August 30, Milan, as dawn breaks.
Lin Qi, wearing a bathrobe, stood on the terrace of the Bulgari Hotel, watching the spire of the Milan Cathedral gradually become clearer in the morning mist.
At 7 a. m. sharp, the phone on the table rang.
"Boss." It was Maurizio Gherardini on the other end of the phone. This veteran, who had spent half his life in Europe basketball, sounded unusually nervous. "The venue, security, and media are all ready. But I'm still a little... nervous."
Lin Qi looked at the rising Suns, a faint smile playing on his lips, " Maurizio, after tonight, your name will be etched in the history of Europe basketball. Step onto that stage, bask in that damn spotlight—that was your moment all along."
Gherardini took a deep breath on the other end of the phone, his voice regaining its usual composure. "Thank you. Aren't you coming to the event?"
"Go ahead," Lin Qi said, picking up his black coffee and taking a sip. "I'll be watching you make history on TV."
8 PM, Milan the Forum.
The wooden floor, originally used for basketball games, was covered with a thick red carpet. In the center of the arena, a semi-circular platform in the style of the Rome Senate was erected.
The 20,000-seat audience was completely full.
As the stadium lights suddenly went out, a blinding spotlight shone on the exit of the players' tunnel.
Wearing a perfectly tailored bespoke suit and with his hair meticulously combed, Maurizio Gherardini walked confidently to the center of the stage amidst the standing ovation of 20,000 fans.
He stood in front of the microphone, surveying the bustling arena, his voice steady and penetrating.
Ladies and gentlemen, we're not playing basketball tonight.
He paused, letting the echo linger in the stadium's dome.
"Tonight, we will reshape the future of Europe basketball."
"I am Maurizio Gherardini. Today, as the first CEO of the EBA, I announce to all of Europe the official birth of a completely independent, professional, and highly commercialized new basketball league!"
The applause was deafening.
"On this platform, Europe's best teams will bid farewell to fragmented cup competitions and engage in high-intensity, regular matches. We will have arena facilities that rival or even surpass those of the NBA, and we will have the top-tier broadcasting rights in all of Europe. Most importantly..."
Gherardini's voice suddenly rose. "We want to ensure that Europe's basketball talents can receive top-tier checks that match their talent, without having to cross the Atlantic Ocean!"
The applause was thunderous and prolonged, and many Europe fans even had tears in their eyes.
"Now, we invite the chairpersons of the 13 founding clubs to jointly sign the ' EBA League Charter '."
Accompanied by rousing symphonic music, thirteen bigwigs who control the lifeline of Europe sports walked out one by one from the VIP passage.
This was a scene worthy of being recorded in history.
Royal Madrid president Florentino Pérez and Barcelona president Laporta, two fierce rivals in the football world, surprisingly shook hands in the center of the stage after signing their names.
" Florentino, on the EBA field, Barça will still crush you," Laporta said softly during the handshake. "Then let the ratings and ticket sales speak for themselves, Joan," Pérez replied with a smile.
Immediately afterwards, the two presidents of Panathinaikos and Olympiacos... two old enemies who are almost irreconcilable in Greece, also completed the signing and historic handshake with gloomy faces.
When the last chairman, Carl -Heinz Rummenigge of Bayern Munich, put down his pen, a shower of golden confetti rained down from the sky above the Forum in Milan.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Gherardini held up the charter signed with numerous names. "In October 2001, the inaugural EBA league will officially kick off. A new era for Europe basketball has begun!"
Boom! The cheers of 20,000 people were enough to lift the Milan night sky.
At 11 p. m., the press conference room was packed with hundreds of journalists from all over Europe.
Reporters focused not only on the new league's format, but also on the massive, almost unreal, infrastructure plan.
A senior journalist from the France newspaper L' L'Équipe astutely grasped the crux of the matter. "Mr. Gherardini, the bylaws mention that 13 world-class sports commercial complexes will rise within the next three years. It's said that the funding comes from a multinational group called ' Europe Sports Real Estate.' Where exactly does its funding come from?"
Gherardini had anticipated this trap. He smiled slightly and gave a perfectly evasive answer.
"' Europe Sports Real Estate ' is an independent private equity fund registered in Luxembourg. They see the enormous commercial potential of the EBA and are willing to make long-term infrastructure investments."
"As for the source of the funding?" Gherardini shrugged. "As far as I know, the fund consists of a syndicated loan from multiple offshore trusts and Europe domestic banks. Ladies and gentlemen, in the business world, capital only cares about the rate of return, not the color of a passport. I'm just a professional manager; I don't check the investors' accounts."
"But there are rumors that Mr. Lin Qi, the owner of the Boston Celtics, played a key role in this plan!" another reporter pressed loudly.
"Mr. Lin Qi?" Gherardini feigned a perfectly timed expression of surprise. "Oh, that enthusiastic owner who just made a fortune on ticket sales with his team here? I heard he just left Milan for vacation. The EBA is a purely Europe league, neither affiliated with nor controlled by any NBA team. That's our bottom line."
The audience was ablaze with flashes. Gherardini had perfectly separated EBA from Lin Qi, not only avoiding trouble from David Stern but also preserving the fragile pride of Europe basketball.
After the press conference, Florentino stopped Gherardini in the hallway.
" Maurizio, your evasive maneuvering tonight was quite impressive." The shrewd old fox lowered his voice. "But I don't care who's behind those offshore funds. I only care about one thing... When will you sign the EPC contract for the Madrid stadium that you promised to ACS Construction Group?"
"The legal representative of the Luxembourg Foundation will be waiting for you in your office at 10:00 AM tomorrow," Gherardini replied with a smile.
Florentino patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction. "That's enough. Say hello for me to that 'non-existent' mastermind behind it all."
Midnight.
While sports media across Europe were frantically updating their layouts and printing headlines about the "birth of the EBA," the real mastermind behind it all was quietly sitting on a Boeing private jet bound for Boston.
At the back of the cabin, the players, having finished a month of grueling training, were already fast asleep. Occasionally, whispers could be heard in their sleep; Pierce and Artest seemed to be arguing in their dreams about who should start in the new season.
Lin Qi sat in a comfortable airline seat at the front of the cabin, with only a dim reading light on.
The laptop in front of him contained two completely different reports.
One document was a briefing from major European and American media outlets, using exaggerated language to the extreme.
Marca: Real Madrid Barça enter the fray! The old order of Europe basketball collapses!
L'Équipe: Gherardini – The man who changed Europe basketball!
Sports Illustrated: Celtics win all 13 games on their Europe tour!
Lin Qi casually glanced at the noisy headlines and then opened another file.
It was a document written by Lin Qi in Chinese.
[Three-Year Plan for Europe Sports Business Complexes (Final Version)]
Phase 1 (2001-2003): Construction of 13 super complexes commenced.
Ponzi scheme: Total budget of $3.7 billion. Initial capital injection of $900 million. The remaining $2.8 billion will be used as the underlying asset for mortgage loans from Switzerland and Deutsche Bank.
Expected Returns (from 2003): After completion, relying on the stadium naming rights, luxury boxes, commercial real estate rentals and surrounding development, the annual net cash flow is conservatively estimated to reach US$514 million.
Long-term plan (2006-2018): Launch Phase II, comprising 17 mixed-use developments. Leveraging strong cash flow, the plan is to achieve zero leverage by early 2018. At that time, the annual free cash flow of the asset portfolio will exceed US$1.7 billion.
Lin Qi's gaze lingered on the words "$2.8 billion loan" for a moment.
He ultimately cancelled the radical plan that was originally intended to be funded entirely with cash.
There's nothing wrong with using leverage appropriately to generate more wealth.
More importantly, having a large amount of cash in one's own hands and maintaining absolute liquidity provides a sufficient sense of security.
Lin Qi gently closed his laptop. The faint light from the screen went out, plunging him into the quiet night of the cabin.
Early morning of September 1st.
As the Boeing aircraft landed smoothly at Boston Logan International Airport, the first light of dawn was just breaking on the distant horizon.
Outside the airport's arrival hall, hundreds of die-hard Boston Celtics fans were still gathered. They held signs that read "Welcome home, Europe conquerors" and chanted the names of Chris Paul Pierce and Ben Wallace with fervor.
Lin Qi did not use the regular entrance. He went directly to the VIP exit and got into a discreet private car.
The car drove smoothly toward a house on the outskirts of Boston.
Lin Qi leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest.
Gherardini will take care of everything for him in Europe.
Now he must refocus all his energy on the upcoming 2000-2001 season.