"Disagree."

"Disagree."

"Disagree."

"Disagree."

...

But soon, Tatum's smile gradually disappeared, replaced by a frown.

Unlike when he took over as interim commissioner, there were so many dissenting votes.

And as the votes were tallied, the situation became increasingly unfavorable.

The number of dissenting votes was significantly higher than the number of affirmative votes.

Tatum turned to look at Xiao Hua again, and seeing the latter's meaningful smile, he suddenly understood something.

Xiao Hua must have reached some kind of agreement with some team owners in private!

But, why?

The media incident had already completely ruined Xiao Hua's reputation, so why would these owners still help him?

He couldn't understand it.

But the situation had already spiraled out of his control.

The final result was that only 12 teams agreed to his appointment as the league's official commissioner, a 40% ratio, which failed to meet the minimum requirement of 50%.

This meant that he could not serve as the league's official commissioner!

After this result came out, not only was Tatum surprised, but the team representatives who had cast supporting votes were also looking around in disbelief.

It was impossible to bring Xiao Hua back, and they didn't agree with Tatum becoming the official commissioner either. What game were these teams playing?

Tatum finally let out a bitter laugh.

What was done was done, and the result could not be changed.

"I want to know the reason, even though I can no longer continue to serve as the league's commissioner."

He looked around at everyone and asked.

The voting was over, and anonymity was no longer important.

"We can't afford the risk of player injuries. In last year's playoffs, at least three superstars were out for the season."

The first to speak was the San Antonio Spurs' representative, owner Peter Holt.

"Yes, although the loose officiating standards have brought entertainment value, they have drastically increased the risks that teams have to bear, which is detrimental in the long run," said Mark Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks' owner.

"Can't these things be discussed?"

New Orleans Pelicans' General Manager Dell Demps said.

The Pelicans' stance was definitely firm in supporting Tatum.

"Didn't we bring it up during the season? But the situation hasn't changed," said Houston Rockets' General Manager Daryl Morey.

"This is just part of it. Allowing challenges to referees makes the game very lengthy, and the current rules are too unfriendly to offensive teams," said Golden State Warriors' owner Joe Lacob.

"Yes, we certainly don't want to see games like the Pistons versus Spurs back in the day again. Anything in excess is as bad as being deficient," Morey continued.

"Our revenue growth has obviously slowed down, which is very rare. I believe many teams are in the same situation," said Los Angeles Lakers' owner Jeanie Buss.

"Yes, we know the league is trying to balance team strength, but it's a free market. Fans now like to see stars playing together," said Oklahoma City Thunder's owner Bennett.

It was clear that he had heard rumors that the league was preparing to intervene in the Paul George trade.

Team owners in the meeting room spoke one after another, and various problems were brought up.

The changes that Tatum had made were beneficial to the league and the fans, but they had obviously touched the interests of many teams.

The NBA is a commercial league, and many owners don't consider so much; they only care about their team's revenue and development.

"What you're saying can all be further discussed and changed! If we lose Tatum, who else can we get to be the league commissioner?"

Demps was a little exasperated.

He was under a lot of pressure facing the team owners, but he knew that the league would lose even more if Tatum didn't continue as commissioner.

"I think Mr. Xiao Hua did a good job before. The new broadcast contract brought us a qualitative increase in revenue. He's an expert in increasing revenue," Jeanie Buss suggested.

"Yes, similarly, Mr. Xiao Hua's luxury tax method is more scientific for limiting star team-ups, rather than intervening directly," Bennett nodded in agreement.

"I think Mr. Xiao Hua is still theoretically the team commissioner. He has now recovered from his injury and should return to work," Joe Lacob added.

There was a constant chorus of agreement in the meeting room. While they were denying Tatum's appointment as official commissioner, they seemed to have already come up with a countermeasure, preparing to bring Xiao Hua back.

"Have you forgotten the media incident?"

Detroit Pistons' owner Tom Gores said.

After he spoke, the meeting room fell silent, and those agreeing voices disappeared.

Xiao Hua's media incident of smearing Tang Tian in secret, although it had been so long ago, the impact was still there.

Tatum had some problems as commissioner, but Xiao Hua's problems were even bigger!

"I suggest we hold a vote to decide whether Mr. Xiao Hua should continue to serve as the league commissioner," Joe Lacob broke the silence.

Many team representatives agreed.

Everyone had different views on past events, and their attitudes in the past six months had also changed from what they were originally.

No one could convince anyone else, so they would vote directly to decide the outcome.

"Then, like Tatum back then, at least 80% support is needed for Xiao Hua to continue as commissioner," said Utah Jazz's General Manager Dennis Lindsey.

Some people's interests were infringed upon, so naturally some people benefited. The Pistons and Jazz were all supporting Tatum.

"I think 50% is enough. We can set up a probationary period," Jeanie Buss added.

"No, it must be 80%. That's the rule," Lindsey's attitude was firm. Xiao Hua's return would be a great loss for them.

"Yes, it must be 80%," Demps also said in agreement.

The two sides were at a stalemate for a while.

"I think we should discuss this matter another day. Right now, the teams are all worried about the free market, and this kind of major event can't be decided all at once," Cleveland Cavaliers' owner Gilbert, who hadn't spoken, suggested.

The team representatives in the meeting room looked at each other for a few moments, and then nodded in agreement.

They had just voted on Tatum, and if they voted on Xiao Hua again, the result would most likely fall between 50% and 80%.

Giving the teams more time to think, and then discussing it again at the next meeting, would bring about a big change in this data.

And this period of time would be the time for the team owners to meet and discuss.

The league's first regular season meeting of the new season ended, and the news quickly spread.

Tatum would not serve as the official commissioner, and Xiao Hua would most likely make a comeback!

This news exploded on social media, which had a much bigger impact than any superstar going anywhere.

It was no exaggeration to say that it directly negated everything the league had done in the past six months.

But that was clearly a half-season where the benefits outweighed the drawbacks!

Tang Tian was also shocked when he saw this news. He didn't expect such a problem to occur at this critical juncture.

ps: Special thanks to 永远是少时 for the myriad reward!