novel-bin Chapter 25 Making Money Off the Ground
Chapter 25 Making Money Off the Ground
When it was the Seattle media's turn to ask a question, he used the game's free throw statistics to accuse Mike Brown of turning the tables: "Throughout the game, the Cavaliers got 31 free throws, while the home team, the SuperSonics, only got 21, six of which were in garbage time in the fourth quarter. But Coach Brown seemed to still be questioning the fairness of the referees after the game. Kevin, what do you think?"
"Each team in the league will play at least 82 games per season. The 30 teams will play 1230 regular season games over 7 months, averaging nearly 6 games per day..." Du Xiaoshuai took the microphone and, without blinking, showed off his mathematical arithmetic skills, leaving the reporters in the audience stunned.
It is well known that the average American has very poor math skills, especially among lower-class Black people. With the rise of "happy education" in the late 20th century, the quality of graduates from American universities is declining rapidly. It is indeed rare to find a Black athlete like Du Xiaoshuai who goes against the tide, loves learning math, and excels in it.
This guy's act deserves full marks! He's not afraid to be arrogant at all.
Du Xiaoshuai glanced casually at the reporters' surprised faces and continued to boast, "A large number of frequent matches are like chemical reactions in a laboratory. We can't predict the outcome of a match because the conditions for each experiment are different."
"But the data doesn't lie, and I believe basketball doesn't either." Du Xiaoshuai spoke with an unquestionable tone, like an expert who had been analyzing basketball for many years, and pointedly said, "The 34-point difference tells everyone a fact: the scales of fairness in today's game never lay with the referees, but were reflected in absolute strength, just like when the ancestors of the Americans conquered the Native Americans."
The white Seattle journalists in the audience led the applause, and the interview room erupted in applause.
This rookie is so cultured!
......
The reporters left satisfied with a wealth of informative press release material; the press conference ended in the early hours of the morning.
Back in the empty locker room, his teammates had already gone home. Du Xiaoshuai carefully pulled out a small crumpled piece of paper from his drawstring bag, and dialed the phone with trembling hands, like a naive teenager secretly watching a video while his parents weren't home...
Day two.
Du Xiaoshuai drove his beloved Volvo, smelling salty as he passed through Seattle at four in the morning.
Back home, Xiao Du was dejected, while Du Xiaoshuai went straight to sleep.
At the same time, he was fighting two opponents at once. Even though they were of different heights and he used a lot of his inventory cards to help him, he was still exhausted. You should know that he used 80% of his stamina bar in the first half of the night to conquer the little emperor.
The SuperSonics' next three games are every other day, all at home, making the schedule relatively easy.
Before noon, he was woken up by a call from his agent. Ricky Kleiman had received several endorsement offers and needed to finalize them with Du Xiaoshuai.
Du Xiaoshuai, still half asleep, activated a wake-up card, which instantly relieved his fatigue and drowsiness.
Last night's massacre of the Cavaliers was broadcast live across the United States, and Kevin Durant's basketball talent and image have become a household name in America.
This time, he can be said to have risen to the top by stepping on LeBron James, thus becoming a true star player.
Thank you, LeBron!
Riding this wave, many manufacturers and brands are preparing to invite Du Xiaoshuai to be their spokesperson.
When Du Xiaoshuai turned on his computer and saw the endorsement proposal document sent by Richie Kleiman, he was quite disappointed.
I originally thought that the first to make a move would be large companies or big brands with a keen business sense, but I didn't expect that the first ones to be interested in him were some second- or third-tier small brands, and the products he endorsed were mostly small gadgets.
For example, height-increasing health supplements, tissues, school bags, shampoo, baby formula... and the most outrageous ones are even skin lotions!
So many categories are prone to bombs and explosions!
What kind of product is it that deserves my endorsement?!
Du Xiaoshuai casually scrolled down to the list of endorsement fees—
I'm sorry, I spoke impulsively just now. Just ignore it!
These endorsement fees range from one million to five million, with contracts typically lasting three to five years. They are certainly much less valuable than sneaker endorsement contracts, and crucially, they are all title sponsorships.
The terms of the endorsement were very lenient; it basically just involved using Du Xiaoshuai's image and name for promotion, without even requiring Du Xiaoshuai to be present for GGMV filming or to recite GGMai phrases. There were no requirements regarding Du Xiaoshuai's subsequent image management or performance. Furthermore, if the product failed, Du Xiaoshuai could issue a disclaimer...
Once the contract is signed and becomes effective, the endorsement fee will be paid in full in one lump sum, and basically neither party will owe the other anything.
Its main selling point is making money quickly!
Du Xiaoshuai was a little dizzy from the dazzling display of wealth.
Agent Rich Kleiman suggested that Du Xiaoshuai choose some safer and more respectable products to endorse, since he would also receive a significant cut of the endorsement fees.
Du Xiaoshuai said, "Why be picky? Increase all commercial endorsement fees by 100%, then we can negotiate slowly. We'll raise the price as much as we can, and sign all the contracts we can!"
They're just making easy money!
One can't abandon the joy of knives just for the sake of conscience!
Reborn in the beautiful country of the free ruler, Du Xiaoshuai has no moral fastidiousness, so why would he turn down money?
Just like Lao Xie said, if two gold bars are placed in front of you, tell me which one is noble and which one is despicable?
Next year, I'll be shorting US stocks to profit from the national crisis—what a great opportunity! I'm just worried about how to raise the money!
Without stealing or robbing, this initial capital accumulation is as clean as can be!
As for whether taking on these junior males will lower his own reputation in the future, Du Xiaoshuai is not worried at all.
These contracts aren't long-term anyway; they can simply not be renewed later. Besides, as long as he performs well enough in the league, big companies will always come knocking on his door seeking endorsements!
After washing up, Du Xiaoshuai hurriedly ordered Chinese takeout and lazily walked out of the room.
Mom Wanda was snacking in the living room while watching the replay of Du Xiaoshuai's game from last night. When she saw Du Xiaoshuai come out, she asked, "Oh, Baby, where did you go last night?"
"Playing basketball, huh?" Du Xiaoshuai pointed to himself on TV, playing against LeBron James, and said dismissively, "Isn't that what it is?"
"Don't think I don't know, you've been coming home lately, often not until almost morning. I'm a light sleeper." Wanda stood up and said earnestly, "Son, you're an adult now, and you've earned a lot of money. I'm proud of you. Mom won't restrict your freedom, but I'm worried about your health. Playing ball is so tiring, and you come home so late..."
"Don't worry, Mom, I know my limits. I've always been a good boy, and I always will be! Trust me!" Du Xiaoshuai, who both loved and feared his chubby, dark-skinned mother's nagging, grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and hurried back to his room.
I need to find a way to get my mom away, otherwise she'll easily interfere with my carefree and decadent lifestyle at home!
Du Xiaoshuai thought to himself as he returned to his room.
Du Xiaoshuai doesn't reject his adoptive mother, whether due to her status or physical instinct; in fact, he sometimes enjoys her maternal love. Parental love is timeless, and Du Xiaoshuai, who already lacked a sense of belonging in this world, would likely be even more lonely without Wanda's bond with him.
This is also where Du Xiaoshuai is in a dilemma. He can't let Wanda keep a close eye on him, but he also can't let her feel that he wants to get rid of her. He's caught in a bind!
Du Xiaoshuai is a smart guy, and he quickly came up with a solution.
After finishing training that evening, Durant returned to the arena early and approached Wanda to discuss buying a house for his older brother, Tony Durant, who lived in Washington state.
Wanda became excited upon hearing Du Xiaoshuai's plan.
She has two sons. Now that her younger son has become successful, she naturally wants the two brothers to help each other out and give the older brother some support.
However, interpersonal relationships on the American side are relatively free and informal, and Black people do not advocate the traditional virtues of brotherhood and respect. These days, Wanda has been unsure how to start a conversation.
While the unspoken rule of "if you become rich, don't forget your roots" is prevalent in Black society, it is precisely because few people adhere to it that it is all the more precious.
Wanda, as a mother, was also worried that Durant might think she was being biased. It's worth noting that there are instances of Black players suing their parents for money—like that of an unknown number 8 in Los Angeles back in the day.
It's not easy for Du Xiaoshuai to offer to buy a house for his brother, so Wanda was naturally overjoyed.
So Du Xiaoshuai took the opportunity to remind her that she could go to her brother's place to look at houses with him soon, and that she should make sure to check them carefully—and generously said that she should buy a good house and not save him money.
I am quite wealthy!
Give me liberty or give me death!
Once you're with your brother, you can't keep an eye on me anymore.
Wanda, overjoyed, agreed without much thought.
On November 6, the Seattle SuperSonics will host the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers finished last season with a 40-42 record, losing to the Warriors, who pulled off a historic upset, by one game and finishing ninth in the Western Conference, missing the playoffs. It's worth noting that the season before last, the 05-06 season, the Clippers reached the Western Conference semifinals, with Elton Brand putting up a 24-point, 10-rebound performance, ranking high in the MVP race and establishing himself as one of the league's top power forwards.
As if things weren't going to go smoothly, Brand tore his Achilles tendon during offseason training in the summer, bringing him very close to being out for the rest of the season.
Adding to the woes, the Clippers suffered a horrific knee dislocation and muscle tear at the beginning of the year, turning them into a bottom-feeder in the new season.
In the original timeline, the Clippers had a record of 23 wins and 59 losses this season, second only to the SuperSonics with Durant's 20 wins and 62 losses, making them the worst team in the Western Conference.
And yet, rookie Durant couldn't even beat them in the third game!
No ability!
Durant yawned, patted his mouth, and decided to rack up some stats against the Clippers tonight.
Strong teams don't care, and weak teams don't pad their stats, so how am I supposed to get data?
How can I demand a high salary if I don't provide data?
How can I protect the beautiful girl in Da Li Mei Ka if I don't take a high salary!
If I don't protect my girlfriend, who's going to read this novel?!
In the last game, LeBron James' career streak of triple-doubles came to an end. He's really not playing well!
The game started, and Collins won the jump ball against Clippers center Chris Kaman. Durant rushed into the frontcourt, received a penetrating pass from Billups, dribbled once, and drove to the three-point line. He made an unstoppable three-step layup, holding the basketball like a table tennis racket in one hand, raising it high like a blazing fire, splitting a mountain with force, and easily dunking it in.
2:0, marking the beginning of the easy win.
......
At the start of the third quarter, Du Xiaoshuai sat on the bench looking dejected, contemplating life.
哎——下手还是太重了，半场才刷了30分7篮板4助攻3盖帽1抢断，就把比分拉开到21分！
In the second half, Dunleavy relentlessly relied on the substitutes until the end of the game, and the point difference remained around 20 points, allowing the team to leave with dignity—at least more dignity than the Cavaliers!
Aside from Chris Kaman, Sam Cassell, and Maggette, who all scored in double figures, the Clippers' other players, despite playing more minutes, failed to reach double figures, making them incredibly poor.
P.J. originally wanted to give his protégé a chance to score, but when he thought about why the Clippers were doing so poorly, he suddenly realized that Durant's playing time this season seemed to be a bit excessive, so he kept him on the sidelines in the second half.
Du Xiaoshuai: Coach, I want to play basketball.
P.J.: No, you don't want to.
......