The "Larry Bird" clause is also known as the "Grandfathered Free Agent" clause. As the name suggests, it targets veteran players who qualify.
Simply put, if you play for the same team for three consecutive years and become a free agent afterwards, you are considered a "grandfathered veteran player." The NBA then allows your original team to offer you the maximum contract. Your salary can increase by 10.5% from your previous base, whereas players who don't meet this condition can only increase by 8%. Even if this increase pushes the team's total salary over the salary cap, it's permitted by the rules, as long as it doesn't exceed luxury tax requirements. Additionally, the maximum contract length can be extended from the usual 5 years to 6 years.
In 1984, the NBA, aiming to foster team rivalries like the Celtics and Lakers, deliberately adopted lenient measures for veteran players to enable the Celtics to retain Bird, hence the creation of this clause. This clause is highly beneficial to skilled players, which led owners to later want to abolish it while players fought to protect it. This became the core of the labor dispute at the time.
Of course, increasing the minimum annual salary for players from $272,000 upwards was something the top players did as a side matter, merely to gain the support and trust of players on minimum contracts.
Both sides were resolute in their stance this time. The Players Association even threatened to form a new league to replace the NBA.
The owners of eight teams declared that the players were too greedy, their teams were suffering severe losses, and they were prepared to withdraw from the league and cease further investment.
Ultimately, it was a negotiation—start high, settle somewhere in the middle.
To demonstrate their resolve for a protracted struggle, the leaders of the Players Association adamantly refused to discuss resuming the new season, instead branching out into new ventures beyond basketball.
For instance, Michael Jordan transitioned to the golf course, Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman entered the world of professional wrestling, Shaquille O'Neal ventured into the hip-hop scene, and Allen Iverson, already a veteran in the hip-hop community, took the opportunity to develop the Asian market for sneaker brands.
Kobe Bryant, under the arrangement of Nike, also traveled to major Asian cities to build his fanbase. In Japan and South Korea, Kobe was warmly welcomed. However, in China, Kobe discovered he was being referred to as "He Xi Meng's teammate!"
"Look, that's He Xi Meng's teammate on the Lakers!"
"What's his name again?"
"Isn't it Kobe? The one who's considered part of the Lakers' twin stars alongside He Xi Meng!"
"Oh, I see! I know him, he's a good player! I heard he and He Xi Meng get along well..."
At this time, He Xi Meng had just led the Chinese team to victory in the World Championship in Greece, making him a household name in cities across China!
You might not like basketball, but you couldn't *not* like He Xi Meng!
He was a superstar player who led the Chinese men's basketball team to a world championship...
If the trip to Japan and South Korea boosted Kobe's confidence, then the visit to China severely dented it. He had not anticipated He Xi Meng's popularity in China to have surged to such an extent.
"In two years, for the Olympics, should I proactively apply to join the USA team?" Kobe found himself contemplating this question during his China tour.
After the World Championship in Greece, He Xi Meng also received promotional arrangements from Nike. However, Nike deliberately staggered He Xi Meng's schedule from Kobe's to create continuous buzz, constantly stimulating fan senses and expanding the brand's influence. It had to be admitted that Nike was indeed adept at generating momentum.
He Xi Meng's original plan after the World Championship was to spend quality time with his mother, then return to the United States for training and a vacation. He also planned to visit Kayla on a Caribbean beach.
Kayla had called more than once, urging him to join her on set immediately after the World Championship. Since He Xi Meng's return to China to join the national team and then his departure for Greece for the World Championship, they had been apart for nearly three months. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but three months felt almost like a long separation.
However, as a contracted player for Nike, the annual promotional events were stipulated in his contract, making them an obligation and responsibility He Xi Meng could not refuse. After all, Nike wasn't giving him millions of dollars a year out of charity.
Participating in promotional events was fine, but He Xi Meng added a small request: he wished to bring his mother, Ms. Ren Fengting, along!
He Xi Meng remembered his mother's dream when she was young: to see more of the world. To visit different cities, different countries. But dreams were no match for life; without money or time, she couldn't go anywhere.
Now, the financial problem was solved. As for time... He Xi Meng simply had his mother take a month's leave so she could accompany him on promotional tours across the country.
And so, He Xi Meng fulfilled his obligations to Nike while taking his mother on a sightseeing tour.
They started in Hangzhou, then went to Shanghai, and then traveled south to Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong.
After concluding their southern journey, they turned southwest, visiting Kunming, Chongqing, and Chengdu.
Following their southwestern trip, the original itinerary was to fly directly to the three northeastern provinces.
But He Xi Meng knew his mother had always wanted to see the northwest, so he proactively requested Nike to add a few more promotional stops. They visited Xining, taking the opportunity to tour Qinghai Lake; they went to Lanzhou, visiting Jiayuguan Pass; and they traveled to Urumqi, exploring the Flaming Mountains.
After their northwestern excursion, He Xi Meng and his mother then flew to the three northeastern provinces: Harbin, Changchun, and Shenyang, before finally returning to Tianjin and Beijing!
Starting from Hangzhou and ending in Beijing, this promotional tour lasted a full two months for He Xi Meng and Ms. Ren Fengting. Ren Fengting had originally requested only one month's leave, but unable to resist He Xi Meng's persistent pleas, she requested an extension. Over these two months, mother and son traveled from the southeast to the southwest, from the southwest to the northwest, and from the northwest to the northeast... they essentially traversed the length and breadth of China.
While helping Ms. Ren Fengting fulfill her youthful dreams, He Xi Meng also accomplished his own wish. Before bidding farewell to his mother, He Xi Meng once again urged her to retire early and live with him in the United States.
But Ms. Ren Fengting reiterated her stance: "When you get married and have children, I'll consider going to America..."
Well, seeing how things were, for his mother to move to America, He Xi Meng would first have to consider getting a marriage certificate with Kayla. Perhaps even a marriage certificate wouldn't be enough; he might need to have a child first. Was the price a bit too high?