"Lin, are you sure this idea will actually land?"
During the London Olympics, Lin Yi had dinner with Kobe. It was a rare, relaxed meeting between the two business partners, and most of the conversation revolved around marketing plans for their jointly owned BodyArmor sports drink.
Lin Yi remembered clearly what happened after BodyArmor first hit the market—Gatorade didn't just take notice, they panicked. And it wasn't hard to see why. In the NBA fan ecosystem, star power was everything.
With Kobe and Lin Yi at the center, and rising stars like Harden, Curry, Griffin, DeRozan, and Westbrook gradually joining as brand ambassadors, BodyArmor's visibility skyrocketed.
Last year's ad—the one built around the 4 a.m. theme—had already become iconic. This summer, after the Olympics, Lin Yi and Kobe planned to follow it up with something even bolder.
Once again, the core concept came from Lin Yi.
The commercial was set in a fantasy world known as the Land of Legends. Lin Yi played the Great Demon King, who had kidnapped Princess Elizabeth Olsen of the realm. To save her, four heroes—Curry, DeRozan, Griffin, and Harden—challenged the Demon King, only to be defeated one after another.
With no other options left, the four heroes set out in search of a weapon powerful enough to turn the tide. That's when they heard a rumor: in the capital stood a legendary blacksmith shop, run by none other than Kobe Bryant himself.
They rushed there, only to be greeted by the blacksmith's apprentice—Westbrook. He looked at them seriously and said, "What you need isn't a weapon. You need energy."
Before they could respond, the legendary blacksmith made his entrance. Kobe handed each hero a bottle of BodyArmor.
"Go," he said calmly. "You'll beat him this time."
Fueled by the drink, the four heroes returned, confidence surging. But when they confronted the Demon King again, Lin Yi merely smiled and pointed behind him.
"BodyArmor," he said. "The strongest sports drink."
The heroes turned around—and froze. Behind the Demon King stood a mountain of BodyArmor bottles.
That was the end of it. The heroes fell once more, and the Demon King lived happily ever after with the princess.
Kobe burst out laughing just imagining the ending. "They lose again? That's cold," he said, clearly amused.
He did have one question, though. "Why didn't you make me the Demon King?"
Lin Yi answered without hesitation. "You're a legend. A figure like that belongs at the forge, not the battlefield."
That did it. Kobe was instantly pleased.
Kobe also liked the idea of Westbrook as his apprentice. He had always admired Westbrook's intensity and told Lin Yi privately, "If anyone carries my spirit forward, it's him."
Lin Yi laughed and gave him a thumbs-up. "If he stays healthy, your missed-shot records are safe."
With the concept agreed upon, the rest was handed over to a professional production team. Filming would begin after the Olympics.
As for the opinions of the other players?
Not necessary.
The money BodyArmor generates for them and the commercial idea would convince them.
Once the ad talk wrapped up, the conversation shifted to basketball.
Both Team USA and China were undefeated at that point.
Kobe smiled and said, "Just don't get knocked out before the finals."
The look in his eyes was clear: I'll handle you then.
Lin Yi didn't overthink it. Still, he felt that if things lined up right, China might actually push the Americans harder than expected.
...
On August 3rd, Olympic play resumed. China faced Brazil in their fourth group-stage game—and fell 90–95.
Brazil's backcourt was simply too strong. Barbosa and Huertas dominated from the perimeter. Barbosa was nearly unstoppable, shooting 11-for-17 from the field, hitting four threes, and finishing with 29 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Yao Ming was subbed off due to pain in his left thigh, which didn't help matters. Because of that, all the scoring pressure landed on Lin Yi since the rest of the team wasn't firing.
It was a tough loss—but also a clear reminder of what waited ahead.
Huertas was just as deadly. He went 8-for-12 from the field, knocked down 5 of his 8 attempts from deep, added a free throw, and finished with 22 points.
Brazil knew better than to challenge China inside. Instead, they leaned into pace—pushing the ball in transition, attacking off the dribble, and pulling up for jumpers before the defense could settle.
That kind of rhythm-heavy, streaky team was exactly what this Chinese squad struggled with the most.
The good news was that Yao's discomfort was nothing serious, and he was cleared to play against Great Britain.
At this London Olympics, the British men's basketball team had, frankly, put themselves in a tough spot. Group A, where Team USA sat, included two clearly weaker teams in Nigeria and Tunisia.
Group B was a different story. Aside from Britain itself, every team had legitimate semifinal potential, and advancement came down to execution, not reputation.
After the loss to Brazil, China stood at 3–1 in Group B. Thanks to their head-to-head wins over Spain and Russia—both also 3–1—they temporarily sat at the top of the group.
The math was simple. Beat Britain, who were already 0–4 and eliminated, and China would lock up first place in Group B. More importantly, they would avoid Team USA until at least the finals.
The British men's basketball team hadn't appeared in the Olympics since 1948. Lin Yi remembered clearly—at least in his previous life—that this very game had once ended in disaster for China. A shocking loss had handed Britain their first Olympic basketball win in 64 years.
This time, though, as the game tipped off on August 5, Lin Yi watched the British roster with open skepticism.
How did we ever lose to this team?
It was obvious almost immediately that Britain simply wasn't on the same level as China's previous opponents. You could feel it just from the defensive pressure—or lack of it.
Outside of Luol Deng, the Bulls' star and the face of British basketball, the rest of the roster was painfully average. That reality explained their long absence from the Olympic stage.
Had the referees not shown a bit of extra patience toward the hosts, China could have won this game by twenty without breaking much of a sweat.
In the end, Lin Yi and Yao Ming carried the load, combining for 57 points. China closed things out comfortably, beating Britain 100–84 in their final group-stage game and advancing as the top seed in Group B.
Waiting for them in the quarterfinals were the reigning Athens Olympic champions—the Argentine men's basketball team.
. . .
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