Recaps

Lin Qi watched Rick Carlisle drill Boston’s new lineup and considered how different players could strengthen the Boston Pick-and-Roll. He chose to leave Carlisle room to discover those options himself and build authority with the team.

• Carlisle corrected Garnett and Ben Wallace’s screening timing before Wade and the starting lineup executed the Boston Pick-and-Roll successfully.
• Lin Qi assessed how Tyson Chandler, Rasheed Wallace, and Mehmet Okur could each create a different version of the lineup.
• Lin Qi realized his own influence had weakened Carlisle’s authority and encouraged players to look to management instead of the coach.
• Lin Qi decided Carlisle should discover the lineup variations through training and games, then left the tactical drills in Carlisle’s hands.

Lin Qi outlined a plan to use Puma, Converse, and EBA player data to build an independent sports science company and develop elite basketball shoes. He assigned Zeitz and Maurizio to organize the lab and secure league cooperation, setting a five-year goal to compete with Nike and Adidas.

• Zeitz explained Puma’s recovery through sports fashion and the barriers to entering high-level sports science, including rival companies’ experts and research advantages.
• Lin Qi proposed hiring midlevel researchers and buying patents and teams from struggling sports technology companies.
• Lin Qi asked Maurizio to describe the EBA’s thirty teams and hundreds of professional players, then proposed licensing their game data to a new independent sports science company.
• Lin Qi offered free foot modeling and custom performance shoes to EBA starters and core rotation players in exchange for ongoing performance data.
• Zeitz warned that the laboratory and custom shoes would cost tens of millions of dollars annually, and Lin Qi agreed to fund it.
• Lin Qi tasked Zeitz with building the lab framework and Maurizio with securing cooperation from all thirty EBA teams, giving the project three to five years to reach its goal.

Lin Qi offered Kevin Garnett a six-year, $107 million extension that matched Tim Duncan’s deal while preserving the Celtics’ cap flexibility, with Converse endorsements helping make up the value. He also suggested a European agency venture to Andrew Miller, who accepted the contract offer and welcomed the business opportunity.

• Lin Qi explained that players needed at least two of status, salary, and championship prospects, and applied the principle to Rasheed Wallace’s extension and Garnett’s negotiations.
• Lin Qi offered Miller a six-year, $107 million extension for Garnett, matching Duncan’s total seven-year compensation when Garnett’s remaining contract was included.
• Lin Qi raised Converse’s lucrative endorsement offer for Garnett, which could provide commercial value alongside his championship-contending role in Boston.
• Lin Qi suggested that Miller establish a European agency operation to supply American players to EBA teams, and Miller welcomed the opportunity.
• Miller accepted the extension offer on Garnett’s behalf, and Lin Qi and Miller sealed their agreement with a toast.

Lin Qi brought Gary Payton to Venice to review David Fincher’s rough cut of the first Kingmaker film and film material for its sequel. The chapter ended with Payton recording a provocative post-credits shot aimed at Michael Jordan.

• Lin Qi summoned the injured Gary Payton to Venice to review Kingmaker’s first part and help with the sequel.
• Lin Qi and Payton watched Fincher’s rough cut, which followed the team’s rise from 1994 through its 1999 championship.
• Payton praised the film for capturing the atmosphere of the Boston locker room.
• Lin Qi asked Payton to give interviews and film a post-credits scene wearing all four championship rings.
• Payton raised his ring-covered middle finger to the camera and said, “See this, Michael? I got it by beating you.”
• Fincher agreed the shot would provoke a major reaction, and Lin Qi asked Payton to oversee postproduction.

Lin Qi planned the second half of Fincher’s Celtics film and received a message that David Stern wanted to meet him after his return to the United States. He considered asking Michael Jordan to cameo, while wondering what Stern wanted to discuss.

• Lin Qi told Fincher that Gary Payton could help with filming while he recovered, and suggested a one-on-one scene between Keanu and Pete to show their opposing approaches to team building.
• Lin Qi urged Fincher to make the second half culminate in a world championship showdown between the NBA and EBA champions, and said Maurizio would help arrange European filming access.
• Lin Qi read Margaret’s updates about the team’s custom sensor-equipped shoes and David Stern’s request to meet him in New York.
• Fincher asked Lin Qi to persuade Michael Jordan to cameo in the film, and Lin Qi said he would try.
• Lin Qi reasoned that he could appeal to Jordan as a future team owner seeking allies, then wondered what David Stern wanted.

Lin Qi and Rick Carlisle discussed how to disguise the Boston Pick-and-Roll within the horns offense so opponents would not easily counter or copy it. Lin Qi believed Boston’s real advantage lay in its roster, and Carlisle prepared to test the approach against Olympia Milan.

• Carlisle worried that NBA teams would quickly scout the Boston Pick-and-Roll and develop counters to it.
• Carlisle proposed disguising the play within the horns formation, using conventional horns variations before switching to the back-screen action at key moments.
• Lin Qi concluded that Boston’s personnel—not the play itself—made the system difficult to copy, citing Dwyane Wade and Boston’s versatile big men.
• Lin Qi approved Carlisle’s plan to use horns as a disguise and keep the Boston Pick-and-Roll as a trump card.
• Carlisle planned to introduce the approach in the exhibition against Olympia Milan the next day.

Lin Qi met with David Stern in New York to discuss a growing dispute between Michael Jordan and Jerry Buss over Buss’s alleged promise to sell Jordan a minority stake in the Lakers. The chapter ended with Lin Qi asking why the league had not formally investigated Buss and the Lakers for tampering.

• Lin Qi arrived at David Stern’s office, where Stern explained that he wanted to discuss disagreements within the Charlotte Expansion Committee and the Board of Governors.
• Lin Qi read a confidential transcript showing Michael Jordan had confronted Jerry Buss and proposed an investigation of the Lakers’ finances.
• Stern told Lin Qi that Jordan claimed Buss had promised him a chance to buy Lakers equity if he helped the team end Boston’s championship streak.
• Stern explained that Buss denied making a serious commitment and rejected Jordan’s attempt to buy a stake after Jordan retired.
• Lin Qi asked Stern why the league had not opened a formal investigation into Buss and the Lakers over the alleged promise and recruitment rules.

Lin Qi challenged David Stern’s refusal to investigate Jerry Buss and the Lakers, and Stern defended his decision by citing the league’s commercial interests and Buss’s contributions. Lin Qi saw the unequal use of Stern’s discretionary authority and pressed him to explain why he had called him to New York.

• David Stern told Lin Qi that Michael Jordan’s accusation lacked conclusive evidence and that investigating Jerry Buss could damage the league.
• Lin Qi argued that the league could reconstruct the alleged meeting and reminded Stern that he had suspended Lin Qi without direct physical evidence.
• Stern defended Jerry Buss by describing his role in transforming the NBA and supporting the league’s finances and broadcast deals.
• Lin Qi concluded that Stern applied rules according to the interests of the league and the standing of the parties involved.
• Lin Qi returned the document envelope and told Stern that he assumed the meeting was not merely a history lesson.
• Lin Qi said Stern wanted to protect Jerry Buss and the Lakers but was struggling to contain the matter alone.

Stern tried to keep Lin Qi from joining Michael Jordan and resentful owners in challenging the Lakers over Jerry Buss's broken promises. He proposed bringing Jordan into the Charlotte Bobcats as a minority owner and head of basketball operations, but Lin Qi asked why Stern needed him if the plan was already settled.

• Stern considered how Jordan, Lin Qi, and small-market owners could force an investigation into the Lakers and threaten Buss's control of the team.
• Stern urged Lin Qi to protect the league's interests and avoid adding his influence to the dispute.
• Lin Qi refused, saying he had no obligation to resolve a rival team's credibility crisis for Buss.
• Stern presented a proposal to make Jordan a minority owner and head of basketball operations for the Charlotte Bobcats.
• Lin Qi recognized Stern's plan to redirect Jordan's anger toward Charlotte, then asked why Stern had summoned him.

David Stern asked Lin Qi to help the Charlotte Bobcats through Boston’s choices in the expansion draft, offering Boston greater influence in return. Lin Qi agreed to cooperate but used Stern’s offer of a strategic advisory role to push for NBA owners to be allowed to invest in European teams, and Stern agreed to put the proposal on the agenda.

• Stern explained that Charlotte needed a competitive roster and asked Boston to expose valuable players in the expansion draft, which would also weaken the Celtics’ depth.
• Stern offered Lin Qi influence and a possible strategic advisory seat in exchange for Boston’s support on the league’s plans for Charlotte.
• Lin Qi agreed to cooperate with the league but asked Stern to formally consider his proposals on the NBA’s global strategy.
• Lin Qi argued that the NBA should abolish its ban on owners investing in European clubs and use private capital to build ties with European teams.
• Stern acknowledged that the EBA was drawing away young international players and agreed to put Lin Qi’s proposal on the agenda for amending the bylaws.

Lin Qi negotiated with Stern over overseas club ownership, restructuring the NBDL, and stricter penalties for defenders who undercut shooters, then secured NBA support for Kingmaker’s licensing needs. After reaching agreement, Lin Qi told Margaret to prepare David Fincher’s crew and arrange a meeting with Michael Jordan.

• Lin Qi proposed letting NBA owners control independent NBDL affiliates and pay their players more, subject to a cap tied to the NBA minimum salary.
• Lin Qi urged Stern to protect shooters’ landing space and impose escalating penalties, including possible lifetime bans, for repeat undercutting; Stern agreed to make the rule a preseason priority.
• Stern promised policy flexibility for Boston’s experiments and said the NBA would prepare amendments on overseas ownership and the NBDL.
• Lin Qi asked Stern to secure Lakers logos, Staples Center filming access, and official game footage for Kingmaker; Stern agreed to approve the licenses and have legal prepare the documents.
• Lin Qi shook hands with Stern and instructed Margaret to prepare David Fincher’s crew and bring him to meet Michael Jordan after Lin Qi returned to the country.

Doc Rivers called Lin Qi for advice after Orlando lost Gilbert Arenas and Brad Miller because owner Richard DeVos refused to exceed the luxury tax threshold. Lin warned that Rivers's reputation as a champion coach was at risk if the weakened Magic struggled, leaving Rivers to face a choice about his future.

• Lin Qi answered Doc Rivers's call and heard that Gilbert Arenas had signed with Denver while Brad Miller had been sent to Sacramento in a sign-and-trade.
• Rivers explained that Richard DeVos had ordered the Magic to stay below the luxury tax line to preserve room to re-sign Michael Redd and Hedo Turkoglu the following summer.
• Rivers lamented that managing Orlando's finances and roster was more exhausting than coaching and said he missed his championship years with Lin Qi in Boston.
• Rivers asked Lin for honest advice, acknowledging that Boston also faced a backcourt shortage because Gary Payton was injured.
• Lin told Rivers that his reputation as a two-time champion and successful Orlando coach was his greatest asset, but warned that fans and media would blame him if the depleted Magic lost heavily.

Lin Qi persuaded Doc Rivers to resign from his roles with the Orlando Magic before training camp and leave with Tom Thibodeau, turning a likely firing into a chance to protect his reputation. Doc agreed to pursue broadcasting while Thibodeau rested, and Lin Qi boarded a jet for Boston after strengthening his ties to the coach.

• Lin Qi warned Doc Rivers that the Magic's management would make him the scapegoat if the team struggled and advised him to resign before training camp.
• Lin Qi urged Doc Rivers to frame his departure as a protest against management's lack of championship ambition and payroll spending.
• Lin Qi recommended that Tom Thibodeau resign alongside Doc Rivers, leaving the Magic's depleted roster and defensive problems to management.
• Lin Qi suggested Doc Rivers pursue a broadcasting job while Thibodeau took a year to rest and study, positioning them for future opportunities.
• Doc Rivers agreed to submit both resignations to Richard DeVos the next morning and said they would appear on television the following month.
• Lin Qi ended the call, arrived at LaGuardia Airport, and boarded his Gulfstream jet bound for Boston.

Lin Qi explained how Jerry Buss had reneged on his promise to give Michael Jordan a Lakers equity stake and offered him another option. Jordan got into the golf cart to hear Lin Qi out.

• Charles Barkley showed off his championship ring and joked with Lin Qi and Michael Jordan while they played golf.
• Jordan asked Lin Qi whether David Stern had spoken with him, and Lin Qi said he had come to discuss their future roles as executives and investors.
• Lin Qi told Jordan that Jerry Buss had used the promise of Lakers equity to recruit him and then denied their verbal agreement after Jordan retired.
• Jordan asked what Stern planned to do, and Lin Qi said the league would likely treat the dispute as a private disagreement without written proof.
• Lin Qi invited Jordan to consider another option, and Jordan got into the cart and asked what it was.

Lin Qi negotiated with Jordan over Boston's support for the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for draft picks, league cooperation, and a cameo in Kingmaker. After Jordan agreed in principle, Lin Qi warned Barkley not to publicly insult Jordan's management once he became a team owner.

• Lin Qi offered Boston's help building a competitive Bobcats roster in exchange for future first-round picks and Charlotte's support in league votes.
• Jordan agreed to accept David Stern's proposed way forward on the Lakers dispute and cooperate with Boston on league matters.
• Jordan agreed to cameo in Kingmaker if his Air Jordan shoes and branding received guaranteed exposure.
• Barkley told Lin Qi he had accepted TNT's offer to become a commentator, and Lin Qi warned him to avoid publicly attacking Jordan's management.
• Barkley promised to remember Lin Qi's advice as Jordan headed to the tee to continue their golf game.

Lin Qi read about Shaquille O'Neal publicly demanding a three-year supermax extension from the Lakers and judged that Jerry Buss would refuse to be pressured. The Lakers faced a costly roster with no superstar guard beside O'Neal, and Lin Qi examined their payroll as another major expense loomed.

• Lin Qi returned to Boston and read a report that Perry Rogers had publicly demanded a three-year extension worth more than $110 million for Shaquille O'Neal.
• Lin Qi considered how O'Neal's public pressure campaign crossed Jerry Buss's lines and how Buss had responded by refusing to meet or make an offer.
• Lin Qi assessed the Lakers' roster, noting that Michael Jordan had retired, Jason Kidd had joined the Spurs, and Vince Carter would remain with Toronto.
• Lin Qi watched Jerry Buss attend Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign event instead of meeting O'Neal.
• Lin Qi reviewed the Lakers' payroll and saw that O'Neal, Shawn Marion, and Lamar Odom already accounted for nearly $45 million, before Kidd's demanded contract and another looming expense.

Lin Qi considered the Lakers’ uncertain future after losing Jordan and Phil Jackson and suspected Jerry Buss was delaying Shaquille O'Neal’s extension to preserve cap space for a major move. He wondered if Buss was waiting to bring the young star who had left for Chicago back to Los Angeles amid a growing scandal.

• Quentin Richardson’s development into a disciplined role player raised questions about his coming contract and value to the Lakers.
• Phil Jackson’s resignation and Jordan’s retirement left the Lakers’ new coach facing a volatile roster without their authority.
• Jerry Buss weighed the Lakers’ fading title chances against the cost of extending Shaquille O'Neal while rival teams strengthened.
• Lin Qi suspected Buss was holding off on O'Neal’s extension to clear cap space for a future perimeter star.
• Lin Qi considered whether Buss might be targeting the young player who had left Los Angeles for the Chicago Bulls and was caught in the Eagle County scandal.

Lin Qi planned to use financial analysis to intensify Shaquille O'Neal’s anger at the Lakers and monitored Kobe Bryant’s growing isolation amid legal trouble and media mockery. With Nike freezing Kobe’s shoe deal, Lin Qi headed to dinner to hear Converse’s proposal for signing him.

• Margaret reported that O'Neal had confronted a Lakers assistant at a Beverly Hills restaurant and caused a public scene.
• Lin Qi instructed Margaret to leak analysis showing that meeting O'Neal’s salary demand could cost the Lakers nearly a hundred million dollars in luxury tax and that Jerry Buss doubted a championship could be built around an aging center.
• Margaret showed Lin Qi reports that Olympia Milan was preparing to offer Kobe a record-breaking European salary while North American media mocked the prospect of his playing in Italy.
• Margaret told Lin Qi that Nike had frozen Kobe’s contract negotiations and shelved his signature shoe project, leaving Rob Pelinka with few options.
• Lin Qi agreed to meet Converse executive Gregg Stone at the St. Botolph Private Club to consider the company’s proposal for Kobe.

Lin Qi explained why Converse could profit by signing Kobe despite the criminal case, then ordered Gregg Stone to offer him a lifetime endorsement contract with extensive guarantees. Lin Qi planned to fly to Chicago to meet Kobe in person.

• Gregg Stone told Lin Qi that Nike had frozen Kobe's signing process and that Reebok and Adidas were unwilling to offer him a secure contract.
• Gregg described the difficult prosecution, the complainant's influential family, and the damaging evidence against Kobe.
• Lin Qi said he would try to broker a suspension of the proceedings and reasoned that Converse could benefit whether Kobe stayed in the NBA or moved to Europe.
• Lin Qi instructed Gregg to offer Kobe a guaranteed lifetime contract, a signature shoe line, profit shares, and legal and communications support.
• Lin Qi told Gregg to send Rob Pelinka the proposal and booked an early flight to Chicago to meet Kobe.

Lin Qi met Kobe Bryant at the Bulls' training gym and offered him a lifetime Converse endorsement deal despite the Eagle County Incident. Kobe accepted the letter of intent as Lin Qi promised to go to Denver and address his legal case in person.

• Lin Qi explained that his past public attacks on Kobe had been Finals mind games, and revealed that Boston had once tried to draft him in 1996.
• Rob Pelinka presented Kobe with Converse's offer of guaranteed annual pay, a signature shoe line, profit sharing, and no morality clause.
• Lin Qi said signing Kobe served Converse's business interests and promised to help with the case if Kobe agreed to the deal.
• Kobe questioned how Lin Qi would influence the Denver prosecution, and Lin Qi said he would fly to Denver to meet the people involved.

Lin Qi met Mr. Evans in Colorado and warned him that taking the case involving his daughter to trial would expose the family to relentless media attention and threats from Kobe Bryant’s fans. He offered Evans a different way to make Kobe pay, but the chapter ended before he explained it.

• Margaret told Lin Qi that Gregg and Rob Pelinka had finalized Kobe's lifetime endorsement agreement with Converse, and Lin Qi ordered her to keep it quiet.
• Lin Qi traveled alone to Mr. Evans's home in Denver, where security guarded the family from media and fans.
• Lin Qi showed Evans evidence of threats and attacks he had faced after criticizing Kobe Bryant.
• Lin Qi warned that a trial would bring intense scrutiny and danger to Evans's daughter and family.
• Evans angrily rejected the idea of letting the case go, and Lin Qi offered him a better approach.

Lin Qi persuaded Evans to seek an indefinite stay of the trial to protect Evans's daughter and preserve the case for a later reckoning. He then convinced Kobe to waive his right to a speedy trial, and Kobe agreed to sign the documents.

• Lin Qi proposed freezing the trial because the defense had exposed Evans's daughter to media harassment and threats.
• Evans agreed to cooperate with a motion to stay proceedings if Kobe waived his right to a speedy trial.
• Lin Qi called Kobe and explained that the stay would let him return to Chicago and play the season without court appearances.
• Kobe worried that the charges would remain and that he might lose if the trial resumed later.
• Lin Qi described Europe and Italy as a fallback if Kobe lost, and Kobe agreed to sign the documents.

Kobe Bryant waived his right to a speedy trial, causing the Colorado proceedings to be postponed indefinitely, while Converse announced a lifetime endorsement deal with him. Nike executives realized their decision to freeze negotiations had let Lin Qi and Converse sign Kobe instead.

• On September 18, the Eagle County court postponed Kobe Bryant’s trial indefinitely after a key witness was deemed unable to withstand public proceedings, and Kobe waived his right to a speedy trial.
• At Nike headquarters, Phil Knight, Lynn Merritt, and Richard discussed reopening negotiations with Kobe at a lower price and with a termination clause.
• A public relations executive informed the Nike executives that Converse and Rob Pelinka had announced Kobe’s signed lifetime endorsement contract worth over $100 million.
• Phil Knight blamed Richard for freezing negotiations and accused Nike of handing Kobe to Lin Qi and Converse.
• Richard argued that Kobe’s damaged public image would limit Converse’s ability to market him, but Phil Knight rejected his reasoning.

Converse aired a provocative Black Mamba teaser starring Kobe Bryant, framing him as a defiant figure rather than asking him to apologize. The ad sparked fierce backlash and protests, but its merchandise sold out as Kobe prepared to answer his critics on the court.

• During an NFL broadcast, Converse aired a black-and-white teaser in which Kobe rejected calls for forgiveness and challenged viewers to beat him on the court.
• Kobe watched the commercial with Rob Pelinka and told him to open the Berto Center gym so he could practice five hundred jump shots.
• On September 20, The New York Times condemned the ad, and parents' associations called for a nationwide boycott of Converse.
• At a Chicago Foot Locker, young customers lined up beside protesters and bought out the Black Mamba sweatshirts, while the store manager reported that all eight hundred had sold.

The Bulls and Nike reacted to Kobe’s booming Converse campaign, while Lin Qi focused on expanding Black Mamba merchandise and delaying the signature shoes until they met his standards. After team owners complained to David Stern about the campaign, Lin Qi waited to see how the commissioner would respond.

• Paxson told Reinsdorf that Chicago stores had sold out of Black Mamba apparel and warned that Kobe’s behavior was causing tension inside the Bulls locker room.
• Nike executives reviewed Converse’s huge preorder figures, and Phil Knight ended Nike’s pursuit of Kobe and shifted promotion to LeBron James’s shoes.
• Gregg Stone reported additional retailer deposits to Lin Qi, who ordered Converse to delay Kobe’s signature shoes and rapidly expand its Black Mamba apparel line.
• Margaret told Lin Qi that Reinsdorf, Mark Cuban, and the Simon Brothers had complained to David Stern about Converse’s promotion.
• Lin Qi said Stern would have to respond to the complaints, but told Gregg to continue production and wait for Stern’s call.