super small forward

Chapter 595. 595. The Pioneer of "Bankruptcy"

2015年11月24号，耐克和刘仁在洛杉矶联合召开新闻发布会，宣布旗下新品牌Air-Boss正式成立！AIR-BOSS一代和二代战靴将于2015年12月24号和2016年2月10号开售！
Originally people thought that Liu Ren was going to announce the sale date of the third pair of signature shoes. It was like this in the past two years, but the announcement was made in early January.

But after knowing that Nike established a new brand for Liu Ren, the entire sports world boiled!
The second player in the entire sports history to enjoy such treatment!
Apart from those like Li Ning who started their own sporting goods company, Liu Ren is the second athlete in the entire sports history who has a sports brand giant establish a new brand for him!
Only Michael Jordan before, Liu Ren is the second!
Although there are many Nike series, this independent sub-brand is the second!
In this era of information explosion, the Internet exploded in an instant.

"This is too much confidence in the boss! They think the boss will become the second Michael Jordan?" Even the Lakers fans are incredible.

"You're not right. From the perspective of sneaker sales, Boss is already at Jordan's level. With only two pairs of signature shoes, he helped Nike sell nearly 200 million pairs of shoes last season! Not only that, but also let the The sales of Kobe's sneakers have almost doubled in two years! You must know that Kobe's sneaker sales have been declining since 11, but they have been skyrocketing since the 13-14 season."

"I'm going to buy a few pairs of Boss's only two pairs of shoes in Nike. According to Nike, it will suspend the production of old sneakers in about 5 years. They estimate that it will take another two years to wait for Boss's new brand sneakers to increase. They will make these two pairs of shoes out of print, and then rush to buy them every one or two years like squeezing toothpaste. They have done this kind of thing too many times, I think I should buy a few pairs and put them away.”

"That's right, maybe it will be auctioned after ten years."

"I'm going to buy too..."

"..."

"..."

Sure enough, as Linda expected, when the news of the establishment of the new brand came out, the previous two sneakers were almost out of stock within a day!
In this regard, Liu Ren said that Nike has done a good job in this wave of non-discount promotions, and then the first boots of the new brand will not worry about sales.

The reason is very simple, just like the air-Jordan generation of combat boots can no longer be bought now, and can only be bought at auction or at a high price from collectors, the air-boss generation does not have to think that this will be the case in the future.

As for the quality of Liu Ren's new brand...it's not what fans consider at all.

Although it is a new brand, it is still a Nike brand just like air-Jordan. The manufacturing process, the technology used, and the materials are all the same as Nike. Even the shape design is still in charge of Nike designers, but the logo has been changed. That's all.

……

……

On December 12th, the morning of the match between the Lakers and Trail Blazers, Liu Ren came to the Toyota Center.

As before, start with 300 blue shots, 50 each from the five positions outside the three-point line and [-] free throws.

However, it felt a little weird to cast Liu Ren. When I looked back, I found several people were staring at me.

"What are you doing?" Liu Ren looked at them and felt as if he wanted to be stared at by a group of wolves.

"Ah...it's okay, boss, you can continue to practice, don't worry about us."

Liu Ren felt weird and continued to shoot.

After throwing a basket of balls, Liu Ren was just about to pick up the ball when he found LaVine coming over with a basket of balls.

"Boss, keep shooting, and I'll pick it up for you." After speaking, LaVine went to pick up the ball.

"..."

Liu Ren discovered for the first time that Lavin is so diligent without being kicked!
This training feels a bit awkward!

It took Liu Ren half an hour to finish the pre-training preparations. Just as Liu Ren was about to get the towel, Antetokounmpo had already handed it over.

"..."

Liu Ren held the towel and was speechless for a while, and then sat on the bench beside the training ground wiping his sweat, when Whiteside decisively offered Gatorade.

"..."

The corners of Liu Ren's mouth twitched. I didn't expect that Whiteside, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, was also such a person.

"Tell me, what exactly do you want to do?" Of course, Liu Ren guessed that these three guys with malicious intentions would definitely not show their courtesy for nothing.

"Boss, are we brothers?" Lavin directly hooked Liu Ren's shoulder regardless of Liu Ren's sweat.

"No." Liu Ren answered decisively.

"It's too much! Boss! I treat you as a brother, but you don't treat me as a brother!" Lavin looked like a wronged little daughter-in-law.

"You're going too far! I treat you like a son, but you treat me like a brother!"

"..." LaVine was completely speechless.

"Okay, if you have something to say, tell me quickly." Liu Ren stopped joking.

"Boss, what do you think of me?" LaVine instantly returned to his original nature.

"It's pretty good. In another two years, I might be able to make it to the All-Star." Liu Ren told the truth, meaning that it would take at least two years for LaVine to reach the league's first-tier level. , although there are also super geniuses like Wall, Irving, and Lillard who quickly became first-line point guards in the second grade, they are a minority after all. LaVine has talent, but the level of development is far behind that of Irving and others. None of them are the core of UCLA. He averaged only 9 points per game in college. Entering the NBA is pure talent.

"Then boss, do you want to consider signing me? It seems that your sneaker brand hasn't signed a spokesperson yet." LaVine said his purpose.

"I can't help it. Nike won't let them go. They're not blind." Liu Ren rolled his eyes at LaVine. Nike is already preparing to train LaVine as Kobe's successor. After LaVine stands up in the NBA, he will definitely There are top-notch endorsements, and LaVine is a member of Nike's potential star group. Nike has the right to match. It is even more impossible for Liu Ren to let Linda poach his own people, and his own people will raise prices for his own people.

The most important thing is that air-boss, a newly established subsidiary, has no money at all. It has to wait until Liu Ren's first generation of boots are sold before he can afford to sign endorsement stars. After all, the company is independent and promotes independence, except for Liu Ren in Nike. The endorsement fee paid by the head office matches the salary of the player, and Linda has to pay for the rest.

Of course, there are exceptions to this. If Liu Ren or Linda scoop up popular superstars from other big brands, Nike will help pay for the endorsement fee for the first year.

Moreover, Liu Ren will not have too many brand spokespersons, at most three to four, otherwise he will not be able to support them, and the expensive ones are not expensive.

Just like air-Jordan, air-Jordan has only four spokespersons, formerly Anthony, Paul, Wade, and Ray Allen.

Now that Wade has left Nike, Ray Allen has retired, and after newly signing Griffin, there are only three spokespersons.

And only Anthony and Paul have personal signature shoes. In the past, Wade only issued PE, without signature shoes, let alone Griffin. The shoes of big men are hard to sell. Howard’s sneakers in Adidas during his peak They can't be sold.

There are only ten people in the entire NBA who own signature shoes.

"NO! I still want to have sneakers of your brand with Boss! Boss, I'm a player under your banner. Did you just abandon me like this?"

"Don't be disgusted, speak your heart."

"Nike's hooks are so ugly, I want to wear sneakers with your dunk action, and I will dunk like that in the future, maybe people will think it is my brand."

"roll!"

LaVine said he was hurt.

"What about me, boss, what about me! My two-year endorsement contract with Adi has just expired." Antetokounmpo looked hopeful. His endorsement contract with Adi is 160 million for two years. He just came to the Lakers When he switched jobs to Chiu Niu’s agency, he got the endorsement right away. He was very surprised at the time. You must know that many players like him who sell potential cost almost 30 million a year in endorsement fees in the early stage, but as he got more and more The stronger it gets, the more cheap the endorsement will be.

"I plan to give you a 500 million one-year endorsement contract for ten years." Liu Ren replied.

Antetokounmpo was instantly pleasantly surprised. The endorsement fees of Anthony, Paul and others were only 700 million a year. The fee is only 7 million in 5000 years. For a large player, Antetokounmpo thinks that the 500 million endorsement fee is already a surprise!
You know, there are nearly 450 players in the NBA, 70.00% of them, that is, about 300 people have endorsement contracts with sneaker brands, but about 200 of them have commodity contracts signed once a year, that is, tens of thousands to tens of thousands of players. The endorsement fee is less than [-], and the sneakers worn in each game are given by the endorsed brand, and no other brands can be worn.

Of the remaining 100 people, 70 or so are the so-called potential star groups, that is, cash endorsements, and the money they can get is between 15 and 50, but there are reward agreements, such as entering the All-Star, getting MVP, and FMVP , have high bonuses.

The remaining 30 people can really get a lot of money, and nearly 20 of them are celebrity endorsements, with an endorsement fee of more than 300 million, but no signature shoes, but there are also reward terms, the amount is negotiated in detail, and there are endorsements in summer , can accumulate popularity, but often go to the second and third tier cities in the world.

The last dozen or so individuals are the ones who stand at the top of the pyramid. They have signature shoes and become the face of the brand. Every year, they do the promotion in the top cities around the world to promote their popularity and treat them as real superstars.

If you get an endorsement fee of 500 million a year, it means that Antetokounmpo has become the most popular player among NBA players!How can Antetokounmpo be unhappy?
"Boss, when will we sign?" Antetokounmpo exploded with excitement.

"I want to sign you too, but I'm afraid that the boss of your agency will kill me." Liu Ren showed a strange smile.

"Boss? Mary? Boss, Mary won't let me sign your sneakers? No! I remember I didn't offend the boss, or did I do something wrong?" Antetokounmpo felt cold sweat in his vest, offending his agent Not a good thing, especially for European players like them.

"Want to know?" Liu Ren continued to smirk.

"Well, boss, tell me, I will apologize to Mary, and I will definitely try to get the lady boss to forgive me." Antetokounmpo was ready to go to the battlefield.

Xiao Niu has the kind of strong woman temperament in the company, which puts a lot of pressure on the young people under her banner.

"Okay, go and apologize. Mary is talking to Adi about your contract extension. It seems to be 7 million in 7000 years. You go and tell her that you want to take 500 million a year, and she will definitely be angry. Then you can justifiably apologize. gone."

"I know the boss, I will call Mary immediately to apologize..."

Antetokounmpo stopped his voice suddenly, and looked at Liu Ren with eyes that turned from surprise to ecstasy.

"..."

Antetokounmpo stood there with a smirk as if he had been possessed by an evil spirit.

With a one-year endorsement fee of 1000 million, European basketball players have never received such a big endorsement contract!

Antetokounmpo will soon become the No.1 European basketball player in terms of endorsements!

In fact, Liu Ren knows that in Chick's agency, apart from his accident, Antetokounmpo will be the most profitable in the future. 5 million contract renewal commitment!

Players including LaVine, Whiteside, and Green can't keep up with Antetokounmpo's future value. Antetokounmpo's future is going to No. 1 in the league like Liu Ren, and LaVine can't keep up Antetokounmpo's talent.

But also for this reason, the Lakers have no way to keep Antetokounmpo because they already have Liu Ren.

The age difference between the two is only two years. The Lakers simply can't keep their peak periods in the team like Kobe and O'Neal. They can only choose to choose.

And Liu Ren is already the MVP, and he is a player selected by the Lakers. His popularity is not comparable to that of Antetokounmpo. Naturally, it is Liu Ren who stays.

The only one left was Whiteside who waited until the flowers were gone and finally his turn.

The Lakers came to Liu Ren and wanted to join Liu Ren's team. These three were the only ones who had endorsement contracts like Kobe and Gasol, and they had endorsement contracts before they retired. Those who have been potential stars for countless years, such as Korver, and those who are not at the same level, such as McCollum and others, do not have the potential and strength of these three people, knowing that they can only get 200 million in cash to endorse.

Whiteside...Center...

O'Neal's sneakers can't be sold!
Power forwards and centers can hardly sell sneakers, so only two or three people at the center position have signed shoes in the past 20 years, so although Whiteside is becoming more and more popular, Adidas, who signed with him for three years before, did not I didn't discuss the renewal of the contract with the chick. It was obvious that I wanted to wait for Whiteside's contract to expire, just like when I gave up Howard two years ago.

However, Liu Ren is still planning to sign Whiteside. Of course, the contract is not big. Like Green, 7 million in 3000 years.

Of course their own players have to sign!The 20.00% commission of commercial income and the signing fee are the bulk of the broker's income, okay?

Moreover, Whiteside's popularity is not low. Liu Ren proposed Whiteside as the spokesperson to Linda from the very beginning. That part of the money will be paid over there. If the new brand sells well in the first year, you don’t have to worry about the money. If the sales are not good, it will directly declare bankruptcy and be reincorporated into Nike, which is none of Linda’s business. What she has to do is to promote Liu Ren's new sneakers in the next few months, and poaching people from Adidas is also a good way of publicity.

"Hassan, your new endorsement contract has been finalized. Same as Drummond, 7 million in seven years. If you agree, I will call Mary. She will bring people from Nike to sign the contract in the afternoon."

"it is good."

The answer is really simple and concise, why does Liu Ren feel so unhappy?

"Hassan, I want a drink of water."

"Get it yourself."

"...Damn! You guys who are open to money!"

……

……

In the afternoon, Whiteside was very happy to sign a new endorsement contract with Linda. This contract is a star endorsement, which means that from next year's off-season, he will go outside the United States to promote, just like Green. Of course, he still has to do it locally in the United States. Even with his 120 million a year endorsement fee, he had a lot of activities, but they were all in California.

It's 7 p.m. at Staples Center, and the Lakers' 13th game of the season, home against the Portland Trail Blazers, will soon begin.

Lillard...

Liu Ren looked at that lonely point guard, and now he was really lonely.

In the previous two seasons, the Blazers' starting five kings were invincible in the league. Just looking at the starting lineup, their scoring, rebounding, defense, and efficiency in all aspects are at the forefront of the league, and most of them even rank first!

But one summer, the situation changed suddenly, and four of the five starters actually left. If Lillard hadn't chosen to renew his contract in advance, the Blazers thought he would leave too, and were going to send him to the Rockets.

But now Lillard really regrets the contract extension, he might as well go to the Rockets.

In Liu Ren's memory, even if the Blazers lost four starters, this year is still good, because McCollum originally rose this year, and the backcourt duo formed with Lillard averaged nearly 50 points and more than 10 times per game. Assists, he led the Blazers to not fall out of the top eight in the Western Conference all season.

But this time and space McCollum was dug into the Lakers by Liu Ren, and the Blazers gave the potential shooting guard Will Barton to the Nuggets before. They only have one shooting guard left - Allen Crabbe. The substitute is still possible, averaging 8 points per game last season.

However, there is still a big gap between Crabbe and the starting lineup, so the Blazers had no choice but to spend 3 million in three years to poach Gerald Henderson from the Hornets.

The Hornets had Courtney Lee, and they got Mike Scott from the Lakers. Henderson, who was regarded as the core of the future but had not made much progress, was given up.

It will take 1000 million a year to pick up players who can't be supported by others. It can be seen how desperate the Blazers were just this past summer, and how desperate Lillard is now.

The season has been played for almost a month now, and it is almost possible to see the strength of each team.

In the West, the Warriors have won 14 consecutive victories and are still undefeated, ranking first in the league. The Lakers have also remained undefeated with 12 consecutive victories, ranking second in the West. The Spurs are ranked third in the West with 11 wins and 2 losses. The Thunder have 10 wins. 4 losses ranked fourth in the West, and the Clippers ranked fifth in the West with 11 wins and 3 losses. The Clippers will always be so sad. The Warriors and Lakers occupy the top four positions. Fifth, these five teams have won more than 10 wins. The Pelicans, Grizzlies, and Rockets occupy the remaining three top eight positions.

The Rockets have only 7 wins and 6 losses so far, which is really surprising. The agreed Big Three turned out to be cheated!

The Blazers and the Mavericks tied for ninth with 7 wins and 7 losses, ready to attack the Rockets' eighth position at any time.

From the top three in the Western Conference last season, to this year's winning percentage will be [-]%, the Blazers have completely fallen.

Even the Blazers' own fans don't see what the team can do this year.

However, there is one person who is the man who Kobe said is most like him.

Damier Lillard!
Lillard, who was a little frustrated at first, saw Liu Ren, and his fighting spirit rose again in an instant!

Seeing the timid expressions of the Trail Blazers players when they met the Lakers before the game, Liu Ren didn't have much expectation for this game, thinking that this dilapidated team would definitely be defeated in a few strokes.

But when Liu Ren saw Lillard's fighting eyes, he immediately became excited again.

Both sides submit the list of starting lineups.

For the Lakers, Clarkson, McCollum, Liu Ren, Gasol, and Monroe started.

Kobe did what he said, and began to join the ranks of the rotation. Today, Kobe, Green, Whiteside, and Antetokounmpo are taking the rotation.

Henry and Blake were called back to guard the drinking fountain.

But even if the Lakers let the three starters wear suits, it still makes the Blazers head coach Stotts envious and jealous.

D'Antoni is really tough. He was cursed hundreds of times by the opponent's head coach a year, but he is still alive and well, and the more he lives, the more comfortable he is. The coach's value is also rising. Some people are beginning to predict that the Lakers will give him a new contract when he renews his contract. What a big contract.

But I know that I know that D'Antoni's goal now is the current season.

Compared with last season, the Blazers' starting lineup can be described as shabby.

Lillard, Henderson, Aminu, Ed Davis, Chris Kaman.

This lineup is simply miserable!
Except for Lillard, all of them were players given up by other teams.

Henderson and Ed Davis are okay, because they want a bigger contract. The original team was unwilling to give it, but the Blazers were willing to give it, so they came. They are considered average starters.

As for Aminu and Kaman, there are almost no teams for these two!

Kaman is a player of the golden generation of 03. He has entered his 13th season now. As an ordinary star player, he can play for more than 10 years. , but this is already suitable for the best center of the Blazers.

Aminu, the 2010th pick of parallel imports in 8, is often compared with Hayward, Paul George, Bradley, Bledsoe and others who were selected after him. Without these people, he Not many people will mention this No. 8 show, but the rookie talent exploded in 2010. There are Wall, Cousins, and Monroe in front of him. There are seven or eight players with All-Star potential in this rookie class. His No. 8 pick is particularly eye-catching in it.

Even if the Lakers didn't come up with the strongest lineup, even five starters and four rests, but compared with the Blazers, they are crushing!This season is the first year of the new broadcast agreement, and the number of live broadcasts of each team has skyrocketed. This season, the Lakers have more than 60 games broadcast live in the United States on all major TV stations, and the regular season is broadcast live in China and Europe. But the reason for this game is that apart from Time Warner's local live broadcast in California, there is no national-level TV station that broadcasts the game live, and there is no live broadcast of the game in China because it is early in the morning. It can be seen that this game is really not at all. Can't attract fans' attention.

Is it obvious that the game is being broadcast live across the United States? The number of live cameras can tell, and the players will naturally find out.

"Everyone ignores me, everyone ignores me!" Lillard found a new reason to motivate himself.

(End of this chapter)