Rebirth of the Industrial Tycoon

Signing a lifetime contract naturally requires good publicity. Feiyue Sports teamed up with the Lakers to hold a grand signing ceremony for Kobe and invited many media reporters to participate.

The Lakers are of course very willing to cooperate with this kind of publicity activity. After all, promoting their own players is also equivalent to promoting the team, not to mention the life-long contract, which is very topical. If it is hyped up, it can be a very good advertisement. Effect.

Witnessed by reporters' cameras, Kobe signed his name on the contract with a smile on his face, becoming the second player in the NBA to receive a lifetime contract for sneakers.

The next day, the Los Angeles media began to hype Kobe's signing of a lifetime contract.

Los Angeles has always been a bellwether for the American entertainment industry. The Los Angeles media reports soon attracted attention across the United States, and the entire American media also began to report on the fact that Kobe received a lifetime contract.

In fact, the focus of media reports is not the lifetime contract itself, but that Kobe is the second player to receive a lifetime contract after Jordan.

Therefore, this lifetime contract is not the key, but the relationship with Jordan is the key.

At that time, Jordan had an unparalleled influence in the United States. Any news that mentioned Jordan would definitely attract a lot of readers.

American news editors are not fools. They naturally want to take this opportunity to ride on Jordan's popularity, so that they can increase sales. Therefore, the media is clearly reporting on Kobe's lifetime contract, but three sentences are unfavorable to Jordan.

What's more, since Kobe's debut, he has been known as Jordan's successor and is associated with Jordan, which does not seem so abrupt.

Jordan, who has always been popular and has never been surpassed, although he chose to retire for the second time, he still pays attention to NBA news every day.

The fact that Kobe received a lifetime contract was quickly learned by Jordan.

"That kid Kobe actually got a lifetime contract for sneakers?" Jordan pointed at the newspaper in his hand, his tone full of doubt.

Naturally, Jordan was not in a very happy mood. The lifetime contract for sneakers was originally an honor that was exclusive to Jordan alone. Now that there is another Kobe, he is no longer unique. This makes Jordan feel sour in his heart.

Jordan's wife Juanita heard the dissatisfaction in Jordan's tone. She laughed and joked; "Isn't he called your successor? I have watched this young man play, and his style is very similar to yours when you were young, and He is more handsome than you were when you were younger!"

When he was young, Jordan was indeed quite ugly. Not only did he not conform to Western aesthetics, but even with Eastern aesthetics, if he looked at a few photos of Jordan when he was young, he would feel that he was not very good-looking.

Later, as I grew older, maybe the temperament of a superstar gradually developed, or maybe the fans got used to it and didn't think Jordan was ugly. Many people even think Jordan is handsome with great connotation. Uncle.

Compared with the young Jordan, the young Kobe is indeed more handsome. He can be said to have thick eyebrows, big eyes, folded eyes, and handsome features. At least among black people, he is considered handsome.

When his wife complained that he was ugly, Jordan's face darkened and he said: "Kobe is still far from me! This year seems to be his third season, right? Now he averages less than 20 points per game!

Do you know how many points I can score in my third season? Averaged 37.1 points per game! At that time, no one in the NBA could guard me! "

Even the decimal point is so accurate. It seems that although Jordan has retired, his competitive spirit has not diminished at all. He does not want to be compared to young people like Kobe.

Juanita continued: "But this young man's popularity is no less than yours back then. Otherwise, no sports brand would give him a lifetime contract."

"Feiyue Sports is just a second- and third-tier brand. I signed with Nike. How can this be compared to a second- or third-tier brand?" Jordan continued.

"When Nike signed you, wasn't it already a second- or third-tier brand?" Juanita retorted.

At this moment, the phone rang, and it was a call from the agent.

Jordan answered the phone and heard his agent say: "Michael, let me tell you something about a lifetime contract for sneakers."

"I know that Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles signed a lifetime contract for sneakers! I have seen the report." Jordan said.

"Not only Kobe, but also Toronto's Vince Carter. He also got a lifetime contract for sneakers. The signing ceremony will be held the day after tomorrow." The agent said.

"Vince Carter? Is he the rookie who performed very well?" Jordan asked.

"Yes, that's him. He averaged 18 points per game this season. For a rookie, this is a very good statistic. He may become a superstar in the future!" the agent said.

"With only 18 points, can you get a lifetime contract? Is a lifetime contract like a burger from a fast food restaurant now? It's so easy to get it!" Jordan curled his lips disdainfully, and then said: "In my rookie season, I averaged... 28.5 points!”

Two days later, another "Jordan successor" Vince Carter also received a lifetime contract.

While the popularity of Kobe Bryant's lifetime contract has not dissipated, the media quickly followed suit and started a wave of hype, and the effect was very good.

Due to the NBA lockout, Jordan chose to retire for the second time. Jordan's figure can no longer be seen in the NBA this season.

Therefore, there are many Jordan fans who transfer their love for Jordan to the so-called "Jordan's successors", and Kobe and Carter are the two players most promising to become Jordan's successors, which also makes this Wave heat was very successful.

However, many sports commentators have expressed doubts about the lifetime contracts of the two people, believing that these two people are not worthy of lifetime contracts at all.

Kobe has been playing for three seasons. Although his statistics have improved greatly in each season and he has also entered the All-Stars, there is indeed a big gap between his strength and Jordan's at the same time.

You must know that Jordan, who was in his third grade, was already a god-like presence on the court. Various NBA record books began to be gradually dominated by Jordan's name.

And even compared to the third-year players of other stars, Kobe does not have an advantage.

Among the stars of the same class, Iverson and Raheem have better statistics than Kobe. For now, he is not the strongest player in the 1996 class.

Although Kobe participated in the draft as a high school student and was younger than others, in comparison, Kevin Garnett, who also participated in the draft as a high school student, had better data in his third grade than Kobe.

Kobe Bryant is also very good now, but there is still some gap between him and the standard for signing a lifetime contract. It is normal for media people to question him.

After all, Kobe is still a third-year student, so he has some qualifications in the NBA. Another Vince Carter got a lifetime contract before his rookie season was over, which caused even greater controversy.

As a rookie player, Carter's statistics are very impressive, and he also led the team to the playoffs, which is considered an outstanding achievement.

But Carter can only be regarded as one of the outstanding rookies in this class, and compared with the strongest rookies in the past, he is also far behind.

Duncan, the Rookie of the Year last year, and Allen Iverson, the Rookie of the Year the year before, both produced star-level statistics in their rookie seasons.

Going forward, Stoudemire and Grant Hill also had better data than Carter in their rookie seasons. Not to mention that there were monsters like O'Neal before.

These seniors all performed better than Carter in their rookie seasons, but none of them have yet received a lifetime contract. Carter has a lifetime contract. How could this not arouse doubts from the media and jealousy from other players.

But with the personalities of Kobe and Carter, they don't care about this. The two of them were already the best among their peers, and had long been accustomed to the envious and jealous looks of others.

Especially Kobe, with his arrogant heart, he also thinks that it is natural for him to get a lifetime contract. Those who criticize me are all sour grapes!

In addition to the doubts of sports commentators, the lifetime contract also offended other sports brands.

Feiyue Sports has given its contracted stars lifetime contracts, so will stars from other brands also want a lifetime contract for sneakers?

What's more, Kobe and Carter are still young players with relatively little experience in the NBA and are not top-notch. They both have lifetime contracts for sneakers, so those stars who have played for many years and are very capable need a lifetime contract. The contract seems not excessive, right?

At that time, Kobe was not the number one player in the NBA, and Carter was not a demigod. There were a lot of people in the NBA who were stronger than the two of them. Since those who were better than me had lifetime contracts, I was naturally qualified to ask for one. A lifetime contract.

If all the stars come to negotiate lifetime contracts, will the sports brands give them or not?

If you give it, it seems that you will lose money. If you don't give it, the stars may switch to other brands.

The cost of lifetime sneaker contracts is very high. If major sports brands follow up, the cost of publicity will increase significantly. If they do not follow up, they may lose stars. This is a dilemma.

In the final analysis, Germany is not qualified. Kobe and Carter are not worthy of a lifetime contract now. Feiyue Sports gave the two lifetime contracts, which is equivalent to lowering the threshold of a lifetime contract.

If a lifetime contract is given, but the peak period of this star is relatively short, and he becomes a bad player in a few years, or suffers serious injuries and his strength drops significantly, then the lifetime contract will be a loss. A lot of money.

This situation is very common in the NBA, even for most players. Once their peak period is over, no one cares about them quickly.

The peak period of most stars only lasts a few years, and there are really only a few stars who have played for more than ten years and endured for a long time.

Kobe and Carter are just the kind of legendary superstars who have been prosperous from their debut to their retirement. Therefore, Feiyue Sports gave two people a lifetime contract, which must be a sure profit without loss.

At NBA headquarters, Adam Silver knocked on the door of President David Stern's office.

Adam Silver is still the senior chief executive of the NBA. He will not become the vice president of the NBA until a few years later.

David Stern was sitting behind the office assistant, flipping through the documents in his hand.

Seeing Adam Silver come in, Mr. Stern raised his head and asked, "Adam, what's the matter?"

"Mr. President, recently, Feiyue Sports gave Kobe Bryant of the Lakers and Vince Carter of the Raptors a lifetime contract for sneakers. Is this something you should know?" Silver asked.

Stern nodded: "Is there any problem?"

"I heard some rumors that other sponsors think that Feiyue Sports has broken the rules." Silver continued; "The lifetime contract for sneakers is very precious, and only Jordan has ever gotten it.

With Jordan's strength, there is nothing to say about getting a lifetime contract, but Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter are still young players, one is a third-year player, and the other is just a rookie.

Although they are all called Jordan's successors, they are still far from Jordan, and their strength is not enough to match a lifetime contract. Should we take care of it? "

Stern shook his head: "Whether these two young men deserve a lifetime contract is not decided by us, but by their sponsors. What kind of contracts the sponsors provide to the players is entirely up to them. It’s a business transaction and we have no right to interfere!”

"But I'm worried that other sponsors will have objections." Silver said.

"Even if they have an opinion, they have to hold it in. It's not like they paid for a lifetime contract for the sneakers! If someone else pays for it, why should they have any say?"

Mr. Stern curled his lips and said seriously: "Adam, although we are NBA managers, we don't have to take care of everything, let alone take a stand on everything.

As long as it does not touch the normal operation and order of the league and does not challenge our management of the NBA, there is no need for us to talk about many things in detail! Sometimes being vague can actually be beneficial to all parties. "

Xiao Hua did not refute, but he frowned slightly, as if he did not agree with Mr. Stern's harmonious management style.

Mr. Stern continued: "And I think that the lifetime contract is not necessarily a bad thing for us. This season, Jordan retired again, which is another crisis for the NBA. .

This season, stadium attendance and TV ratings have dropped significantly. The shortened season is one reason, and the loss of Jordan is another.

So we need to create some new highlights to attract the audience to pay attention to the NBA again. The best way is to find a replacement for Jordan. "

Xiao Hua hesitated for a moment, then said: "Sir, when Jordan retired for the first time, you tried to cultivate Jordan's successor."

What Silver said was that Stern tried to cultivate Grant Hill as Jordan's successor. However, injuries ruined Hill. In the end, he did not become the second Jordan and carry the banner of the NBA.

I saw Mr. Stern let out a long sigh and said: "The plan back then did not succeed. Although Hill is very popular, he is not strong enough to compete with Jordan. What Jordan can do, he cannot do." arrive.

So this time, I don’t plan to bet on one person. I want to train a few more young people. If one is not enough, I will have two. If two are not enough, I will have four. As long as we are not too unlucky, there will always be someone who can be like Jordan. That way, you can carry the entire NBA! "

Mr. Stern is going to start recruiting godsons. If one is not enough, he will have two. If two is not enough, he will have four. If he has a few more godsons, there will always be someone who can become a talented person.

This sentence from the old man means that the era of the four major shooting guards has officially arrived!

In a supermarket in Chicago, a big black man over two meters tall was pushing a cart to deliver goods.

This big man is none other than this year's Bulls rookie Ron Artest, the future Metta World Peace.

Metta Shiping grew up in Queens, New York. The neighborhood where he lived was not very safe, gangs were often in contact, and drug dealing was rampant.

After Ci Shiping was selected by the Bulls, he invited relatives and friends from New York to come to Chicago for a visit. As a result, relatives brought relatives and friends brought friends. A large number of people came and lived and ate at Ci Shiping's place for dozens of days.

After his relatives and friends left, Ci Shiping found that he had no money and could not even pay the rent.

In fact, as an NBA rookie, Ci Shiping's salary is not low, but this salary is not paid in one lump sum, so before receiving his next salary, Ci Shiping is really impoverished.

So he had no choice but to work in a supermarket to earn extra money to make ends meet.

As an NBA player, who did not eat, drink, whore, gamble or smoke, but was reduced to working in a supermarket, Ci Shiping could be said to be able to do what others could not.

Just as Ci Shiping was putting a bag of toilet paper on the shelf, a voice suddenly sounded from the side: "Hello, are you Ron Artest?"

Ci Shiping was stunned and thought to himself that he was just a rookie and had just arrived in the city of Chicago. He didn't expect that someone would recognize him.

But Ci Shiping did not admit it immediately. After all, as an NBA player, it is not a very glorious thing to go to the supermarket to do odd jobs.

"Maybe this person is my fan. I didn't expect that there are also my fans in this strange city. If I don't admit it, wouldn't my fans be very disappointed?"

After hesitating for a moment, Ci Shiping nodded: "Yes, I am Artest. Do you want my signature? But I don't have a pen with me now. I need to borrow one."

The other party took out a business card and handed it over, and then said: "Hello, Mr. Artest, I am the publicity director of Feiyue Sports. I wonder if you are interested in being our spokesperson!"

"Let me be the spokesperson?" Ci Shiping was surprised again. He didn't expect that he was a newcomer. It was hard to say whether he could gain a foothold in the NBA, but a sports brand asked him to be the spokesperson!

Ci Shiping suddenly felt flattered.

Just listen to him say: "The endorsement thing is easy to talk about, but can you pay me a deposit first? I have to pay the rent I owe the landlord."

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