Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 275 You underestimated your abilities
Tang Sen changed his posture.

"so what?"

Tang Ling analyzed it for a while and roughly understood it herself.

This is a good business opportunity that's worth investing in.

But then, what exactly should be done?

Tang Ling held up two fingers: "Two options. First, cooperate with Jordan and complete his plan."

"But the prerequisite is a complete replacement of Robert Johnson. That guy is no good. He's trying hard to portray himself as a black leader. Doing business with someone like that is troublesome and dangerous."

"Jordan is different. After all, he was a player and had enough influence. He bought a team to make money, but he also wanted to run the team well."

"You need to work with someone like that. With your abilities, the two of you might be able to tell a good story and eventually make a profit."

"If Jordan can't do it, then he should give up on the idea as soon as possible."

Tang Sen nodded slightly.

Indeed, Jordan bought the team to make money, but deep down he was still a player and wanted to prove that he was the best athlete in the world.

When he was playing, he was still the best; now that he's retired and owns a team, he's still the most awesome player and can lead his team to championships.

Tang Ling continued, "And putting all that aside, it's still basketball, a sport."

“I know in my heart that you must have felt very regretful when you didn’t make it to the NBA. Now that you’ve become a trainer and you’ve trained so many players, you’re actually projecting your past dreams onto them.”

"So forming a team and leading them to victory, I know that's very appealing to you."

Tang Sen didn't say anything.

But I couldn't help but feel grateful; she was my older sister after all, and she understood me perfectly.

This is ultimately basketball, and it's what I once dreamed of.

The reason Tang Sen didn't reject Jordan outright was, as Tang Ling said, because he wanted to build a team himself and lead them to a championship.

Tang Ling said, "So it would be best if this succeeded. If it doesn't, there's a second option: continue being your trainer. You'll still be the best trainer in the league, and that won't have any impact."

"But you can use this to pressure the Knicks and force them to find a way to keep you."

"Dolan and Layden's plans cannot be separated from you, so he may possibly take you in as a minority shareholder of the Knicks, just like Magic Johnson did."

"Dolan is a playboy, and the Knicks are just a small part of the Dolan family's business. He has never cared whether the team makes money or not."

"And since you can help him get what he wants, he might give you shares in order to keep you when you're about to leave."

"Becoming a minority shareholder of the Knicks and continuing to make money every offseason is a great option, I think."

Tang Sen nodded slightly.

I hadn't considered that myself.

Actually, staying in New York and becoming a minority owner of the Knicks is also a good option.

Tang Ling added, "Brother, I think you can be a bit tougher on this. Jordan has retired, and Stern wants to tell his story of being one man and one city. He needs your help."

"Dolan needs you if he wants a championship, and the assets you have are actually very valuable."

Tang Sen nodded, chatted for a while longer, then got up to go to sleep.

The game isn't over yet.

However, the next day, Tang Sen contacted Jordan as he had agreed with Tang Ling.

Support his plan.

Jordan, in his excitement, immediately said, "Tang, the draft lottery is tomorrow, and the draft is only a month away. David must be getting impatient."

“Let’s go to David today and tell him our demands.”

He was extremely impatient.

However, Tang Sen didn't care, as he had been avoiding Stern for some time now.

That afternoon, the two went to the NBA headquarters together and met with Stern.

Stern, being a lawyer by training, was remarkably composed.

Even if Jordan told him in a threatening tone that he had already reached an agreement with Townsend, and that Townsend would not support his one-city-one-star plan if he didn't replace Robert Johnson.

He wasn't angry at all; he just smiled and argued with Jordan about the difficulty of the matter.

The decision made by the Military Expansion Committee has already been made public, and it would be unseemly to go back on it.

Robert Johnson was no nobody; he had a great influence among Black people and some connection to Washington, D.C.

He also mentioned the board of directors, saying that if Jordan could persuade the board to change the matter, he would have no objection.

Finally, it was mentioned that Charlotte had already begun preparations, and Johnson had almost finished negotiating with them. Now that they've changed players, everything has to start all over again.

Each point was presented logically and with evidence.

Jordan had no reason to refute it, so he pointed at Tangsen and said that Tangsen was capable of completing both plans, both of which would benefit the team owners, and they would definitely agree to them.

Tang Sen glanced at Jordan silently.

Suddenly I had a feeling that there was some truth to the fact that this guy was scammed and kicked out of the Wizards.

Before coming, Tang Sen thought that Jordan at least had the support of some team owners.

So, his bargaining chip is himself.

Stern, still smiling, spoke with Jordan, saying he knew Jordan felt wronged about the Wizards situation.

He was doing well as a small business owner, but then he made a comeback for the sake of the league's revenue.

In the end, he got nothing; he donated all the salary he earned in the two seasons with the Wizards.

So Stern asked Jordan if he would be willing to become a minority shareholder in the Charlotte team.

He's willing to talk to Johnson if he wants.

Even Jordan wanted to curse. If he wanted to accept becoming a minority shareholder, he wouldn't need you.

Jordan couldn't argue with Stern, so he kept glancing at Tang Sen, hoping Tang Sen would say something.

Tang Sen thought to himself, what can I say? My presence here is my leverage and source of confidence; saying more is pointless. This meeting ended in discord.

Jordan was not giving up, and Stern's attitude was also very clear: this was a difficult situation.

That can only be put on hold for now, and we'll discuss it again later.

Jordan didn't expect to reach an agreement in one go.

However, just as the two were about to leave, Stern suddenly called out to Tang Sen, wanting to have a few more words with him.

Jordan was a little nervous.

Tang Sen thought for a moment and then stayed.

Tang Sen guessed that Stern wanted to win him over, and he wanted to hear what he had to say.

Once the door was closed, Stern gestured for Tang Sen to sit down and got up to pour him a glass of wine.

Then he sat down in front of Tang Sen, pondered for a moment, and asked, "Tang, why do you want to be the team owner?"

That's a question, it's obviously asked in order to make money.

Stern was not surprised by the answer, and then said, "Don, actually running a team is not as profitable as you think. Many owners in the league buy teams, and many of them have their own purposes."

He didn't try to hide anything and just said it directly.

Some did it for tax cuts, others for advertising.

The Spurs owner sells tractors, the Jazz owner sells cars, the Heat owner sells cruise ships—buying an NBA team is simply to increase the exposure of their main business.

"Tang, actually you can earn a lot of money."

Stern also gave Tangsen a breakdown of the costs.

For example, his "one person, one city" plan allowed Tang Sen to easily earn 20 million US dollars in one summer.

This income is more than that of an NBA team.

As Tang Sen becomes the team owner, even if the team is profitable, the profits will be distributed according to shares, which is a huge difference compared to Tang Sen's current income.

Finally, there are still risks involved.

As for the long-term growth in the market value of the team.

He also did the math for Tang Sen, saying that with a current market value of 300 million US dollars, if you own 30% of the shares and hold them for ten years, they would double in value, and you could earn a lot more.

And over the past decade, the money you've made from thirty teams is definitely more than what you'd earn by painstakingly managing just one team.

Twenty million a year, that's two hundred million in ten years.

Besides, investing in NBA teams requires long-term holding and yields slow returns. If you really want to make money, start an investment company and open blind boxes in Silicon Valley. What if you open a unicorn company? That would be more profitable than this.

He is a lawyer, very organized, and also the NBA commissioner, so he knows everything about the NBA.

The data was readily available and well-founded, leaving Tang Sen momentarily speechless and unsure how to refute it.

Since we can't win an argument over money, let's talk about ideals.

"David, I love basketball, but it's not all about making money."

He's bought a villa, owns a luxury car, and Tang Sen isn't running for US president. With his current income, he can spend whatever he wants and never have to worry about making a living.

Stern immediately replied, "I also love basketball and hope this league gets better and better."

He lowered his leg, leaned forward, and said earnestly, "Don, you don't need to cooperate with Michael. He's not capable."

When Jordan played, Stern was convinced; there was no doubt he was the best in the world.

But Stern looked down on him when it came to business.

Stern's glasses gleamed with an odd light as he pointed at Tang Sen and said, "Tang, in my opinion, you have greatly underestimated your abilities."

"If you and I join forces, we can do bigger things."

"For example, deciding the direction of the alliance together, and pushing the alliance to a higher level together."

He sat back down and then explained to Tang Sen the underlying operating logic of the alliance.

In other words, as Tang Ling said, we need to tell a good story, attract fans through storytelling, and expand the alliance's market.

"I can tell stories, and you have the ability to help me tell this story well."

"So Tang, if you're willing, don't think about becoming a team owner, that's too boring. Join me and make this league better and better."

"What can you do as a team owner? Win a championship?"

"You've done it. Everyone knows that the Magic won the championship thanks to your help."

"Even the Knicks this year, they've grown so fast, even if they don't win the championship this year, they'll definitely win it in two years at most."

No one questions your abilities.

"But Tang, you can do more. Don't just focus on one team. You can broaden your horizons and pay attention to the entire league."

"You have the ability to manipulate the entire alliance—I mean, manipulate it!"

He stared intently at Tang Sen, his tone full of seductive allure.

Tang Sen was silently alarmed.

You know what, you really have to admit, no wonder this old guy has controlled the league for so many years, his abilities are truly impressive.

The key point is that his suggestion is actually quite exciting.

As he said, he is responsible for telling the story, while he is responsible for making the story a reality.

Before Jordan retired, the story of the league was about the basketball god, Michael Jordan.

Now that he's retired, Stern wants to tell the story of one man, one city.

If I join in, then I will have to decide who wants to be the main character in the future.

I will use this method to influence the development of this alliance.

(End of this chapter)