The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 22 No, I didn't punch him, I slapped him across the face.
At the Xinhua News Agency headquarters in Chicago, Lin Xiaoyan had already written a news article about Tang Bei and handed it to the person in charge. The person in charge would review it before sending it back to the headquarters.

After reviewing her application, Huang Yuhua, the person in charge, called her into her office and said, "Xiao Yan, if Tang Bei is selected in the draft, he will be the first athlete in China to join the NBA, right?"

"Boss, I've checked. The first one selected was Song Tao, from the national team. He was selected in the third round in 87, but he soon got injured and retired without signing a contract and never played in the NBA."

"Oh, so that means if Tang Bei is drafted and signs a contract, he will be the first athlete to actually join the NBA."

"Yes. And Tang Bei is very talented. It's said he'll be selected in the lottery. The lottery is the best batch of rookies in the first round, there are only thirteen of them."

"Alright, your manuscript has been approved."

"Thank you, leader."

"But Xiaoyan, this is the job of sports reporters, we can't take their job away from them, so I will contact the head office and they will make arrangements."

"I see."

"Before headquarters sends a reporter over, you will be in charge of interviewing Tang Bei."

"Yes."

At 8:40 a.m. on the 13th.

In New York, at the NBA headquarters, in the commissioner's office, David Stern frowned as he flipped through the newspaper, forgetting to drink his coffee as it had gone cold.

He was quite pleased with Tang Bei's appearance and was happy to see it happen.

Back in 89, he went to CCTV to promote the NBA and signed a nearly free television broadcasting agreement. Now CCTV has started broadcasting the NBA Finals and All-Star Game, and perhaps in the future it will also broadcast the playoffs, or even the regular season.

If Tang is successfully drafted and enters the NBA with a high draft pick, he believes it will be a win-win situation and will definitely accelerate the promotion of the NBA in China.

But now, there's too much negative news about Tang, and the impact is too bad.

If Tang fails to be drafted as a result, it will be a huge loss for the league and will inevitably affect the league's promotion overseas, especially in China.

There are two key figures now: Jerry West and Christine Laettner. The former CBA player is not important.

But he doesn't have the energy or time to deal with this right now; his energy and time are all focused on the national team.

It was through his efforts that NBA superstars were given the opportunity to participate in the Olympics. He wanted to ensure the success of this national team so that the NBA could use the Olympics to reach the world stage.

After considering it, he pressed the speakerphone button and said, "Adam, come in for a moment."

“Yes, Mr. Stern,” a man said on the phone.

A few seconds later, a bald man in a suit and glasses pushed open the door and walked in, saying respectfully, "Mr. Stern, what are your orders?"

David Stern sized up the man across the desk. This was Adam Silver, the special assistant he had just hired two days ago. A lawyer by profession, he was a shrewd and capable man.

He pushed the newspapers in his hand over and said, "Adam, go and handle this matter to make sure the draft goes smoothly."

"Yes, Mr. President."

Adam Silver went with great pleasure.

Watching Adam Silver's departing figure, David Stern considered this a test for Silver. If he handled it well, he could delegate more responsibilities to him.

At this moment, in Los Angeles, Zhang Heli, dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase, was running around the streets.

He spent four years at the University of Chicago, just got divorced this year, and with no hope for his career and his family broken up, he's in a very bad state.

A while ago, on my cousin's recommendation, I found a job at Monarch in Los Angeles, where I was responsible for promoting Tsingtao Beer. Things have improved a bit.

As he passed a newsstand, he stopped and bought a copy of the Los Angeles Times, flipping directly to the sports section, which was of most interest to him.

He was stunned when he saw the news about Tang Bei.

"Is this Tang Bei Chinese? It's a pity, if only he were in Chicago, I could have gotten in touch with him."

"Tang Bei, is the surname Bei? No, it should be Tang, Tang Bei or Tang Bei, Tang Bei?" He is currently facing financial difficulties and cannot abandon his newly started job to return to Chicago, as that would be meaningless to him.

But he was eager to find out Tang Bei's origins, because he believed Tang Bei came from China.

The reason is simple: Tang Bei doesn't have an English name, so he must have just arrived in the United States recently.

After he came to the United States, he adopted an English name for convenience, so if Tang Bei is of Chinese descent, he must have an English name.

At 9 o'clock, the bus arrived at the Chicago Stadium.

"Tang, do you have violent tendencies?"

"Don, did you beat up Christine Leitner to get a higher draft pick?"

"Don, do you have some kind of conflict with Mr. Jerry West?"

As soon as Tang Bei got off the bus, he was surrounded by many reporters who bombarded him with all sorts of questions.

Eric Fleischer, who was waiting at the gate, was blocked by reporters and was sweating profusely with anxiety.

Lin Xiaoyan was anxious, but there was nothing she could do. Xinhua News Agency didn't have any broadcasting platforms in the United States, and even if it did, she, a small reporter, couldn't help.

After John Liu translated, Tang Bei said, "That bastard from Hai's team attacked me first, and I only retaliated. The referee sent him off the field, while I wasn't called for a foul. That's the best proof."

“I did give that bastard Christine Lightner a little something, but not a punch, I slapped him across the face.”

"Because that guy used racist language on me first, calling me 'Chinaman'."

“If he does that again, I will slap him again. I mean it.”

"As for Jerry West, he asked me to be humble towards him, and many people heard him say that at the time."

"But I'm sorry, I can't do that, and that's the conflict between him and me."

When John Liu translated it, he certainly didn't translate words like "scum" or "bastard" verbatim, but rather modified them.

"Christine, Don said he didn't punch you, he slapped you. Your face was indeed swollen that day, and it was still swollen yesterday, is that true?"

"Fake!"

A reporter immediately rushed up to Leitner for an interview. Upon hearing the question, Leitner's face instantly darkened, and he immediately swore.

"Ha ha……"

Seeing the furious Leitner, some rookies and reporters couldn't help but laugh.

Upon entering the stadium, after a few words from the head of the rookie camp, NBA Vice President Maurice Shears, the team began arranging the first game.

There are more than 70 people, and five matches have been arranged. Two matches will be played today, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and three matches are scheduled for tomorrow.

In real games, it's a free-for-all where everyone shows their skills. Popular rookies naturally get more playing time, while those who aren't getting much attention just get a brief appearance.

The two teams, dressed in red and white respectively, began reading out the starting lineups:

"Red Team: Shaquille O'Neal, Christine Laettner, Walter Williams, Jim Jackson, Randy Woods."

"White Team: Alonzo Mourning, Tom Gugliotta, Lafonso Ellis, Todd Daye, Anthony Piller."

General managers, scouts, and agents sat in the stands on both sides of the sideline, while reporters and photographers were in the media section at both ends of the baseline.

The rookies weren't sitting; instead, they were moving around on the sidelines or in the player tunnel, ready to go on the court at any time.

"Don't worry, it'll be your turn sooner or later. Just give it your all then," Eric Fleischer said nervously to Tang Bei, who was standing on the sidelines.

After John Liu translated, Tang Bei nodded and said, "It would be best to deal with that guy, Christine Lightner."

(End of this chapter)