Five hundred and sixtieth IX god son

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

Of course, the Lakers are very willing to cooperate with this kind of promotion. After all, promoting their own players is also promoting the team, not to mention the life-long contract, which is very topical. Effect.

Witnessed by the reporter's camera, Kobe signed his name on the contract with a smile on his face, becoming the second player in the NBA to get a lifetime contract for sneakers.

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

Los Angeles has always been the vane of the American entertainment industry. The reports of the Los Angeles media have quickly attracted the attention of the United States, and the media throughout the United States have also begun to report on Kobe Bryant's lifetime contract.

In fact, the focus of media reports is not the lifetime contract itself, but Kobe is the second player to get 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 unparalleled influence in the United States. As long as any news was related to Jordan, it would definitely attract a lot of readers.

The news editors in the United States are not fools. They naturally have to take this opportunity to catch Jordan's popularity, so that there will be sales. Therefore, the media is obviously reporting Kobe's lifetime contract, but three sentences are not good for Jordan.

What's more, since Kobe's debut, he has been bearing the name of Jordan's successor and is associated with Jordan, which is not 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 the news of the NBA every day.

The fact that Kobe Bryant got a lifetime contract was also quickly known by Jordan.

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

Jordan's mood is naturally not very happy. The lifetime contract of sneakers was originally an honor that Jordan enjoyed alone, but now he has a Kobe Bryant, so he is not unique, which makes Jordan feel a sour feeling in his heart.

Jordan's wife Juanita heard the dissatisfaction in Jordan's tone, and she laughed and joked; Isn't he called your successor! I've seen this guy play, and the style is very similar to you when you were young, and He's more handsome than you were when he was young!

When he was young, Jordan was indeed quite ugly. Not only did he not conform to the aesthetics of Westerners, but even if he looked at a few photos of Jordan when he was young, he was not good-looking.

Later, with the increase of age, the temperament of a superstar is probably gradually cultivated, or the fans are used to watching it, and they will not feel that Jordan is ugly. There are even many people who think that Jordan is very handsome with connotation. uncle.

Compared with Jordan when he was young, the young Kobe is indeed more handsome. It can be said that he has thick eyebrows, big eyes, double eyelids, and handsome features. At least among blacks, he is handsome.

After being complained by his wife that he was ugly, Jordan's face sank, and he said, Kobe is 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 get in my third season? Averaged 37.1 points per game! At that time, no one in the NBA could stop me!

Even after the decimal point is so accurate, it seems that although Jordan has retired, his will to win has not diminished in any way. He does not want to be compared by a young man like Kobe.

Juanita went on to say; But the popularity of this young man is not inferior to that of you back then, otherwise, there would be no sports brand to give him a lifetime contract.

Feiyue Sports is just a second- and third-tier brand. I signed with Nike, which is comparable to second- and third-tier brands! Jordan continued.

When Nike signed you, it wasn't a second- and third-tier brand anymore, Juanita retorted.

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

Jordan picked up the phone, only to hear the agent say: Michael, I have a message for you, it's about a lifetime contract for sneakers.

I know, 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? The rookie who performed well, right? Jordan asked.

Yes, it'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 economist said.

With only 18 points, can you get a lifetime contract? Is a lifetime contract a hamburger for a fast food restaurant now? It's so easy to get it! Jordan curled his lips in disdain and continued, My rookie season, the average per game was 28.5 points!

...

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

Before the heat of Kobe's lifetime contract dissipated, the media quickly followed suit and hyped it up, and the effect was very good.

Due to the suspension of the NBA, Jordan chose to retire for the second time. In this season's NBA games, Jordan's figure can no longer be seen.

Therefore, many Jordan fans have passed on their love for Jordan to the so-called Jordan successor, and Kobe and Carter are precisely the two players who are most likely to become Jordan's successor. The wave of heat was very successful.

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

Kobe Bryant has played for three seasons. Although the data in each season has been greatly improved, and he has also entered the starting lineup of the All-Star, his strength is indeed compared with that of Jordan in the same period. There is a big gap.

You must know that Jordan in the third grade is already a god-like existence on the court. The various record books of the NBA have gradually been occupied by the name of Jordan.

And even compared to the third grades of other stars, Kobe Bryant is not dominant.

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

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

The current Kobe Bryant is also very good, but there is still some gap from the standard of signing a lifetime contract. It is normal for people in the media to question him.

Bryant is still a third grader anyway, so he has some qualifications in the NBA. Another Vince Carter, who got a lifetime contract before the end of his rookie season, caused even more controversy.

As a rookie player, Carter's data is very dazzling, and he also led the team to the playoffs, which can be regarded as outstanding.

But Carter can only be regarded as the better rookie in this class. Compared with the strongest rookie in the past, it is also much worse.

Last year's Rookie of the Year Duncan, the previous year's Rookie of the Year Iverson, the two played star-level data in their rookie seasons.

Going forward, Stoudemire and Grant Hill both outnumbered Carter in their rookie seasons. Not to mention that there were monsters like O'Neal before.

These seniors have performed better than Carter in their rookie seasons, but none of them have received a lifetime contract. Carter has a lifetime contract. How can this not be questioned by the media and the envy of other players.

However, with the characters of Kobe and Carter, they don't care about these. The two were originally the best among their peers, and they had long been accustomed to the envy, jealousy and hatred of others.

Especially Kobe, with his high heart and arrogance, also thinks that it is only natural for him to get a lifetime contract. Those who criticize me are all because they can't eat the grapes and say that the grapes are sour!

In addition to the doubts of sports commentators, the issue of lifetime contracts also offends other sports brands.

Feiyue Sports gave its signing star a lifetime contract, so will the stars of other brands also want a lifetime contract for sneakers? Valley

What's more, Kobe and Carter are both young players. They have little qualifications in the NBA and their strength is not top-notch. They can both have lifetime contracts for sneakers. Then those who have played for many years and are very strong players need a lifetime contract. The contract doesn't seem too much, does it?

At that time, Kobe was not the number one player in the NBA, and Carter was not a demigod either. The strength of the two players in the NBA was stronger than those of the two. Since they had a lifetime contract, I was naturally qualified to have one. a lifetime contract.

If those stars come to negotiate lifetime contracts one by one, will those sports brands give it or not?

If you give it, it seems that you are going to lose money. If you don't give it, the star may switch to other brands.

The cost of a lifetime contract for sneakers 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 their stars. This is a dilemma.

In the final analysis, morality is not matched. The current Kobe and Carter are not worth a lifetime contract. Feiyue Sports gave them a lifetime contract, which is equivalent to lowering the threshold of a lifetime contract.

If a lifetime contract is to be given, the star's peak period is relatively short, and after a few years, he will become a scumbag, or suffer a serious injury and his strength will drop sharply, and the lifetime contract will actually lose money. A lot of money.

This kind of situation is very common in the NBA, even for most players. Once the peak period is over, no one cares.

The peak period of the vast majority of stars is only a few short years, such as those who have played for more than ten years and endured, there are really very few.

Kobe and Carter are exactly the kind of legendary superstars who have been famous from debut to retirement. Therefore, if Feiyue Sports gave the two of them a lifetime contract, it must be a guaranteed profit.

...

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

The current Adam Silver, who is still the senior executive of the NBA, will not become the vice president of the NBA until a few years later.

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

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

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

Stern nodded: Is there a problem?

I heard some rumors that other sponsors think that Feiyue Sports is breaking the rules. Silver continued; The lifetime contract for sneakers is very precious, and only Jordan has won it in front of him.

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

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

But Stern shook his head: Whether these two young men are worthy of a lifetime contract is not what we say, but what their sponsors say. What kind of contracts the sponsors offer players, it's entirely up to us. It's a commercial act, and we have no right to interfere!

But I'm worried that other sponsors will have opinions. Xiao Hua said.

Even if they have opinions, they have to hold back, and it's not the lifetime contract for the sneakers they paid for! Why do they point fingers when others pay for it!

Father Stern pouted and said earnestly: Adam, although we are the managers of the NBA, we don't need to be in charge of everything, let alone take a stand on everything.

As long as it doesn't affect the normal operation and order of the league, and doesn't challenge our management of the NBA, there is no need for us to divide up many things indiscriminately! Sometimes vagueness is beneficial to all parties.

Xiao Hua didn't refute, but his brows were slightly wrinkled. He didn't seem to agree with Mr. Stern's management method.

Stern continued; And I don't think the lifetime contract is necessarily a bad thing for us. This season, Jordan retired again, which is another crisis for the NBA. .

This season, both stadium attendance and TV ratings have fallen sharply. The shrinking of the season is one reason, and the loss of Jordan is another reason.

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

Silver hesitated, but still said, Sir, when Jordan retired for the first time, you tried to train Jordan's successor.

What Silver said was that Stern tried to train Grant Hill as Jordan's successor, but the injury destroyed Hill, and he did not become the second Jordan in the end, carrying the banner of the NBA.

I saw Mr. Stern sighed and said: The plan back then did not succeed. Although Hill's popularity is very high, his strength is not enough to match Jordan. What Jordan can do, he can't do it. arrive.

So this time, I'm not going to bet on one person, I want to train a few more young people, two if one is not enough, four if two are not enough, as long as our luck is not too bad, there will always be someone who can be like Jordan In that way, carry the entire NBA!

Mr. Stern is going to start accepting sons. If one is not enough, he will have two sons, and if two are not enough, he will have four sons. If he accepts a few more sons, there will always be someone who can become a talent.

This sentence of the old man means that the era of the four quarterbacks has officially arrived!

...

In a supermarket in Chicago, a big black man who is more than two meters tall is pushing a cart to deliver goods.

This big man is the Bulls' rookie Ron Artest this year, which is the future Ci Shiping.

Ci Shiping grew up in Queens, New York, a neighborhood he lived in with poor security, frequent gang touches and rampant drug dealing.

After Ci Shiping was selected by the Bulls, he invited relatives and friends from New York to visit Chicago. As a result, relatives brought relatives, friends brought friends, and a large number of people came, and they lived in Ci Shiping for dozens of days for nothing.

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

In fact, as a rookie in the NBA, Ci Shiping's salary is not low, but this salary is not a one-time payment, so before the next salary, Ci Shiping is really destitute.

So he can only go to the supermarket to work and earn extra money to make a living.

As an NBA player, he did not eat, drink, prostitute, gamble, and smoke, but he was reduced to working in the supermarket.

Just when 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 for a moment, secretly thinking that he was only a rookie, he had just arrived in the city of Chicago, and he did not expect that someone would know 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 can't think of my fans in this strange city. If I don't admit it, aren't my fans disappointed?

After hesitating for a moment, Ci Shiping still nodded: Yes, I'm Artest. Do you want my signature? But I don't have a pen right now, I need to borrow a pen.

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

Let me be the spokesperson? Ci Shiping was shocked again. He didn't expect that he was a rookie. It was hard to say whether he could gain a foothold in the NBA, but there were sports brands looking for him to speak for him!

Ci Shiping suddenly felt flattered.

I just heard him say: The endorsement is easy to talk about, but can you pay me a deposit first? I have to pay the rent owed to the landlord.