"For a 115kg dude to shatter the backboard on a dunk? Man, that's wild!"
Lakers big man Shaquille O'Neal said in an interview. As someone who tore down rims in his rookie year, even Shaq was blown away by Zhao Dong's insane slam.
Then he added, "Look, strength-wise, he ain't on the level of a dominant big man in the paint. I mean, he's built more like a small forward. So if he's breaking backboards without raw power, it's gotta be that freakish burst. That's what really shocked me. That kind of explosion? He could body dudes in the paint. Honestly, he's too dangerous. The league might need to make a rule—like, no full-speed sprints from 10 meters out or something."
At the league office in New York, David Stern wasn't about to waste the moment. This was his chance to push the NBA global. He was ready to roll out his star-building plan.
Zhao Dong and Michael Jordan—those were the two names he was gonna ride with.
Of course, their markets were different. Zhao Dong's brand would dominate in Asia, while Jordan was already a legend in Europe.
But before the hype machine kicked off, Stern needed buy-in—from teams and major sponsors like Nike, Adidas, and Reebok.
The teams? Easy. More spotlight means more money, and they don't gotta spend a dime.
But the brands? That's tricky.
Zhao Dong wasn't just a baller—he owned Zhao Dong Sporting Goods, and they were about to drop their first kicks: the Silver Demon. With his buzz blowing up, fans were hyped, and the shoe was gonna grab market share, no question.
Stern knew: Adidas wasn't gonna back a competitor. They'd try to suppress him.
And he already felt the heat.
For instance, in MVP voting, these brands were pushing to keep Zhao Dong off the top.
But it was a weak case—Zhao Dong's stats were nuts, and the Knicks weren't about to stay quiet.
Now that the league was going global and Zhao Dong was front and center, those companies would go all in against him.
And if they did? Their sponsored players would follow, just like they came after the Silver Demon launch.
Stern had a headache. No easy answers.
Plus, there was the looming labor dispute—a possible shutdown. That's why the league needed to grow its reach and boost revenue. The global push wasn't optional—it was critical.
"If the stars start protesting, good. We'll settle that and the labor beef in one shot."
Stern wasn't scared. He'd made up his mind.
Jordan was aging out. The league needed a new king. And despite Zhao Dong's rep for being a little wild, Stern thought he was perfect.
"If Nike and Adidas try to push back using their players, I'll rally all the owners. We'll shut those rising stars down."
He was confident.
The plan looked good to the owners. What Nike and Adidas were doing? That could hurt the teams. So the teams would ride with Stern.
Together, they could check the shoe giants.
"Zhao Dong, don't let me down. Less drama, more highlights," Stern muttered.
Next up, the Knicks were hosting the Bulls on the 13th, then hitting the road to take on the Pacers.
On the 12th, the Bulls landed in New York and held a hotel press conference.
That's when the shocker hit: both Ewing and Rodman would sit out due to injuries.
"They're resting up for the playoffs. They've clearly given up on the regular season."
That was the take from Don Nelson, after he chopped it up with Van Gundy and Thibodeau.
"Jordan's always been a dog—never backed down from any game. But now? He's folding. Shows that under pressure, even he breaks. Just a regular dude."
Old Nelson laughed.
"It just shows how much pressure Zhao Dong put on him," Thibodeau said. "Made him wave the white flag on the season."
"Don, what's our move?" Van Gundy asked.
Nelson replied, calm as ever, "They're resting their vets? Cool. Let's use the chance to get our rookies more reps."
The other two nodded.
Besides the offensive end, they were hyped about Ben Wallace's defense. If he could grow, he'd be a playoff asset.
"Still gotta tighten his passing," Nelson added.
In his system, the rebounder should hit the fast-break runner first, and only go to the PG if needed. That meant Big Ben had to read the floor and dish clean.
Vision? That's tough. Ben wasn't that tall.
But passing? That's trainable. Reps fix that.
"If Ben had another 10 cm on him... but then he'd lose that speed. Not everyone's Zhao Dong." Nelson sighed.
"Fordson's got serious rebounding instincts," Thibodeau said. "If we clean up his fouling and polish his temper, he's got Rodman-type upside."
"This kid got a short fuse. Only Zhao Dong and Oakley can keep him in check. We'll leave it to them," Old Nelson said with a chuckle.
The other two coaches nodded in agreement.
When you've got a squad with a rock-solid locker room, a clear alpha, and a guy who can keep everyone in line, it takes a ton of pressure off the coaching staff and front office.
Right now, on and off the court, Zhao Dong was the undisputed leader. Oakley played the enforcer role in the locker room. Old Buck was close to retirement, so he wasn't really stepping in anymore. The Knicks were steady and locked in.
The next afternoon, team practice got underway.
Zhao Dong and Oakley took the assignment straight from the coaching staff and hit the court to personally run drills with Fordson.
In his past life, Fordson had real potential but got in his own way—too many fouls, too hot-headed, constantly getting T'd up. That limited his minutes, and after bouncing around teams and losing his dad, his career just spiraled. Even with his insane rebounding instincts, injuries and mindset killed his growth.
But now, in this timeline, he's got Zhao Dong riding with him. Maybe that could flip the script.
And Fordson was low-key shook that Zhao Dong actually showed up to train with him. Dude got emotional—eyes even went red.
"Danny, you bumped into me. What you staring for? Lose that attitude!" Zhao Dong smacked him on the head.
"Got it, Boss," Fordson muttered, rubbing his head. In his mind he was like, Damn, I just looked at you, didn't even glare…
"You even know how to read a blocking angle? If not, you better start learning—now."
"I'm on it, Boss. Teach me!"
"Clean up your footwork. Don't commit them dumb fouls."
"Yes sir, Boss!"
"If you can't keep them fouls and that temper in check, you gonna ride the bench forever. Don't even think about getting a bag from the front office. You feel me?"
"Loud and clear, Boss!"
"And don't run your mouth at the refs. That's my job. You trying to take my role as captain now?"
"Never, Boss! You'd straight up kill me. I won't say a word to the refs again."
"Good. I'll hold you to that. Just remember—on the court, shut your mouth and hoop. You can talk all you want after. Stay outta trouble. Understood?"
"Understood!"
All practice long, Zhao Dong's voice kept booming in Fordson's ear. Dude was drenched, face pale, looking like he just ran ten suicides with ankle weights.
"Ha ha…"
Watching Fordson get grilled like a rookie in summer league had Oakley and the crew dying laughing courtside.
"Sometimes it takes a real one to deal with a wild one," joked Thomas, the Knicks' team reporter, while filming the whole scene.
That night, the Knicks went out and smacked the Bulls again—even though the Bulls were clearly holding back. That's two straight wins over Chicago.
At the Bulls' postgame press conference, a reporter fired off a shot: "Michael, didn't you say before the season you'd sweep the Knicks 4-0?"
"We're dealing with injuries. Can't control that," Jordan said, dodging the jab.
"Didn't look like you wanted it bad enough tonight. You getting old out there?" another reporter from New York asked, stirring the pot.
"I ain't old yet!" Jordan snapped, clearly pissed.
Of course he wanted to win. Dude's wired to compete.
But when it comes down to choosing between a regular season dub or saving bodies for a championship run, the ring always wins.
Ewing and Rodman were getting up there in age. No way they were grinding through the regular season and still having gas for the playoffs. He had no choice.
Then over in the Knicks' presser...
"Zhao Dong, you guys just beat the Bulls twice. What do you wanna say to Jordan right now?"
Zhao Dong leaned forward and said, "This season's Jordan's last real shot to beat me. If he takes another L, the Bulls are done. Management gonna break the squad—Ewing and Rodman probably getting traded. Ain't easy building another title team around him. Phil Jackson might bounce too.
"Me? I'm still leveling up. I haven't even peaked yet. But Jordan? He's already sliding. Who knows where he'll be next year?
"So, good luck, MJ. Your window's closing fast."
Jordan heard that from a Chicago reporter during a phone interview at the hotel later that night.
He was heated—but also rattled.
In the last two seasons, his record against Zhao Dong and the Knicks was 2 wins and 9 losses.
That number hit deep—like watching the last days of a dynasty crumble in real time.
"Is this really my last shot?"
Jordan clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, eyes burning with fury. He muttered coldly, "Then I'm takin' you down this season, Zhao Dong."
---
At 10 a.m. on the 14th, Zhao Dong and Lindsay made it official—they signed the papers and took over the New York Jets. Just like that, they owned an NFL team.
Neither of them took a formal role in the front office. The current staff kept running the day-to-day, but make no mistake—Zhao Dong was the boss now.
"I'm hyped to be part of this team," Zhao Dong said in front of the whole squad and execs. "As a die-hard fan, I wanna build something better than before. We're gonna invest, build a deep squad, and aim straight for that Super Bowl."
Jets fans were all in. Everyone in New York knew Zhao Dong was always courtside at games. Dude was one of them. And now, as the face of New York sports, his takeover felt right. No resistance—just love.
And he proved he meant business, dropping a cool 20 million dollars on the spot to boost the team's funds. That move? Earned him mad respect from the Jets' management and the fans.
---
The news blew up across America and worldwide. A dude barely a season and a half into his NBA career just bought an NFL team? People weren't buying that he didn't have major backing.
Media outlets were all over it. Zhao Dong's royal background had already been exposed. Now they were goin' after Lindsay, tryna dig up every bit of dirt. This time, even harder than before.
---
Meanwhile, at Adidas HQ in New York, a high-level meeting was going down.
Zhao Dong and his brand, Zhao Dong Sporting Goods, had been in talks with the league. Adidas was already feelin' the pressure since the NBA was clearly planning to push Zhao Dong into global superstardom.
This wasn't just about a pair of sneakers. This was the NBA's next face.
The Silver Demon was hot. The league believed in his talent, charisma, and global appeal. And Adidas knew—if they didn't play it smart, the next Jordan might not be wearing their shoes.
They already lost half the market share to Jordan once. They couldn't afford to let it happen again.
---
Over at Nike HQ, things were way more tense.
Jordan was their golden goose, the reason they bounced back. Now, he had a real challenger—and that challenger was wearing Silver Demons.
"Stern's not playin'. He's dead set on this global push. We cannot let that Chinese kid become a worldwide superstar," said Nike's CEO, Phil Knight, firmly.
Everyone in the room nodded. No disagreements.
"That dude just bought an NFL team. You think he'll stop there? If he gets into the NBA's boardrooms too, or starts dabbling in more sports industries, we're screwed."
"We gotta control the media narrative—drag him down, discredit him, make him look bad. Flood the networks with dirt. Force the league to rethink making him their poster boy."
"But the New York media is tricky. The Dolans got pull. We gotta focus on outlets outside the city."
"We should team up with Adidas and Reebok. We might be rivals, but Zhao Dong's a threat to all of us."
"Facts."
"We can use Chinese media too. Make it come from inside his own country—turn his people against him."
"Exactly. Those networks will do what they're told."
"But the most important thing—stop the Knicks from going back-to-back. Stop Zhao Dong from getting MVP, Finals MVP, All-NBA... all of it. Cut off his legacy before it starts."
"But man, his stats..."
"Damn it, why is he so freakin' good?"
"If the Knicks win again this season, next year we have to stop them from becoming a dynasty. A dynasty changes everything."
"He can't surpass Jordan. Not in rings, not in fame, not in impact. Period."
"Then we weaken the Knicks. Get our guys to request trades. Marcus Camby, for example. And stack other teams—Bulls, Lakers, Spurs, Pacers, Heat—load 'em up and make life hell for New York."
"Yeah. We don't let our stars go there. We spread 'em out and make sure Zhao Dong's squad gets worn down."
"We loop Adidas and Reebok in on this plan."
"I say we don't wait for next season. This year—let's go."
"Time's tight. The trade deadline's comin' up fast, but we might still pull it off."
"Let's try."
"Let's do it."
"But the league and team owners won't sit quiet. If they catch on, they'll push back hard. We could even get banned from league operations."
"Test the waters first. Target the Knicks subtly. See how far we can go."
"Let's move."
"Let's move."
---
"Oh, and we planted a few spies in Zhao Dong Sporting Goods back in China," said one exec. "But we didn't get much. Turns out they got over 8,200 patents for sneaker tech. Crazy stuff."
"Can we buy 'em out?"
"No shot. Only three shareholders—Zhao Dong, Lindsay, and his brother."
"Then we do what China does—we copy. Let our R&D cook up a 'Gold Demon.'"
"And if they sue?"
"This is America. We'll bury 'em in court fees."
"Then that's the move."
"One more thing—it's time to finally use all that advanced sneaker tech we've been sitting on."
"Facts. Let's bring out the heavy hitters."
---
Without Zhao Dong even knowing it, the sneaker game had just entered full-blown war.
(TL: Is there a reader here who knows why this nba fanfic is not getting in the Rankings.)
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