While Edgerunners continued its hot streak in the summer series market, Gilbert also represented the Seattle Thunder in this year's NBA Draft.
The draft was held at Madison Square Garden in New York and broadcast worldwide via ESPN to 202 countries and regions.
China's CCTV-5 also aired the draft live because this year featured a Chinese player, Yi Jianlian, who had a chance of being picked in a high draft position.
Previously, Gilbert had dinner with David Stern, who mentioned he could help the Thunder secure a top-three pick. In the end, they actually got the second overall pick.
During the 2006–07 season, even though Ray Allen gave his all, the Thunder still failed to make the playoffs in the highly competitive Western Conference.
This fulfilled Gilbert's previous goal: boosting Ray Allen's stats while ensuring the team had a strong position in the draft.
Perhaps it was because of the college stars Greg Oden and Kevin Durant participating, or maybe because Gilbert attended the draft himself—either way, this draft drew immense attention.
The team had already decided on their draft strategy: they would pick Kevin Durant, so there was little to worry about.
Thus, at David Stern's invitation, Gilbert sat in the front row of the draft, the so-called "green room."
Once the live broadcast started, the camera frequently focused on Gilbert.
The announcer introduced to viewers: "You can see that the famous director Gilbert Landrini is also present at today's draft."
"Yes," the announcer continued, "since Gilbert acquired the Seattle Supersonics, the team's record has not been ideal. Especially after his Arsenal team won the Premier League again this year and reached the Champions League semifinals, Gilbert could no longer tolerate the team's poor performance. He is personally attending the draft in hopes of selecting a future…"
Although Gilbert's presence drew attention, the main focus of the draft remained the incoming rookies.
Before the draft began, Gilbert met Yi Jianlian and offered a few words of encouragement in Chinese. The gesture moved Yi Jianlian greatly, and his U.S. agent was pleasantly surprised, assuming the Thunder might select him.
CCTV-5's live broadcast captured the scene perfectly, with Wei Ping, Bryant Zhang, excitedly saying: "Is this a signal from the Thunder? Could they pick Yi Jianlian with the second pick?"
Another commentator added enthusiastically: "Seattle isn't a bad choice. The city has a good basketball market and cultural environment, which would be excellent for Yi Jianlian's development. And judging by Director Gilbert's demeanor, he seems to value Yi highly."
Far across the ocean, fans watching the draft on television—many of whom had also seen Gilbert's films—were thrilled. With the Thunder holding the second overall pick, could Yi Jianlian become the number two pick?
Of course, some rational viewers noted that the Thunder were entering a rebuilding phase. If Ray Allen stayed, Yi Jianlian going there might have been good. But with Ray Allen leaving, it wasn't an ideal choice. The Thunder wouldn't risk selecting Yi Jianlian, whose level was not yet sufficient to be a rebuilding cornerstone.
This was a fair point, though it drew furious backlash on forums, with dozens of replies mocking the comment until the draft officially started.
The draft began quickly, and David Stern, the league commissioner, appeared, immediately drawing boos from the crowd.
The old man was used to it; every year at the draft, this was practically a required ritual.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the NBA Draft. This year, we not only have many future stars of the league, but the famous director and Thunder owner, Director Gilbert, is also here."
After applause, David Stern wasted no time and officially announced the start of the draft.
"The 2007 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers select Greg Oden from Ohio State University."
The number one pick was settled: Greg Oden, hailed as a once-in-a-decade talent, was chosen. However, few anticipated that Oden would turn out to be injury-prone.
The Thunder had previously hoped that if the Blazers didn't pick Oden, they would select him instead. Gilbert dismissed this idea—Durant, after all, was far superior in every way compared to Oden.
Watching Oden joyfully put on the Blazers cap and give his acceptance speech, Gilbert could only sigh at the unpredictability of fate.
Now it was the Thunder's turn with the second pick.
This moment had Chinese viewers glued to CCTV-5, as they had seen the interaction between Gilbert and Yi Jianlian earlier. Everyone was hopeful—could Yi Jianlian become the second overall pick?
But reality disappointed them. The Thunder, following their predetermined strategy, selected Kevin Durant.
The camera focused on Gilbert, who smiled and applauded, showing his satisfaction with the team's choice.
However, CCTV-5 commentators and Chinese viewers had no reason to feel too down. Yi Jianlian was quickly selected with the sixth overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Although he didn't become the number two pick, sixth overall was still very high, and Yi Jianlian became the fourth Chinese player to enter the NBA.
Yi Jianlian and his American agent were slightly displeased, as according to the original plan, Yi was supposed to play in a major basketball market.
Clearly, Milwaukee did not offer such a market.
With the thirty-first pick in the second round, the Thunder selected Marc Gasol from Spain, the younger brother of Pau Gasol, who was then playing for the Grizzlies.
This pick was made because Gilbert had heard of Marc Gasol in his previous life and thought he was a promising young center worth developing, so he chose him.
With the thirty-fifth pick, the Thunder still had a selection. Initially, the team considered Glenn Davis or Gemario Davis.
However, seeing Gilbert's interaction with Yi Jianlian, they assumed he favored Chinese players and thus chose another Chinese player, Sun Yue.
Gilbert was momentarily surprised by this pick. Apart from Kevin Durant and Marc Gasol, he had not intervened in the team's draft decisions.
He hadn't expected them to select another Chinese player.
If Sun Yue joined the Thunder, he might not win a championship ring. Of course, it was possible he could have a longer career in the NBA and perform better overall.
After the draft, Gilbert gave interviews to reporters.
Discussing the team's draft strategy, Gilbert candidly said: "The team had a plan from the start. We were going to select Kevin Durant."
"Rumor has it that Ray Allen is leaving the team. Is this true?" a reporter asked.
"The team fully respects the player's personal wishes while also considering the team's development. Ray Allen is still deciding, but I think the day he makes his choice is not far off."
CCTV-5 also interviewed Gilbert regarding the selection of Sun Yue and, as instructed, asked him about his thoughts on the Olympics, since Gilbert served as an artistic advisor.
Regarding the choice of Sun Yue, Gilbert said he fully respected the team management's decision.
As for the role of Olympics artistic advisor, Gilbert revealed: "In fact, I will be going to China next month to meet with the Olympic preparation committee."
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