Fined 25,000 dollars?!

Isn't that just tickling Tang Tian?

For Cuban to even say that!

Adam Silver felt like he was about to go insane.

But everyone else had agreed one after another, and he couldn't get the committee's support if he insisted on his own way.

Although the dissatisfaction in his heart had accumulated like a volcano about to erupt, reality prevented him from doing anything at all.

It was also at this time that he realized Tang Tian's influence was much greater than he had imagined.

If it was LeBron James, he could still use business elements to persuade him, and even with Kobe, he could guide the media to smear him.

But this person was Tang Tian, who didn't care about money, had no flaws, and was currently unique.

Although he didn't want to admit it, Tang Tian, the so-called tool in his eyes, was really not someone he could shake now.

Forced to do so, he nodded in agreement.

However, he also had other ideas in his heart. If he couldn't do it openly, he had covert means as well.

He hadn't been president for many years, but he had been an NBA executive for more than ten years, so it was impossible for him not to have any ways to deal with people.

After the meeting, Silver kept Dell Demps, the vice president of the Pelicans, behind.

"The league won't suspend Tang Tian for the sake of profit, but your team should impose an appropriate suspension internally so that similar incidents can be truly prevented from happening again."

Before Demps could speak, Silver's next words stopped him.

"If you agree, I will consider giving you preferential treatment in terms of nationally televised games, team promotion, and other benefits."

Demps smiled when he heard this. He wasn't a fool. These benefits were nothing compared to Tang Tian.

Putting aside the Chinese market, Tang Tian's improvement to the New Orleans ticket market in recent years was immeasurable.

Silver's meaning was that he and the Pelicans should take the immediate petty gains and throw away the cornucopia in their hands?

Only a fool would do such a thing of picking up sesame seeds and losing a watermelon!

But before he could refuse, Silver's next words made his smile disappear.

"You know that the league will not sit idly by in the face of such provocative behavior. If you want to protect Tang Tian, these benefits will not only not be inclined towards you, but will also be reduced, or even eliminated."

Silver was using both coercion and inducement!

Although the Pelicans' ticket market was very good now, if the league really wanted to suppress them wholeheartedly, the losses would be huge.

This was also the meaning of the league's existence. A team was just a team. Without the league, it would lose attention no matter how popular it was.

"No, we will not suspend Tang. We will only give him some reminders as mentioned in the previous meeting," Demps said.

Although what Silver said was indeed very threatening, he had already felt that Silver was gradually losing his say in the committee.

How long could such a league president last?

Rather than being coerced by him to cut off his own arm, it was better to grit his teeth and carry on, and see who could outlast whom!

Silver was stunned for a moment, then his chest rose and fell violently, his face full of anger.

Demps was toasting and refusing a fine!

"If there's nothing else, I'll leave first."

Seeing Silver's state, Demps didn't want to continue chatting with him.

Silver didn't respond, and Demps got up and left the meeting room directly.

"Bang!"

After a long time, Silver punched the table.

Rebellious, all of them were rebellious.

None of these teams were listening to him!

They were undermining his authority as league president!

All of these people were ingrates!

His anger hadn't subsided, but after a while, he gradually calmed down.

The committee wouldn't impose a penalty, and the Pelicans' executives weren't willing to do it either, so he could only do it himself.

He had more than just these means.

...

"Tang, this time many team representatives spoke up for you, and the final punishment was very light, but next time you shouldn't say these things in front of the media. If you have any opinions, you can communicate with me first, and I will bring them up in the committee."

After returning to New Orleans, Demps privately visited Tang Tian's manor and said what he should say.

"Demps, you've misunderstood."

But Tang Tian's words were somewhat unexpected to Demps.

"I don't have any personal grudges with Silver. What I care about is what I said, the referee's calls."

Demps was silent after hearing that.

This was a very sensitive issue, and it was also why no one went deep into the issue itself when the committee was discussing it.

"The current refereeing problem has been proven to be wrong. If it continues like this, you may get good returns now, but what will be lost is the future of the entire league. And the reason why I mentioned Silver's name is because these are all led by him."

Many Americans are eager for quick success and instant benefits, but Chinese people value long-term and sustainable development. This is a difference caused by the accumulation of historical culture.

China has five thousand years of history, while the United States, even if you stretch the timeline to when colonists entered, only has more than 500 years of history.

Silver's approach was a typical example of this. Last season, he forcibly made the game go to Game 7.

From the data, Game 7 did attract a lot of attention, but the fifth and sixth games were completely disgusting to the audience.

The fans endured their nausea to watch Game 7, and their expectations for the new season were reduced.

Including constantly tightening the refereeing standards to increase the so-called viewing experience, or more precisely, the speed of the game.

Watching the scores of each team increase rapidly, but what is lost is the competition, which is a very important part of the viewing experience.

These things all show that Silver has outstanding abilities, but he is short-sighted and can only see the immediate benefits.

So he can use benefits to fool the current owners of the league's teams, and many owners happen to be short-term investors.

But as time goes on, many things become irreversible, and what is lost is the NBA's brand.

Of course, Tang Tian didn't mention these later things, because those were the things he did after he went from coach to league president in his previous life.

What he has to do now is what he said, he wants to change the current situation of referees controlling the game.

After listening to Tang Tian's words, Demps was silent. He found that the lightest punishment after the committee's discussion seemed to be impossible to implement on Tang Tian.

"Do whatever you want to do, the team will stand behind you."

After a long silence, Demps finally spoke to express his position.

The Pelicans were originally just a small-city team with no presence, but Tang Tian chose to come here in the first place.

Now, because of Tang Tian, the Pelicans are one of the most popular teams in the league, with their market value and revenue increasing exponentially.

Even the city of New Orleans has benefited, with rapid economic growth.

Tang Tian's contribution to this city is like "Tang Tian Day in New Orleans," which is immeasurable.

Now that Tang Tian wants to do something, in terms of both emotion and reason, the Pelicans and New Orleans will stand firmly behind him.