"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. Welcome to basketball fans across America, American fans watching on TNTV, and Canadian fans watching on CBCTV. Welcome to the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center in New York. We're glad to have you with us, as well as the fans still making their way here. Thank you for coming."
Tatum's opening remarks felt especially familiar.
Over the past six months of Tatum running the league, the biggest change had been its return to the basketball of the early 2000s.
Even many of the details were the same as during the Stern Era.
That was why many fans called him "Stern's shadow."
Just like his draft-opening speech, that sense of familiarity stemmed from the same reason.
In terms of individual ability alone, he was inferior to both Xiao Hua and Stern. He was the steady, conventional type of commissioner.
After the opening remarks, the draft began.
The 76ers held the first pick and had five minutes to make their decision.
Historically, that year's Top Draft Pick had belonged to the Celtics, who had acquired it in an earlier trade with the Nets.
The Celtics had originally targeted Tatum, then traded with the 76ers to drop to the Second overall pick, creating one of the most infamous fleece trades in NBA history.
But after the Butterfly Effect, the Nets had selected Russell in 2015, and he had performed well afterward. In the end, the Celtics had received only the eighth pick.
Tatum was completely out of reach for them now.
Tang Tian was far away on the island of Barbados in the Caribbean Sea. Since the draft was held at night, after finishing out the day, he watched the live broadcast with Olson.
Though he had not been able to attend in person, Dempsey and the