"Go on."
Stern looked at Silva, a hint of a smile in his eyes.
He had always held this young man in high regard.
For one, he had a background in law, and his father was a good friend of Stern’s.
Secondly, since joining the NBA in ’92, he had worked diligently and commendably, climbing the ranks from special assistant to director of the league office, then moving to the NBA Entertainment Company and eventually becoming its president.
For instance, the movie released last year, Play Like Mike, grossed over sixty million at the box office.
Everyone else also turned to look at Silva.
It was clear to all of them that Stern favored this young man.
Silva pushed his glasses up again and said, "Gentlemen, we must first establish one thing, or rather, a fundamental premise: Chen has made a massive contribution to the league."
"He has saved many stars and has also used his medical knowledge, combined with advanced technology, to enhance and improve the league’s training methods."
The others all nodded in agreement.
On this point, no one could deny Chen Yu’s contributions.
Jordan, Hill, Hardaway, O’Neal, Duncan, Carter...
You could go on counting. Practically all the star players in the league had received treatment from Chen Yu at some point.
Silva had deliberately used the word "saved," which was an incredibly apt description.
Take Hardaway, for example. Chen Yu had single-handedly saved his career.
And it wasn’t just the stars; even regular role players benefited.
The league’s health management department wasn’t just for show. In the past two years, there hadn’t been any cases of teams rushing players back to the court, leading to severe injuries.
Furthermore, the training methods Chen Yu promoted, combined with various advanced technological devices, had significantly raised the league’s overall training standards.
With scientific training, the league’s injury rate was dropping, and the overall skill level had risen.
Stronger players made for better games, which was a positive development for the league.
So, no matter how you looked at it, Chen Yu had made a great contribution to the league.
Silva continued, "Therefore, we absolutely cannot simply restrict him. If we follow the ideas of the other teams and what the media is saying—to just forbid Chen Yu from being a team doctor, to reject him—it would be a tremendous blow to the entire league."
"But at the same time, we have to admit that his presence has indeed changed the landscape of the league and affected the balance between the teams."
"So?" Stern interjected.
’He was worried Silva would launch into a long-winded analysis only to end with some useless platitude like, ’So we must consider this carefully.’’
Silva smiled. "I believe that, ultimately, this is a question of fairness. Let me give you an analogy. Suppose in a large corporation, one project team is performing exceptionally well because of one individual. They receive a lot of bonuses, which sparks jealousy among the other project teams."
"So, as the company’s management, should you prioritize the interests of the others and simply fire this person? Or should you give him a higher position, greater authority, and promote his methods for success to the other teams, helping all of them increase their profits?"
Stern’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Silva’s words had helped him suddenly grasp a core issue.
At the end of the day, this was a matter of fairness.
’Why should the Suns get to attract a host of star players for minimum salaries, win the championship, and we can’t?’
As the saying goes, the issue isn’t scarcity, but inequality.
And Stern found Silva’s proposal quite reasonable. They should promote Chen Yu’s successful methods to other teams so everyone could improve together, making the "company" better as a whole.
This also aligned with Stern’s fundamental strategy of growing the NBA.
"What do you all think?" Stern didn’t state his position immediately, looking instead to the others.
The men exchanged glances. Executive Vice President Stu Jackson spoke up, "I agree with Adam’s approach to solving the problem, but how do we implement it specifically?"
Across from him, President of Operations Joe Litvin nodded and made a joke, "Exactly. There’s only one Chen. We can’t just cut him into twenty-nine pieces and give one to each team. And I don’t think Chen would agree to that kind of workload, either."
"Gentlemen, while we’re discussing this, shouldn’t we first ask for Chen’s thoughts and find a suitable solution together?" Ross Glarick, who was in charge of league technology and rules, reminded them.
A few of them nodded in agreement.
No matter how heated their discussion became, it was useless. The initiative ultimately lay with Chen Yu.
Moreover, they had to consider Chen Yu’s attitude.
If they proposed a solution and Chen Yu didn’t agree, their hands would be tied.
It wasn’t that Chen Yu couldn’t leave the NBA; it was that the NBA couldn’t afford to lose Chen Yu.
If one day the NBA announced it no longer needed Chen Yu, the NFL and Major League Baseball would immediately poach him with high salaries.
Not to mention the host of wealthy international soccer clubs eyeing Chen Yu like tigers stalking their prey.
After listening, Stern looked back at Silva and gave him a meaningful glance.
’You started this, so don’t hold back now.’
Silva said, "First, I believe we should bestow upon Chen the highest honor to recognize his contributions to the league. For example, induction into the Hall of Fame."
Everyone present was taken aback.
However, no one objected.
It was true that the Hall of Fame was the NBA’s highest sanctuary of honor, and it wasn’t exclusively for players. Given Chen Yu’s contributions to the league, the moment he stopped being a team doctor, his induction into the Hall of Fame was a sure thing.
Stern was confident that if Chen Yu were to be inducted, a whole line of people would be willing to be his presenter.
The key issue was that Chen Yu was only in his thirties and still actively working. Inducting him into the Hall of Fame at this point didn’t seem to follow protocol.
But that wasn’t a real problem. After all, rules were made by people.
Silva continued, "Secondly, I think we should give him a higher position within the league, like a league vice president. Then we could establish a dedicated medical department within the league, provide it with sufficient resources, and allow Chen to use his knowledge to improve the league’s medical and training standards, helping the league develop even further."
As soon as he said this, a few people in the room frowned.
There were quite a few league vice presidents, but adding another one would tangibly affect the interests of their respective departments.
Stern also fell silent, folding his arms and thinking seriously for a long moment before speaking. "I understand Adam’s idea, but this is no small matter. I need to give it serious consideration and discuss it with the Board of Governors."
In the NBA, the true decision-makers were the Board of Governors—the team owners.
Whatever they ultimately did, they couldn’t ignore the attitudes of the team owners. The decision had to align with the interests of the majority.
"Of course, personally, I’m inclined to agree with Adam’s approach," Stern added after a moment of reflection.
After listening through the meeting, Stern had actually already understood Silva’s solution.
In the current situation, the only way to satisfy all the teams in the league was to give Chen Yu a more transcendent status, so his influence would no longer be limited to the Suns but would extend to all teams in the league.
Restricting Chen Yu or forbidding him from being a team doctor—such solutions were never on the table for Stern from the very beginning.
The others exchanged glances and nodded, saying no more.
For now, this was just a preliminary discussion. It was still too early to decide on the specifics of what to do and when to do it.
At the very least, it was definitely too late for this season.
「Phoenix.」
Inside Chen Yu’s office at the US Airways Center.
"Massimo, you should know that we’re in the middle of the Western Conference Finals. I really don’t have time this week. Besides, you’ve already clinched the title, so there’s not much point in me going for the final match, is there?" Chen Yu said into the phone, refusing again.
The person on the other end of the line was Moratti.
First it was Ronaldo. He had contacted Chen Yu several times, hoping he would come to Italy to watch their final league match.
But Chen Yu had refused, considering his team was in the Western Conference Finals, he had a lot of daily work at the sports lab and clinic, the weight-loss show had started filming again, and he also had to prepare for his wedding. He was swamped with things to do.
Unexpectedly, after Ronaldo’s persuasion failed, Moratti had called to persuade him personally.
’The key thing is, you already won the title with a match to spare. What’s the point of me going?’
Moratti quickly replied, "How could it be meaningless, Chen? You are forever a hero of our championship victory. You gave us the healthiest Ronnie. Your presence would mean a great deal to us."
After a pause, Moratti added, "By the way, Christian also needs your help. I don’t trust those team doctors. They told me Christian only needed to rest for three weeks, but look at him now. He still hasn’t recovered."
Chen Yu knew about Vieri’s situation; Ronaldo had mentioned it to him before.
On the 23rd of last month, during the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Inter versus Valencia, Vieri had the worst luck. He was hit in the knee by his own teammate, Materazzi, who had jumped up to contest a header.
A post-match examination revealed a grade-two tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
He ultimately stayed in Italy for treatment, but it was clear his recovery was not proceeding as expected.
"Massimo, the season is almost over. What’s the point of calling me now? If he’s still not better after the season ends, he can just come to the United States for treatment."
’What were they doing before?’
Of course, it wasn’t Moratti’s fault. It was Vieri himself who thought the injury wasn’t serious. Plus, he didn’t really want to come to the United States, preferring to stay in Italy with his family.
He was probably trying to stay with his girlfriend.
Sensing Chen Yu’s firm attitude, Moratti sighed and stopped trying to persuade him. He suddenly changed the subject, "Chen, I saw in the news that you’re preparing to leave the Suns and will no longer be their team doctor. In that case, have you considered coming to Milan? Don’t worry, whatever your conditions are, I’ll agree to them."
’I’ve already poured hundreds of millions into this; what’s Chen Yu’s salary in comparison?’
If Chen Yu asked for an annual salary of ten million, Moratti wouldn’t even bat an eye.
"Huh? When did I ever say I was leaving the Suns? And you already know about this?" Chen Yu said, surprised.
’Does news travel that fast? It’s even reached Europe?’
Moratti quickly said, "Chen, we’re friends, so I’ve been following news about you. If you ask me, those teams are just jealous of your talent. Since you’re unhappy in the United States, why not just have a change of scenery?"
Chen Yu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
’When was I ever unhappy in the United States?’
Chen Yu had seen the reports about the Suns and himself over the past few days very clearly. Ultimately, it wasn’t that the league’s teams were ostracizing him; they were just trying different ways to poach him, unable to stand the thought of the Suns having him all to themselves.
In a situation like this, how could he possibly be unhappy?
"Massimo, how can you believe what the media says? Alright, if there’s nothing else, let’s leave it at that. Today is a game day, and I still have a lot to do," Chen Yu said as he saw Brian push the door open and walk in.

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