Benson's voice had barely faded when a buzz of discussion filled the conference room.

Clearly, Benson's sudden push to reinstate Tatum was unexpected.

Even though her stated reasons seemed reasonable enough.

"We already made one mistake. Wouldn't bringing Tatum back mean we're repeating the same mistake?"

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was the first to speak.

His words were met with a chorus of agreement.

Adam Silver's return after stepping down had resulted in the NBA being effectively over.

Tatum wasn't Silver, but he was still a former commissioner.

Would bringing him back make him the next Silver?

"There's no comparison. The biggest difference, as I said before, is that ratings were declining under Silver, while they skyrocketed during Tatum's six months in office."

Benson's words silenced the room.

She was still a rookie owner, and hadn't grasped what these owners valued most.

"I think Ms. Benson has a point."

The Spurs' new owner, CCX, spoke up at this moment.

"Silver's damage to the league was like a slow poison. We have a saying in my country, 'drinking poison to quench thirst.' That's what it was like. We can't just focus on immediate gains; we need to see the long-term."

CCX was a rookie NBA owner, but he'd been in the business world for over a decade in his own country. He understood these owners' psychology.

Profit was always the top priority for businessmen.

There was quiet chatter in the conference room. Clearly, what CCX said had given them something to think about.

"Furthermore, the broadcast contracts are already in effect. Our minimum revenue is guaranteed. If we want to increase the maximum, we need to increase global viewership. I admire David Stern's global strategy. The potential it brought was immeasurable."

CCX pressed the advantage.

"I agree with Mr. CCX, but how do we guarantee player health? That was a major problem during Tatum's tenure," Rockets GM Morey said.

His words were echoed by several other owners.

Even though Tatum's relaxed officiating standards had boosted ratings, as CCX had said, it was like drinking poison to quench thirst if it injured superstar players. The future looked bleak.

"I've spoken with Tatum, and he's grown a lot in the past year. I think we should give him a chance to present his case."

Benson continued.

"He's here?"

Lakers owner Jeanie Buss asked in surprise.

"Yes, he's in the office outside."

Benson's words sparked another round of discussion in the room.

But the discussion went on for a long time, and no one made a clear statement.

Clearly, they knew that Benson's every step was aimed at pushing Tatum, and that they had been in private communication. This was a major taboo.

And everyone knew that Tatum supported the Pelicans.

With the NBA already effectively over, another commissioner who supported the Pelicans would make it pointless for the other teams to play.

"We don't have any better candidates. I think we can decide by anonymous vote after hearing his presentation,"

CCX was the one who broke the deadlock again.

His words prompted nods from many of the owners. Listening wouldn't hurt.

The owners nodded in agreement one after another, and a staff member went out the door.

A moment later, Tatum appeared in the office with a smile on his face.

He greeted them, then began his presentation.

The first part of his presentation was a review of his previous six months as commissioner.

He reviewed the lax officiating standards that had led to injuries for many superstar players, and he also reviewed the lack of innovation.

This attitude was well-received by the team owners.

And at the same time that he was reviewing these issues, he also proposed corresponding solutions.

To avoid injuries, he would maintain last season's officiating standards, and the penalties for flagrant fouls would be increased.

To increase innovation, he would regularly solicit opinions from fans online, and new ideas would be put to a vote to decide whether or not to implement them.

In other words, he would neither blindly follow in Stern's footsteps like before, nor would he sit in his office and make decisions based on nothing like Silver.

This was the first part of Tatum's presentation.

With this first part alone, most of the owners had already begun to nod in agreement.

Benson hadn't been lying. Tatum had really grown a lot in the past year.

The second part of Tatum's presentation was about how to solve the problem of star players teaming up.

This part attracted the attention of many owners, especially those from small-market teams.

The league's superstars were limited. Teaming up meant that other cities' markets would suffer, and revenue would decline.

Large cities like Los Angeles and New York could ignore this, but most teams couldn't afford to be like that.

For example, Philadelphia, where the 76ers were located, was also a big city, but with the team's continued decline, attendance was getting worse year by year.

What Tatum said in this section was similar to what he had discussed with Tang Tian before.

Establish a hard cap, then introduce the Tang Tian clause.

When he finished speaking, most of the owners were extremely surprised.

Especially Buss. She looked at Benson right away.

If these measures were implemented, the Pelicans would be the first to be impacted.

The Four Hardship Brothers would most likely have to break up under the influence of this clause!

Benson's expression wasn't great, but she didn't object.

She and Tang Tian had already discussed this.

She couldn't say the final result of their discussion here, but she wouldn't object to Tatum either.

Benson didn't say anything, but Gilbert and Lacob both raised objections.

This clause would have a huge impact on the Cavaliers and Warriors.

Especially the Cavaliers. They had already triggered the hard cap. With the addition of the Tang Tian clause, they definitely wouldn't be able to re-sign both James and George at the same time.

Tatum didn't refute them.

This clause would definitely harm the interests of some teams, but it was also the best way to solve the current trend of teaming up.

As for whether it could be implemented in the end, it would depend on what the owners thought.

At the end of his presentation, Tatum also analyzed Silver's work.

He affirmed successful reforms such as splitting up teams for the All-Star Game, and denied unsuitable reforms such as legalizing sports betting.

In short, he didn't list as many reforms as Silver had, but he established a sixteen-character policy for his future leadership of the league.

Take the essence, discard the dross, accept advice, and keep pace with the times.

When his presentation ended, Benson took the lead, and applause filled the conference room.

By now, most of the owners already knew about Tatum's changes, and they also knew about his current abilities.

After his presentation was over, a vote was held on whether Tatum should return to his position.

And at Gasean's suggestion, this time the election results would be considered final and would not set up a probationary period like the previous two times.

The final result was officially released after the votes were counted.

Tatum received 26 out of 30 votes, and was re-elected as league commissioner with a nearly 90% approval rating.