Chapter 177: Boost The Brand

After that whole guns in the locker room fiasco, David Stern was sitting on pins and needles. The NBA's image had taken a hit, and Stern? The man was losing sleep since December, couldn’t eat, and was probably rethinking every decision he ever made.

Plus, the special episode aired on the issue didn't help either, reigniting the old flames.

Just when it felt like his HP bar was flashing red


Boom —

Lin Yi hits him with a +10,000 HP energy drink.

Then the fan market swoops in with a med kit — +10,086 HP

Positive public opinion? Adrenaline boost — +10,010 HP.

Full HP restored. The man felt reborn.

The gun scandal barely made a dent in China, and Lin Yi’s jaw-dropping quadruple-double flipped the script. His smooth appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show only helped seal the deal. Before anyone realized it, folks had moved on from the drama entirely.

At this point, Stern couldn’t look at Lin Yi without smiling.

You have to understand, Stern had always wanted the NBA to be fun. Defense wins championships? Sure. But if all people see are endless defensive slogs and players hugging each other into submission, how's that exciting? Where’s the ENTERTAINMENT!?

New York, the biggest market in the U.S., had been irrelevant in the NBA for years, not because the city wasn’t cool, but because the Knicks just couldn’t get their act together.

Then along comes Lin Yi, flipping the script. Suddenly, this long-suffering franchise was alive again. New York wasn’t just buzzing — it was boiling over with basketball fever.

Even if the pros turn their noses up at streetball legends, nobody can deny Rucker Park’s place in hoops culture.

New York’s always had the soul. Dolan’s got the cash. But the Knicks? The Knicks were dead... until now.

If this were the '90s, Stern might not have backed Lin Yi so hard — back then, he had Jordan. Enough said.

Then came the Kobe era — a rocky start with controversy, but it eventually smoothed out, and the league got back on track. LeBron? A good guy, no doubt. But no ring, no real bite — and honestly, MJ’s shadow still loomed way too large.

Seriously, it’s not just nostalgia. Jordan was a problem.

So Stern turned to the global market. Nash, Dirk, even Yao — all part of that playbook. Stern didn’t interfere with Yao getting voted into the All-Star game as a rookie because he knew: the American market has limits. If basketball stayed too insular, it’d become just another American sport.

Lin Yi, though? He’s a gold mine. Just look at how Rockets owner Alexander raked it in during the financial crisis, riding the Yao wave. And when Yao retired in the future, Alexander lost interest real quick.

Because it was never about titles — it was about the business.

That’s why Stern was so hyped after Lin’s breakout.

Is Dolan a bad owner? Oh, absolutely. But is he bad at spending money? Not even close.

If the Knicks win a title with Lin Yi at the center of it all? Man, Stern could already picture it — ratings through the roof, jerseys flying off shelves, China fully locked in.

And sure, Lin Yi dishes out his quirky and sarcastic quotes, but to American teens? He’s inspiring.. These days, raw honesty and a bit of sass land harder than sugarcoated motivation.

The morning after Lin Yi’s quadruple-double, Stern called an emergency league meeting.

The topic? One thing: How do we back Lin Yi properly?

Honestly, if Blake Griffin weren’t sidelined, the league would’ve loved to hype up their college rivalry. But with Blake still rehabbing, Lin Yi had the spotlight all to himself.

Before, Stern was cautiously optimistic. Now? He was ready to go all in.

“We gotta make sure this kid stays healthy till season’s end,” one exec said. “January and February — injury season. If we want to build around him, he’s gotta survive it.”

No one's building around a walking injury report, after all.

A few execs were hesitant. Not because Lin wasn’t talented or popular, but they were worried his game might wear down his knees.

These guys weren’t clueless. Stern supported Kobe and LeBron in part because they were iron men — always showing up, always available.

Imagine investing everything in a superstar who’s always on the IR list. What’s the point?

Another exec chimed in: “He’s not a low-post guy, sure, but when he drives? Man, he takes some serious contact. You guys saw that Bobcats game. It’s risky.”

Stern had seen it. And let’s be real — if Larry Brown’s team isn’t being physical, are they even playing?

Stern was never a big fan of the kind of basketball Larry Brown’s Pistons played. And sure, maybe he didn’t go out of his way to sabotage them, but come on—fans aren’t stupid. Why do you think the Spurs swept the Cavs 4–0 in 2007? You think Stern cared about LeBron getting humiliated?

Box office matters, sure, but reputation? Way more important. Giving a little help to your stars doesn’t mean rigging the game—it’s more like letting some borderline calls slide. That’s part of protecting your investment.

Let the stars get their whistles. Otherwise, what? Let them get trucked every drive down the lane? One bad landing, one elbow too many, and boom—season’s done.

Stern nodded seriously. “Yeah, we need to have a little word with the refs. I saw the Bobcats foul Lin a few times—some of those were straight-up dirty.”

From there, the meeting picked up steam.

Step one: focus the league's PR and marketing muscle. There’s no way Lin’s winning MVP in his rookie year—LeBron and the Cavs are just too dominant right now—but pushing Lin into the top-three convo? Very doable. Also, the All-Star votes? Keep hyping those up. Flood the media with stories. Interviews with his old coaches, teammates from college—dig up everything and turn it into a special segment. Air it at prime time.

Next: build up hype for the dunk contest. Everyone knows Lin can fly, and he’s teased some new dunks. Let’s leak that he’s prepping something huge for the contest. Create buzz. People will start tuning in just to see what Lin Yi does next.

Also, make sure the Chinese fans stay in the loop. Get some celebs and commentators who like Lin to speak on his behalf. Package those clips for both American and Chinese platforms, especially the NBA’s official Chinese site. Let the overseas fans feel just how big Lin's getting in the States.

The meeting went well. Stern’s greatest skill? Knowing when to say no. He wasn’t just going to greenlight every half-baked idea. Lin’s popularity was through the roof right now, but you can’t just keep cranking the hype machine. Sooner or later, people get annoyed. Lin’s still a rookie. The rollout has to be steady.

Now it was up to Lin Yi. Could he keep up the momentum?

Every time Stern thought about this, he couldn't help but feel a little bitter about Vince Carter. The guy had all the tools, all the backing. But unlike Kobe, Carter just wasn’t obsessed. He wasn’t that relentless kind of psycho who lives and dies with every bucket.

In the early 2000s, if you weren’t jacking up 25 shots a game? Good luck winning a scoring title. No scoring title means no MVP. No MVP, no ring? Doesn’t matter how talented you are—fans will forget you fast.

Carter was just
 too nice.

Anyway, as the meeting wrapped up, one exec casually threw out, “Hey, Lin’s leading the league in long-range threes this season. What about the three-point contest?”

Stern almost spat out his coffee.

Seriously? Lin’s already in the Rookie Game, the All-Star Game, and the dunk contest. You want to toss him in the three-point contest too? What’s next, halftime show? Let the poor guy live.

Then again
 what if Lin wanted to do it?

...

January 9th.

The Knicks were heading to Houston for an away game against the Rockets. For Lin, it was a return home of sorts. Back in his NCAA days, he and Curry had led Davidson into battle here. Lots of memories.

Curry was on fire lately, too. After Don Nelson gave Monta Ellis a tongue-lashing, Ellis had toned it down a bit. Earlier in the season, dude was averaging 30 shots a game. Wild.

Curry, though? He just dropped 8 threes against the Hornets. Poor CP3 got cooked so bad, he probably still hears the net swishing in his nightmares.

Hornets already gave Byron Scott the boot, but it was probably too late. Lin figured Paul would have to carry that team for 44–45 minutes a night. Sooner or later, that workload was gonna catch up with him.

“Yo, you in Houston already?” Curry called Lin up. “Haha, good luck, man! I’ve been ballin’ lately too. Can’t match your 61 points and a quadruple-double in three quarters, but hey—Shooting stars represent!”

Lin laughed. “Man, we haven’t played 2K in forever.”

He really missed hanging out with Steph. They just clicked—same sense of humor, same love for the game. Never ran out of stuff to talk about.

Though
 somewhere out there, was poor Klay sitting in a corner like, “What about me?”

...

While in Houston, Lin, of course, dropped by to see Yao.

Yao Ming invited him over for dinner at home. Lin got to see his wife, Ye Li,  and gave her a hug when he walked in.

Yao’s family members were giants. Sitting around that dinner table? Honestly, it felt like a family of One Piece characters having a peaceful meal. Warm vibes all around.