chsdbacks Chapter 4 Sneaker Endorsements and Summer League
Chapter 4 Sneaker Endorsements and Summer League
When Du Xiaoshuai left the training center, his bank account showed a figure of 50 dollars, which was part of his salary advance.
18-year-old Du Xiaoshuai is finally about to become a multi-millionaire. It wasn't easy...
Mom Wanda Durant was so excited that she kept talking about it the whole way.
In the African American community, it is common for one person's success to bring benefits to their entire family and friends.
Once Kevin Durant becomes a star player, his life as his closest mother will inevitably undergo a dramatic change, which is even more lucrative than winning the lottery!
Even with a mother's overflowing love, the surprise of unexpected wealth is still irresistible.
Agent Rich Kleiman remained calm. This agent, who later became quite famous in the industry, had only been in the business for a short time. Durant was considered his biggest and most valuable asset at the moment.
Durant is currently his cash cow, and as an investment and financial broker, he can certainly contribute to Durant's business empire in the future.
"Kevin, there's more good news. Just now, I received a 7-year, $7000 million sneaker endorsement offer from Adidas." Only then did Ricky Kleiman's tone become enthusiastic.
According to agent contracts, agents only receive 3-4% of the player's contract share. When signing Durant, Richie only received 3% of the player's contract share.
However, the commission rate for commercial endorsement contracts is higher, ranging from 10% to 20%, while the previous contracts of Durant and Rich were 13%, which is neither high nor low in the industry.
Once he signs this Adidas endorsement deal, he'll be a millionaire employee!
The player contracts are a drop in the bucket!
"What did Nike say?" Durant asked casually.
In the NBA, shoe endorsements are arguably the biggest source of income for star players.
As the third lifetime Nike endorser in the league, after only the old rogue and the goat, Durant would certainly prefer to sign with Nike according to the original script.
As a native American with a red heart and black skin, Durant has little reason to sign competitors like Li-Ning and Reebok, especially since the future trend is the Nike alliance.
As for competing with A-Zhan for publicity resources, that's a matter of each having their own abilities.
They are all Black people from the lower rungs of American society who have lost their fathers. As an American company, it is unlikely that Nike would show excessive favoritism among its employees, right?
Besides, we have a system for managing our fans, so what's there to be afraid of!
"Nike offered $6000 million over 7 years last night, including various honors and awards. You went to bed early last night, so I didn't have time to tell you," Richie analyzed. "With Adidas' offer, I think we should still have room for negotiation with Nike."
"Hmm—let's stall for now and negotiate with them after the Summer League," Du Xiaoshuai said.
Du Xiaoshuai is preparing to make a splash in Las Vegas next week, and then sit down with Nike to discuss an endorsement deal.
This year's number one draft pick, Oden, is an inside player. Even if he makes it big, he'll be a player who sells well but not sells well. His draft position is shooting guard and small forward, which are outside players. As long as his stats look good and he plays smoothly, how the hell could he lose to the other side's Oden?
I, Du, have always had a firm grasp on my image and temperament!
Ricky Kleiman hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Next, with the help of his agent, Durant and his mother Wanda rented a lakeside villa in Bellevue.
It's a 20-minute drive from the training center, quiet and comfortable, with a small outdoor basketball court in the yard.
Just like in her previous life, Wanda will take care of her son's life for a while to ensure that he can still focus on basketball after suddenly becoming rich.
The press conference for the rookie signing was quite lively, with most of the attendees being local Seattle media. The atmosphere during the interviews was very friendly, especially since the home team's media couldn't hide their relief and delight after the Portland Trail Blazers' veterinarian announced last night that Oden had a back injury and knee problems that required surgery.
Du Xiaoshuai also unexpectedly accepted an interview with The Oklahoma City Daily.
As the largest daily news media in the village, it is also the property of Bennett's father-in-law, the current owner of Supersonic.
This shows that the owner's preparations for the team's relocation are no longer a charade.
"Why did you choose number 35 as your jersey? Does it have any special meaning to you?" The Oklahoma City newspaper arranged for their star columnist, Barry Trammell, to interview Durant.
This reporter loved to criticize and ask pointed questions. Years later, because he frequently interviewed and criticized Westbrook, he earned the nickname "Mr. Next Question".
But at this moment, his question was quite conventional, after all, the Supersonics had not yet become the home team of the Russian village, and he could not scare away the children at this time.
"You know, my first basketball coach was Charles Craig. He was a gentle and kind person who encouraged and helped me. He had a great influence on my basketball and life when I was a child." Du Xiaoshuai began to answer, nodding his head, with a silent and emotional expression on his face: "But he was shot and killed when he was 35 years old. This kind of thing is very common in the United States. I have no intention of commenting on anything, but I am willing to fight in the highest hall of basketball with his age forever frozen in time. This is my regret. If he had died at the age of 47, I would still choose the number 47 jersey."
......
Jeff Green also attended the media conference. To ease the awkwardness of confessing his love for the Celtics too early during the draft, Green seemed a bit dull throughout, and when he occasionally smiled, he looked like an honest man whose wife had cheated on him.
The two main characters, both newcomers, only exchanged greetings upon meeting and did not interact much.
At this time, Xiao Shuai was still adapting to the introverted role he had cultivated over the past ten years, and his persona as a quiet and taciturn introverted boy was deeply ingrained in people's minds.
After returning, Berry Trammell devoted a significant portion of the Ohio Oklahoma City newspaper to praising Kevin Durant, displaying a somewhat obsequious attitude that seemed even more fawning than the Seattle media reports.
Du Xiaoshuai, who had just installed his computer at home to surf the internet that evening, felt a little awkward after searching for news.
I still prefer his rebellious demeanor when he interviewed Russell a few years later...
For the next few days, Du Xiaoshuai went to the team's training center every day for training.
Complete each set of exercises on time and in the required quantity as instructed by the temporary coaching team and trainers, such as warm-up stretches, long-distance running around the track, spot shooting, dribbling drills, and competitive shooting. Leave work on time and never do extra training!
These training sessions primarily aim to awaken his basketball skills and instincts, which have been dormant for twenty years, allowing him to unleash the full potential he possessed as a foreman in his previous life.
His recovery was quite smooth, mainly thanks to the system's support and the numerous reward badges. He felt that his basketball skills had recovered to at least 90% of his peak.
With the badge bonus, the original body's experience, and a little bit of foresight, as long as he continues to maintain a certain level of training intensity and number of matches, it won't be difficult for him to surpass the original body's peak strength in the future.
The feeling is most pronounced among teammates who train together during the Summer League.
Du Xiaoshuai's entire team played one-on-one, and there wasn't a single player who could fight.
This year's teammate lineup in the league mainly includes Durant, Jeff Green, Kareem Rush, Robert Swift, Mohammed Sidney, Andrian Griffin, Dwayne Mitchell, as well as undrafted players Aaron Myers, Mike Harris, James Miller, and others.
Apart from Du Xiaoshuai and his brother-in-law, everyone else was just there to keep them company.
But to be honest, this roster is a bit perfunctory. There are a lot of guards and forwards, but only two can fill in at the center position: Robert Swift and Mohammed Sini, and both are role players.
Of course, the Summer League isn't very intense; it's a training ground for newcomers and a transitional event from the NCAA to the NBA, so it doesn't get much attention, which is understandable.
In the summer of 07, the league's official summer league was held primarily in two locations: Las Vegas and Orlando.
Du Xiaoshuai represented the Seattle SuperSonics in the Las Vegas Summer League, which has a larger scale and higher profile.
This year, some teams, such as the Celtics and 76ers, will choose to participate in the Sony Summer League held in Orlando, Florida.
However, teams like the SuperSonics, Trail Blazers, and Mavericks are all competing in Las Vegas.
The Thomas & Mark Center is a traditional and core venue for the Las Vegas Summer League, and remained one of the main venues for the event until 25 years later.
July 6, 2007, Thomas & Mark Center, Las Vegas: SuperSonics vs. Mavericks.
The 18500 seats were nearly half full, because the Trail Blazers' veterinarian announced two days ago that number one draft pick Oden would miss the rest of the season due to injury, so the attention on Durant's debut today was much higher.
The official TV channel will broadcast the event live, and FSN Northwest in Seattle and Dallas has also sent recording and interview teams to the venue.
The SuperSonics' head coach for this game was Casey Blair, PJ's lead assistant coach, an assistant coach who also has high requirements for defensive discipline. Of course, his reputation is much better when it comes to developing players.
Casillas' tactics were simple and direct: he started Durant and Green at the same time, giving Durant unlimited shot attempts right from the start, and then letting Green take over the shot attempts when Durant was off the court.
One word—抡 (lun).
Starting point guard Andrian Griffin is a veteran, shooting guard Jeff Green, small forward Kevin Durant, power forward Mohammed Sini, the team's rookie last year, and center Robert Swift, a lottery center from 04. He was injured last season, but came out to warm up in the summer and is now a competent role player.
Let's take a look at Dallas' starting lineup.
Point guard Jose Juan Barea, an undrafted rookie this year; shooting guard Maurice Iger, the 28th overall pick in last year's first round; and small forward Josh Howard, the Mavericks' second option—that's a bit unsportsmanlike!
Although Josh Howard isn't the Magic's "Happy Boy," he was still an All-Star last year. If you ignore his face, which is jokingly called "Ugly Two," he's still a star player to some extent.
Power forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu, an undrafted player, makes much more sense. Center Nick Fazekas - power forward, the 34th overall pick in this year's draft.
The Dallas Mavericks had an excellent record in the 06-07 season, but unfortunately they were upset in the playoffs and were almost completely eliminated in the draft.
Josh Smith's All-Star selection is based on his record; he averaged 18.9 points per game last season, so he has some skill. Today, he's facing off against Kevin Durant, and many people think it's a veteran teaching a rookie a lesson, full of malice, which is also the biggest highlight of today's game.
"Don't be nervous, rookie," Howard, who had just finished his rookie contract and performed well in his special contract year, signing a four-year, $40 million contract, wasn't too opposed to being called back to the Summer League. During warm-ups, he walked over to Durant and said in a friendly tone, "Come on, Bro, get hyped up, be more passionate, I'll give you a chance to shine later."
Hmm? -- Mutual trust boosting?
Or do you think you can take advantage of me?
Du Xiaoshuai glanced at the incredulous face opposite him, nodded, turned and made a high warm-up shot, then silently left.
I don't want to talk to this ugly guy; I'm afraid it will ruin my perfect image.
"Huh? I didn't say anything harsh, did I?" Josh Howard scratched his bright yellow hair, looking somewhat bewildered.
There were also some scouts from other teams on the sidelines. They relaxed and gathered together, chatting about their colleagues. Their main purpose for this trip was to see if the second overall pick in a strong draft year would be a bust, and to analyze Durant's playing style and strengths and weaknesses in depth.
According to the league's long-standing tradition, one of the top two picks is bound to be a bust. Just days after the draft, the number one pick, Oden, got injured. It's uncertain whether this skinny, small-statured second pick can hold up...