Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Chapter 964 964 569 Irresistible Conditions_2

?Chapter 964: Chapter 569 Irresistible Conditions_2 Chapter 964: Chapter 569 Irresistible Conditions_2 Because he had demonstrated extraordinary business acumen while working in the NBA Entertainment Division, he was widely considered a leading figure in propelling the NBA to new heights. However, there were some concerns about his tough stance as president.

Adam Silver often found himself at a loss when faced with sharp questions during media interviews, something that had never been seen with Stern.

However, dealing with Donald’s issue was not so complicated.

The only one who might have supported Donald, Old Buss, had passed away. Every owner Silver consulted expressed a clear disdain for Sterling, vehemently stating, “There is no place for Donald Sterling in the league!”

Consequently, Silver announced at a press conference that, according to the regulations of the NBA, an owner holding racist views like Sterling, aside from being banned for life, must also be forced to sell the team because the league absolutely does not tolerate the existence of racism.

The potential buyers for the Clippers immediately became a focus of media discussion.

Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer emerged from a group of financiers.

Realizing that the Clippers were backed by a big market like Los Angeles, they could fully absorb the market shares the Lakers couldn’t occupy and eventually establish a strong basketball culture in Los Angeles. One day, the NBA would own its own Manchester United and Manchester City.

Under a miserly owner like Sterling, this prospect was impossible.

Therefore, the league needed a financier so wealthy that he would treat managing an NBA team like a minor game. Moreover, this person also needed to be likeable and gain the approval of the other owners.

After several layers of screening, Ballmer was deemed the most suitable candidate.

Ballmer had already established numerous good relationships with the NBA long before this year. He personally sponsored the Supersonics when they were fundraising for a new arena and helped the Hornets smoothly navigate the new season in various neutral venues when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. If this was to build a reputation, then Ballmer had long used his own money to accumulate enough fame.

Not long ago, he announced that he would retire from Microsoft within the next 12 months, at which time he would focus on his own interests, one of which was becoming an NBA team owner.

After the Sterling incident broke, Ballmer was the first to connect with the league and was subsequently chosen by Silver.

Next came the assessment of the Clippers’ assets and deciding whether Sterling wanted to leave gracefully (by voluntarily selling the team) or have the league help him do so gracefully (by forcing the auction of the team under league regulations).

Arne Trem was among the earliest to know the news.

When he learned that Ballmer would become the new owner of the Clippers, he knew that the day the GOAT would come to the Clippers was not far off.

For this reason, he proactively contacted Ballmer to prepare for the future.

Before the draft arrived, the NBA appeared calm on the surface, but many things were already quietly happening.

The unnoticed 2013 NBA draft took place as scheduled on June 27.

The Charlotte Bobcats held the first pick of this draft.

Before the start of the draft, TNT broadcasted last month’s lottery segment. In it, Jordan’s eldest son, Jeffrey Jordan, talked about how he triumphed in the lottery draw, claiming he had mastered special drawing techniques.

Considering that the Bobcats had just selected the exceptionally talented Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with the third pick in the much-hyped “strong draft year” of 2012, and McGee’s rookie season was terribly bad, securing the first pick in the 2013 draft was indeed a decent consolation.

It’s like someone who likes Coke buying a Pepsi, and after opening the can, finding that they’ve won another bottle.

It’s exciting, isn’t it?

Since the Bobcats had a clear direction, they wouldn’t end up like the Cavaliers in the main timeline, who didn’t know who to choose with the first pick and made a huge mess at the scene.

The Bobcats had locked in on Nerlens Noel from the start because Noel looked like the only lottery pick in this draft with potential to be an All-Star.

So when Stern, in his last draft ceremony as commissioner, announced the last NBA draft first pick of his nearly 30-year tenure, the audience still showered him with an endless chorus of boos.

Draft expert Jay Bilas noted that Noel, an outstanding seven-foot athlete, had poor scoring abilities and had to use crutches on draft night.

Such a player had become the undisputed first pick of the draft.

Almost all GMs reminisced about last year’s draft, where it seemed impossible to make a wrong choice, even with closed eyes.

ESPN’s frontline reporter Shannon Battier posed a heavyweight question to Noel: “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan—how does it feel to be mentioned along with these names?”

With a hairstyle similar to someone in their twilight years, Noel was resolute: “No pressure.”

This was the best scene of the night.

The most widely recognized weak draft year’s first pick indeed had some guts.

Subsequently, with the second pick, the Magic selected Victor Oladipo, and the Hornets used the third pick to secure Otto Porter. Then, CJ McCollum was still selected by the Portland Trail Blazers.

And so, the draft proceeded until the 11th pick in the first round.