Chapter 1340 Scapegoat

"Hammer, please face me..." The reporter's face turned dark with anxiety.

"Shut up! This is my territory. Is it your turn to make the decision? Either I keep talking, or you get out and I continue to guess this puzzle for others."

Li Ba said with a cold expression.

The reporter was choked. How dare he go out at this time? I had to keep my mouth shut.

Li Ba sneered, "The third one who has suffered huge loss of profits is the other teams. These teams are divided into two types, one is the team that stood up to support the Warriors this time, and the other is the team that did not stand up. Team.

Of these two teams, the latter is impossible because they can contact me directly, so only the former is possible.

But this possibility is unlikely, because they can completely use the league official to retain me, but it is unlikely that they can use such a clumsy provocation method to achieve their goal through a reporter like you.

Then the fourth person who has suffered huge loss of profits is my sponsors like Adidas.

But this is impossible, because Adi and the others do not need to use you to achieve their goals. They can completely interview me about this issue at my home.

So who is the fifth person who has suffered huge loss of profits? "

When he said this, the panic in the reporter's heart could no longer be suppressed and was already reflected on his face.

Li Ba glanced at the other reporters, who were all looking at him closely, and the wheat in his hand almost hit his mouth.

"The fifth one must have gained huge benefits from the skyrocketing football market, and may have lost huge profits from the shrinking football market. At the same time, those who cannot contact me can only use this disadvantage to let me stay. "Who is he?" Li Ba asked these reporters this question.

An idea flashed in Yu Jia's head, and he was eager to try, and tentatively said one word: "Nike?"

The next second, Li Ba raised his thumb in front of Yu Jia.

Before the game even started, news spread around the world that Nike wanted the Hammers to stay in the NBA.

The first potential meaning of this news is that it reflects Li Ba’s influence. Even Adidas’ competitor Nike relies on the influence of Hammer.

The second potential meaning is that Nike feels that the Hammers may completely leave the NBA.

Many media figures who responded quickly responded immediately, such as the famous basketball commentator Wo Shen, who immediately updated his column on Yahoo Sports.

"Based on the current public opinion turmoil, the league is in a struggle between traditional teams and small-ball teams, so what role does Nike play in this?

This is easy to judge. As long as we look at who are the players who stand up to support the Warriors this time, we can know the role of Nike.

So who are these players? All of them are Nike players, so now everyone knows what role Nike plays in this public opinion storm, right? "

Wo Shen has always been known for his accurate news. He can even get the news before many transactions happen, so his column is followed by many people.

His column immediately pushed Nike to the forefront.

The battle between the Lakers and the Suns is about to begin, and countless people around the world are paying attention to this game. As soon as this article came out, it immediately triggered discussions among countless people.

“Is Nike really causing trouble this time around the Hammers?”

"I think Nike is causing trouble. Nike players have been suppressed by the hammer. Adidas has achieved a comeback in the NBA, so Nike hopes that the league will introduce rules to restrict defense. This is Nike's motivation. But at the same time, Nike I don’t want the market to shrink, so I hope the Hammers will stay in the league.”

"What I'm more interested in is, are the Hammers really afraid of small ball play?"

"I think once the league restricts defense, the Hammers will inevitably be eliminated, so I also think he is evading."

"What nonsense? Are the Hammers afraid of small balls? How fast the Suns transition from offense to defense this season, even faster than the Warriors."

"Restricting defense will definitely have a great impact on the Hammers."

"If the NBA restricts defense, then the game will lose its confrontational nature and become a soft game. Anyway, I won't watch it anymore. I'd better watch my NFL."

"I only watch the NBA because of the Hammers' games. If he quits the league, I will definitely not pay attention to the NBA anymore."

"This matter is very troublesome. Major matters in the league are decided by all the owners at the board of directors. Now two-thirds of the teams support changing the rules, then the league is likely to introduce rules that restrict defense. We have made Be mentally prepared to lose the hammer."

"There is no psychological preparation. When the time comes, just watch the NFL. That is a man's game."

At Nike headquarters, all senior executives are working overtime instead of getting off work.

President Philip Knight sensed trouble, and Nike was pushed to the front desk, which was very passive for Nike.

In front of him, Locklin was sweating profusely. His affairs were ruined. The president left the matter to him, but that damn reporter exposed Nike.

"Stupid guy!"

Staring at Locklin, Philip Knight shouted indifferently: "You are responsible for this matter, take full responsibility."

Locklin was terrified and sweating profusely. He didn't want to lose his position at Nike, let alone the president's trust in him. He needed this kind of recognition. He dreamed of becoming a real American.

With a cold snort, Philip Knight no longer focused on Locklin, he just needed a scapegoat.

Over the years, he has been under tremendous pressure from the board of directors after being overturned by Adi.

Although its share is smaller, Nike relies on the expanding football market and its revenue and profits have not decreased, so it can still withstand this pressure.

But this season, in order to build a superstar lineup, Nike has sent a lot of money to the Lakers and Heat teams. This time, in order to unite those teams, he has promised to send no less than 30 million US dollars to each team within three years. This expenditure alone amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars. He faces even greater pressure. The board of directors may hold him accountable at any time, so he has to prepare a scapegoat in advance.

As public opinion intensified, the starting lineups of the Suns and Lakers were announced.

Suns: Li Ba, Garnett, Jimmy Butler, George Hill, Harden.

Lakers: Howard, Allen, Tony Allen, Kobe Bryant, Paul.

In the TNT live broadcast booth, Barkley laughed and said: "The Lakers' lineup is too luxurious, with five starters and four maximum salaries. This is a superstar lineup piled up with dollar bills. You must know that the average team only has room for one maximum salary. Old Mr. Bass is too willing to spend money.”

"Yes, the Suns are too shabby. There are five starters, three of them have rookie contracts, and only one of the Hammers has a maximum salary. That's it. Now two-thirds of the teams and players still want the league to restrict defense. What does this mean? ?" said Kenny Smith.