At ten o'clock the next morning, Min Congda and current NBA Vice President Bozia held a simple, low-key press conference in the press conference room of the Olympia Building in Manhattan to announce Min Congda's employment status in the NBA league office.
This press conference did not invite too many media to the scene, but only one or two influential newspapers in New York, two local TV stations, and ESPN, a frequent partner of the league.
After all, this is just a relatively simple personnel appointment, just an assistant to the vice president. There is no need to make a big fanfare. It is only because of Min Congda's special status that he has to hold a special press conference to make an announcement.
However, Min Congda's identity is not as simple as being special. In six years, he has become famous in the American sports world. This summer, he was also elected as one of the "Top Ten Most Influential Faces in Sports".
A photo of him directing the game from the sidelines of the Western Conference Finals appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. This is the fourth time in his career that he has been on the cover of the magazine. The first three times were as general manager and the fourth time as coach. He will likely be on the cover again as a league official for the foreseeable future.
For such a person with huge public opinion potential, even if he wants to keep a low profile, the media will not let him keep a low profile. Moreover, this guy has been a big traffic player since he first entered the league. There must be a lot of worthwhile things behind this unexpected resignation and becoming a league official. Digging.
Therefore, when the press conference started at ten o'clock, the press conference hall was already crowded with people. They all tried their best to come to the scene through connections. They all held up guns and cannons, not wanting to miss important public opinion events during the offseason.
Bozia walked in front of Min Congda and sat in the center of the conference. He was a bald white man with a white beard. He was definitely the one with the most complicated mood in the entire conference.
In the six years since Min Congda entered the league, Bozia felt that almost half of his workload was spent on dealing with this guy, and it all started with the penalty call in the 2009 Summer League. Since then, the two have formed a relationship. There was an indissoluble bond.
As long as it was a game week and there was a Clippers game, Bozia's nerves would be tense. Firstly, he was afraid of answering the phone and secondly, he was afraid of reading emails. At that time, three of Bozia's assistants were beaten to the ground - because they were facing Mentally, I can't bear the indiscriminate bombardment of Min Congda on the penalty issue.
(In the later period, it became increasingly difficult for Min Congda to obtain fines determined by the system, so this guy became more and more difficult and difficult to serve. This is why the league simply gave up and ignored him.)
Bozia originally thought that Min Congda became the head coach of the Clippers and restrained himself a lot. He gradually no longer had to suffer from these problems, and then he thought about arranging a capable assistant for himself in the league office. There are too many things to do in referee work and he is too busy. , he needs a deputy to help him handle many matters.
Then one night, as Bozzia was laying down to sleep, David Stern called and said he had a new assistant role.
Bozia still felt strange at the time, why was it President Stern who came to inform him? He has withdrawn from the specific affairs of alliance management.
When David Stern told Bozia the name of his new assistant, the old bald man with a white beard almost passed out while lying on the bed.
I spent six years dealing with the referee demon on the sidelines, and finally waited until this guy calmed down. Now I can just send him to me, right?
Bozia wanted to resign at that time. Anyway, he knew that he would not be able to stay as the vice president of referees for long. He was from the David Stern era and Adam Silva would definitely replace him. .
Bozia thought to himself, is this a way to force me to leave my position as vice president of referees?
Starting around 2012, the league has been vocal about letting gambling enter the NBA, and the main promoter behind it is none other than Adam Silva.
He believes that this is a good opportunity for the NBA to obtain new growth points, further expand the NBA's influence and obtain more financial revenue.
Once the NBA introduces betting, the referee position will become more important than in the past. As the long-term vice president responsible for referee work, Bozia's status has become unprecedentedly important.
But David Stern is cautious about gambling. At a summit forum in 2012, Stern said that he still has a conservative attitude towards betting on the NBA and does not want gambling to affect the progress of NBA games.
However, by 2014, last year, Stern's tone had changed. He said that gambling could be considered, and that the future NBA might be able to find a perfect balance between competition and gambling.
As Stern's former confidant and prince, Bozia knew in his heart that Stern was fundamentally opposed to gambling. As early as more than ten years ago, gaming companies had considered cooperating with the NBA. The boss of the Board of Governors We also really want to eat the huge cake of gambling.
But David Stern is arrogant and refuses to cooperate with betting companies time and time again. He wants to ensure the purity of the basketball game as much as possible (although he also likes to play scripts, but it is mainly for the sake of storytelling and legend, adding gambling implications) That’s different.)
Although the bosses on the board of directors are the real owners of the league, David Stern is not just a wage earner. His power and prestige force the bosses to compromise, and the capitalists have put away their desires.
But seeing the gambling pie getting bigger and bigger, everyone was ready to make a move, and finally it was time for Stern to change his leadership.
Adam Silva was the successor that Stern was cultivating, but at that time, in addition to Silva, Tatum was also a strong competitor who was eligible to become the new president.
Stern finally chose Silva, not only from the perspective of ability and personal feelings, but also because of the coercion of shareholders, because Silva supports the introduction of gambling in the NBA.
In the battle for successor, Silva is superior. He is Stern's man, but he does not completely follow Stern. Instead, he completes the exchange of interests with more senior major shareholders, thus successfully ascending to the throne and becoming the successor.
Originally, according to the timetable, he was supposed to become the new president in 2014, the 30th anniversary of Stern's tenure as president. However, Stern unexpectedly fell ill during labor negotiations in 2011, allowing Silva to take over early and start early. Gambling layout.
As an important referee position in the process of gambling, Bozia has been on pins and needles in recent years, cautious and afraid of making mistakes, for fear of being taken down by Silva.
He thought that if Smart became his assistant, he would just resign, but when he thought it was David Stern who called him, Bozia felt that the matter was not that simple.
He asked Stern on the phone, "Is this what you mean, or is this what Adam means?"
Stern told him clearly, "That's what I meant."
Bozia understood somewhat in his heart. It seemed that Smart was also a pawn of David Stern.
Indeed, looking at the entire league, the only one who is qualified to be David Stern's chess piece and can make Adam Silva unhappy is Smart.
Now, Smart Min was sitting next to Bozia, dressed like a dog, with a drooped face, looking like he hadn't slept well, and yawning.
"Sorry Joe, I always got up in the middle of the night last night to help Ada turn over. She is pregnant now and has a hard time sleeping at night...yawn~ By the way, when will you help me arrange a place to live? I can't take Aida with me. Da always stays in a hotel, and although the hotel is very luxurious and comfortable, I don’t want to waste the alliance’s money. The accommodation fee for one day is too much, so it’s better to get me an apartment to live in!”
Min Congda didn't seem to care much about the press conference, but took the time to ask for accommodation and treatment from Bozia. This guy was not polite at all.
Bozia thought to herself, are you here to be my assistant, or should I be your assistant?
"Don't worry, I will make arrangements for you."
"Okay! I'll leave it to you then, Qiao, you can handle the matter, I can rest assured."
Okay, Bozia knows who the assistant is.
The position of assistant to the vice president is not as simple as a secretary. The secretarial work is handled by a dedicated secretarial team to arrange various routine work and paperwork.
The assistant to the vice president is actually the deputy of the department, assisting the vice president in executing various tasks, and is qualified to replace the vice president in making various decisions when the vice president is absent.
To put it simply, in the referee affairs department, Vice President Bozia is the administrative officer and is qualified to make various decisions, while Assistant Min Congda is the administrative officer and has the power of suggestion and execution.
In terms of status, the Vice President of Political Affairs is naturally above the assistant and ranks among the major princes of the Alliance Office.
But in terms of power distribution, if the assistant vice president performs specific tasks well, his influence can even exceed that of the vice president.
Because assistants need to participate in the execution of specific affairs and often deal with the employees below, assistant to the vice president is a position that tests personal abilities and can also accumulate work experience.
Adam Silva, the president, started his career as an assistant to the president and was eventually trained to become the president of the league.
Bozia has already foreseen his tragic fate in the next year. He is likely to be ignored by Smart, but it doesn't matter, he was about to leave this position.
The two chatted privately for a few words, and the press conference began soon. Bozia officially announced on behalf of the NBA that Smart Min has become the administrative assistant of the Referee Affairs Department of the NBA League Office and will officially take office starting tomorrow to handle related work matters.
Immediately after entering the reporter's question session, the reporters below were naturally holding back their questions. After all, Min Congda was sitting well in the position of general manager of the Clippers. Why did he suddenly resign and then work in the league?
Min Congda's answer was straightforward, saying: "I no longer have any challenges in my position as general manager of the Clippers. I want to try a different track."
As soon as this statement came out, everyone was naturally in an uproar, but when you think about it carefully, it makes sense. After winning four consecutive championships, there is really no challenge.
In American society, when you enter a real "top manager" position, it means that many positions are open to you.
Just like in China in the past, some of the top leaders of the government had experience working in state-owned enterprises. It was said that government and enterprise were not separated.
The same is true in the United States. Don’t underestimate the position of professional sports club manager. In the United States, a major sports country, being a sports manager is an incredible job.
After all, if you look at the roster of professional sports managers, you will be surprised to find that the highest number of people here has ever been the President of the United States.
George W. Bush, President of the United States from 2000 to 2008, purchased the MLB Texas Rangers with his partners in 1989 and served as general manager until 1994.
The NBA president is by no means an ordinary person. The current name of the championship trophy, Larry O'Brien, served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee and secretary of the Postal Service before becoming the league president. He was a capable person in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. The main person involved in the famous "Watergate Incident" (his office was bugged at the time), appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, and was a influential figure in American politics in the 1970s.
It can be said that executives in the sports industry are definitely in the upper class of American society.
It is indeed understandable that Min Congda relied on his amazing results with the Clippers to step into a higher and faster track as a Chinese.
Another reporter asked: "Mr. Smart, there have been many grievances between you and the league's referee department in the past. Why were you hired as the administrative assistant for referee affairs this time? Is there any relationship between this? Will it affect your future? work?"
Min Congda replied: "In the past six years, I have had a lot of dealings with referees. I understand the referees' psychology and thoughts very well, so it is a perfect fit for me to be responsible for the refereeing work. I believe that I will complete my job well." Task."
"Then can you talk about your views and thoughts on the league's refereeing work in the future?"
The reporter is digging a hole for Min Congda. He has not yet taken office. What opinions and thoughts can he have on his work?
Besides, he is not the number one person in charge, just an assistant.
Of course, the experienced Min Congda would not be fooled by such a trap.
"My main opinion about the work of referees in the league at the moment is that I have to remember every referee's name. This is my first task when I start working tomorrow."
As soon as he said this, the scene burst into laughter. Everyone knew that Min Congda was making a joke.
The reporters later did not ask for much valuable information. Min Congda still had great experience in Tai Chi.
After all, I have been the general manager for six years.
After the press conference, Min Congda and Bozia left the press conference together. They went to the restaurant to have something to eat first, and then Bozia took Min Congda to the office to introduce his working environment.
Min Congda asked: "President Silva is not here today?"
"Silva went to attend a business event in the morning, and he should meet you in the afternoon."
"When did you arrange the house for me?"
"Oh God, I know, I know, please don't rush me, okay?"
"I have contributed so much financial revenue to the alliance, and you are so procrastinating on doing things?"
"Okay, okay, I'll go do this myself in the afternoon and find you a place to live. You stay here, and Alice will help you get started with the specific work."
Bozia felt speechless, but also helpless. Smart had a barbaric aura that seemed not to belong to the norms of this society, making you helpless and forced to surrender to him.
Many of his words and deeds would be unforgivable for others, but they are normal for him, just like Dennis Rodman back then. The more out of line he is, the more everyone thinks, "Yeah, that's right, this is him." "
At this moment, Bozia suddenly understood why David Stern had assigned Smart Min to this position, because the series of tasks they were about to face really needed such a barbarian to control them.
(End of chapter)
