David Stern's suspension, literally speaking, only restricted Lin Qi's involvement in the Boston Celtics' internal basketball operations and management.
Therefore, Lin Qi has always believed that his relationship with the league is in a tacit understanding of keeping to himself and not interfering with each other.
But he underestimated the pettiness of this little old Jewish man.
One morning in the second week of December, before the snow had melted in Boston, the phone rang in Lin Qi's rented private office.
On the other end of the phone was the producer, far away in Los Angeles, whose voice betrayed barely concealed anxiety.
"Lin, the production team is in big trouble. This morning, the NBA's legal department officially rejected our copyright licensing application. David Fincher was furious on set, threatening that without real team logos, the movie would become a farce of people wearing knock-off jerseys, and he'd rather breach the contract than go on strike."
Lin Qi placed the freshly brewed coffee on the table, held the phone between his shoulder and arm, but his gaze calmly fell on a copy of the day's sports edition of the New York Times on his desk.
"I understand. Reassure Fincher, and let's pause for now. Wait for the licensing agreement." Lin Qi's tone was completely flat.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Qi picked up the copy of the New York Times.
Stern wouldn't easily use the league's legal department to block a Hollywood A-list production simply because he disliked a script. The NBA is a business league composed of 29 owners, and any such large-scale refusal of external authorization would inevitably go through a vote by the league's board of directors (owners' roundtable).
Meanwhile, the seasoned sports reporter from the New York Times, with his keen sense of smell, had already leaked the entire details of the secret meeting held three days earlier at the Olympic Tower in New York to the front page.
The headline of the report was extremely eye-catching, " Hollywood is at the gates, a serious rift has formed in the NBA roundtable."
Stern originally intended to quickly pass a resolution to ban the Kingmaker team at the meeting, citing "potential damage to the league's healthy image." Those who unequivocally sided with Stern were Jerry Buss of the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James Dolan of the New York Knicks.
Compared to Dolan's mindless rage stemming purely from jealousy, Jerry Buss's remarks at the meeting revealed the shrewdness of a seasoned veteran who deeply understood the workings of the Los Angeles entertainment industry.
The New York Times quoted the exact words of an executive who attended the meeting.
Sitting at the conference table, a cup of coffee in his hand, Jerry Buss spoke with professionalism and restraint, " David, I've spent my entire life in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. I know all too well what an A-list production with a budget of $80 million, directed by David Fincher, means. This level of investment isn't just about making a movie; it's about a cultural brainwashing that reshapes history."
"If Lin Qi wanted to make a basketball film, they could simply create a fictional league. But the NBA absolutely cannot hand over its official license to Boston for two hours of free global public relations. We certainly can't hand over the Lakers ' logo to be used as a backdrop for the defeated villains in this movie. This would severely damage Los Angeles ' market value and wouldn't be in the league's overall commercial interests."
These words were so well-chosen that they elevated personal grudges to the level of the alliance's business interests, even eliciting frequent nods from Stern.
If this had happened a few years earlier, Jerry Buss had set this tone, the veto would have been passed immediately.
But this time, when the media reported it, a completely different voice quickly emerged in the conference room.
Leading the dissent were the Maloof Brothers, owners of the Sacramento Kings. These two playboys, born into the Las Vegas casino industry, had an extremely greedy sense for commercial traffic. They loudly mocked Dolan and Jerry Buss's conservatism, believing it was utterly foolish to turn away Lin Qi's more than $100 million worth of free global exposure.
But the Maloof Brothers weren't enough to shake things up. What truly tilted the meeting was the subsequent speech by Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo.
Lin Qi smiled when he saw Colangelo's name in the newspaper.
This "godfather-like" figure, with extensive NBA experience, four-time winner of the Executive of the Year award, and unshakeable influence throughout USA Basketball, unequivocally voted against the decision.
The New York Times detailed Colangelo's remarks at the time in a column.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are businessmen, not players who fight over a rebound on the court. The NFL and MLB dream of having Keanu Reeves and Brad Pete in their stories; they are the strongest catalyst to propel the NBA brand into global mainstream popular culture."
Colangelo's statement was extremely forceful. "As long as the movie script doesn't cross the league's ethical line regarding gambling and drugs, we have no reason to refuse. To restrict the entire league's expansion and market capitalization growth for the sake of a few games' wins and losses is truly irrational. The NBA must make this trade."
After a bigwig like Jerry Colangelo spoke up, the tone of the entire roundtable meeting instantly changed. Owners of many small and medium-sized basketball teams, such as the New Jersey Nets and the Orlando Magic, echoed his sentiments and expressed their willingness to support the licensing.
Seeing that he couldn't control the situation, Stern could only awkwardly press the pause button by using the excuse of "temporarily suspending authorization and requiring the legal department to further review parts of the script." This is the real background to the crew receiving the "rejection of authorization" notice this morning; the alliance office was using delaying tactics to exert final pressure.
" Jerry Buss is a tough opponent, but Colangelo is a truly intelligent man."
Lin Qi put down his newspaper, picked up his coffee, and took a sip. As long as the league's owners weren't a united front, this matter became something that could be negotiated.
Lin Qi picked up the phone again and dialed the producer in Los Angeles.
"Listen, notify the legal team to stop sending those groveling application emails to the league's legal department. We're not begging them." Lin Qi's tone was calm and resolute, carrying an undeniable air of authority. " Stern is currently under immense pressure from Colangelo and those small-market owners. Those owners want this movie released even more than Stern."
"What about Fincher?" the producer asked anxiously.
"Let him keep raging, and then you personally take that fire to the Hollywood Reporter and the Los Angeles Times. Tell the media that because of David Stern's personal bureaucracy, this epic NBA production, which cost over $100 million, is on the verge of collapse."
"Also, have Sorkin immediately revise two pages of the script overnight. Add a few lines of dialogue to the film, through Keanu Reeves, praising the Suns ' run-and-gun offense and the Kings ' Princeton. Make separate copies of these revised pages and send them to Jerry Colangelo and the Maloof Brothers."
Lin Qi glanced out the window at the snowflakes drifting down over Boston.
Want to wage a PR war? Then I'll fight you to the bitter end.