Zha Zha's thinking was simple. If he went back on his word today, he'd be despised by everyone.
On the other hand, if he kept his promise and bowed to Wang Yi in front of everyone, it would become a huge story.
It would quickly attract a massive audience around the world.
He'd lose all face, but at least he'd make some money.
With that in mind, he got to his feet, steeled himself, and walked onto the court.
Seeing this, the referee on the floor moved to stop Zha Zha Pachulia.
But just then, Adam Silver's voice came through the head referee's earpiece:
"As long as they don't start fighting, let him come over."
As it turned out, NBA commissioner David Xiao Hua had been prepared for this, too.
He knew what Wang Yi was like. If Wang Yi scored 90 points today, he'd insist that Zha Zha come over and bow to him.
And it would become a huge story, drawing attention from around the world in no time.
It would also bring more traffic to the NBA and make the league a fortune.
How could he possibly stop something like that?
So he'd come to the arena in person today and had the head referee wear an earpiece, allowing him to control the situation at any time.
After hearing Adam Silver's instructions, the head referee said nothing. Instead, he told the security guards on the sidelines:
"If they start fighting, get onto the court immediately and take control."
As it happened, Zha Zha Pachulia was a bad guy, but he wasn't stupid.
If he actually fought Wang Yi today, he could forget about working for ESPN again.
By contrast, if he bowed today, he'd lose face, but he'd keep his job and might even make some extra