Jordan and the Bulls Officially Split for Good—He Would Never Return to the Bulls! Orders were issued in an orderly fashion, and the entire Knicks management began operating at high speed.
The Dynasty's once somewhat uncertain path forward instantly became clear and bright.
The outside world was still immersed in the celebratory frenzy over the Knicks' third straight championship.
No one knew that behind the scenes in New York, a massive operation capable of overturning the league's landscape had quietly begun.
Meanwhile, Li Fei stood in his apartment, gazing at New York's dazzling nightscape with the same calm expression as ever.
He could already foresee that the coming season would inevitably be full of turmoil.
The Bulls' twin cores were poised to strike, the Houston Rockets' Big Three remained formidable, and powerhouses from every corner were sharpening their blades.
But no matter how strong his opponents were, his goal had never changed.
A fourth straight championship—the only one in history—was his for the taking.
As for whether Jordan would come, that would merely be an extra splash of brilliance along the road to his legend.
NBA Novel Continuation: Jordan's Contract Extension Deadlock and the New York Recruitment Uproar
Chicago, United Center administrative offices.
The afternoon sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows and fell across the polished dark wooden conference table, yet it could not dispel the suffocating tension in the room.
Even the heavy soundproof doors could not block the waves of argument inside, which crashed against the walls one after another.
This was the Bulls management's contract extension meeting with Michael Jordan—and the moment when years of pent-up conflict between both sides finally erupted.
At the table, thirty-six-year-old Michael Jordan sat upright, his back ramrod straight.
He wore a simple black casual suit. There was no deliberate styling, yet