Chapter 368: Award Ceremony (1)
“Yeah, yeah, put it there.”
Inside Golden 1 Arena, Chen Yilun was directing staff as they hung the massive championship banner high above the court ahead of schedule.
As the team’s record had risen rapidly, the once-empty space above the arena ceiling was gradually becoming more and more crowded.
“In the blink of an eye, it’s already our fifth year.”
Malone looked up at the banners and couldn’t help but sigh.
“Who would’ve thought? When you first came to Sacramento, I figured Ranadivé had just brought you in as a scapegoat, a puppet to take the blame. And now, just like that, you’re on the verge of becoming the architect of a dynasty.”
“It’s still too early to say that.”
Chen Yilun murmured as he looked at the three championship banners hanging side by side.
“My goal is to fill the entire ceiling of this arena with championship banners.”
“That’s a bold claim.”
Malone laughed. “What, trying to become the next Bishop?”
“I don’t want to become anyone.”
Chen Yilun’s gaze burned with intensity.
“I am who I am. I won’t be anyone’s replacement. The era I build will belong to me alone.”
“Mr. Chen, the rings are ready.”
Prince entered the arena, spotted Chen Yilun chatting with Malone, and jogged over.
“Good.”
Chen Yilun nodded. “I’ll go inspect them now.”
The championship rings were Chen Yilun’s top priority at the moment. They were incredibly expensive—nothing could go wrong.
Inside Chen Yilun’s office, a squad from a professional security company stood on full alert, armed and waiting for his arrival.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Chen Yilun stepped in briskly, immediately spotting the bulletproof briefcase held by the security guard.
“No problem, Mr. Chen. Now that you’re here, let’s inspect them.”
The team leader lifted the briefcase and handed it to Chen Yilun.
After entering the password, a row of dazzling rings appeared before him.
For this batch of championship rings, the Kings’ owner, Ranadivé, had spared no expense. The ring bodies were made entirely of white gold, with the faces set with brilliant diamonds.
At the very center, the Kings’ logo was carved from a single solid piece of amethyst.
“Beautiful.”
Chen Yilun couldn’t help but admire them.
Championship rings weren’t just symbols of honor—they were exquisite works of craftsmanship in their own right.
“This is the first batch. The remaining two batches are still in production,”
Prince reported from the side.
The first batch was the most important—and the most expensive.
All materials were top-tier, and the craftsmanship was the most complex. Everything was handcrafted, reserved exclusively for the championship players and core management.
The remaining staff would also receive rings, but those would be machine-made.
“No problems. Thanks for the hard work.”
After checking everything, Chen Yilun signed his name on the handover form.
“Hurry up with the preparations. Time’s tight, and the lighting setup in the upper levels still isn’t finished.”
Chen Yilun frowned slightly as he looked at Prince.
“Where are McNair and Graham?”
“Them?”
Prince thought for a moment.
“McNair’s probably backstage handling guest invitations. Graham’s upstairs checking the lighting installation.”
This year, the Kings were introducing a new tradition. During the offseason, they had installed a massive spotlight system above the arena. In future games, whenever the team won, the standout player of that game would press a button to light up the spotlight.
This idea was something Chen Yilun had borrowed from a future Kings tradition.
A ritual with this much ceremony was one of the best ways to build team culture.
Just as Chen Yilun was running around nonstop, Ranadivé walked over with a smile.
“Working yourself to the bone?”
Seeing Chen Yilun like this, Ranadivé laughed.
“You’re telling me.”
Chen Yilun shook his head with a wry smile. “Feels even more exhausting than the trade deadline.”
“You’re already a shareholder. Leave this kind of work to the people below. You shouldn’t be running around doing errands anymore.”
“That’s easy for you to say.”
Chen Yilun laughed it off.
“You handed me an entire franchise and became a hands-off owner. Of course you can say that.”
“Look at you. When I don’t get involved, you say I’m hands-off. If I actually step in, you’re unhappy again.”
As a Silicon Valley tycoon, Ranadivé naturally wanted to make his mark even in unfamiliar territory. But Chen Yilun’s presence shone so brightly that it left no room for anyone else.
Ranadivé was smart enough not to interfere.
Someone all but destined to be written into the history of world basketball—if he were held back by meddling from the side, future generations would have no idea how harshly they might judge him.
“We can’t keep chatting. I’m really running out of time.”
After greeting Ranadivé, Chen Yilun hurried off to deal with the rest of the preparations.
Watching Chen Yilun’s retreating figure, a trace of a smile passed through Ranadivé’s eyes.
You can nurture flowers with care and see them never bloom, yet plant a willow without intention and watch it thrive.
Ranadivé chuckled to those beside him.
“That little hyena has grown into a full-fledged lion. It’s the league that can no longer keep up with his pace.”
Chen Yilun might not realize it, but Ranadivé knew very well.
Over the past two years, Chen Yilun’s rise had already made the league’s top brass feel a sense of crisis.
As a commercial league, Adam Silver hoped for the emergence of a new dynasty to help him step out from under David Stern’s lingering shadow.
But the Kings’ dynasty didn’t fit his vision.
Because Chen Yilun was an executive—unlike players, he didn’t have a so-called peak.
A dynasty like this was bad news for the league as a whole.
By now, the league was probably already thinking of ways to rein Chen Yilun in.
Changing policies just to restrict a general manager—that was a level of “treatment” once reserved only for Red Auerbach.
“Hard to say whether the kid can withstand the pressure from the league.”
Ranadivé muttered to himself.
Those problems were for Chen Yilun to figure out. He would be more than happy to remain a carefree hands-off owner.
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