Tianchao Sports began broadcasting NBA recordings as early as 1986, though back then they were tapes of the Finals. In 1994, Tianchao Sports broadcasted the NBA All-Star Game and the Finals live via satellite.
Starting from 1996, they broadcasted one NBA regular-season game live every week, specifically focusing on the Bulls' games.
This was also one of the important factors that allowed Michael Jordan to become the god of basketball.
The era and the popularity of televisions meant that even Link's great-grandmother knew Jordan played basketball. Because of this, becoming the new GOAT isn't something you can achieve simply by winning a few more championship rings than Michael Jordan.
In the new season, Tianchao Sports will broadcast one NBA game live every day.
The moment Link stepped off the stage, a sliver of a smile appeared on David Stern's face.
Link becoming the NBA number one draft pick would further open up the Chinese market.
And by next year...
Another player from their country would enter the NBA.
As for the games broadcasted in China, they would most likely follow this rule:
If there's Link, choose Link; if no Link, choose the Lakers.
If no Link and no Lakers, choose the three major shooting guards.
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Link became the 2001 NBA number one draft pick. Although it surprised many people, overall, it was within the realm of reason.
After all, Link's performance over the past six months had been truly dazzling.
The Los Angeles Clippers, holding the second overall pick, chose Tyson Chandler, just like in the previous life. But almost at the same time, Tyson Chandler was traded to the Chicago Bulls.
The Atlanta Hawks, holding the third overall pick, chose the king from Europe—Pau Gasol. Regarding this, the Memphis Grizzlies, who had reached a trade agreement with the Hawks, were not very happy; the person they wanted was Link.
The Grizzlies Team's home court would move from Vancouver to Memphis for the new season, and the team needed a player with both'strength' and 'ticket-selling' appeal.
At this moment, the camera panned to Kwame Brown. Three months ago, he was the heavy favorite for the number one draft pick, but he hadn't even made it into the top three.
This was quite a blow to Kwame Brown, especially since he wasn't a player with a high tolerance for pressure to begin with.
Kwame Brown looked toward Link, who was whispering to the beautiful reporter Clarke, with a somewhat resentful gaze.
That's right!
In Kwame Brown's mind, all of this was caused by Link. If it hadn't been for that McDonalds All-American Game, he definitely wouldn't have fallen out of the top three.
The Chicago Bulls used the fourth overall pick in the first round to select one of the high school big three—'Baby Shaq' Eddy Curry.
When David Stern read his name, the latter clearly breathed a sigh of relief.
As the camera focused on Kwame Brown again, his expression became increasingly unsightly.
Falling in the draft order...
Besides the reduction in media exposure, there was also the corresponding decrease in annual salary.
"Damn Link..." Kwame Brown looked at Link gloomily once more.
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The Golden State Warriors used the fifth overall pick in the first round to select Jason Richardson.
The Memphis Grizzlies used the sixth overall pick in the first round to select Shane Battier.
"Wow... Director Zhang, Kwame Brown, who was a top favorite before the draft, hasn't had his name called yet. This is unreasonable..."
"Based on Kwame Brown's individual performance in high school and his stunning physical test data, it's impossible for him to be ranked this low, right?"
Tianchao Sports commentator Mr. Sun Zhengpin asked with some surprise.
"According to the news we've received from America, it's likely because at the national McDonalds All-American Game, Kwame Brown failed to score several times in a row against Link's low-post defense. This greatly affected his draft value," Director Zhang explained.
Just as the two finished speaking, they heard David Stern read Kwame Brown's name.
The New Jersey Nets used the 7th overall pick in the first round to select Kwame Brown.
At that moment, a clamor broke out at the scene.
The camera showed the area outside Madison Square Garden, where Nets fans waiting in front of the big screen were dancing with joy after seeing them select Kwame Brown.
"Haha, we got a steal!"
"Yeah, we actually got Kwame Brown. Hehe, now our assist master Jason Kidd can average even more assists per game."
"Haha, our New Jersey is going to rise. We'll make it to the Finals at the very least this year."
The Nets fans were exceptionally happy.
Kwame Brown, an interior player with outstanding athletic talent, was simply a perfect match for Jason Kidd.
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The 2001 draft was once evaluated as a weak draft year, even a bust year, but in reality, it was a severely underrated class. This class produced 8 All-Stars, 6 All-NBA players, 1 Finals MVP, and 12 championship members.
The Portland Trail Blazers used the 19th overall pick in the first round to select Randolph.
The Washington Wizards used the 20th overall pick in the first round to select Brendan Haywood, this blue-collar interior player standing 213cm tall and weighing 120kg.
The Sacramento Kings used the 25th overall pick in the first round to select Gerald Wallace, the future King of Cats.
The San Antonio Spurs used the 28th overall pick in the first round to select Tony Parker.
The Golden State Warriors used the 31st overall pick in the second round to select Gilbert Arenas.
After stepping onto the stage, Arenas had a very unsightly expression, his heart seemingly holding back a surge of anger. From time to time, he would look at the number one draft pick below the stage—Link.
Of course, this wasn't to say Arenas only wanted to crush Link; rather, he wanted to crush every single player ranked ahead of him.
The Detroit Pistons used the 38th overall pick in the second round to select Mehmet Okur, this big European player. However, he still had a contract elsewhere and would have to wait until next year to enter the NBA.
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The last name David Stern read at the draft was—Brian Bracey.
He was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 58th overall pick in the second round.
As for the 2 missing picks, they belonged to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but were forfeited due to the dual contract scandal.
With that, all the rookies for the NBA class of 2001 were revealed.