Since Lin Qi couldn't even get into the playoff games in person, he decided not to stay in the United States to watch the broadcasts on TV.
On the eve of the playoffs, Lin Qi flew halfway around the world and brought along Maurizio Gherardini, then president of the EBA, for a secret meeting in Beijing.
Mid-April, Beijing, a quiet tea room in a traditional courtyard house.
A major collaboration, meticulously planned behind the scenes by Lin Qi, is quietly unfolding at this rosewood tea table. Seated opposite Lin Qi and Gherardini are the highest-ranking decision-makers in China basketball, each with a translator behind them.
In today's China basketball world, Lin Qi's name enjoys high prestige. It was he who, against all odds, brought Wang Zhizhi to Boston with great sincerity. During his years with the Celtics, Wang Zhizhi not only developed solid physical strength but also won three NBA championship rings as an important rotation player. Even more convincingly, last summer Wang Zhizhi reached a long-term contract extension with the New Jersey Nets worth tens of millions of dollars, firmly establishing himself in North America.
The double endorsement of the championship title and the first big NBA contract, coupled with the craze Yao Ming created in the NBA this season, made the Chinese decision-makers have no doubt about Lin Qi's business acumen.
"Mr. Lin, the success of Wang Zhizhi and Yao Ming in North America has shown us the enormous potential of China basketball." The team's decision-maker put down his teacup, his tone very sincere. "But with Athens next year and, most importantly, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, we urgently need to plan ahead and cultivate more young players who can shoulder the responsibility in World Series."
"Very good." Lin Qi put down his teacup and smiled as he acted as the introducer. "To be honest, in such a large country with such a huge population, it would be strange if we couldn't find a group of talented young people. But the commercialization of China basketball is still in the exploratory stage. Relying solely on the traditional sports academy system for closed-door training may not be enough to support the national team's long-term needs in international competitions."
Lin Qi steered the conversation toward the upright Italy sitting beside him. "That's why I invited Maurizio to Beijing. The EBA is no longer just a EuroLeague; as a complete basketball 'infrastructure,' it's fully capable of cultivating top-tier basketball talent on a large scale."
Gherardini nodded knowingly. He took out several proposals, all in English with Chinese translations, from his briefcase and handed them to the Chinese representative.
Through the translator beside him, Gherardini revealed the plan, which was actually devised by Lin Qi.
"Ladies and gentlemen, following consultations with the EBA League management, we hope to jointly launch a program with the Chinese side entitled '2008 Olympic Hope Project and Overseas Pilot Project for the Integration of Sports and Education.'"
When the Chinese leadership heard this "great, glorious, and correct" name, their eyes flickered slightly.
Gherardini, his fingers interlaced, continued with a serious expression, "In the initial phase, as a pilot program, we hope to select 20 young people aged 15 to 17 with the highest level of physical talent. They will go abroad under the guise of studying abroad. These children will be divided into two paths: one group will go to the top basketball high schools in the United States, and the other group will be directly sent to our Europe EBA's second-tier league and youth training system."
Upon hearing this, the Chinese decision-makers whispered among themselves, their faces showing reluctance.
"Mr. Maurizio, your intentions are good." The head of the decision-making team sighed and said frankly, "But the domestic system... I won't go into details. Most of these promising talents are registered with the local sports bureaus, and they treat them like treasures. If private individuals or overseas organizations poach them directly, the local sports bureaus will lose their talent pool, and it might even affect their performance in the National Games. They will absolutely not let them go. Getting through the approval process is very difficult."
Lin Qi picked up his teacup, lowered his head to drink, and concealed the smile on his lips.
On the surface it's about approval, but at its core it's about four things: registration rights, the benefits of the National Games, the attribution of political achievements, and risk responsibility.
Gherardini, having already received Lin Qi's instructions, smiled and spread his hands, "Everyone, please rest assured. We're not here to poach players; we're here to help you complete your Olympic mission. The EBA has full respect for the China sports system."
Gherardini opened the core terms of the proposal and made four resounding promises. "First, registration rights remain unchanged. The registration rights of these players in China still belong to their original local sports bureaus or sports schools. Second, the National Games benefits are preserved. During the National Games, as long as they are called up by their localities, EBA and overseas high schools will unconditionally release them, allowing them to represent their original provinces and cities in the competition. Third, both political and economic achievements will be counted. If these children enter the national team or even compete in the Olympic Games in the future, the sending units will be credited first. Fourth, all risks are covered. The players' overseas school registration, medical insurance, and anti-doping testing standards will all be borne by the EBA League's special fund. If the players fail to perform well, we will be responsible for providing a transfer channel for their return to China."
The moment those words were spoken, the tea room fell silent. The eyes of the Chinese decision-makers lit up.
"So, what is EBA after?" The Chinese decision-makers, suppressing their inner shock, cut to the chase.
"The conditions are equally clear." Gherardini outlined EBA's demands. "First, once these youth academy players mature and consider leaving the domestic basketball league for overseas professional competition, they must prioritize playing for the EBA, in addition to the NBA. Second, the priority for future core overseas contracts for these players should belong to EBA-designated partner organizations. Third, we need official approval to allow EBA to hold official youth academy selection camps in major cities across China, and to open up domestic broadcasting rights for EBA games."
To completely dispel the Chinese side's concerns, Lin Qi finally put down his teacup and added a timely remark.
"Besides what Maurizio mentioned, as the introducer, I'd like to offer some additional assistance," Lin Qi said, looking at the decision-makers. "This collaborative system isn't just for the players. Every year, I'll arrange for outstanding grassroots coaches from across China to study in the US and Europe, and the Boston Celtics ' strength and conditioning team will provide you with cutting-edge rehabilitation and strength training."
"The initial 8 to 10 players are just a small pilot program," Lin Qi's voice was full of persuasive power. "As the cooperation deepens, the number of slots can be increased to 50, and in ten years, we can even select 100 players every year. Ladies and gentlemen, we're trading commercial priority for a continuous pipeline of overseas youth training. When the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games arrive, standing beside Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi will be Golden Generation cultivated in Europe and America."
The tea room was so quiet that the only sound could be the boiling of the tea.
The Chinese representatives exchanged glances, their eyes already conveying a decision.
This unannounced meeting completed the exchange of interests. Without touching any sensitive red lines, it simply used an infrastructure framework called "overseas co-construction" to smoothly embed itself into the underlying logic of the domestic sports system, and naturally obtained long-term access to this huge market.
Perhaps one day, when this youth training assembly line is fully operational, a group of yellow-skinned regular rotation players will appear on the EBA and NBA courts, no longer "special cases," and even new All-Stars may emerge.
Of course, it may be a long time before it truly blossoms and bears fruit.
Once the seed is sown, all that's left is to patiently wait for it to grow into a towering tree.