Chapter 727 - 652: Exclusive Interview

Chapter 727: Chapter 652: Exclusive Interview

The task of acquiring Livingston was left to Brian.

This year, due to issues with the labor agreement, the market for official signings would be delayed until July 22nd. It was still early days.

Dale Davis’s ten-million-dollar contract was ending this summer. Once it was off the books, the Phoenix Suns’ salary pressure would be greatly reduced, and they might even be able to free up some cap space.

Two years ago, that would have been unimaginable.

This meant the team was on track to turn a profit this year.

They had been losing money for several years now.

It wasn’t just the past two years, where they lost money paying the luxury tax to assemble the Five-star Phoenix Suns. Even before that, the Phoenix Suns were in the red, burdened by bad contracts and limited attendance.

If it weren’t for the team’s constantly rising market value, Old Kolangelo would have sold the team long ago.

Even so, Old Kolangelo had entertained the idea of selling the team two years ago. At the time, Chen Yu had even discussed it with Jordan, who had been messed around by the Wizards.

Under these circumstances, Chen Yu, who had bought shares in the team, not only failed to make a profit but actually had to keep pouring money into it.

But this year, with the reduced salary cap and a more established market, they had finally managed to turn a profit, albeit a small one.

Of course, for Chen Yu, whose other businesses had taken off in the past two years, the team’s revenue was no longer a major concern.

After all, an NBA team was a long-term investment.

Chen Yu was even thinking of buying more shares from the other minority shareholders.

Chen Yu wasn’t in a hurry to return to China.

Jalen Chris was keeping an eye on things over there. ’He isn’t an expert in soccer, but he sure knows marketing.’

’Did the Pioneer Club buy all those star players just to win games?’

’Of course not.’

’As long as the home game tickets and merchandise sold well, that was all that mattered.’

The deal with Vieri had also been finalized.

But his destination wasn’t Huanghe Tower.

Chen Xudong had wanted to take the gamble, but Shen Liefeng disagreed. As the general manager of a state-owned enterprise, an investment of thirty million was a huge risk. If he couldn’t recoup the cost, the deficit would be enormous.

It was a responsibility he couldn’t bear.

In the end, Vieri went to Shen Hua.

For this, Shen Hua paid a fee of a full three million euros.

Their home game attendance was already quite high, so theoretically, they didn’t need to engage in the "fan economy" game like Pioneer.

For them, a more important reason for bringing in Vieri was likely to boost the team’s strength.

This was Vieri, after all—once the world’s number one center-forward, now in his early thirties and still in his prime!

Shen Hua had been the perennial runner-up for years, and the club was desperate for a breakthrough.

Most importantly, though also backed by a state-owned enterprise, Shen Hua, being in the metropolis of Shanghai, was clearly more willing to spend big.

The Wenguang Media Group behind them also held the broadcasting rights for the Chinese Super League. Bringing in Vieri would also boost the television ratings for Shen Hua’s matches.

Secondly, with the seasons for the Five Major Leagues ending, many star players would soon be arriving to seek treatment from Chen Yu and tune up their physical condition.

Someone like Ronaldo never missed a year.

Next year was the World Cup in Germany, and he was already gearing up, determined to win the FIFA World Cup trophy.

So, things were very busy at the clinic as well.

Take Oden, for instance. His bones had healed and he no longer needed a brace, but his long rehabilitation process still required supervision.

Lastly, Chen Yu was reluctant to leave Xiaoyanfei and wanted to spend more time with his child.

The plan was for Chen Yu to stay until July 2nd, when Albertini was set to join Pioneer, before heading to China.

「In the blink of an eye, it was June.」

「June 2nd. Staples Center.」

By evening, fanatical Lakers fans had already brought the four streets surrounding the Staples Center to a complete standstill.

Today was Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.

The Lakers held a 3-1 series lead, and there was a high probability they would be hoisting the Western Conference championship trophy tonight.

On a massive promotional poster hanging on the side of the Staples Center.

Yao Ming and Kobe stood shoulder to shoulder, occupying the center position.

The slogan at the top read, "We’re back!"

After a three-year hiatus, the Lakers had finally reached the pinnacle of the West again.

As a result, the entire team, along with the fans and local media, were incredibly enthusiastic.

The old-school Lakers fans who, just two years ago, had been clamoring that the team never should have let O’Neal go, had now all completely changed their tune.

Every other word out of their mouths was "Yao!"

In the second round against the Mavericks, the ultimate showdown between Yao Ming and O’Neal had taken place. After a hard-fought six-game series, Yao Ming averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds, a performance by no means inferior to O’Neal’s average of 24 points and 13 rebounds.

And this was against an O’Neal who was still in the twilight of his prime.

In the first round against Camby, O’Neal had been an unstoppable force.

But when he came up against Yao Ming, he was surprisingly much more subdued.

With a performance like that, it was a classic case of "out with the old, in with the new." The Lakers fans had fallen head over heels for Yao Ming.

The game was scheduled to start at 7:30 PM.

Shortly before 7:00, after the locker rooms opened to the media, Su Jun finished his interview with Yao Ming and made his way to the press seats.

Without even pausing to greet his colleagues, his eyes were immediately drawn to the courtside, where he spotted Chen Yu chatting with Hollywood superstar Bruce Willis.

Su Jun’s eyes lit up.

He hadn’t seen Chen Yu make a public appearance in ages, not since Batty’s debut in May.

’The question is, why has he suddenly shown up in Los Angeles?’

’I remember seeing reports from other journalists that he was staying in Phoenix.’

Suppressing his curiosity, Su Jun waited until Chen Yu finished chatting with a few friends and started heading for the arena tunnel. After a moment’s hesitation, he followed him.

’I can’t be bothered with the game now.’

’A few words with Chen Yu could give me so much more information.’

In the arena tunnel, Su Jun called out to Chen Yu.

Chen Yu wasn’t particularly surprised to see Su Jun. He simply pointed toward the court and asked, "The game’s about to start. Aren’t you heading to your seat?"

Su Jun made an excuse, "Dr. Chen, it’s not every day I get to see you, so there was something I wanted to ask."

When Chen Yu gestured for him to continue, Su Jun said, "I know your Pioneer Basketball Team is in the process of being established. I’m more focused on basketball than soccer, and with all the big changes in the CBA this year, I was hoping you might give me the opportunity for an exclusive interview."

"It doesn’t have to be anything too formal, just a brief interview. It would be a great way for fans in China to learn about the formation of the Pioneer Basketball Team, as a lot of them are very interested."

In China’s sports world, although Pioneer was a new venture, its influence was already astounding.

It had even broken into the mainstream, to the point where many non-sports fans had heard the name Pioneer Club.

The reason was simple: Chen Yu’s Pioneer had signed Batty and Cannigia and was constantly engaged in marketing and promotion.

With keywords like "sold-out crowds at Tianhe Central Stadium" and "five million in revenue per game" circulating, Pioneer’s reputation was no longer confined to the sports world; it had crossed over into the financial sector and even mainstream news.

So, there was no shortage of fans who were interested in Pioneer.

"An exclusive interview?"

Chen Yu thought for a moment, then nodded. "Sure. No need to wait, we can do it today. Come with me to the top-level suite."

In the world of basketball journalism, Su Jun was a top-tier media figure.

He had recently struck out on his own, and the *Pioneer Basketball Press* he founded was, in less than a year, already on pace to overtake *Sports Weekly*.

’The basketball club is still in its planning stages,’ Chen Yu thought. ’An exclusive interview through his *Pioneer Basketball Press* would be a good way to get some publicity.’