The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 528 - 31: Unyielding Steel Cannot be Deterred from its Resolve
February 5th, the day before the official start of the All-Star Weekend in Chicago.
In the banquet hall of the Hyatt Hotel, a tense and significant meeting was about to be convened.
There were over 40 NBA All-Star game participants in attendance, including 23 representatives from the Players Union.
The meeting was chaired by the Players Union’s head adviser, President of the Union and the Director, Larry Fleisher.
Also present were the Executive Vice President of the Union, Charlie Grantham, Union Legal Counsel Jim Quinn, Union labor law expert adviser George Cohen, and retired player, now Union Chairman, Ulysses Bridgeman.
The atmosphere in the banquet hall was somewhat oppressive; the basketball stars, usually graceful and confident on the court, all had expressions of anxiety and unease.
Although they are stars, heroes in the eyes of the fans, at the end of the day, everyone is human, a member of society requiring work, needing to provide for their families.
Basketball is a job, part of the division of labor in society, and tonight’s meeting could lead to them losing their job opportunities, losing the halo and identity of basketball heroes.
Even without basketball, without the NBA, the world can still function.
But for the players, without basketball, without the NBA, the days would be different.
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird sat together, their heads down, muttering quietly to each other.
Parrish and McHale sat in a corner, arms crossed, expressionless.
Moses Malone and Charles Barkley sat together, with the young Barkley showing a look of confusion; the young player might not fully understand the situation, why there was a resolution to dissolve the Union.
Jabbar sat next to Union Chairman Bridgeman, and the two kept discussing something.
Jabbar, always aloof in front of the media, was very active when it came to matters of rights.
Being the oldest and most senior among the players, Jabbar’s opinion was very important.
Gan Guoyang sat with Jordan and Drexler, his expression the most composed, but also serious.
Jordan and Drexler both seemed restless, especially Drexler.
Since this season was Drexler’s contract year, if a conflict arose between labor and management, leading to a major strike and a league shutdown, Drexler would definitely suffer significant losses, with no teams willing to offer him a contract.
There were quite a few players who shared a similar sentiment as Drexler.
The star players didn’t have to worry about contracts, so naturally, they hoped that both labor and management could come to a prudent agreement, leaning a bit more toward management—in the future, they might even become capitalists themselves.
The idea of dissolving the Union was too drastic, and they were very worried that if management remained unyielding and the Union was actually dissolved, players would have no support.
The example of MLB was right before their eyes; the shutdown had led to heavy losses for both labor and management.
Larry Fleisher understood the restlessness and anxiety of the players. When the meeting officially began, he cleared his throat and immediately the room quieted down.
Fleisher first reviewed the series of clashes that had erupted between the Players Union and management since June 1987 up to now.
With the NBA becoming increasingly profitable over these two years compared with when David Stern had just taken office in 1984, the League’s revenue had tripled.
Game attendance and viewership soared; the owners were earning a fortune.
However, the players’ benefits hadn’t risen correspondingly, so before the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement, Fleisher instructed Jim Quinn and Bruce Meyer to draft a "Position of the Players Regarding Free Agency" and submit the document to the NBA office.
The document outlined three major demands and was naturally rejected by the League and management.
This marked the start of grueling negotiations.
David Stern, who had seen brilliant achievements during these two years, was full of himself. He mocked and ridiculed Fleisher, Quinn, and others during the negotiations.
Quinn and Stern nearly got into a fight at the negotiation table.
In the face of management’s firm resistance, Fleisher recruited labor law expert George Cohen, hoping that through labor lawsuits, they could force the NBA to comply.
With Bridgeman at the forefront, Fleisher assembled top draft pick David Robinson, veterans like Darrell Walker and Phil Hubbard, and collectively sued in the New York federal appeals court, accusing the NBA of monopoly.
However, Stern was an attorney by trade, a legal expert. He had just triumphantly prevailed against the Phoenix Prosecutor’s Office. Fleisher’s plan to force the NBA to comply legally was not the best strategy.
The case was pending, with a ruling indefinitely delayed. By the time it went to trial, the NBA season would have already started; the players couldn’t refuse to play and the Union couldn’t financially outlast management’s deep pockets.
Just when the situation reached an impasse and the Union was at a loss, during a meeting, Quinn suddenly said, "If we’re no longer a Union, if there’s no Union, how could there be any labor defense?"
After repeated discussions, Fleisher thought this was a feasible tactic, to pull the rug from under them, dissolve the Union.
"I won’t battle you on the frontline where you excel. I truly can’t beat you in court."
I’ll simply blow everything up, the barefoot are not afraid of those wearing shoes. With no union on your side, no labor players, what will you use to make money?
If our union doesn’t act, you’ll have to recruit each player individually to make money.
"This is our final measure in the struggle that we’ve come through. When the capital side absolutely refuses to compromise, we might as well give up our cooperation with them and let them figure out for themselves how to play basketball and make money," Flesher summarized.
"I know you’re worried about what you would do if there were truly no games to play. I tell you, as long as the foundation of the fans’ love for basketball exists, as long as there are people worldwide who love basketball, players don’t have to worry about not having games to play or not making money."
"What you should be concerned about are those owners. Fans buy tickets to the games not to see these fat cat parasites but for you, for you heroes of basketball. Have confidence in yourselves!"
After Flesher finished speaking, the atmosphere in the banquet hall became much more agitated.
The players whispered to one another, exchanging opinions, chewing over Flesher’s words, and weighing everything in their minds.
Still, there were stars who hesitated; most players didn’t understand law or politics—they just wanted to be able to play basketball and earn money.
What exactly would the dissolution of the union lead to? No one really knew.
Whether the capital side would start over, whether players’ rights and interests could be protected, all these were unknown.
Flesher saw the confusion in the crowd, but he found it hard to explain more clearly, to tell everyone that this was a bargaining tactic.
Sometimes the more you are prepared to sacrifice, the less you ultimately have to lose.
But not everyone can put this principle into practice.
Flesher needed a steadfast voice to come forward and sound the call to action.
At that moment, Gan Guoyang stood up and said, "Larry has led so many labor negotiations, he and the predecessors of the NBA have gradually improved the treatment of players, allowing them to earn higher compensation and more freedom. Our gains are built on the efforts and sacrifices of our predecessors, so we too must think about the future NBA players. What legacy can we leave for them?"
"Furthermore, the dissolution of the union does not mean that players’ rights and interests will have no protection; we can still negotiate with teams, and we can even sue the League individually, which will put even more pressure on them. This could actually be to everyone’s advantage."
"Anyway, when it comes to the dissolution of the union, I’m definitely casting a vote in favor. Who is for it, and who is against it?"
Gan Guoyang’s speech was forceful and resonant, and with his resolute and determined demeanor on the court, the idea of agreeing to dissolve suddenly seemed like the right thing to do.
With one person taking the lead to agree, a second and third quickly followed.
Players Union President Bridgeman appreciated Gan Guoyang’s attitude, and he too stood on Flesher’s side, expressing a willingness to dissolve the union.
"After the union is dissolved, I will announce my resignation and retirement. If the Union is reformed in the future, I will no longer serve as the Union President."
Bridgeman showed his firm stance by indicating his own departure.
Under these circumstances, the previously wavering stars became decisive.
In the following vote, the resolution to initiate the dissolution of the union passed unanimously.
After the All-Star Game, the Union will collect opinions from all players across the League to determine the fate of the Union.
Although the dissolution process has been initiated, whether the capital side makes concessions or not, a new union will eventually be formed. Then, for sure, a new Union President will be needed.
After being nominated by the players, the previous Vice President of the Union, Alex English, became the candidate for President of the next Union, continuing his tenure after the birth of the new Union.
And Gan Guoyang was recommended by Larry Flesher to be the new Vice President of the Union.
Becoming Vice President of the Union meant that Gan Guoyang might one day succeed to the presidency of the Union.
Because it was a recommendation from Flesher, nobody objected; the prestige of this Union leader had reached its peak at this moment.
Then, in this climax, at the end of the meeting, Flesher made an announcement: "I will resign from the roles of Chief Consultant, Manager, Director, and several other positions in the Union, completely stepping back from Union work to become a regular sports agent."
This decision took the rest of the Union and the stars by surprise.
A leader who had accompanied the growth of the NBA for over twenty years was suddenly leaving; this development made everyone feel once again unsure.
Flesher reassured everyone, "Before the new Collective Bargaining Agreement comes out, I will stay in my position. This time could be one year, two years, or even five to eight years. I will wait until a satisfactory result is reached before I leave."
With Flesher’s words, everyone was somewhat reassured. The players prepared to participate in the All-Star Game, and the Union representatives prepared to reach out to players from all teams for the final decision.
After the meeting, Quinn and Cohen, Flesher’s key assistants, still puzzledly asked him why he was leaving and how the Union would cope if it ran into trouble again after he left.
Flesher said he wanted to become a better agent, to promote professional basketball worldwide, and to attract more talent to play better basketball games.
As for the Union, Flesher said: "Your talents are more than enough to deal with David Stern; I am no longer capable. Moreover, I have chosen a successor for the new Union President for you. He has an iron will; no one can easily sway him. With him there, everything will be alright."
Quinn and Cohen knew who Flesher was talking about, that man of steel.
