I just want to play healthy basketball

Chapter 36 Sneaker contract, authoritative certification! (for collection)

"He Li, it's time to make the final decision!"

what decision?The decision to sign a sneaker contract!
This summer, He Li came to New York, not only practicing to improve his strength, but also shooting commercials to increase his commercial value.

After the Boston Summer League, He Li's net worth doubled, and a large number of commercial endorsements came one after another.

Accompanied by his manager Jeff Austin, He Li carefully selected some endorsements. In just one month, there were millions of dollars in his pocket.

However, no decision has been made on the four aspects of sneakers, beverages, vehicles and electronic products, which account for a large proportion of the commercial value of basketball players.

The latter three can be shopped around and continue to be up for grabs, but the sneakers really need to be finalized before the start of next season's regular season.

In terms of sneakers, there are many sports brands competing for He Li. Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Converse, and the just-emerged AND1 are all in contact and negotiating with He Li's agent, Jeff Austin.

In fact, as early as after the draft, these brands approached He Li, but they were rejected by Jeff Austin at that time. Of course, He Li also knew about it.

The sneaker contracts of NBA players are roughly divided into three categories. The first category is sneaker sponsorship, the second category is endorsement contracts, and the third category is multi-year contracts, that is, long-term contracts.

The three categories correspond to rookies and bench players, stars, and all-stars.On top of the All-Stars, there is also a superstar-signature shoe contract.

He Li was the 16th overall pick in the first round, and he received a sneaker sponsorship contract from various companies at the beginning.

The highest among them is the 4-year 100 million cash contract provided by Converse, plus the equipment contract of 5 vouchers per year.

If He Li accepts such a sponsorship contract, not only will he get money, but he can also wear a lot of sports equipment for free, such as sneakers, jerseys, knee pads, and masks.As for the 5 voucher, He Li can use it for his family if he can’t use it, or donate it to schools and charities.

That sounds pretty good!
But with He Li's current reputation, it costs more than 30 US dollars a year just to accept advertisements for diapers. Is He Li short of 5 US dollars in vouchers?

As long as He Li plays a little bit better in the regular season, it's not difficult to sign a one-year endorsement contract worth RMB 300 million.

Although insiders don’t buy shoes, and the Bucks are a small ball market, you must know that He Li is the first Asian player to be selected in the first round. He Li is backed by the Chinese market. Whether it’s Nike or Adidas, who doesn’t want to open the Chinese market?
He Li can sign a big endorsement contract just by relying on his skin color and background, not to mention that he is now a first-round pick and the brightest star in the Boston Summer League.

Previously, He Li's commercial value was far underestimated, and the sponsorship contracts offered by various companies were simply to send off beggars.

When Jeff Austin came into contact with this kind of sponsorship contract, he helped He Li to reject it, and He Li also agreed with it.

Having said that, in fact, Jeff Austin did not expect He Li to be able to play, but with his rich work experience and keen insight into business, Jeff Austin knew very well that He Li could never be fooled by a sponsorship contract.

Jeff Austin firmly believed that it would not take long for He Li to sign an endorsement contract in line with He Li's status and strength, which was at least tens of millions of dollars, and he, Jeff Austin, could also profit millions of dollars from it.

Indeed, He Li did not keep Jeff Austin waiting long, and various sports brands did not disappoint Jeff Austin.

The Boston Summer League is sponsored by Reebok. He Li played 30+10 performances in three consecutive games in the Boston Summer League. Reebok took the initiative to contact him, hoping to sign a long-term contract with He Li.

Long-term contract, one step in place, at least 5 years.There are big contracts, exclusive sneakers for players, salary guarantees, incentive clauses, product allowances, and most importantly, sneakers and apparel sales!
It is normal for NBA players to break up with their agents. When an agent negotiates a contract with a player, it is usually a one-off deal. Therefore, the agent will sometimes make decisions that are not good for the player for their own benefit.

But when it comes to signing a long-term contract, it's different!

The agent takes over the player's long-term sneaker contract. Even if the agent is fired by the player in the future, he can still get his share of the sales during the long-term contract.

The sales share of the long-term contract is not as high as the sales share of the signature shoe contract. The former is only 1% to 2%, and the latter may be 3% to 5%. If it reaches the level of Jordan, it may be more than 10%.

But in any case, a sales share is better than no incense.

Players with long-term contracts earn money from the sale of sneakers every year. There are still several million dollars. For the agent, that is hundreds of thousands of dollars!

In order to help He Li sign a more valuable long-term contract, and also for Jeff Austin's own interests, Jeff Austin took Reebok's five-year long-term contract of 5 million and had a new round of contact with several other sports brands.

These days, the sneaker contract of a star follows the salary of the star. A star who is eligible to sign a maximum salary will also have a maximum salary in his sneaker contract.

For example, when Kobe entered the NBA in 96, he received a 6-year 4800 million contract from Adidas.

The NBA salary cap in 96 was 2436 million. Before the Rose Clause appeared, the NBA maximum salary contract was 30% of the salary cap, that is, the maximum salary in 96 was 730.8 million.

Kobe played for the Lakers, an NBA giant located in the big city of Los Angeles. The commercial value is higher, and the long-term contract has increased to 800 million per year, which is actually quite in line with the truth.

What is really outrageous is the 03-year 7 million contract that Nike gave James in 9300!
You must know that the salary cap in 03 was only 4384 million, and the maximum salary was 1315.2 million. Cleveland is a small ball market, and the Cavaliers are a big team.

Closer to home, as early as early July, the NBA has notified the teams of the salary cap for the next season. The salary cap for the 7-01 season is 02 million, and the maximum salary is 4250 million.

Reebok's 5-year 2800 million is not without sincerity. This year's NBA starters only have a salary of 300 million, and an average annual salary of 560 million can serve as the second leader in a weak team.

However, He Li's current potential is an All-Star, and with an annual salary of 560 million, he can't sign an All-Star player.

Jeff Austin ran around for many days and got a higher price for He Li. Now everything that needs to be discussed has been negotiated, and the rest is waiting for He Li to make a final decision.

Then Jeff Austin can happily count the money.

Now He Li has three contracts in front of him.

The first is Reebok, 5 million in 4600 years. Although it is not the maximum salary, it can also see the sincerity of Reebok.

The second is Nike, 4 million in 3800 years.The long-term contract is usually more than 5 years, but the contract given by Nike is not much different from other long-term contracts, the only difference is that it is a little shorter.

This seems to indicate that Nike is interested in the Chinese market behind He Li, but they are not optimistic about He Li's ability to play, so they only sign for 4 years.

The third is Converse, who gave the most and the longest contract period, 6 million in 6100 years, which is really attractive.

As for Adidas, it was eliminated in the previous round of selection process.Adidas only offered 6 million yuan for 3400 years, not much different from Reebok's previous 5-year 2800 million contract.

In fact, it is normal for Adidas to be so arrogant. Kobe, who has won three consecutive championships, can let go. It is more normal to look down on He Li.

Besides, insiders don't sell shoes, and Adidas has Duncan and Garnett under its banner, so there is no shortage of insiders.

"He Li, what is your final decision?" Jeff Austin hoped that He Li would make a decision earlier, and he couldn't wait to count the money.

He Li stared at one of the contracts, and said with a final word: "Nike, I accept Nike's offer!"

"Why?" Jeff Austin asked aloud.

Although Jeff Austin brought these three contracts to He Li, he didn't think He Li would choose Nike with the least money, and he didn't want He Li to choose Nike.

So Jeff Austin deliberately put Nike in the middle and Converse, which gave the most money, at the end.

"The reason why I chose Nike is very simple, because I believe that I can sign a [-] million sneaker contract in four years!"

What else could Jeff Austin do when he heard He Li say that?Is it possible to prevent He Li from signing with Nike?It's not like He Li can't fire him now!

"Okay, I support you!" Jeff Austin went out to make a phone call, planning to meet with Nike's manager. The two parties invited some media reporters to find a place to go through the signing process in public.

After Jeff Austin left, He Li rubbed his hands, looking forward to the future.

He Li quickly thought of the regular season and the All-Star Game.

He Li's choice of Nike is definitely not to prepare for the next long-term contract or a signature shoe contract. The reason why He Li signed Nike is very simple, because Nike has a stronger influence in the NBA, a business league.

If Adidas is also among the three contracts, He Li can think about it again. If one of the three options is Nike or Adidas, then He Li will only choose these two.

After all, in the next few years, Converse will be acquired by Nike, Reebok will be acquired by Adidas, and Nike and Adidas will become the two most influential sports brands in the NBA.

The NBA is a commercial league, and these two companies have a very large influence on the NBA. Didn't the NBA finals fmvp basically be monopolized by these two companies?

Curry lost the fmvp in 15 years, and Nike's players can win the fmvp for 12 consecutive times.

Curry does not have a cylinder, but Harden and other players who signed Adidas and Nike have body whistles.

This is the reason why it is good to enjoy the shade under the big tree!
He Li doesn't ask for Nike to help He Li win the treatment that James just entered the league. After all, He Li doesn't hold the ball very much and doesn't need Tianlong's eight-step layup.

He Li only hopes that Nike's big contract can protect him and reduce his risk of injury on the court.

The other is the All-Star Game. With the backing of the Chinese market, He Li may be able to start the All-Star Game next season.

If He Li didn't sign a contract with Nike, he might be smeared by Nike, Adidas and other brands, but if He Li signed a contract with Nike, Nike would die of joy?At that time, even if the public opinion is unfavorable to He Li, Nike will help He Li reduce the pressure of public opinion.

In addition, the signing of Nike with He Li is itself an authoritative certification.

Does Kwame Brown have a 4-year, 3800 million sneaker contract as the No. [-] pick?Tyson Chandler as the No. [-] pick?What about Pau Gasol's No. [-] show?
Well, only He Li stands out and signed the big contract offered by Nike!

Is Nike stupid?If Nike is really stupid, it will dig out Jordan and make a lot of money?
Therefore, when Nike gave He Li a big contract, he declared to the sports media and other NBA players that He Li is an All-Star and the next superstar!
It was Nike who deliberately pulled it out to fight with inside players such as Duncan and Garnett of Adidas!

(End of this chapter)