All I Really Want Is To Play Basketball

Watching "Meteor Slam Dunk" played repeatedly on the TV...

Morris, a senior sneaker designer at Nike's sneaker division, couldn't sit still.

And coincidentally, just when Maurice was restless and pacing back and forth...

His immediate boss, Phil Knight, couldn't sit still either.

Six months ago, when Su Feng became the first Chinese player to enter the NBA, Nike expressed interest in Su Feng.

Two months ago, when Su Feng smashed the Milwaukee Bucks and started his career with a buzzer-beater, Nike approached Su Feng's agent Bill Duffy to discuss further cooperation.

But without exception, the answers they got at that time were:

Su Feng needs time to think about it. His current focus must be on how to play well in the NBA. Thank you everyone for your concern. I am grateful.

All right......

Anyway, you are not in a hurry, and neither is Nike.

After all, signing a player is an investment for Nike.

And there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with looking at the stock market before placing bets.

However......

When the growth of Su Feng's stock far exceeded people's expectations...

Don't be in a hurry!

"Phil, we have to take action!"

In Nike's president's office, Morris looked at Knight eagerly and said.

Nike spokesman Phil Knight nodded, "I know it's time for us to take action.

But William, you know, I always feel...

If we don't have enough sincerity, I'm afraid we won't be able to impress that guy this time. "

As a Nike talker, what Knight sees and what Morris sees are fundamentally two different worlds.

What Morris is worried about is that Su Feng's popularity is constantly rising.

And behind Su Feng, there is the Chinese market.

Not to mention, sneakers for the swingman position have always sold well.

In Morris's view, if Nike cannot sign Su Feng in time, it will push Su Feng to their competitors: Adidas and Reebok.

Therefore, Morris was in a hurry.

But Knight saw much further than he did.

Generally speaking, when rookies get offers from these sneaker manufacturers, most of them find it difficult to resist the temptation of sneaker contracts.

As long as the price is close to the psychological price, many players will basically not be able to escape the fate of being "squeezed" in their first sneaker contract.

Only a very small number of players are likely to receive sky-high contracts as soon as they enter the league.

Take Iverson's 10-year, $50 million sneaker contract with a lifetime agreement as an example.

Iverson's sneaker contract was definitely worth the sky-high price in 1996.

And the reason why he was able to get the sky-high contract offered by Reebok at that time, in addition to the bonus of being the No. 1 pick, was that another key reason was his status as a black hero and a civilian idol.

And, of course, the nickname "The Answer."

The same will be true for the future LeBron James, because as early as James' high school days, his name as the Emperor was already known throughout the United States.

In fact, the principles of sneaker manufacturers and Stern are very similar, that is, they are not afraid of not being able to praise you, but if you don't even have a logo, how can you praise you?

Just like when people think of LOGO, they think of Jerry West, when they think of free throw line dunks, they think of Michael Jordan, when they think of "Answer" they think of Allen Iverson, when they think of the Iron-Blooded Warriors Jump shot, reminds me of Kevin Garnett.

The reason Knight was anxious was because he saw a sign, a symbol, and even a culture in "Meteor Slam Dunk."

Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dennis Rodman, Karl Malone, among these men who have been dunked by Su Feng this season, which one is not famous?

Nike has always had a soft spot for stars who are good at dunking, because in the view of Nike executives, dunking is the most eye-catching way to score on the basketball court.

Thinking of the nickname "The King" that Su Feng had used before, coupled with the arrogant and domineering "Meteor Dunk", Knight almost made up his mind without even thinking about it.

Su Feng is from Nike!

It has to be Nike!

However, Knight, who sees things further than Morris, discovered that Su Feng, a child, had both emotional and IQ levels far above the league average.

Because most rookies are tricked by sneaker manufacturers with sugar-coated bullets as soon as they enter the league. The main reason is money and short-sightedness.

There are many examples of lack of money because, as Ewing said, players can't spend money as fast as they can make money most of the time.

And short-sighted...

Take Carter from Su Feng's previous life as an example. To be fair, Carter's family is not short of money at all. As long as he is willing to wait two more months, the contract he signs will not be the contract that Puma cheated him out of.

You know, when the name "demigod" became famous, even the Toronto basketball market was detonated by Carter.

If it weren't for the fact that he often said things that meant he had no friends, Carter's popularity at his peak would have been like a shark blocking a shark, and a Buddha blocking a Buddha.

Therefore, in Knight's opinion, Su Feng's mind and vision are not like that of an 18-year-old child at all.

First of all, judging from the fact that he is not in a hurry to get a sneaker contract, there are only two possibilities.

One is that he is not short of money, and he firmly believes that he will be able to get a sky-high sneaker contract.

Another possibility is blind self-confidence, thinking that one is very good, and not taking the major sneaker manufacturers seriously.

There is no doubt that in Knight's eyes, Su Feng is the former.

Because Knight found out when he sent someone to discuss cooperation with Bill Duffy.

Duffy's answers were always polite, and he also expressed his desire to cooperate with Nike, but...

Have to wait.

In addition, after understanding Su Feng's recent situation, Knight felt that every step Su Feng took after entering the alliance seemed to predict what would happen next.

He has good looks and the support of the local market in Philadelphia. He has quickly become famous. Although he has only played half a season in the NBA, he has already left many wonderful shots.

He even changed the views of many scouts and experts on yellow players.

He knows how to plan his career. Take the "Meteor Slam Dunk" trick. In Knight's opinion, how can ordinary people have the brains to study this technology and give it such a cool name?

From yesterday to today, Knight has watched "Meteor Dunk" hundreds of times, and he has to admit, this trick...

It's really cool.

As for whether it's a slam dunk?

Does that matter?

The important thing is that this is a trick, it is a sign!

When people mention "Meteor Slam Dunk" in the future, they will immediately think of Su Feng!

In Knight's opinion, if a player like this has brains, good looks, strength, and confidence, if he is not popular, who will be?

The Chinese market is something that anyone can see, but what Knight sees from Su Feng is more than just the Chinese market?

So, after pondering for nearly half an hour, Knight wrote a series of numbers on a piece of tissue and handed it to Morris.

"Are you serious? Phil..." Looking at the series of numbers on the tissue, Morris was surprised.

"Don't you understand, William, what this guy wants is not money, but sincerity, because he wants a guarantee, a proof that we will support him." Knight said with a bitter smile.

Morris nodded, "Without further delay, Phil, we have to act as soon as possible."

"I'll send someone to Philadelphia right away."

…

8 years...42 million.

When Bill Duffy handed him a tissue paper handwritten by a Nike spokesperson, Su Feng, who was still reading the "Philadelphia Evening News", quickly took out his small notebook and did some calculations.

18.6 skins, hiss, Nike is a bit cruel this time...

Judging from the price of goods in 1996, this contract is almost the same as the contract that the hot man will get in the future.

only......

These were all within Su Feng's expectations.

Because even if Nike doesn't make this offer to itself, Adidas and Reebok will sooner or later make an offer that won't be much lower than this.

As the saying goes, this time and that time.

If Su Feng had gone to Nike and clamored for such an offer when he first entered the league, Nike would have definitely suspected that he was insane.

So Su Feng is not in a hurry.

Especially after conducting a robust analysis of your living environment...

What Su Feng can confirm is that even if his rookie season is not as exaggerated as Carter's, there is still hope for him to win the title of the strongest high school rookie in history.

After all, which high school prospect could play as many minutes in each game as he did?

And after the release of "Meteor Slam Dunk", Su Feng's popularity is currently rising.

Iverson is a civilian idol in the United States, and Su Feng also has the bonus of being the hero of the Rabbit family.

Therefore, Su Feng believed that Nike's quotation to him... Nike's words from Knight were definitely based on the contracts between Iverson and Reebok.

But the 8-year contract...

"Bill, can you discuss with Nike to slightly shorten the contract period?" Su Feng looked at Duffy and asked.

Duffy was stunned, "Long-term contracts are a good thing, Su, why do you want to shorten the contract period?"

Su Feng spread his hands. He knew that this kind of eight-year contract was indeed a good thing for ordinary players.

Because no one can guarantee that they will not be injured in the future and their performance will not decline.

But for Su Feng, who knew that prices would skyrocket in the future and had immunity from injuries, eight years was indeed too long.

Soon, after Duffy communicated with Nike, Nike readily agreed to Su Feng's request to shorten the contract period.

After hanging up the phone, Duffy changed the number on the tissue to 5 years and 25 million, which is 11.1 pieces.

"Su, please think carefully. This contract is more than 10 million US dollars less than the previous one." Duffy reminded Su Feng.

Su Feng nodded. If the contract period is shortened, Nike's quotation will definitely be lower, but in actual calculation, it will only lose $250,000 per year.

But five years later, the contract Su Feng signed would not only earn an extra US$1.25 million?

"In addition, if you confirm that you want this offer, Nike hopes to add priority renewal rights to the contract." Duffy added.

"No problem, just 25 million in 5 years. Bill, believe me, although it seems that we have made less money, in 5 years, maybe I will become the MVP." Su Feng said jokingly.

MVP…

Well, if someone else had said that to Bill Duffy, Duffy would have kicked him hard in the ass.

But if it's Su Feng...

Although it is a bit crooked, after witnessing Su Feng's rise this season, Duffy feels that there is at least a one in ten thousand chance of realizing this.

“By the way, can I make a suggestion for Nike?

That is, in addition to the formal contract, can I ask Phil Knight to write me another offer on a tissue? "Su Feng asked curiously.

Duffy thought for a while and said, "This shouldn't be a big problem, it's just...what do you want this tissue for?"

Su Feng smiled. He knew that the paper towel agreement between Messi and Barcelona had not yet appeared, and as an excellent cross-border senior, Su Feng must make good shoes for a good boy like Messi. example.

cough......

In fact, it was Su Feng who smelled the topic from Knight's tissue.

Try to think about it, Nike signed itself with a tissue in 1997. This will definitely be written into the history books in the future and become a legend for the ages.

Because of the "Tissue Agreement", it can tell people how anxious Nike is to sign itself.

Once this is hyped up by the media, it will be a very good topic for Su Feng now.

Su Feng knew very well that being honest and low-key was useless in playing in the NBA.

And if you want to make money from these evil capitalists, you must first learn how to "market" yourself.

Su Feng doesn't like to take the initiative to create characters, but that doesn't mean that he won't take opportunities given by others to expand his influence.

"Na Su, when do you think it's appropriate to officially sign a contract with Nike?" Duffy asked curiously.

"Just tomorrow. Since Nike is planning to use tissue paper to sign a contract with me, why not do it quickly?"

Su Feng had seen the quotation agreement that Nike proposed to him, and there was nothing wrong with it. Even the sales share of the sneakers, Nike gave him star treatment this time.

There was no need to wait any longer, because Su Feng knew that if he wanted to develop further, the resources provided by Nike were very crucial.

Therefore, since Nike has taken such initiative, then I have to show my sincerity in cooperating with Nike, right?

…

Perhaps, this is the fastest sneaker contract signed by Nike in history.

In addition to some detailed consultations, Nike staff who were already prepared to work overtime and fight a protracted war found out... why was this signing so fast?

Phil Knight agreed to Su Feng's request to write another quotation on a tissue.

Moreover, after Knight was awakened by Su Feng, he immediately realized that he had inadvertently created a very newsworthy topic.

So, while Adidas and Reebok were still thinking about how to make an offer to Su Feng, on the afternoon of the 15th, Phil Knight officially flew to Philadelphia.

The Nike talker took a precious photo with Su Feng at the signing ceremony.

The most shocking thing about this photo is that the "contract" held by Knight and Su Feng is actually a tissue...

When the "tissue paper agreement" between Su Feng and Nike was first broadcast on TV a few hours later, the executives of Adidas and Reebok who learned that Nike had officially signed Su Feng were completely confused...

no......

You guys...

When did you negotiate?

Didn't Su Feng's manager Duffy keep saying to wait?

Suddenly, the top management of Adidas and Reebok felt like ten thousand grass and mud horses galloping past.

It's like you have been chasing a girl, but the girl suddenly ran away with a rich and handsome man.

25 million in 5 years, just like that, Su Feng successfully joined the Nike family.

And then, he can say goodbye to the days of wearing sneakers provided by the team manager.

Except for some sneakers that require his permission to wear, from now on, he can wear Nike sneakers however he wants.

As for his signature shoes, Nike has made it very clear in the contract this time. They plan to design a signature shoe for Su Feng based on "Meteor Slam Dunk", but the design process and production will have to wait until at least the next season.

If Su Feng remembers correctly, Kobe's Adidas signature shoes will have to wait until next season to be released.

It is worth mentioning that Nike designers were originally worried that Su Feng would provide them with some troubling suggestions...

But these sneaker designers never expected that Su Feng only had one request for his signature shoes:

That’s how it looks good.

Are you making an international joke and giving advice?

Su Feng was not his high school classmate.

God knows how many sneaker designers shut themselves down after seeing the sketches of sneakers drawn by Kobe?

Su Feng knew very well that there was a separation between lines, he was not interested in design at all, and he believed in Nike designers.

The reason why Su Feng wants the sneakers to look better is because basketball shoes are not as good as football shoes.

In the sports world, basketball players' sneaker contracts can account for a large proportion of the players' total income.

Because basketball shoes are easy to wear, even if you don’t play basketball, you may still buy this pair of basketball shoes because they look good.

But football boots...

To be honest, who would wear football shoes to go shopping when not playing football?

Therefore, basketball stars’ sneaker income is much higher than that of football stars.

And this is also the reason why Iverson and Ben didn't choose to play in the NFL. After all, who would buy American football equipment?

In addition, Nike gave its sneakers a very high commission this time, so Su Feng hoped that his sneakers would be more cool.

He doesn't worry about getting hurt, and besides, being handsome lasts a lifetime.

…

By the way, not long after Su Feng completed his contract with Nike, Kobe immediately called to "spite" him.

At that time, Kobe's comments were all about "Why don't you sign with Nike for 8 years? Do you think you make too much money?" "What will happen if you get injured in the future? Who will support you?"

Su Feng was happy because he knew that Kobe was caring about him.

Actually... there is another reason why Su Feng doesn't want to sign with Nike for eight years.

That is, the contract he gets at Nike in the future cannot be lower than that of his successor, right?

As an "Encyclopedia of the Humanoid Emperor", UU Reading www. uukanshu.net The Akron boy would have signed a seven-year, nearly $80 million contract with Nike in 2003. As James' senior, how could Su Feng get less than James?

You know, in Su Feng's previous life, the contract Kobe signed with Nike was not as big as James's. In addition to the negative news surrounding Kobe at the time, another main reason was because Kobe switched from Adidas.

Nike has always made a clear distinction between its own family and outsiders, so in fact, Su Feng never considered Adidas and Reebok from the beginning.

Because in basketball, Nike is the dad.

Even if Adidas wins the Adidas Five Tigers in the future, in a few years, it will still have to accept the fact that it will be beaten by Nike in the basketball field.

As for Reebok, although Reebok's sneakers have a lot of advanced technology and good quality at the moment, after 2005, Reebok will start to decline.

In Su Feng's previous life, Dayao's toes were suffering from injuries, which was also related to Reebok's sneakers.

In short, after calming Kobe's emotions, Su Feng still had to return to the game.

only......

How could Su Feng have imagined that after "Meteor Slam Dunk" he came up with the "Tissue Paper Agreement", and in this January of 1997, he had already become the focus of the moment...

The entire NBA is discussing topics about him.

And in a few days, his name will spread throughout North America...

…

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