If the request to revise the [vertical jump rules] only caused controversy, then Xu Yong's announcement of retirement really caused an uproar in the basketball community.
The NBA recession caused by Jordan's retirement is about to happen again?
No, it may even be bigger, because Jordan was 30 years old when he retired, and Xu Yong is only 27 years old this year.
This may seem like only a three-year gap, but it was the player's peak three years.
Especially since Xu Yong has just become a legend, and given his Chinese background, the impact his retirement will have on world basketball is unimaginable.
At this time, what Barkley had originally joked about in the commentary booth became a reality.
That night, everyone who saw the news had a sleepless night.
Of course, some people never went back to sleep at all.
Xiao Hua was really confused. With his way of thinking, he simply couldn't understand why Xu Yong chose to retire because of a rule, because this didn't seem like a choice an adult would make.
You must know that this will not only bring a huge impact to the NBA, but will also bring immeasurable economic losses to Xu Yong.
However, just as he couldn't understand why Xu Yong would ask to cancel the [vertical jump rule] in that way before, he couldn't understand it this time either, but he had to respond as well.
After sitting in the office all night, Xiao Hua asked his assistant to contact Xu Yong, and then boarded a plane to Chicago early the next morning.
Not long after, he saw Xu Yong in Xu Yong's manor, where he was enjoying the cool air on the grass and petting the little tiger.
Seeing the arrival of a stranger, the tiger, which was already half a man's size, turned around and let out a low roar at Xiao Hua, scaring Xiao Hua, whose face was already pale as a piece of paper, and he subconsciously took a step back.
Xu Yong calmed the little tiger down, and then asked someone to bring a chair for Xiao Hua.
"Is he the tiger that Shaq gave you?" Taking advantage of this opportunity, Silver smiled and started the conversation.
Xu Yong glanced at Xiao Hua and shook his head.
Xiao Hua knew a lot about him, but unfortunately it was just hearsay.
The previous "King" had been sent back to the zoo where he was born, where there were people of his kind, which meant he was released back into "nature". The one in front of him was just his newly adopted tiger, which was rescued from the wild.
The reason for choosing this type is that it retains its wildness, so when it grows up it does not need to go to the zoo, but can be trained to return to the real nature.
"Does it have a name?" Xiao Hua then acted out a scene of being pale but as thick as a city wall.
"Joke." Xu Yong replied. He hadn't had time to name the little tiger before, but now it has a name.
"Joker? Nikola Jokic?" Silver asked in surprise.
This time, Xu Yong looked directly at Xiao Hua, which made Xiao Hua laugh a little embarrassedly.
Yeah, except for a guy like O'Neal, who would name a tiger after his teammates?
This question is really a brainless one.
However, Xu Yong did not give too much explanation. After all, Joke means joke in Chinese.
Of course, Xiao Hua would not think about it that way, because Xiao Hua’s official translation should actually be called Silva.
At this time, Xiao Hua's stool was moved over, and a brief conversation brought them closer, at least in Xiao Hua's eyes, and then he started talking about business.
"You know I have always supported you, and I have emphasized the importance of your opinion in the committee before," Silver tried to explain.
Xu Yong was also trying hard not to laugh, because these words were even more fake than what Xiao Hua had said to him on the phone before.
Tatum vividly portrayed Silver's righteous look as he demanded to maintain the league's authority at the league committee meeting.
"I have an event with a brand in half an hour." Xu Yong reminded.
The corner of Xiao Hua's mouth twitched, but he immediately put on a smile and said: "I think the league committee will agree to cancel the rule as long as you withdraw your retirement decision."
Xu Yong looked at Xiao Hua with some surprise, not because of the news Xiao Hua brought, but because Xiao Hua knelt much faster than he expected.
However, it is not incomprehensible. After all, his retirement will have a huge impact on the league. With Jordan's experience as a precedent, those bosses don't want their wallets, which have just been inflated, to be deflated again.
Or in other words, the owners' attitude towards Silver is completely different from that towards Stern. Stern led them to expand their territory, while Silver was just a tool they put on the table to make money.
It’s not that Xiao Hua wanted to kneel so quickly, but he had to kneel.
If he doesn't kneel, the bosses can ask someone else to do it.
"Mr. Xiao Hua." Xu Yong suddenly used the honorific title, which made Xiao Hua a little flattered. Thinking that Xu Yong had changed his mind, he also looked happy.
However, Xu Yong's next words made the joy on his face disappear completely: "Do you think retirement is a joke?"
Xiao Hua's face flushed red. He came here because he thought Xu Yong's retirement was too frivolous.
"Of course, nothing is impossible to turn back." At this moment, Xu Yong suddenly stood up, and the little tiger jumped off his legs.
Xiao Hua also stood up and glanced at the little tiger out of the corner of his eyes, keeping a safe distance.
"As long as the alliance can agree to my two conditions." Xu Yong looked at Xiao Hua.
"Two conditions?" Hearing this, Xiao Hua immediately shifted his gaze to Xu Yong.
His inner thoughts at this moment should be similar to those of the characters in TV dramas: let alone two conditions, he can even negotiate for twenty.
"First, cancel and give up cooperation with gambling companies in the future."
However, the first condition Xu Yong asked made Xiao Hua suffocate.
He had done his best to get the spinach company, and now the bosses were all ready to eat the meat, but Xu Yong asked him to take the meat away? The bosses would eat him up!
"It seems that there is no need for me to say the second one." Seeing Xiao Hua's reaction, Xu Yong signaled Xiao Hua that he could leave first.
It’s hard to describe how conflicted Xiao Hua’s expression was at this time, because this condition was so fatal.
Seeing that Xiao Hua didn't move, Xu Yong turned around and prepared to leave.
"Then, what about the second condition?" Xiao Hua said this almost gritting his teeth.
Hearing this, Xu Yong turned around and said, "You will know when the first one arrives."
After saying that, Xu Yong left without caring about Xiao Hua's reaction.
Xiao Hua's chest heaved violently behind him. He felt the same as James did back then. Xu Yong didn't know how to respect others!
After getting in the car, Xiao Hua sat in the back seat and closed his eyes to rest, but his mind was a mess.
He cannot say that he gained nothing from this trip to Chicago. At least he got a choice, but this choice is like choosing one between two cups of poison. In fact, no matter how he chooses, it will be wrong.
When he opened his eyes and looked out the window, he found that the weather had become gloomy.
While they were talking, some important figures in the league also responded to Xu Yong's decision to retire.
"The vertical jump rule is a rule that shouldn't exist in the first place," Kobe Bryant posted on social media.
"In fact, we have to admit that the existence of this rule makes scoring easier." Pat Riley also expressed his opinion in the interview.
"I am absolutely against this rule. What we need is not that damn shooting competition!" A. Smith also questioned loudly on the show.
Previously, most of these celebrities chose to remain silent. After all, that meant going against the league. But now, they are obviously using this method to force the league to change the rules and then want Xu Yong to retract his decision to retire.
Of course, this is actually a more euphemistic way, there are more direct ways.
"Damn it, no matter what Xu proposes, agree to him, we can't lose him!" Barkley roared loudly on the show.
"I've said before that we can't lose Xu. We've all experienced something like that once, and we all know what that means." Bird also emphasized what he said at the time in the interview, but his tone was completely different from before, and this time it was exceptionally serious.
"Why would the league choose to ignore the voice of the No. 1 player? What he proposed is absolutely the right thing. We can't do without Xu." Durant is the only active superstar who expressed strong support on social media.
The pressure from public opinion is unprecedentedly huge this time, because Xu Yong's influence has increased year by year in the past few years and has reached an unprecedented level.
After finishing the brand event, Xu Yong did not return to the manor because there were already many people waiting to meet him there.
You don't have to guess, they must have advised him to give up retirement.
Xu Yong went to the villa in the city center.
But as soon as he entered the door, he found someone waiting for him there.
"Senior." Butler was a little excited when he saw Xu Yong coming in.
Xu Yong motioned for him to sit down first, then went to the kitchen to get some new tea. Jokic still liked to put the new tea there, even though he had already returned to Serbia for horse racing.
"Senior." After drinking a cup of tea brewed by Xu Yong, Butler spoke again, "You still owe me something, right?"
Xu Yong picked up the tea and took a sip. The new tea was a bit bitter. He nodded.
"Then I'm going to fulfill this promise now and make you give up retirement," Butler continued quickly.
Xu Yong was stunned for a moment, and after Butler put down the tea, he shook his head: "This won't work, Jimmy."
"I know that senior is thinking about me." Butler felt helpless when he heard this expression, but then he spoke again.
Is Butler right?
Actually, that’s true.
There are many reasons why Xu Yong chose to retire this time, and it was not just a single reason.
The biggest and most important thing is, of course, the involvement of gambling in the league. Every basketball player has a passion for the sport, and so does he. He also knows that only this way can this incident be prevented from happening.
Secondly, it is the current situation of the Bulls.
One comes from Butler's growing ambition, and the other comes from the conflict between Thibodeau and Jokic.
Let’s talk about Thibodeau and Jokic first. One is his mentor, and the relationship between him and Thibodeau is very similar to that between Jordan and Jackson back then. The other one was brought to Chicago by him personally.
As the season goes on, the conflict between the two is bound to deepen. He will be caught in a dilemma as he cannot help anyone or not help anyone.
As for Butler, no matter where he goes, he will not have a better chance of winning the championship than staying with the Bulls.
"Jimmy, you think too much. The reason why I retired is the same as what I said." Xu Yong said with a smile.
"Really?" Butler didn't believe it.
"When have I ever lied to you?" Xu Yong asked back.
Butler and Xu Yong looked at each other for a while and finally nodded.
"Okay Jimmy, although I'm retiring for other reasons, next season is your chance. I don't think there's much time left for you," Xu Yong reminded.
"I understand, senior." Butler said nothing more, then got up and left the villa.
Looking at Butler's back, Xu Yong felt a little emotional.
Butler's character is such that he will never give up without giving it a try.
…
After returning to the New York headquarters, Silver immediately convened a video conference of the league committee, where he directly put forward Xu Yong's conditions.
This made the bosses furious.
Obviously, before this, they all thought that Xu Yong was going to ask the alliance to change the rules, but they didn't expect that Xu Yong actually had a bigger purpose.
However, none of the bosses were in a hurry to express their opinions, as they were all weighing the pros and cons.
As capitalists, they are now considering that the loss caused by Xu Yong's retirement is greater for them, rather than giving up the cooperation with gambling.
This is a fact that cannot be estimated accurately, because the income from gambling is predictable. After all, Silver has almost negotiated the contract and the share of profits. But Xu Yong's side is impossible to estimate. No one knows how much impact Xu Yong's retirement will have on the NBA.
"I think if we agree to him this time, there will be a next time." When the bosses were hesitant, Silver added in time.
The bosses are still silent. They have all been in the business world for many years, and Xiao Hua's rhetoric has no influence on them.
"I have a plan." After seeing that the bosses were still hesitating, Xiao Hua continued.
"We agree to cancel the vertical jump rule, which is the reason Xu gave publicly, so he should withdraw his decision to retire."
After Xiao Hua finished speaking, the bosses all understood what he meant. Only they knew Xu Yong's private conditions, and they could not be made public.
In this way, they have the initiative on the moral level.
Many bosses nodded subconsciously. These people were capable of making things happen with a wave of their hands. They did not like the feeling of being manipulated by others.
"But we still need to take the risk of losing Xu." Mavericks owner Mark Cuban reminded. As a boss who loves basketball, he knows very well how great Xu Yong's influence is today.
"Then let's see how much we will lose if Xu withdraws," said Knicks owner Dolan.