原始版本的故事出处来自美国体育作家大卫·哈伯斯塔姆(David Halberstam)的书里,书名叫《Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made.》(港译迈克尔·乔丹:为万世英名而战),书里提到公牛不愿为乔丹提供天价年薪,经纪人大卫·法尔克为了给公牛管理层施压,拉尼克斯入局,并在谈判的时候让公牛队相信尼克斯会用千万年薪+千万广告代言的方式挖走乔丹.之后一顿扯皮,公牛只能给乔丹3000万美元的年薪。
Jordan isn't operating in a freemarket. Any team other than the Bulls that signs him has to fithis salary——and those of the rest of its players——under theNBA's 1996-97 cap, which will be $24.3 million per team. OnlyChicago is free to pay Jordan as much as it wants, thanks to theso-called Larry Bird Rule, which allows teams to exceed thesalary cap by any amount to hold on to their own free agents.
The 1998–99 NBA lockout was the third lockout of four in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It lasted from July 1, 1998, to January 20, 1999, and forced the 1998–99 regular season to be shortened to 50 games per team and that season's All-Star Game to be canceled. NBA owners reopened the league's collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in March 1998, seeking changes to the league's salary cap system and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) opposed the owners' plans and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary. After the two sides failed to reach an agreement, the owners began the lockout.