LeBron James running away? He's going all in on Curry.

The Game 1 finals, a drama worthy of Hollywood, ended in a way that no one expected.

Compared to Giannis Antetokounmpo's dunk that cemented LeBron James's place in history as a humiliating defeat, what truly shook the entire American basketball world after the game was Kyrie Irving's "refusal to play" incident in the fourth quarter!

On such a crucial stage as the Finals, a team's absolute core player and an All-Star starting guard openly boycotted the game!

This not only trampled on the authority of head coach Doc Rivers, but also exposed the deeply entrenched locker room conflicts within the Los Angeles Clippers.

That same night, the league office sent the penalty notice to the Clippers' headquarters.

Kyrie Irving was fined a hefty $25 by the league for "committing unsportsmanlike conduct that damages the league's image" and faces potential further suspension warnings.

But this mere $25 fine is nothing to a star like Irving.

The real pressure that made him feel suffocated came from the behemoth behind him—Nike!

Inside a luxury suite at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Cleveland, where the Clippers are staying.

Kyrie Irving sat on the sofa with a somber expression, while his agent paced back and forth in the room, sweating profusely and pleading with despair.

"Yes, sir... I understand. Kyrie was just too eager to win, and he lost control of his emotions... Okay, I'll have him apologize to LeBron immediately and promise he won't do it again in the next game..."

"Snapped!"

Before the agent could finish speaking, Irving snatched the phone and hung up.

"Kerry! Are you crazy?!"

The agent was on the verge of tears, burying his face in his hands. "That's a high-ranking executive at Nike headquarters! Do you know what you're facing?!"

Just last year, Nike signed Kyrie Irving to a seven-year, $77 million exclusive signature shoe endorsement deal!

Nike originally intended to make him the "strongest Robin" alongside LeBron James, taking advantage of the huge Los Angeles market to rake in huge profits.

As a result, Kyrie Irving not only verbally abused Nike's "top star" at the press conference, but also openly boycotted the Finals!

This has seriously crossed the line for Nike's top management!

"They just gave us an ultimatum over the phone!"

The agent, his voice trembling, pointed at Irving: "If you don't hold a press conference this afternoon, publicly apologize to LeBron James, and promise to give your all in the upcoming Finals... Nike will unilaterally invoke the 'moral damage clause' and terminate that 7-year, $7700 million contract early!"

"Not only that, they will also organize a legal team to sue you, demanding compensation for the huge commercial losses caused to the Nike brand by the boycott!"

A 7700 million yuan endorsement fee went down the drain, and now they face a huge claim for compensation!

Hearing this cold reality, even Kyrie Irving, who calls himself a "basketball philosopher," couldn't help but catch his breath.

In this commercial league where capital and interests are highly intertwined, no matter how talented a player is, trying to go head-to-head with a behemoth like Nike, which controls half of the basketball world, is like throwing an egg against a rock.

"Apologize? Go apologize to that vampire?"

Kyrie Irving gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with humiliation and resentment. "I'd rather go back to playing pickup basketball on the streets of New Jersey than be a mere foil for his hypocritical persona!"

"Kerry, wake up! That's tens of millions of dollars and your career!" the agent pleaded desperately.

Just when Irving's mental defenses were crumbling under Nike's coercion and enticement, and he was almost about to grit his teeth and give in.

"Buzzing—"

Irving's phone, whose number was known only to a very few close friends, vibrated on the desktop.

Irving frowned as he glanced at the caller ID; it was a completely unfamiliar number.

He answered the phone irritably: "Feed?"

Good morning, Carey. You don't sound like you're in a very good mood.

On the other end of the phone came a young male voice with a hint of laziness and amusement.

"Who are you?" Owen asked warily.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Su Yang, the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers."

Su Yang?!

Upon hearing this name, Irving and his agent beside him both widened their eyes.

During the Finals, the owner of an opposing team secretly called their star player?! If this gets out, it will be a huge scandal that will shake the entire league!

"Mr. Su... why are you calling me?" Owen lowered his voice and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window of the suite.

"It's nothing, just something I wanted to say as a pure basketball fan to express my appreciation for you."

On the other end of the phone, Su Yang's tone was full of admiration: "You gave a brilliant speech at last night's press conference. In this alliance full of hypocrisy and slickness, you're the first person who dared to expose that guy's true colors in front of the whole world. I respect you as a man."

Praise from his biggest competitor, Irving paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile: "The price of being a man isn't small. Mr. Su, if you're here to laugh at me, you don't need to. Nike's legal team is probably already preparing a lawsuit against me."

"Of course I know."

Su Yang chuckled and cut to the chase, "A worthless 7-year, 7700 million contract, and it's already scaring you, a one-on-one genius?"

A broken contract?! That's nearly eighty million US dollars!

Just as Irving was about to retort, Su Yang's next words struck him like a heavy hammer blow to the heart!

"Kerry, listen to this. Don't let those shoe-selling capitalists hold your soul hostage. If you're unfortunately terminated by Nike because you didn't want to go against your principles..."

"I assure you, my father's Anta Group is more than happy to offer you a lifetime exclusive endorsement contract worth over 1 million US dollars!"

"Not only will you receive over 100 million in cash, but I'll also give you independent shares in Anta Basketball's sub-brand, allowing you to enjoy top-tier treatment just like Stephen Curry!"

boom--!!!

Irving and his agent, who was eavesdropping nearby, felt their minds go completely blank!

$1 million?! Independent shares?!

In the past two years, thanks to Curry, Klay, and Kawhi Leonard, Anta's global market share has soared, and its market value is now incomparable to what it used to be.

If you can get the same treatment as Curry, then Nike's mere 7700 million is nothing!