Early July 2000, Los Angeles.
The shadow of the NBA Finals loss still lingers at Staples Center. The image of the Celtics lifting the O'Brien Trophy not only ended the Los Angeles Lakers ' season-long efforts, but also acted as a fuse, igniting long-simmering conflicts within the team.
The first major upheaval of the offseason did not occur in the locker room, but rather from the management.
As the unsung hero behind acquiring Shaq O'Neal and then trading Kobe Bryant in the draft, Jerry West was on the verge of a complete break with the Lakers. At the end-of-season debriefing meeting, West made a long-brewing request to owner Jerry Buss: he wanted a small stake in the team.
What prompted him to take this step, besides his long-standing fatigue, was a personnel announcement that the league had just released on July 1st, the start of the new fiscal year— the Boston Celtics Ownership Group officially granted Lin Qi a minority stake in the team in recognition of his contribution to winning the championship.
This news shattered the glass ceiling for professional managers and deeply affected West.
For this legend who has devoted half his life to the Lakers, this is no longer a matter of salary figures. If even the conservative Boston consortium can accept Lin Qi as a true "partner," then this veteran who filled the power vacuum after Magic's retirement and led the Lakers out of their slump naturally hopes to receive the same level of respect. This is his bottom line for believing that he can remain in Los Angeles as a "master".
However, Jerry Buss was an extremely shrewd businessman. He could offer the highest general manager salary in the entire league and provide the best personal benefits, but when it came to core assets like team ownership, he didn't hesitate to close the door.
" Jerry, I can give you anything except the shares."
Under normal circumstances, this might have been just a routine business negotiation. But given the stark contrast between Boston's recent offer of equity to Lin Qi and the final straw that broke the camel's back, Jerry Buss's refusal became the last straw.
The negotiations ended in discord. Coupled with head coach Phil Jackson's recent overstepping of authority by speaking directly with Jerry Buss, the internal friction and sense of being sidelined within the management team West feeling utterly fed up.
A few days later, this iconic figure of the Lakers made a decision—to submit his resignation and leave the Los Angeles Lakers.
As the news broke, a light summer rain was falling in Boston, far away on the East Coast.
Sitting in his president's office on the top floor of the New Garden, Lin Qi received the briefing immediately through top-secret channels within the league. He stared silently at the intelligence report on the Lakers' internal upheaval on his desk for a long time.
As a winner who had just escaped death and defeated his opponent in the NBA Finals, Lin Qi had no goodwill towards the Lakers, his century-old rival. But as for Jerry West, Lin Qi only felt a pure, mutual respect between top-level managers. It was a tribute to a visionary, bold, and professional spirit that transcended his time.
He picked up the black coffee on the table, took a sip, then picked up the encrypted private line and dialed the Los Angeles number he rarely dialed.
The phone rang for a long time before being answered just before it was about to hang up. West's slightly hoarse and tired voice, yet still deep and resonant, came through. "Lin? You just won the championship over our corpses, and now you're calling to give a victory speech to the losers?"
"You know I'm not that bored, Jerry." Lin Qi leaned back in his chair, his tone calm, carrying the familiar ease and ease typical of old rivals. "I just saw on the news that the Los Angeles sun seems a bit too bright lately, making it uncomfortable. If you get tired of the beaches in California, we can always add a chair for you in our Boston office."
There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, broken only by a faint static, followed by a soft chuckle from West.
"Lin, you know this is impossible." West sighed, his tone a mixture of helplessness and determination. "If this old guy, whose life is etched with the purple and gold, were to actually go to North Shore Garden and wear a green tie... the Los Angeles fans would absolutely smash the statues outside Staples to pieces tonight. The Los Angeles spirit on me is too strong; it can't be washed away. Besides, you just snatched the championship from us."
Lin Qi smiled. He knew, of course, that the chances of recruiting West were virtually zero. This stubborn basketball godfather's inherent pride wouldn't allow him to join his arch-rival.
But Lin Qi had to make that call. It wasn't just a tribute to this great rival, but also an expression of the highest level of respect a true giant should show to someone in the industry, at a time when the power structure of the league was about to undergo a crazy reshuffle.
"So, you're really planning to retire like this? Find a quiet farm and fish or play golf every day?" Lin Qi asked.
"I'm not so old that I can only swing a club on the grass." West's voice regained its surgical sharpness. " Michael Heisley just contacted me a few days ago. I'm planning to go to the Grizzlies, the team that hasn't even fully settled on where their home court is. Starting from scratch, rebuilding something."
Go to the Grizzlies.
Leaving the spotlight of Los Angeles, a city with countless spotlights and top-notch resources, he went to the Grizzlies on the very edge of the league and still struggling to survive.
This perfectly matches West's proud and aloof personality... He wants to prove to Jerry Buss, to Phil Jackson, and to everyone in the league that even without the Lakers ' dazzling century-long heritage, and even without the support of Los Angeles' huge market, he can still build a formidable team from scratch in a barren land where there isn't even a winning culture, with his own hands, and fight against all the best teams in the playoffs.
"That will be an incredible challenge. I'm really looking forward to your new work," Lin Qi said sincerely. "Good luck, Jerry."
"Stay put in the Eastern Conference, Lin. Don't think only you Celtics know how to rob the trade market. We'll be at the negotiating table again soon."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Qi put the receiver back in its place.
Jerry West's departure was just the first step. Lin Qi knew that without this veteran who could keep things in check, the Lakers ' last buffer had been completely dismantled. Without the cover of a championship, the conflict between the " OK Duo " would inevitably lead to an irreconcilable deadlock.
The recently NBA Finals became the most direct factor in determining whether the two would stay or leave.
Facing the Celtics ' high-intensity defense, Shaq O'Neal proved himself to be an unstoppable low-post dominator. In contrast, Kobe struggled under the relentless pressure from Gary Payton, Eddie Jones, Artest, and Bowen. Within the Boston team alone, there were at least four defensive options capable of effectively limiting him.
Given the stark contrast between their absolute dominance in the paint and their struggles on the perimeter, if one of these two stars had to be sacrificed, the Answer is obvious.
Moreover, head coach Phil Jackson was someone O'Neal strongly advocated for to return to the team, and in locker room politics, the " Zen Master " has always been a staunch supporter of O'Neal. If a championship had served as a unifying factor, Kobe could have continued to coexist in this system. But now, with the loss of a championship and the escalation of conflicts, it's difficult for Kobe to establish himself in Los Angeles.
Even Jerry Buss, who has always been a big fan of Kobe, had to bow to reality after witnessing the stark contrast in performances during the NBA Finals.
Sure enough, the day after Lin Qi hung up the phone...
A piece of news that was enough to send the entire NBA into a frenzy and wake all team general managers from their sleep came from the Los Angeles media center and swept through the North America sports world like a Category 12 hurricane.
The Los Angeles Lakers, mired in extreme chaos and internal division, released a bombshell signal to the outside world after a four-hour heated internal meeting...