Asian groups and Asian community organizations are making a huge fuss.
At this critical time when the NBA is expanding into the Huaxia market, mishandling the situation could potentially set back the NBA’s progress by six years.
The most critical issue is that this summer, both labor and management just renewed a new labor contract.
With the rapid development of the League, the team owners have made a lot more money compared to the late ’90s, reaping huge profits.
This time, David Stern took the initiative to share some of the profits with the labor side.
As the labor representative in this negotiation, Patrick Ewing became a great contributor to the players’ union.
Having just conceded benefits to the labor side, and then facing a situation where the League’s progress is "not advancing but retreating," he would have to be held accountable by the owners of the 30 teams.
Moreover, the teams had just gone through a bullying scandal, and now they were facing another crisis with racial discrimination.
How could they continue to promote the concept of "Basketball without Borders"?
In short, all these pressures made him immediately call Richie Paul and Danny Ferri: "I need you to resolve this matter before tomorrow morning. If the adverse impact continues to grow, then I will have to take extreme measures!"
This included suspending LeBron James!
Should it come to that, the Cavaliers’ season would be over.
And putting LeBron up as the face of the franchise would have to be put on hold for now.
Danny Ferri could hear the warning in David Stern’s tone and didn’t dare to haggle. He promised to give an explanation to the public before tomorrow morning.
After that, David Stern hung up the phone.
Even at this moment, he was still hoping to save LeBron.
It’s not easy to find a "Chosen One" these days, and LeBron had so far maintained a perfect media image:
He had a steady girlfriend, didn’t abandon his family in any messy way, his private life wasn’t chaotic, and he was considered a role model for off-court morality among black players.
He liked players like that.
But if LeBron were really involved with "racial discrimination," there was no question, even if he was the "Chosen One," he had to be punished.—The punishment would at most involve a fine and perhaps a suspension, which wouldn’t be a serious matter.
The more severe issue was that if the officials issued a punishment, that would be tantamount to labeling LeBron with "racial discrimination," and how could someone like that remain the face of the League?
That was why, after Shaquille O’Neal apologized and Yao Ming forgave him, David Stern didn’t issue a punishment.
Shaquille O’Neal was the First Center of the League at the time. If he wore a racially discriminatory badge, what would become of the League?
This time was no different, David Stern left LeBron’s fate in his own hands.
He stood at the same crossroads Shaquille O’Neal had faced back then.
The only difference was...
Su Wan wasn’t as easy to talk to as Yao Ming.
"Do I have to go explain to reporters again? Explain what? That was all Jeff, that mad dog unfairly attacking––what do I have to explain?"
Upon hearing that Richie Paul wanted him to go in front of the microphone and "serve time" again, LeBron’s face was full of resistance.
In the last couple of days, he didn’t feel at all like the "Chosen One," much less a "King"!
He felt like a prisoner, subjected to interrogation every day.
Richie Paul could only patiently explain to him the current crisis.
"If you really end up wearing the hat of racial discrimination, it’s over! The League won’t allow a player with clear racial discrimination tendencies to be their frontman!"
That one sentence successfully changed LeBron’s expression. He couldn’t afford to lose:
His current status and a bright future!
The "Chosen One" had to become the face of the League!
"But what if they keep harping on the previous issue and ask whether I really saw Jeff tamper with Zhu Fangyu’s lunchbox, what should I do?" He was at his wits’ end as Zhu Fangyu, that Huaxia man, was so ruthless, actually cursing with an oath involving family––how could he curse his own mother!
Richie Paul said, "Why don’t you make a curse using that cheap old man of yours?"
"Don’t talk to me about that bastard, I won’t rely on anything of his, even if it’s cursing him to meet with misfortune, to help me get past this," he would never forgive his father.
Never!
Richie Paul’s final question: "LeBron, are you sure you never spoke racially discriminatory words about Huaxia people in front of Jeff?"
This question stunned LeBron. He had cursed Su Wan and Zhu Fangyu too many times in his heart, and he wasn’t quite sure whether he had ever used racially discriminatory language when speaking about Su Wan and Zhu Fangyu in front of others.
Richie Paul made a "God bless" gesture and muttered, "Now we can only take a gamble. In any case, you must never admit it!"
LeBron watched him getting that nervous and couldn’t help but feel anxious as well.
Early the next morning, Danny Ferri and LeBron appeared together at the press conference again.
Danny Ferri, as previously agreed, planted the flag for LeBron first: "I believe in LeBron’s character. He is not that kind of person (racist). He treats everyone very warmly, and the Cavaliers absolutely do not tolerate anyone with racial discrimination!"
Because the "bullying scandal" had not blown over, his praise for LeBron made many reporters doubt its authenticity.
If LeBron truly was warm to everyone, then the incident involving McGinnis bullying Zhu Fangyu would not have happened at all.