Chapter Summaries

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.

David Stern and Russ Granik considered how to respond to team owners’ complaints that Lin Qi’s ownership of Converse let him offer Kobe Bryant a lifetime endorsement deal outside the salary cap. Stern weighed the owners’ legal arguments against the league’s commercial interests and concluded that the NBA needed to set a procedural boundary without surrendering its authority to interpret the rules.

• Russ Granik told David Stern that Jerry Reinsdorf had requested a judicial audit of the Celtics and Converse under the anti-circumvention rules.
• Granik reported that Mark Cuban, Herb Simon, and other owners also objected, arguing that Lin Qi’s Converse deals with players exposed a loophole in the salary cap.
• Granik explained that teams had long used affiliated businesses to provide players with off-court benefits while avoiding explicit side agreements.
• Stern argued that Reinsdorf had little ground to complain because the Bulls had failed to support Kobe Bryant during the Eagle County incident, while Lin Qi had helped resolve the crisis.
• Stern noted that the league still needed Lin Qi to appease Michael Jordan and support the Celtics’ European tour, so punishing him could harm the NBA.
• Granik urged Stern to draw a clear procedural boundary, and Stern agreed that the league must retain control over interpreting its rules.

David Stern issued the Lin Qi Clause to curb conflicts of interest while protecting existing deals, but Lin Qi spotted loopholes involving unsigned prospects and free agency. He ordered Converse to create an independent committee to recruit basketball talent, leaving him poised to use the rules’ gaps.

• David Stern rejected both a lawsuit against Lin Qi and a confrontation with the owners, then drafted regulations that grandfathered existing deals and restricted cross-team endorsements during active player contracts.
• The league issued the regulations, and Lin Qi reviewed the clause at his Boston residence.
• Lin Qi identified unsigned prospects and the free-agency gap as opportunities to secure endorsement deals outside the clause’s restrictions.
• Lin Qi told Gregg Stone to establish an independent Global Youth Basketball Talent Evaluation Committee to evaluate Converse signings.

Rick Carlisle questioned whether the Celtics should follow a data-driven offense that eliminated midrange shots, and Lin Qi explained why regular-season statistical efficiency could not dictate playoff tactics. Lin Qi left Carlisle with the warning that averages became irrelevant in the handful of possessions deciding a close postseason game.

• Rick Carlisle brought Lin Qi a report recommending that the Celtics focus their offense on shots at the rim and corner threes while reducing Kevin Garnett's post-ups and Paul Pierce's midrange jumpers.
• Carlisle said his experience in the NBA Finals had made him doubt that an offense built entirely around statistical formulas could win a championship.
• Lin Qi told Carlisle that basketball's continuous defensive adjustments made it fundamentally different from baseball, where Billy Beane's statistical methods had succeeded.
• Lin Qi explained that large-sample efficiency could help teams over an eighty-two-game season against varied defenses but might fail against playoff opponents who prepared targeted schemes.
• Lin Qi warned that in the final minutes of a close playoff game, a team might have only five or six possessions, making long-run expected values irrelevant.

Lin Qi explained to Rick Carlisle why a balanced offense needed the threat of midrange shots, especially in playoff moments when standard efficiency data could not account for superstar shot creation. Carlisle left convinced that Wade’s drives should create space for Garnett and Pierce to attack from midrange, and planned to adjust training camp accordingly.

• Lin Qi recalled Michael Jordan making four contested midrange jumpers in a row during the NBA Finals and argued that superstars could defy ordinary statistical expectations in decisive moments.
• Lin Qi explained that abandoning the midrange would let playoff defenses focus entirely on protecting the rim and contesting threes, weakening both areas.
• Lin Qi showed Carlisle Dwyane Wade’s tracking data and described how Wade’s drives would draw defenders inward, creating midrange openings for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.
• Lin Qi urged Carlisle to build the drive-and-midrange combination into the team’s regular-season tactics while preserving its transition offense and defensive discipline.
• Carlisle decided to increase midrange plays for Kevin and Chris Paul and make Wade’s drives and kick-outs a key full-court scrimmage drill before leaving the study.

Shaquille O'Neal weighed 368.5 pounds after gaining sixty pounds over the summer and had skipped recommended surgery for his swollen toe. With the Lakers' championship roster largely gone, he felt secure in demanding a maximum extension, and Mitch Kupchak summoned him to discuss his contract.

• Gary Vitti weighed O'Neal and found he had gained sixty pounds since the NBA Finals.
• Vitti examined O'Neal's swollen big toe and warned that his weight and lack of surgery put extra stress on his joints.
• O'Neal dismissed Vitti's concerns and argued that the Lakers depended on him after Michael Jordan, Jason Kidd, and Phil Jackson had left.
• O'Neal showed Vitti a newspaper clipping quoting Lin Qi as saying O'Neal deserved a maximum contract.
• Mitch Kupchak entered the assessment room and told O'Neal to come to his office to discuss a contract extension.

Shaquille O'Neal rejected the Lakers' low extension offer and used his player option and influence over the coaching search to warn Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak that he planned to leave. After O'Neal walked out, Buss ordered Kupchak to trade him before the regular season began.

• Perry Rogers demanded a fully guaranteed two-year, $68 million extension for O'Neal, but Jerry Buss countered with two years and $21 million, citing O'Neal's weight and injuries.
• O'Neal rejected the offer, threatened to opt out next summer, and warned that he would discourage any team the Lakers tried to trade him to from acquiring him.
• O'Neal told Kupchak and Buss that he had urged Rudy Tomjanovich not to coach the Lakers and planned to leave after the season.
• O'Neal left the office after demanding the max extension, while Buss told Kupchak to end extension talks and trade him before the regular season.
• Kupchak noticed an interview in which Lin Qi had praised O'Neal and offered to give him a max contract if Boston had the cap space.

Lin Qi watched reports detail the Lakers and Bulls’ agreement to trade Shaquille O'Neal for Kobe Bryant and two unwanted contracts. The deal remained pending David Stern’s approval as the chapter ended with Lin Qi answering a phone call.

• ESPN reported that the Lakers and Bulls had agreed in principle to a blockbuster trade pending league approval.
• Reporters revealed that Chicago was sending Kobe Bryant, Eddie Robinson, and Marcus Fizer to Los Angeles for Shaquille O'Neal and a protected second-round pick.
• Chicago media criticized the Bulls for taking on O'Neal’s huge salary and the risk that he could opt out.
• Los Angeles media attacked the Lakers for trading O'Neal for Kobe, whose legal troubles remained unresolved.
• The reports explained that Jerry Reinsdorf wanted to move Kobe’s legal risk and Chicago’s bad contracts, while Jerry Buss wanted to part with O'Neal.
• Lin Qi answered a call after reading the trade coverage.

Lin Qi and Rick Carlisle assessed the Western Conference contenders and concluded that the Lakers and Mavericks had too many roster problems to threaten them. They left the story focused on preparing for a Finals matchup against the Spurs.

• Rick Carlisle told Lin Qi that the Lakers’ roster, coaching uncertainty, and locker-room problems made them unlikely to contend.
• Lin Qi and Rick Carlisle discussed how Kobe’s ball-dominant play could limit the Lakers’ offense while benefiting Converse commercially.
• Rick Carlisle explained that Dallas’s trade for Antawn Jamison left the Mavericks overloaded with scorers and weak inside on defense.
• Lin Qi and Rick Carlisle identified the Spurs as their main threat, citing Tim Duncan, Jason Kidd, and San Antonio’s depth.
• Lin Qi urged the team to keep practicing a plan to draw Tim Duncan out of the paint, and he arranged to watch practice that afternoon.

Lin Qi and Rick Carlisle reviewed the young players’ development at the Boston Auerbach Training Center. Carlisle then revealed that the team’s success developing its players had created a serious problem within the organization.

• Carlisle described how Dwyane Wade had improved his midrange jumper and decision-making under Gary Payton, Mark Price, and Chip Engelland.
• Carlisle reported that Tyson Chandler had added muscle without losing his speed or athleticism and could already start at center for another team.
• Lin Qi asked Carlisle to monitor Ron’s mood, and Carlisle said Ron had accepted a reserve role but was training hard and threatening to take on Ginobili.
• Carlisle explained that Mehmet Okur, Tayshaun Prince, and Gerald Wallace had made progress in their specialized training.
• Lin Qi asked why Carlisle had lowered the blinds and looked worried, and Carlisle showed him papers, saying the young players’ development had caused a crisis within the team.

Lin Qi and Rick Carlisle devised a rotation and development plan to address agents’ demands for more playing time for Boston’s young players. The Maine Celtics would serve as a nearby affiliate where players could stay game-ready while developing their skills.

• Lin Qi rejected the agents’ demands for guaranteed playing time and told Rick Carlisle that the team needed to address players’ frustration as well as their statistics.
• Lin Qi proposed alternating Mehmet Okur and Tyson Chandler in the active roster based on opponents’ styles, giving each substantial minutes in selected games while reducing the regular-season workload of Boston’s starters.
• Lin Qi proposed splitting Tayshaun Prince and Gerald’s appearances according to opposing teams’ strengths, with the active player receiving a steady twenty-minute rotation role.
• Lin Qi told Carlisle that Boston had bought an affiliate in Portland, Maine, renamed it the Maine Celtics, and planned to send Frank Vogel, Tim Grgurich, and David Blatt there to run Boston’s system.
• Lin Qi explained that young players resting or off the active roster could play substantial minutes in Maine to develop their skills and maintain their conditioning.
• Carlisle agreed to speak with the four young players, while Lin Qi planned to address their agents with Sam Presti and take Gary Payton and Dwyane out to dinner.

At a team dinner, Lin Qi explained how the Celtics would adapt their defense and offense to the league’s coming crackdown on perimeter contact. He left the players with a plan to test each game’s officiating early, then either keep playing physically or switch to quick offense and transition scoring.

• Rasheed Wallace and Gary Payton joked about Shaq’s trade to Chicago and the problems he might face with the Bulls.
• Lin Qi told the team that David Stern and Stu Jackson were pushing officials to call perimeter hand and body contact more strictly.
• Rick Carlisle and Artest described inconsistent officiating standards from the previous season.
• Lin Qi said Raja Bell and Ron Artest would test the referee’s whistle during the first five minutes, then stop using hand contact if the game was called tightly.
• Lin Qi instructed Kevin Garnett to launch fast-break passes to Dwyane Wade or Gerald when possible, and gave Paul Pierce permission to shoot transition threes.

Lin Qi explained that the Celtics would build their offense around defense, rebounding, and quick attacks in transition, while using the Boston Pick-and-Roll when opponents forced them into a half-court set. Rick Carlisle announced plans to limit the starters’ minutes, but Garnett and Ben Wallace objected to scheduled rest.

• Ben Wallace and Garnett questioned whether Lin Qi planned to copy Dallas’s run-and-gun style.
• Lin Qi said the Celtics would use defense and rebounds to launch early offense, attack mismatches within the first eight seconds, and take open shots without waiting for a set play.
• Lin Qi explained how the Boston Pick-and-Roll would give the Celtics a half-court option when opponents stopped their transition attack.
• Rick Carlisle announced that Garnett, Chris Paul, and Ben Wallace would average thirty-five to thirty-eight minutes and receive rest games during demanding stretches.
• Garnett and Ben Wallace objected to the planned limits, while Pierce remained silent with a furrowed brow.

Lin Qi explained Boston’s fast-paced rotation plan, promising the starters more efficient minutes and the young players substantial, role-specific opportunities. After he clarified how the Maine Celtics would help them develop, the team accepted the arrangements and toasted the new season and a championship.

• Lin Qi persuaded Pierce, Ben Wallace, and Garnett that playing fewer minutes in Boston’s faster offense would preserve their energy without reducing their production.
• Lin Qi assigned Chandler, Okur, Prince, and Gerald Wallace targeted rotation roles against different opponents, with each expected to appear in about forty games.
• Lin Qi explained that the young players would sometimes play for the Maine Celtics, where Frank Vogel would give them major roles and help them develop through game experience.
• Garnett warned the young players to protect leads and defend properly, and Chandler, Okur, Prince, and Gerald agreed to meet the challenge.
• Lin Qi led the team in a toast to bringing Boston the championship trophy.

Lin Qi redirected Converse's campaigns against Nike's promotion of LeBron James, sharpening the plans for Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. He rejected the proposal built around Kevin and ordered the team to start over.

• David Martin presented plans to market Kobe Bryant as a fiercely competitive scorer with the campaign “Love me or hate me.”
• Lin Qi approved the Kobe concept and suggested timing its release for a difficult Lakers road game.
• Lin Qi reframed Dwyane Wade's campaign around his struggles with poverty, his size, and the work it took to reach the NBA Finals.
• Eric Avar proposed a durable, impact-absorbing mid-low shoe for Wade, priced at eighty-five dollars.
• Lin Qi rejected the “Iron and Blood Throne” proposal for Kevin and told David Martin to start over.

Lin Qi rejected a crown-themed shoe concept for Kevin Garnett and proposed a campaign built around Garnett’s hard-earned reputation and versatile playing style. He directed the team to develop two shoe versions and prepare a commercial for the nationally televised opener on October twenty-ninth.

• Lin Qi told David Martin and Eric Avar that a king persona did not fit Garnett’s defense, hustle, and teamwork.
• Lin Qi described Garnett’s battles, championships, and all-around skills, framing his story as “Hard-Earned.”
• Lin Qi proposed a high-top defense edition and a lighter mid-top all-around edition for Garnett’s signature shoe.
• Lin Qi outlined a commercial featuring Garnett’s old defensive footage, passing and dunks, and a speech about earning respect through hard work.
• David Martin approved the concept, and Lin Qi ordered samples, legal coordination, restrained colorways, and a commercial airing during the October twenty-ninth opener.