Chapter Summaries

The Knicks' front office weighed its salary-cap problems against the goal of winning a fourth straight championship, with Li Fei's supermax extension and the departures of aging veterans central to their plans. They agreed to prioritize re-signing Madman Sprewell, while the rest of their offseason strategy remained undecided.

• The Knicks executives reviewed the team's salary situation as Li Fei's contract entered its final year and Arvydas Sabonis's deal expired.
• Management concluded that Sabonis's injuries and declining performance made it unlikely he would remain in New York, while other contenders could offer him a retirement contract.
• Jeff Van Gundy argued that the Knicks needed to let Sabonis go and seek fresh talent to stay competitive against the Lakers, Bulls, and Rockets.
• After debating roster needs and finances, the Knicks front office decided to prioritize a reasonable extension for Madman Sprewell.

The Knicks announced plans to pursue a fourth consecutive championship, rebuild around Li Fei, and negotiate an early extension with him. Li Fei rejected the extension offer, telling David Falk that it was too early to sign.

• Knicks management announced its goal of winning a fourth straight championship and outlined roster plans, including letting Sabonis leave and preparing extension talks with Sprewell.
• Sabonis accepted the Knicks' decision not to renew his contract and planned to pursue a lucrative free-agent deal.
• The Knicks began scouting free-agent big men and prepared to negotiate an early extension with Li Fei.
• David Falk told Li Fei about the Knicks' plans and urged him to accept their supermax extension offer.
• Li Fei refused the early extension, explaining that it was too soon to sign, while Monica Bellucci and Angelina Jolie listened nearby.

Li Fei rejected the Knicks’ push for an early extension, choosing to preserve his free agency and pursue a fourth straight championship before deciding where to play next. He planned to use his career and growing Li Fei Brand to build a business empire, leaving his future open to the Knicks, Bulls, or Rockets.

• Li Fei told David Falk that a fourth consecutive championship would raise his value and give him more control over his future.
• Li Fei reminded David Falk that he had joined the Knicks to grow the Li Fei Brand, which had since become a major rival to Adidas, Nike, and Jordan’s AJ Brand.
• David Falk agreed that Li Fei should turn down the early extension and keep his options open, including the Knicks, Bulls, and Rockets.
• Li Fei asked David Falk to tell the Knicks he would discuss an extension after the season and would remain focused on winning a fourth straight title.
• Li Fei told Monica Bellucci, Angelina Jolie, and Larsa Pippen that he was not afraid of pressure and intended to pursue both championships and a business empire.

Li Fei refused the Knicks’ offer of an early extension, choosing to wait until after the season while he pursued a fourth straight championship. Knicks management panicked over the possibility of losing him, then began trying to understand why he had refused.

• Li Fei looked toward Madison Square Garden and committed to giving his all to win a fourth straight championship before deciding his future after the season.
• David Falk told Knicks management that Li Fei had rejected an early extension and wanted to discuss a contract after the season.
• The general manager and Jeff Van Gundy worried that Li Fei might leave, but Falk said Li Fei’s position was firm and he would remain focused on the season.
• Li Fei planned a vacation with Monica Bellucci, Angelina, and Larsa Pippen, unconcerned by the Knicks’ reaction to his decision.
• After a long silence, the general manager told Knicks management to calm down and figure out why Li Fei had refused.

The Knicks’ executives realized Li Fei rejected an early extension to preserve his future options and maximize his value, not because he wanted to leave. They agreed to support his Four-Peat bid while preparing for the possibility that he might depart, and the general manager pointed to the team’s unsustainable salary costs.

• A salary executive explained that Li Fei expected his value and bargaining power to rise after winning a Four-Peat.
• A commercial executive argued that Li Fei no longer needed the Knicks’ platform to grow Li Fei Brand, and that the team now needed him more than he needed it.
• The general manager concluded that Li Fei wanted control over his future rather than an early contract commitment, and Jeff Van Gundy agreed that his decision made sense.
• The general manager told the executives to support Li Fei and strengthen the roster for a Four-Peat, which could benefit both the Knicks and Li Fei.
• The general manager said the Knicks also needed to plan for Li Fei’s possible departure because their salary situation was unsustainable.

The Knicks' executives searched for a star who could support Li Fei in pursuing a Four-Peat and lead the team if he left. They settled on Michael Jordan as their ideal target and discussed how to persuade him to join.

• The general manager said the Knicks needed a famous, compatible player who could help Li Fei and sustain the team's popularity in the future.
• Executives ruled out several top stars because of their contracts, cost, or poor fit with Li Fei.
• Jeff Van Gundy proposed Michael Jordan, noting that his contract would expire at the end of the season.
• Jeff Van Gundy argued that Jordan remained elite and that his playing style would complement Li Fei's.
• The business executive highlighted Jordan's star power and the Knicks' appeal as a platform for his legacy.
• The general manager proposed a short-term contract with revenue incentives and promised to build a championship roster around Jordan and Li Fei.

Li Fei learned that the Knicks planned to recruit Michael Jordan, whose contract with the Bulls was expiring. He saw how Jordan could strengthen the Knicks and boost their business, but recognized that management also wanted a fallback plan beyond chasing a Four-Peat.

• David Falk told Li Fei that Knicks management had approved Van Gundy's proposal to secretly recruit Michael Jordan.
• Li Fei recalled Jordan's fierce performance against the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Bulls' Game 7 defeat.
• Li Fei judged that Jordan had declined from his peak but remained an elite scorer and clutch player who could no longer carry a team alone.
• Li Fei concluded that Jordan's perimeter scoring would complement his own role and fill the Knicks' need for another reliable ball-handler.
• Li Fei realized Jordan's arrival would make the Knicks more formidable and bring enormous attention and revenue to New York.
• Li Fei saw that the Knicks' recruitment plan was also a way for management to protect itself if the pursuit of a Four-Peat failed.

Li Fei told David Falk he would welcome Michael Jordan joining the Knicks and would not interfere with the team’s recruitment. The Knicks management unanimously approved an offseason plan to pursue Jordan while also re-signing Sprewell, then began preparing the confidential recruitment effort.

• Li Fei told David Falk he had no objection to playing alongside Jordan and urged the Knicks to pursue him.
• Li Fei explained to Angelina Jolie, Monica Bellucci, and Larsa Pippen that signing Jordan would give the Knicks both championship potential and commercial security.
• The general manager told Van Gundy and the Knicks executives that Li Fei fully supported the plan.
• The Knicks management unanimously approved pursuing Michael Jordan and re-signing Sprewell.
• The general manager directed the scouting, legal, salary, and PR teams to prepare for Jordan’s recruitment and keep the plan secret.

Jordan rejected the Bulls’ contract extension after a bitter meeting with Jerry Krause and Jerry Reinsdorf, ending his ties with Chicago. The chapter left him poised to leave the Bulls as the Knicks began pursuing a historic fourth straight championship.

• The Knicks management began a high-speed operation to prepare for the coming season while Li Fei remained focused on winning a fourth straight championship.
• Michael Jordan met with Jerry Krause and Jerry Reinsdorf to discuss his contract and the future of the Bulls.
• Krause offered Jordan a one-year extension for twenty million dollars and said the team would continue rebuilding rather than preserve its core roster.
• Jordan argued that he could still lead a team and blamed management for dismantling the championship roster, while Krause insisted his repeated losses to Li Fei showed his peak had passed.
• Jordan refused the offer and declared that he would have no further ties with the Chicago Bulls.

After leaving the Bulls, Jordan learned that the Knicks wanted him to join Li Fei, his bitter rival. He rejected the idea in anger, but the Knicks’ fully guaranteed three-year, $46 million offer made him reconsider.

• Jordan left the Bulls’ administrative building and returned to his villa, frustrated by how his time in Chicago had ended.
• Jordan’s agent, Gus Dimant, told him that the Knicks wanted to recruit him for the offseason.
• Jordan reacted with fury at the prospect of joining the team that had eliminated the Bulls and becoming Li Fei’s teammate.
• Jordan refused the offer, insisting he would not accept the humiliation of playing alongside the man who beat him.
• Gus revealed the Knicks’ fully guaranteed three-year, $46 million contract, and Jordan’s anger began to give way to silence.

Michael Jordan weighed offers from teams after opting out of his Bulls contract, but remained torn over the Knicks’ three-year, $46 million invitation. After receiving formal offers from the Wizards, Heat, and Rockets, he rejected Washington and judged Miami too weak to challenge Li Fei’s Knicks, leaving Houston’s proposal to consider.

• Jordan told Gus Dimant to collect and compare every interested team’s salary, contract terms, roster, role, and commercial resources before he chose.
• Li Fei anticipated Jordan’s hesitation and believed the Knicks’ offer could bring them together or leave him to keep ruling the league alone.
• Over seven days, Gus received formal guaranteed offers from the Wizards, Heat, and Rockets, while most other teams proposed short-term minimum or mid-level deals.
• Jordan rejected the Wizards’ two-year, $32 million offer, deciding their roster and team prospects could not contend with the Knicks.
• Jordan assessed the Heat’s one-year, $17.5 million offer and concluded that their roster lacked the strength to challenge Li Fei and the Knicks.

Michael Jordan rejected offers from the Wizards, Heat, and Rockets, concluding that none could challenge Li Fei and the Knicks. As media across the country debated his pride and options, the Knicks’ three-year, $46 million contract remained the only convincing path to a championship, though Jordan had not yet decided whether he could accept it.

• Jordan rejected the Heat’s offer, saying he would not join a team with little chance of winning just to play a supporting role.
• Jordan turned down the Rockets’ one-year, $18 million offer, citing his old conflict with Pippen and the aging roster’s weaknesses against Li Fei and the Knicks.
• After Jordan rejected all three offers, Gus said the Knicks’ three-year, $46 million deal was the only contract that suited him, but Jordan remained silent.
• News outlets across the United States reported on Jordan’s rejections and described the Knicks as his only strong option.
• TNT commentators and basketball columnists debated Jordan’s conflict between his pride and his best chance to win a championship.

Li Fei’s growing sneaker empire had overtaken Jordan’s struggling AJ Brand, while Jordan’s four straight losses to Li Fei had damaged both his on-court standing and his business. A TNT panel then began discussing Jordan’s future after he rejected the Wizards, Heat, and Houston Rockets, leaving his next move unresolved.

• Li Fei’s classic sneaker designs and expanding product lines helped his brand surpass AJ in youth appeal, sales, and market reach.
• AJ’s outdated designs and reliance on Jordan’s fading stardom contributed to declining sales and profits, while Li Fei Sports Brand’s quarterly revenue rose 42 percent.
• Jordan recognized that his repeated losses to Li Fei had weakened the commercial empire he had built.
• Kevin Harlan told the TNT panel that Jordan had rejected the Wizards, Heat, and Houston Rockets and that no other team could match their offers.
• Marv Albert agreed with Kevin Harlan and began analyzing Jordan’s remaining options.

Commentators concluded that Jordan’s remaining choices were to join the Knicks or retire, while the NBA offseason moved forward without his decision. The Orlando Magic made two major moves to build a star duo, acquiring Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady.

• Marv Albert, Bill Walton, and Kevin Harlan argued that the Rockets and Lakers were poor fits for Jordan and that his realistic options were the Knicks or retirement.
• Marv Albert predicted Jordan would either join Li Fei on the Knicks or end his career, as fans and teams awaited his decision.
• The Orlando Magic traded Chucky Atkins and Ben Wallace to the Detroit Pistons for Grant Hill, then signed Hill to a seven-year, $93 million contract.
• The Magic gave up a future first-round pick to acquire Tracy McGrady from the Toronto Raptors and signed him to a seven-year, $92.8 million contract.

The Magic added Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady, and center Andrew DeClercq, while the Heat and Trail Blazers made major trades to strengthen their rosters for the coming season. As contenders prepared to challenge the Knicks and Lakers, Jordan still had not decided what to do.

• The Magic paired Grant Hill with Tracy McGrady and traded Matt Harpring to the Cavaliers for Andrew DeClercq, fueling hopes that they could contend for a title.
• The Heat acquired Eddie Jones, Anthony Mason, Ricky Davis, and Dale Ellis from the Hornets in exchange for P.J. Brown, Jamal Mashburn, Otis Thorpe, Tim James, and Rodney Buford.
• The Trail Blazers, Heat, and Cavaliers completed a three-team trade that sent Shawn Kemp to Portland, Brian Grant to Miami, and Chris Gatling, Clarence Weatherspoon, a first-round pick, and cash to Cleveland.
• The Heat gave Brian Grant a seven-year, $86 million contract, but monitoring revealed a potential kidney condition.
• The Cavaliers' fans criticized their front office for giving up Kemp for players they considered inadequate compensation.
• Jordan remained undecided as the offseason's new contenders prepared to challenge the Knicks in the East and the Lakers in the West.

The Trail Blazers strengthened their frontcourt by trading for Dale Davis, while Detroit’s poor offseason moves sent the Pistons into rebuilding. The Magic pursued Tim Duncan, but David Robinson helped persuade him to stay with the Spurs.

• The Trail Blazers traded Jermaine O'Neal and Joe Kleine to the Pacers for Dale Davis, adding an experienced defender and rebounder beside Shawn Kemp.
• Pistons management traded Christian Laettner for the declining Cedric Ceballos after losing Grant Hill, leaving Detroit with a weakened roster and little salary flexibility.
• The Magic pursued Tim Duncan with promises of a maximum contract and a star trio alongside Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady.
• David Robinson spoke with Duncan about the Spurs’ team culture and established system.
• Duncan rejected the Magic’s offer and chose to remain with the Spurs.

The Knicks kept their championship core as rivals strengthened for the 1999–2000 season, while Li Fei trained confidently and expanded his brand’s rivalry with Jordan’s. The chapter ended as a bombshell piece of news broke, without revealing what it was.

• The Spurs signed Derek Anderson, the Bulls lost out on their free-agent targets and Tim Thomas, and the Timberwolves added LaPhonso Ellis.
• The Knicks retained their core lineup, and fans dismissed claims that their interior defense had weakened after Ewing’s departure.
• Li Fei trained while David Falk briefed him on rival teams strengthening their rosters and Jordan delaying his decision.
• Falk told Li Fei that his brand’s Flying Pig Series and Answer Series were competing with Nike and Adidas as Jordan’s AJ market share declined.
• TNT commentators declared that the Knicks ruled the league and that Jordan had no good path back to the top.
• A bombshell piece of news broke as the new season approached.

Charles Barkley announced his retirement at 37, ending his NBA career and collapsing the Houston Rockets’ planned Big Three. At the Knicks’ training facility, Sprewell asked Li Fei whether Barkley had told him about the decision beforehand.

• Charles Barkley announced that he was retiring because he had lost his passion for playing in the NBA.
• Sports media and fans reacted to Barkley’s retirement, while commentators reflected on his career and the end of an era.
• Barkley’s retirement ended Houston’s planned trio of Pippen, Barkley, and Olajuwon, leaving fans’ hopes of challenging the Knicks in tatters.
• Sprewell saw the retirement news at Knicks practice and hurried to Li Fei, asking whether Barkley had discussed his decision with him.
• Allan Houston, Marshall, Sabonis, and the other Knicks players stopped training and watched Li Fei and Sprewell.

Li Fei remained unsurprised by Charles Barkley's sudden retirement, believing he would soon return to basketball. The league then learned that Kevin Johnson had retired after years of injuries, leaving Li Fei to reflect on the trade that had changed both their careers.

• Sprewell told Li Fei that Barkley had retired, and Li Fei admitted Barkley had not told him.
• Li Fei believed Barkley's retirement was temporary and predicted they would meet again on the court.
• Kevin Johnson announced his retirement, citing injuries and his inability to keep playing at a level he respected.
• The chapter recounted how the Suns traded Kevin Johnson in 1997 to acquire Li Fei, after which KJ's career declined amid injuries and team changes.
• Li Fei heard the news at the Knicks' training facility and felt he understood Kevin Johnson's regrets because he had benefited from the trade.

Four All-Stars—Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Rik Smits, and Jeff Hornacek—retired during the 1999 offseason, marking the rapid end of the NBA’s old generation. As Li Fei and his Knicks teammates reflected on the departures, Li Fei accepted that a new era was taking shape.

• The Pacers announced that 34-year-old center Rik Smits had retired after years of injuries.
• The Utah Jazz announced that 37-year-old sharpshooter Jeff Hornacek had retired, leaving Stockton and Malone without their longtime perimeter partner.
• TNT commentators discussed how the retirements of Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Smits, and Hornacek signaled the end of the 1990s NBA era.
• At the Knicks’ training facility, Sabonis and Sprewell reflected on the veterans leaving the league.
• Li Fei told Sprewell that sports passed the torch from one generation to the next.