Kings and Nets Meet in the Finals
Christine Ledlow was well-liked around the NBA and got along with many star players.
So it was perfectly normal for him to invite Wang Yi to dinner.
Next came the Western Conference Champion ceremony.
The Kings put on their Western Conference Champion T-shirts and hats.
They hoisted the Western Conference Champion trophy.
They had captured the Western Conference title for the second year in a row.
The happiest person of all was undoubtedly owner Ranadave.
Winning the Western Conference title two years in a row would greatly increase the Kings' value.
Before Wang Yi joined the Kings, the team had been valued at only $450 million.
After winning the title last year, their value had shot up to $900 million, doubling.
And now, this year, their value had already reached $1.3 billion.
If they won the title this year, it would surely reach $1.5 billion.
What did a valuation of $1.5 billion mean?
Put it this way: among the league's 30 teams, the Rockets were valued at $1.5 billion, ranking eighth.
Small-market teams like the Kings generally ranked between 15th and 20th.
That showed just how much value Wang Yi had brought to the team since joining the Kings.
So for star players of Wang Yi, James, and Curry's caliber, even though their salaries were high, signing them was actually an incredible bargain for the owners.
Forget paying them $20 or $30 million a year. If there were no salary cap, even $60 or $70 million wouldn't be too much.
After Wang Yi entered the Player Tunnel, O'Neal and Pippen recapped the game.
O'Neal asked Pippen, "You never believed in Wang Yi before, and you didn't think the Kings could win today. What about now?"
Pippen admitted, uncharacteristically, that he'd been wrong. "Yeah,