Basketball Terminal

Chapter 90 Members
David Levy has a long history with the Nets.

Levy worked at Turner Television for 33 years, rising from a regular salesman to the station's president. He was instrumental in creating the Inside the NBA program and was a key figure in Turner Television's acquisition of NBA broadcasting rights, as well as one of the driving forces behind the skyrocketing player salaries.

He resigned in 2019 and joined the Nets as the team's CEO, but stepped down after only two months in office.

At the time, reports did not reveal the main reason for Levy's resignation; it was said to be due to differences in working principles, a typical official excuse. Ultimately, the 33-year president of Turner Television, brought in by Joseph Tsai, had to pack his bags and leave, leading some to suspect that this might be related to the power struggle between the owners and the management.

Levy wasn't just a simple CEO; he was a partner at Joseph Tsai's Blue Pool Capital in Hong Kong. The fact that he was forced to resign after only 50 days in office suggests it's unlikely the boss thought he was incompetent. A 2020 B/R article revealed the main reason was that Levy wanted more involvement in the team's basketball operations, such as signings, trades, and drafts, which met with resistance from the management, leading to his defeat and forced departure.

Old Cai's decision to let him leave was probably out of necessity.

He is currently preparing to establish a new sports marketing company, collaborating with numerous scouts and agents to promote and package players. He likely saw Li Wei's potential for image building, as well as his special relationship with Joe Tsai and the Nets, which led him to approach Luo Ping.

He was quite principled, contacting the agent first. Luo Ping didn't earn much, only had one player under his wing, but he was quite the smooth talker, and his conversation with Levy went very well. After their discussions, they agreed to a formal meeting in Brooklyn to discuss the cooperation in detail.

Li Wei returned to the hotel and watched today's All-Star game first.

The All-Star Game is being held for televised broadcast, so all activities are strictly controlled. Parties are out of the question, and fan meet-and-greets are impossible. Players are not allowed to leave their hotels without undergoing rigorous virus testing; those who test negative will be quarantined.

All the star players were confined to their hotels until the scheduled time to participate in the game at the stadium. There were no spectators present, but numerous electronic screens were placed on the seats, allowing for live connections with the audience and broadcasters. There were also some virtual fans, like 3D mannequins from the NBA-Live game, to create some of the game's atmosphere.

Besides watching the games on TV, Li Wei can also receive messages from his teammates via chat groups. All NBA teams and college basketball teams now have chat groups, usually using iMessage, and they also create groups on Twitter or Instagram to send messages.

James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving were all selected for this year's All-Star Game. The All-Star Game used a captain's selection format, with Kevin Durant representing the East and LeBron James representing the West. Durant was unable to play due to injury and could only watch from the sidelines after the selection. Therefore, he had a lot of time to use his phone, chat in group chats, and provide a sideline commentary on the All-Star Game.

This guy is probably too bored. He keeps spamming the group chat, complaining and posting pictures, and he likes to use emojis.

【We are caged slaves! On stage! The performance begins!】

But I'm not; I'm the supervisor.

This outfit is absolutely hideous; it looks like something a European football team would wear.

I can't wait to go back to Brooklyn to train, play basketball, and lie down and have a smoke.

Snyder looks terrifying; he must have killed someone.

Is Victor there? Are you in Atlanta?

Li Wei was looking at a picture when he saw this and wondered why it involved him. He replied, "I'm lying in Brooklyn, smoking."

But I saw you posted a status update about Atlanta on Instagram!

That was my deceased brother.

Besides the team's main chat group, there are also smaller chat groups created by the players themselves. For example, Li Wei, Irving, and DeAndre Jordan have their own internal group called "One Heart Club." Under Irving's leadership, it's a serious group chat organization. Members check in daily, pledging loyalty to the members, unity, and mutual support. This is Li Wei's second biggest regret, after recruiting Luo Ping as his agent, for creating "One Heart Club." If he had performed well against the Mavericks earlier, there wouldn't have been any need to worry about Griffin's arrival stealing his spotlight. But it's done now; aside from their slightly eccentric personalities, Irving and DeAndre Jordan are decent people.

Because NBA players move around quite frequently, many players leave a team after only one or two years. Generally, chat groups don't kick people out; they stay in. If there are too many changes in the number of members, a new chat group will be created, and the old one will be gradually abandoned until everyone in it is no longer with the team.

An NBA team's roster turnover is incredibly rapid; in just a few years, the entire roster can be completely replaced. The current Nets are a prime example, with players averaging only two or three years with the team. The longest tenures were held by Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie, at five years each.

The All-Star Game has been quite competitive in the last two years, with the captain selection system intensifying the competitive spirit of both sides. Last year's 2020 All-Star Game adopted new rules: the clock stopped in the final quarter, and the leading team's score was increased by 24 points to reach the target score. The first team to reach the target score won, in memory of Kobe Bryant, who had just passed away in a plane crash.

As a result, this game, which was not timed and focused on a target score, brought the competition between the two sides to its peak, showing fans what it was like to see top NBA teams putting together a game of the strongest competition.

This year's All-Star Game will use the same format, but viewers will get tired of it. It's like the Slam Dunk Contest: first, superstars participated, then ordinary players participated, then ordinary players tried to make their presence known, and in the future, amateur players will probably become famous with a single dunk.

Last year was a tribute to Kobe, and everyone played very hard. This year, however, they've reverted to a more relaxed style of play, resulting in LeBron James' team having a huge lead after the first three quarters. Durant's team would need to score 45 points in the fourth quarter to even reach the target and win, which is too difficult.

With the game no longer suspenseful and getting boring, it was time to turn off the TV when a bunch of messages suddenly popped up in the group chat. Li Wei thought Durant had lost too much and had gone crazy, spamming the chat with complaints. But when he opened it, he found it was all "Welcome to the new member."

Li Wei scrolled up and saw that Marks had brought in a new player: Blake Griffin! The recent news about Griffin joining the Nets was true; Marks had secured Griffin during the All-Star break. Li Wei immediately informed Scott Mitchell and The Truth, but on social media, reporters had already posted that Griffin was close to signing with the Nets, and they certainly had faster sources.

No wonder some reporters can get information about player signings, trades, and cuts immediately. For example, recruiting new players in groups is basically a sign that a deal has been signed. In the information age, by the time you wait for official announcements, it's too late. That's why reporters are always on their phones, constantly refreshing and receiving the latest information.

Of course, Li Wei also sent a message to welcome them. Lao Cai and Lao Na had already sent their welcome messages in the group, so the new employee definitely had to follow suit.

Griffin is a veteran player in the league and an All-Star. He knows many people and quickly started chatting with everyone in the group. He said that he had arrived in Brooklyn and would join the team after the All-Star game to prepare for the upcoming games.

Li Wei immediately felt a sense of crisis. He had just thought Yixin Hui was useless, but now he realized this mutual aid organization might be useful. Griffin, after all, had considerable experience and was not easy to deal with. With DeAndre Jordan and Kyrie Irving on his side, it wouldn't be easy for Griffin to take away his playing time.

A short while later, after the All-Star game ended, another message came from the One Heart Club group: "[Kyrie Irving invited Blake Griffin to join One Heart Club]".

"Holy crap!" Li Wei was startled. The match had just ended, and Ou Shenxian was already using his phone to recruit people? And he even pulled Griffin into the Yixin Guild? "Griffin himself must be shocked! What the hell is this?"

Griffin looked completely bewildered. How did he end up in a four-person group chat? It included Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan, and the currently trending Victor Lee?
[This is our secret organization, Blake. After the All-Star Game, complete the ceremony, and you'll be a member.]

Li Wei thought to himself, "Isn't this too hasty? Shouldn't we complete the ceremony first, and then invite people to join the group? And shouldn't we check their backgrounds?" Okay, the three of us also formed the group casually, but at least we lit incense and made an oath.

That's so cool! I never knew such an organization existed.

I will join you and train hard!

Li Wei sighed, "Damn, these NBA players all seem a bit goofy. Do you even know what kind of organization this is before you join us?! It doesn't seem like a dangerous organization. It's just everyone cheering each other on, training hard, and trying to get a chance to play."

[Welcome Blake, let's cheer each other on! United we stand!] Levi also posted a message, suddenly feeling that things were getting a little out of control!
(End of this chapter)