Kohl's Involvement Integral In Signing Chinese Draft Pick

Kohl Downplays Role In Negotiating Multi-Year Deal With First-Round Pick

Bucks Owner Herb Kohl "was integral during the negotiating process" as the team reached a multi-year contract with first-round draft pick Yi Jianlian, according to Charles Gardner of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL.  But Kohl "downplayed his personal role in the discussions and discounted his status as a U.S. senator playing an important part."  Kohl, noting the roles of VP/Business Operations John Steinmiller, GM Larry Harris, CFO Mike Burr and VP Ron Walter, said, "It was a team effort."  There had been speculation that Yi would not sign because of the demographic make-up of Milwaukee, but Kohl said, "It was not a question of our city or the composition of our city in terms of its diversity.  It was a question almost entirely of is he going to have a full chance to play and grow and develop in Milwaukee. ... We made it clear this would happen."  Kohl "declined to divulge the transfer fee" the Bucks paid to Yi's former Guangdong team, but said it was "in that modest range to get a player released from a foreign team."  Under the CBA, the Bucks could not spend more than $500,000 on the transfer fee (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 8/30).  Miami Herald columnist Dan Le Batard, on Kohl reportedly assuring Yi and his reps that the player would receive adequate playing time to prepare for the '08 Beijing Games: “I don’t like my owners meddlesome, but his first responsibility is to make sure the product is taken care of, and it didn’t seem like this guy was going to come play for him unless the senator flew out to China and promised him something” (“PTI,” ESPN, 8/29).

GENERATING REVENUE: In Milwaukee, Don Walker writes if Yi is successful in the NBA, it "could translate into more marketing opportunities and revenue for the franchise, the NBA and the businesses that see China as the next big step."  Kohl: "Our exposure will go up."  Walter said that he "anticipated that a significant number of Bucks games would be broadcast in China."  The sale of those rights is subject to revenue sharing, but that "does not preclude the Bucks from reaching out to Chinese companies who might want to advertise when the Bucks and Yi are on TV in China."  Steinmiller said that the team has seen "increased [sales] activity and interest in Bucks' ticket packages because of Yi," who has endorsement deals with Nike, Coca-Cola and China-based dairy company Yili (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 8/30).