My absurd experiences in North America over the years

July in Auckland is unbearably hot and humid.

When Li Fu landed at Auckland International Airport, Thompson was already waiting on the tarmac.

He flew in overnight from Los Angeles to investigate the situation, and he looked unwell. "The situation is not optimistic at the moment."

Li Fu sat in the back seat of the black Cadillac, the cold air from the air conditioner hitting him in the face. He closed his eyes and said, "What exactly happened? Tell me in detail."

"The bidding process for the Golden State Warriors is actually over," Thompson said rapidly, flipping open his tablet. "GSP Sports Investments, as the exclusive advisor to the seller, completed the final round of shortlisting at the end of June, and now we're in the final round."

"So that means the deal hasn't been finalized yet?" Li Fu turned to look at Thompson.

"Yes, the only remaining bidders are the consortium of Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison," Thompson said somewhat helplessly. "However, this is only because the legal process hasn't been completed yet; procedurally speaking, we haven't even had the opportunity to submit a bid."

"Lacob and Ellison?" Li Fu didn't care about the latter part; the so-called procedure was just a formality. "What's the market price?"

"The seller's owner, Chris Cohan, insisted on a price of $450 million, which was more than 40 percent higher than the market valuation at the time," Thompson said, citing assessments of the Golden State Warriors from multiple institutions, which generally valued them at around $320 million.

However, Lacob is now prepared to accept the offer, and Ellison has agreed to follow suit.

Li Fu frowned slightly. Both companies were willing to follow suit even if the bid was 100 million more, indicating that they were determined to win.

He didn't have much of an impression of the Warriors' owner in his previous life, so it definitely wasn't because Elson won, otherwise he would have known this famous tycoon.

Who has the upper hand right now?

"Ellison's book assets are hundreds of times that of Lacob, theoretically giving him a stronger bidding power, but the problem is..." Thompson paused, "Lacob may have already bypassed the formalities and met with Cohan directly."

Li Fu raised an eyebrow. "When did this happen?"

"It should be in the next day or two, but the exact time is uncertain. The information I've gathered is that Lacob threatened to withdraw from the bidding and strongly demanded a meeting with Cohan, and Cohan agreed," Thompson said with some frustration. "If only we had come two days earlier."

Li Fu sneered. Lacob was cunning. He pretended to withdraw from the bidding, and Cohan was worried that if he was left with only the Elson family, he would be completely controlled by the wealthy Elson. So he had no choice but to agree to the meeting.

"Has the reason why Cohan wanted to sell the team been found out?"

"Cohan is currently extremely short of money. The team has only made the playoffs once in the sixteen years he has been in charge, basically losing money. He also owes the IRS more than $160 million in taxes. In addition, he recently got divorced, so he is under tremendous cash pressure."

Thompson, through his connections in Silicon Valley and the Chee Kung Tong, was able to investigate the situation quite thoroughly.

Li Fu nodded. Now he understood why Cohan dared to offer 450 million. It wasn't because the team was worth that price, but because he needed that amount to fill his own financial hole.

"It was Lacob who broke the rules and bypassed the bidding process," he said with a triumphant smile. "Then we'll teach the rule-breaker a lesson."

"You're planning to meet with Cohan directly?" Thompson guessed this.

His boss is very good at negotiating, or rather, very good at creating win-win situations. Few people can refuse his boss's proposals after a meeting.

"Great, let's go! Let's go to the hotel first."

Li Fu looked out the car window as the street scenes of Auckland flashed by.

Unlike the glamorous San Francisco, this city's dockside area, with its iron frames and warehouses, exudes a rugged, old-world industrial vibe.

Oracle Arena is not far ahead, its gray exterior appearing silent and somber in the sunlight.

A team that has been a bottom-feeder for sixteen years is... a disaster for the city's football market and entertainment scene.

But this won't be the case for long.

The formal bidding process had ended, and he really had no reason to get involved anymore, so he could only watch helplessly as the Golden State Warriors changed hands.

Cole's words still echoed in his ears. Everything he did next had to be commercially sound and leave no room for interpretation.

Buying a football team is indeed a business transaction.

However, if the whole process seems too deliberate or too forceful, it might give those who are watching him a new weapon.

If Elson is the biggest rival in acquiring the team, he will indeed have some reservations.

However, there is a "but," because Lacob, who didn't have much ability to begin with, bypassed the procedures and took a shortcut.

His intervention, on the contrary, seemed perfectly justified.

However, things didn't go as smoothly as Li Fu had hoped.

A few hours after they returned to the hotel, a source learned from Peter Guber, a key partner at Lacob, that Lacob had brought an "explosive offer"—meaning they were only giving Cohan a 72-hour window.

Sources from all sides indicate that Cohan is not really keen on selling the team to Elson.

The two had a business collaboration over the naming rights to the stadium. Cohan was wary of Elson's assertive personality, so he would definitely prefer Lacob at the same price.

In other words, the deal between the two parties is almost finalized.

"Peter Guber?" Li Fu frowned slightly, then quickly remembered who he was. During his time running MGM, he had gained considerable knowledge of Hollywood.

As a top Hollywood producer, Pitt's films, for which he is credited as a producer, have grossed over $30 billion worldwide and received over 50 Oscar nominations. He previously led Columbia Pictures and also served as Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

He later founded Mandalay Entertainment Group, and his more famous works include "Batman", "Flashdance", and "Midnight Express".

This person can definitely be considered an entertainment tycoon.

However, MGM is a studio, while Pitt is an independent producer.

Pitt's films need to be begged for distribution from major studios like MGM, as MGM can decide whether or not to distribute Guber's films.

Of course, Pitt could also choose to work with Warner Bros., but if Warner Bros. has its own films to release, he would have to stand aside or wait in line.

Therefore, Pitt would never easily offend MGM.

Coincidentally, Li Fu is not only an investor in MGM, but Forrest Capital, which he manages, is also a major shareholder of Time Warner, the parent company of Warner Bros.

If Li Fu expresses his determination to win against the Golden State Warriors, Pete should really think twice.