From his tone, you could feel Redick's attitude towards Tang Tian.

This was obviously because Tang Tian had bumped him out of bounds in the previous game, but he didn't get the call.

Rivers' answer to the referee's calls in that post-game interview became the focus of media reports.

This also sparked a lot of heated discussion among fans. After all, that kind of way of speaking, acting like you got a bargain and still complaining, made people feel very uncomfortable.

But amidst these discussions, a tweet from a Chinese reporter suddenly exploded within the domestic fan base.

This was a Chinese reporter who was present at the press conference at the time. The other reporters present didn't notice, but he did.

Chink, a word that most Chinese people may never have even heard before, began to become well-known in China.

Chink, translated, means narrow eyes or small slits. By extension, it refers to the narrow, slit-like eyes of Chinese or Asians compared to Westerners.

This is a term used by racists to deliberately exaggerate genetic differences between races, in order to show their own sense of superiority.

The Spanish men's basketball team's collective insulting gesture in 2008 was an example of this.

Chinese fans at home were slow to realize, but after learning the meaning of the word, they were immediately furious.

Redick was clearly a racist!

Some fans in China began to @ the NBA official account on social media and demanded an explanation from Redick.

The league quickly reacted, demanding that Redick apologize for what he said in the interview.

This wasn't just because of the protests from Chinese fans, but also because the league's chief vice president at the time, Tatum, was of Chinese descent!

Redick had essentially insulted Tatum as well.

Under pressure, Redick apologized on social media.

"I just said that without thinking. I didn't mean to disrespect Chinese fans or Chinese players."

This apology did not earn the forgiveness of Chinese fans, but instead made them even more angry.

What does "without thinking" mean?

Does that mean you're used to saying this normally? That you didn't mean to insult, but that's what you normally think?!

The series between the Pelicans and Clippers hadn't even reached Game 7, and the storm was already growing.

"Respect is mutual. If one day I say that JJ Redick is a piece of shit, please remember that I also said that without thinking."

Tang Tian posted his second personal tweet.

Tang Tian was a time-traveler. He knew about Redick's insult to China incident, but he didn't expect it to happen so much earlier.

It seemed that his appearance had really changed history.

Originally, after Redick apologized, he could have just responded on the court. After all, he didn't like such verbal battles.

But Redick's attitude made him unable to bear it.

His position in the league hadn't yet grown to the point where he could confront Adam Silver, but confronting a Redick was a matter of minutes.

And he was very smart. He didn't write in such sensitive words as "white pig," but used "shit" instead.

Tang Tian was very popular in the league, and this tweet instantly became headline news.

"Redick needs a more formal apology. The NBA is a global league, and its attitude towards all races is the same," Yao Ming tweeted in support at the first moment.

"That (saying chink) is not the right thing to do, and it's pointless. He needs a more sincere apology," Kobe also quickly came out to support.

"I know the enthusiasm of Chinese fans. They are very good fans. That kind of word really shouldn't appear," James also said through his agent.

"That's very disrespectful to overseas players. Basketball is pure and shouldn't be mixed with these things," Nowitzki also commented in front of reporters.

…

For a time, whether they were black or white players, they were all speaking out in one way or another.

It took Americans more than a hundred years to make blacks and whites barely equal, and they didn't want to cause more trouble.

Of course, the most important thing was that Tang Tian was now playing in the league, and his influence was not only in China, but also in the United States.

Redick had chosen the wrong time and the wrong target.

Under heavy external pressure, he was finally forced to publicly record a video apology.

"I really didn't mean to disrespect Asians, but I did make a mistake in this matter. I sincerely apologize to all Asians and ask for your forgiveness, and I promise that such words will not appear again in the future. I'm sorry."

In the video, Redick's expression looked very serious, and it could be seen that he was not willing to do it.

But after saying these words, he bowed ninety degrees.

From these actions, it could be seen that he was being forced. If he didn't do this, he would lose his job.

Redick's apology video was released, which temporarily calmed the anger of Chinese fans.

But that was only temporary.

With Game 7 of the Pelicans-Clippers series imminent, they were looking forward to Tang Tian giving Redick a good lesson on the court.

The Clippers and Pelicans' Game 7 was already attracting attention, and with the Redick incident, it became the focus of the focus.

At this time, Pelicans owner Benson contacted Stern and spoke to him in the tone of an old friend about the issue of refereeing standards.

Stern had retired. Although he still had some influence in the league because he hadn't been retired for long, it didn't actually do much.

When he was president, Adam Silver often opposed him, let alone after he retired.

However, after communicating with Benson, Stern still took action. He contacted Tatum and the league committee.

After some communication, everyone else agreed with what Stern said.

The league really needed a Los Angeles team to appear in the second round, but from the current reaction of the fans, the negative impact of doing so would far outweigh the gains it might bring.

Fairness is an indispensable part of competitive sports.

On the night before Game 7 between the Pelicans and Clippers began, Tatum convened a meeting of the league committee, and Adam Silver was invited to the scene.

In the conference room, Tatum stated the need for fair officiating in the upcoming games.

The other members of the committee expressed their approval.

Adam Silver was so angry that he was panting, but he didn't dare to say anything.

After all, according to the agreement, if things really fell apart, he would be asked to step down.

"The referees will officiate fairly in the subsequent games. If there are obvious misjudgments, their eligibility to officiate in the playoffs will be revoked."

Adam Silver finally had to compromise.

At this time, Stern's foresight began to show.

He could use his visionary perspective to promote the NBA globally, and at the same time, he could use his foresight to suppress Adam Silver in advance.

It was like Zhuge Liang's move to guard against Wei Yan at the beginning. The difference was that Adam Silver didn't have Wei Yan's courage and decisively admitted defeat.