Cohen, hoping to force the NBA to comply through labor litigation.

Led by Bridgeman, Fleischer assembled top draft pick David Robinson, veterans Darrell Walker and Phil Hubbard, and others to file a collective lawsuit in the New York Federal Court of Appeals, accusing the NBA of monopolistic practices.

However, Stern, a lawyer by training and a legal expert, had just won a major victory against the Phoenix prosecutor's office. Fleischer's attempt to force the NBA to comply through the law was not a good strategy.

The case is stalled, with no verdict in sight. By the time the trial begins, the NBA season will have already started, and the players can't afford not to play. The union also can't outmaneuver the wealthy owners financially.

Just when things had reached a bottleneck and the union was at a loss, Quinn suddenly said at a meeting: "If we are no longer a union, if there is no union, how can there be labor defense?"

After repeated discussions, Fleischer concluded that this was a feasible approach: to strike at the root of the problem by dissolving the union.

I can't fight you on the front lines, where you excel; I certainly can't win in the courtroom.

I might as well expose myself. Those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose. Without a union and without players, how are you going to make money? Our union won't stand for it. If you want to sign players and make money, go recruit them one by one yourself.

"This was our last resort in the struggle. When the investors refused to budge, we simply gave up on cooperating with them and let them figure out how to make money playing golf themselves," Fleischer concluded.

"I know you're worried about what will happen if there's no basketball to play. Let me tell you, as long as the fans' love for basketball remains, and as long as there are people all over the world who like basketball, players don't need to worry about not having games to play or not making money."

"The real concern is for those owners. Fans buy tickets not to see these rich parasites, but for you, for you basketball heroes. Show your confidence!"

After Fleischer finished speaking, the atmosphere in the banquet hall became much more restless.

The players whispered among themselves, exchanging opinions, pondering the meaning behind Fleischer's words, and calculating everything in their minds.

The stars still had reservations. Most players knew nothing about law or politics; they just wanted to play basketball and make money.

No one really knows what the dissolution of the union will cause.

Whether the investors will start from scratch, and whether the players' rights can be protected, are all unknown.

Fleischer noticed the confusion in everyone's eyes, but he found it difficult to explain more clearly that this was a strategic maneuver.

Sometimes, the greater your determination to sacrifice, the less you end up sacrificing.

But not everyone can put this principle into practice.

Fleischer needs a strong voice to step forward and rally the people.

At this moment, Gan Guoyang stood up and said, "Larry led so many labor negotiations, and it was he and his NBA predecessors who gradually improved player treatment, allowing players to obtain higher pay and more freedom. Our gains are based on the contributions and sacrifices of our predecessors, so we should also think about the future of NBA players and what we can leave for them."

"Moreover, the dissolution of the union does not mean that the players' rights are not guaranteed. We can still talk to the teams, and we can even file lawsuits separately in court, which will put more pressure on the league. This is actually beneficial to everyone."

"No matter what, I'm definitely voting in favor of dissolving the union. Who's in favor, and who's against?"

Gan Guoyang's words were forceful and resolute, and coupled with his unwavering determination on the field, his agreement to disband the team suddenly seemed correct.

Once the first person stood up in agreement, a second and a third immediately followed.

Union president Bridgeman praised Gan Guoyang's attitude and sided with Fleischer, expressing his willingness to dissolve the union.

"After the union is dissolved, I will announce my resignation and retirement. When the union is reorganized, I will no longer serve as the union chairman."

Bridgeman demonstrated his firm stance by leaving.

In this situation, the previously hesitant stars no longer wavered.

In the ensuing vote, the resolution to initiate the process of dissolving the union passed unanimously.

After the All-Star Game, the union will gather opinions from all players in the league to determine its fate.

Although the dissolution process has been initiated, regardless of whether the employers compromise, a new union will eventually emerge, and a new union chairman will certainly be needed.

Following the players' nomination, former union vice president Alex English was nominated as the next union president and will continue to serve in the new union after its formation.

Gan Guoyang was recommended by Larry Fleischer to be the new vice president of the union.

Becoming the vice chairman of the trade union means that Gan Guoyang may one day succeed him as the chairman of the trade union.

Because it was Fleischer who recommended him, no one had any objections, and the union leader's prestige reached its peak at that moment.

Then, at the very end of the meeting, at this crucial moment, Fleischer announced: "I will resign from my positions as chief counsel and head of the union, director and a whole host of other positions, and completely step down from union work to become an ordinary player agent."

This decision surprised everyone else in the union and the star players.

The sudden departure of a leader who has been a part of the NBA's struggles and growth for over two decades has left everyone feeling uncertain.

Fleischer reassured everyone, saying, "I will remain in my position until a new collective bargaining agreement is reached. This period could be one year, two years, or even five or eight years. I will wait until a satisfactory outcome is achieved before leaving."

Fleischer's words put everyone at ease. The players prepared to participate in the All-Star Game, and the union members prepared to contact the players from each team to make a final decision.

After the meeting, Quinn and Cohen, Fleischer's two trusted aides, still asked Fleischer in bewilderment why he was leaving and what would happen if the union encountered trouble again after he left.
Fleischer said he wants to be a better agent, promote professional basketball worldwide, and attract more talent to play better basketball.

As for the union, Fleischer said, “Your talents are sufficient to deal with David Stern, but I am no longer capable. Moreover, I have chosen a new successor for you as union president. He has an iron will, and no one can easily change him. With him around, everything will be fine.”

Quinn and Cohen knew who Fleischer was talking about—the man of steel.

(End of this chapter)