The genius of the basketball madman is on the left

A Kaifeng restaurant in Manhattan, the briefcase was put aside, Rich Paul was munching on burgers and fried chicken, standing left and looking out the window, Christmas Eve is coming, even the bustling Manhattan seems a bit depressed, the shops on the street are closed Even this Kaifeng dish was hard for him to find.

"Eat slowly buddy, there is not enough." Zuo Li has never eaten Kaifeng dishes when he came to the United States. In the fast food country of the United States, the quality of Kaifeng dishes is the worst. Except for large quantities and cheap prices, you cannot find any of his dishes. advantage.

But Rich Paul still ate very deliciously. He finished a hamburger in three bites and swallowed a chicken leg in two bites. It seemed that he was really hungry.

While Rich Paul was in a hurry to fill his stomach, Zuo Li also recalled the memories about Rich Paul in his mind.

When he traveled through the previous life, Rich Paul seemed to be one of the most influential agents in the NBA industry. He was at the top of the pyramid. Many people compared him to Mendes in the basketball world, which shows his influence.

And Zuo Li knew him naturally because he was LeBron James' agent. In 2012, James fired his second agent, Leon Rose, who was quite influential in the industry, and then worked with Rose for many years. Rich Paul and his partner opened a player agency.

With the help of James, he continued to sign some new stars and superstars. In the era when Zuo Li traveled through, he had more than 20 stars under his banner, including James, Simmons, Davis, Thompson and many other big names. According to the annual 2.5% -4% commission share, Rich Paul has an annual income of at least 600 million US dollars just as a broker, and this does not include his other industries.

And James' success is inseparable from the help of Rich Paul. As James' butler, Rich Paul not only handled James' off-court chores well, but also helped James recruit a lot of reliable helpers.

In the business map of James in later generations, Rich Paul is full of figures in all aspects. It can be said that he is a rare talent, so that in later generations, when James is mentioned, it is difficult not to mention Rich Paul, just like C Luo and Mendez like.

It is said that the encounter between the two is quite legendary.

The two met next to an airport in Ohio in 2002. At that time, Rich Paul was a hawker selling retro jerseys near the airport. By chance, the two met at the airport.

Rich Paul didn't wear his usual polo shirt that day, but wore a jersey of legendary NFL quarterback Warren Moon.James, on the other hand, was wearing the jersey of another famous quarterback, Michael Vick.The end result was that James bought the jersey from Rich Paul, and Rich Paul and James kept in touch with each other.

It is said that Rich Paul took out the jersey James wanted on the spot.

After that, James introduced Rich Paul to the company of his second agent, Leon Ross, which is CAA, to learn experience and accumulate contacts.

By 2012, Rich Paul established his own brokerage company KlutchSports, and of course, James became his first client.

Everyone knows the story after that.

This made Zuo Li want to poach corners. He has been struggling to find a suitable agent. In the NBA, it is not easy to find a good and suitable agent. Of course, he can learn from most players and rely on a well-known agent. Broker, but what protection you can get from there, it's hard to say.

For example, Noel of the Thunder rejected the 4-year 7000 million offered by the Mavericks and insisted on asking for a 4-year maximum salary of 1.3 million.

As a result, he can only sign a basic salary with the Thunder next season, and, as the season progresses, Noel still shows signs of falling out of the team's rotation.

This was all based on the advice of his agent at the time.

A suitable agent is more important than anyone imagined. The NBA is not only sports, but also business.

After Zuo Li crossed, of course he also thought of Rich Paul, but in Zuo Li's impression, Rich Paul met James in 2002, and now he should be by James' side, he has missed the best time, Zuo Li I didn't think about it again.

Unexpectedly, he would unexpectedly meet here today, which made Zuo Li want to poach corners. Of course, he still needs to confirm some things.

"Sorry, I'm so hungry. I only drank a glass of ice water from Los Angeles." Rich Paul shyly put down his bones, took out a tissue and wiped his hands. Seeing Zuo Li's half-smile expression, Li Qi Paulo secretly scolded himself for being useless, and almost forgot the business. If he couldn't get it right this time, he would have missed the best opportunity.

"Mr. Zuo Li, I am here on behalf of CAA. I invite you to join us. We will provide you with the best help. Whether it is the draft or endorsement, I believe we are your best choice."

Rich Paul was about to take out the materials in the bag while talking, but Zuo Li stopped him.

"Dude, did LeBron send you here or Leon Rose?"

Rich Paul was shocked: "How do you know that I know LeBron?"

It is only 2004 now, he is just a nobody, James is already famous all over the United States, and he went to Athens in the summer. I was recommended to CAA to work for Leon Rose, but I usually have very little contact with James. After all, Leon Rose is not James' agent at this time.

"I am also a player. For a guy like James, of course the information will be collected." Zuo Li shrugged. This reason is so reasonable. Which one of those people around the awesome players will not be found by the pervasive media: " You just need to answer the questions, I have to know who is recruiting me."

"It's Leon Rose. You should have heard of him. He is one of the biggest agents in the NBA right now. We are under CAA. You should also know that CAA is the largest acting agent company..."

"So that's how it is..." Zuo Li kept his expression on the surface, but he was already smiling in his heart. It turns out that Rich Paul has entered CAA and worked with Leon Ross. If Zuo Li remembers correctly, James' current agent It's still Aaron Goodwin, the guy who helped him sign super contracts with Nike and Coca-Cola.

That is to say, the current Rich Paul and James are far from the indestructible alliance of later generations, and the opportunity for Zuo Li has come!

It's not easy though.

Think about it, Zuo Li is still in high school, although he is famous, it is far inferior to James at this moment. Although Rich Paul is still down and out, as long as he hugs the big tree of James, sooner or later he will There is an opportunity to soar.

What about Zuo Li, what does Zuo Li have?