"The Knicks gave up the safest floor and unlocked a historic ceiling."
"The old Twin Towers guaranteed a Dynasty; the new Twin Kings are an unbeatable hegemony."
"New York in the 1999–2000 season will be the hardest team in the entire league to defend."
After TNT's in-depth analysis aired, it once again ignited a fresh wave of heated discussion across the internet.
Everyone finally understood the truly terrifying part of the Knicks' signing.
At the same time, Portland, Oregon—Nike's global headquarters, top-floor conference room.
The brightly lit executive conference room was solemn and tense.
Nike's president, brand operations director, and the head of the AJ division were all seated.
A temporary emergency closed-door executive meeting was quietly underway.
As early as the initial stages of contact between Jordan's team and the Knicks, Nike had already obtained the full progress of the negotiations through dedicated channels.
Management had remained on the sidelines and had not released any information to the public.
Their greatest concern had never been a decline in Jordan's competitive form.
It was that Jordan leaving the Bulls after fifteen years would trigger a backlash from fans.
Under the NBA's commercial logic in the 1990s, player loyalty was the biggest foundation of popularity.
Changing teams, joining a superteam, walking away—any of it could easily earn a player the label of "traitor."
Once public opinion fermented, the AJ Brand's reputation would suffer a devastating blow.
It could even directly affect annual sneaker sales, endorsement revenue, and brand valuation.
That was the core reason Nike's senior management had hesitated to take a stance for so long and remained deeply anxious.
As Nike's premier flagship product line, AJ could not afford even the slightest mistake.
At the head of the table, Nike's president lightly tapped the data report before him with