Gan Guoyang said, "Alright, I'll propose a condition. If I complete this challenge, then the NBA must agree that for the next 50 years, it will not sign explicit cooperation agreements with the gambling industry, including advertising for gambling companies and strategic collaborations. The NBA can only enjoy dividends from the gambling industry and not directly participate in gambling."
The place was in an uproar, and some members of Gan Guoyang's team couldn't stay calm.
Oscar Goodman leaned in and whispered, "Sonny, this is something you didn't discuss with us before. Doesn't this cut off the possibility of further in-depth cooperation between the NBA and us?"
Gan Guoyang replied, "The cooperation between the NBA and gambling should end here. Las Vegas having a team and gambling giving some dividends to the league should be enough. Do you really want the NBA to turn into WWE?"
On the other side, Stern's team was also in a debate. In fact, Gan Guoyang's condition held a moral high ground.
The issue is that the owner representatives and executives were all thinking about expanding the cooperation scope and depth in the future to earn more profits.
Ah Gan wants to put a ceiling on the cooperation deal and keep it at this current level?
Both sides had their own agendas. Gan Guoyang could be said to be standing on both sides' positions and also in opposition to both.
Just like his long-standing identity, he is Chinese and also the product of American basketball.
For someone else, this would be called being two-faced, but Ah Gan is an exception. He is the same Suns.
By now, it was already past six in the evening. Everyone hadn't eaten, was tired, hungry, and on the verge of collapse.
After thinking it through, firstly, Ah Gan is unlikely to complete this bet, and everyone was ready to share the Las Vegas team.
Secondly, if against all odds he completed it, then the dividends and revenues would be high enough not to lose out.
Finally, whether the NBA can cooperate with the gambling industry is still hard to say, no need to worry unnecessarily.
So, they stopped dwelling on it and just adjusted the time limit from 50 years to 30 years.
For the next 30 years, there will be no deep cooperation with gambling companies, with specific content detailed in the memorandum.
After finally reaching a consensus on this issue, the marathon-long negotiations of the entire day finally had a result.
When Stern stood up from his chair to shake hands with Gan Guoyang, he nearly fainted again.
As the two emerged from the meeting room, many journalists had been waiting for a long time and camera flashes went off wildly.
Stern drank a glass of orange juice, had some snacks, and felt less dizzy.
Next, the two went to the hotel's media room to announce the outcome of the negotiations to the public.
Stern came to the podium and officially announced that Las Vegas will welcome a brand new NBA team next season.
"We look forward to this team's arrival, which will bring a ray of hope, a bit of solace to the whole of America. God bless America."
Stern let out a long breath, having completed yet another attention-grabbing task and achieved the negotiation results despite being at a huge psychological disadvantage.
No matter what the conditions are, seven years and 500 million is an "impossible task" for a team.
In the end, Ah Gan might very well have made a wedding dress for others. Thinking of this, Stern felt a lot better.
The shadow of 9/11 slightly faded in his heart.
At this time, it was Gan Guoyang's turn to speak. He adjusted the microphone and, under David Stern's gaze, said, "Given that Las Vegas will welcome a new team, to ensure the establishment and growth of the new team, I have decided... to come out of retirement for the second time and join the new Las Vegas team as a player!"
David Stern's expression changed from smiling to expressionless to ashen. His eyes never left the back of Gan Guoyang's head and his retreating figure.
A single thought popped into his head: "Damn it, I've been played by you again, Sonny!"