Chapter 52: How Much Do People Hate the Magician? He Ruined Every Player's Post-Game Dessert!

Even with Lin Tian sidelined, the Chicago Bulls maintained their terrifying dominance, rattling off four consecutive victories.

As for Lin, he had a formal meeting with David Stern during the team's visit to New Jersey, though no substantive progress was made. Just as Lin had stated, he was merely offering Stern an alternative—a Plan B after hitting repeated dead ends in attempting to quickly crack the Chinese market.

Of course, Stern's perspective was equally valid. Even though Lin assured him of his deep familiarity with China's media landscape, fan pain points, promotional strategies, and overall planning, Stern could not simply hand this massive project over to Lin right off the bat. He had to let the NBA's existing partners try first, let them run into brick walls and take plenty of detours, before even considering Lin's proposal.

There was no helping it; everything had to be done step by step. Far too many interests and relationships were intertwined behind the scenes.

Consequently, neither of them was in a rush. After exchanging some casual pleasantries, Lin boarded the plane with the Bulls and flew to Los Angeles!

They were scheduled to play two consecutive games in Los Angeles, facing the Lakers and the Clippers back-to-back.

Lin would still be ineligible to play against the Lakers, but his five-game suspension would conclude by the time they faced the Clippers, clearing him to return to the hardwood!

As for the Lakers this season, while they still held a spot in the Western Top 5, everyone knew that relying on Nick Van Exel and Vlade Divac would never allow this historic franchise to recapture the glory of the 1980s and ascend to another championship throne!

Mentioning the 1980s Lakers naturally brought to mind the spearhead of their "Showtime" era and a superstar once poised to become the greatest player in NBA history: "Magic" Johnson.

In 1991, Johnson tested positive for HIV, becoming a carrier of the virus. The news exploded across the media landscape, plunging the entire NBA into a massive new scandal.

At that critical juncture, Stern stepped forward to hold a press conference alongside Magic, portraying him as a courageous fighter and hero battling the virus! This crisis management campaign has since been hailed by many as the most successful in North American sports league history. A league figurehead whose public image was on the brink of collapse due to his personal life was transformed into a warrior fighting disease overnight. Stern pulled it all off with a single press conference! It was an absolute textbook masterclass!

Yet, regardless of how brilliantly the PR campaign was handled, Magic—who was still lingering at the tail end of his prime, capable of averaging 19 points, 12 assists, and 7 rebounds per game—ultimately chose to retire in quiet dignity when faced with the prevailing sentiment of the league, where most players maintained a fearful, disgusted, and avoidant distance.

And just like that, the curtain officially fell on the Lakers' 1980s dynasty.

***

The single biggest fallout from the Magic Johnson incident was, without a doubt, a strict league-wide edict: the NBA completely banned players from having any association with cheerleaders! Both on and off the court, contact between the two parties was strictly prohibited, let alone romantic relationships.

Prior to this ban, countless sensational legends surrounded players and cheerleaders! After all, on one side were young, attractive girls yearning for fame and fortune, and on the other were millionaires overflowing with hormones. The two sides didn't even need friction to catch fire!

Rumors abounded that Patrick Ewing would select a cheerleader for a celebratory romp in the locker room after every game, while Dikembe Mutombo would reportedly ask upon seeing the cheerleaders, "Whose turn is it to sleep with Mutombo tonight?" There were even tales that whenever the Detroit Pistons led by more than 15 points at halftime, Isiah Thomas would slip away during the intermission to enjoy some extracurricular activities in the locker room! Countless similar rumors circulated everywhere.

Players harbored an urgent desire to release tension after grueling games, while the cheerleaders hoped to secure large sums of cash, or—if they were lucky enough—capitalize on pregnancy to secure a hefty, lifelong child-support payout.

Yet, in the wake of the Magic Johnson incident, Stern slammed the door on all contact between players and cheerleaders, crushing the young women's dreams of overnight stardom while robbing the players of their post-game recreation. For several years, Magic was undeniably the most despised man in the entire league!

However, coming into this year, Magic was starting to get restless again! Even at 37 years old, and even with his weight ballooning to a staggering 246 pounds, Magic felt he had completely suppressed the HIV virus. These minor ailments no longer posed a threat to him! He had resumed training and was attempting a comeback!

If everything went smoothly, he would officially return to the league in half a month at most! Before that, however, he had to pass a vote by the National Basketball Players Association. Only if his peers agreed to let him play with his condition could he return to the basketball court he loved so dearly.

As for the players' current stance on the matter... Well, it was deeply ambiguous. The majority remained fearful—terrified that if Magic were to bleed during a game, what would be ruined wouldn't just be a career, but an entire life!

Plenty of people firmly opposed Magic's comeback: *You ruined our post-game dessert, and now you want to come back and play basketball with us? In your dreams!*

Clearly, however, Jordan and Rodman were not among those opposed to Magic's return. In fact, the two of them were eagerly looking forward to matching up against Magic once more!

Case in point: right now, as Lin sat behind the bench watching the team warm up, Jordan excitedly yanked Magic—who had been sitting in the stands—right down onto the court to play a game of one-on-one!

And this was a fierce, leave-nothing-in-the-tank kind of one-on-one! Their physical contact was intense, and they played with ferocious aggression! Lin even felt that Jordan was putting the exact same level of defensive intensity into guarding Magic as he usually reserved for Lin himself!

After a few possessions between Jordan and Rodman, the latter eagerly snatched the ball from Jordan's hands to continue the duel with Magic!

Lin knew these two characters were actively helping build momentum for Magic's comeback! They were using the most direct, physical means possible to show support for their good friend.

Credit where credit is due: while one of these guys was a total scumbag and the other was an eccentric, wild loose cannon, when it came to loyalty toward their friends, they were truly peerless.

"I had no idea this big guy was so good! I thought he didn't know the first thing about basketball," a voice dripping with seductive charm suddenly murmured from right beside Lin.

Lin couldn't help but turn his head to look, and the only word left echoing in his mind was—

*Huge!*

Truly huge!