NBA bad guys

David Stern, the little old man, just finished saying this, his cell phone rang.

He looked at the time. During this time, few people would call him.

Moreover, this is still an unfamiliar number, which proves that I don’t know him at all.

Who is the caller?
He took a puff of cigarette and thought for a moment.

The little secretary next to him gently knocked on the desk and said, "Mr. David, aren't you ready to answer the phone now? It will time out in a while."

David Stern seemed to wake up from a dream, then answered the phone with a smile and said: "Hello, who are you?"

There was a moment of silence, and the words he spoke were obviously full of alcohol, and then he said: "I am Phil Knight. I think you should have heard of this name."

David Stern felt that this name was very familiar, but at this time, especially at night like this, his sleepy brain had already made his memory not very good, and he could not think of this person anyway. , who is it?

The little secretary next to him asked suspiciously: "Who is it?"

David Stern scratched his head, pushed the glasses on his nose upward, and then said: "She said his name was Phil Knight. Do you know who he is?"

After hearing this name, the little secretary was completely shocked. How could he not know who this person was? He opened his mouth and said in shock: "Is it the boss of Nike, Phil Knight?"

Phil Knight (February 1938, 2 -), male, the legendary leader of the Nike brand, is one of the most eccentric leaders among Fortune 24 companies.

Chairman and President of Nike, Inc.

Phil Knight was born on February 1938, 2. As a teenager, he was very passionate about sports and published interviews about sports in the high school newspaper.

Knight graduated from the University of Oregon in 1959 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. At the University of Oregon, Knight was a distance runner and set a personal best time of 4 minutes and 10 seconds in the mile.

In 1962, Knight earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Stanford University. It can be said that the study experience at Stanford changed Knight's life. For the first time, he became interested in things other than sports. It was in the small business class classroom at Stanford that Knight came up with the idea for the future Nike company.

After receiving his master's degree, Knight took a trip to Japan and was immediately fascinated by the exotic Eastern culture and business models. Visitors to Knight would take off their shoes before entering his office; Knight would give them a clasped hand salute as they left.

Phil Knight
Strictly speaking, Knight was not very good as an athlete, but at the University of Oregon he met long-distance running coach Bill Bowerman, who he regarded as a mentor throughout his life.

Bowerman later became Knight's entrepreneurial partner.

The birth of Nike is like a legend. A college long-distance runner who performed mediocrely but was very interested in selling shoes met a strict long-distance running coach who made homemade sports shoes to improve the students' long-distance running speed, and mutual sparks were sparked. They were dissatisfied with the existing American running shoes at the time and decided to design their own shoes.

Knight once said humorously: "Since I am not the best player on the team, it is natural for me to test the shoes designed by coach (Bowerman)."

It can be said without politeness that Knight is one of the biggest giants behind the sports industry.

It is precisely because of the support of such giants that many stars can have sneakers to endorse and earn a lot of extra money.

Otherwise, how could Michael Jordan have his own sneaker brand?

It can be said that all of this is standing on the shoulders of giants.

Without the big man behind it, it would be impossible.

When David Stern heard the word Nike, he immediately remembered who this person was.

In fact, Nike is the president of the league and one of his biggest financial pillars. He usually talks to the managers under Nike and has no chance to talk directly to the boss.

But today, he never expected that the big boss of Nike would actually take the initiative to call him.

David Stern's office is located in a high-rise office building downtown.

His office is more than 100 square meters and is very spacious.

The entire office is designed in a European style, with expensive imported carpets on the floor and exquisite oil paintings hanging on the walls, showing the identity and taste of the owner.

The whole space is very bright, full of sunshine and warmth.

A magnificent tiger leather chair is placed in front of David's luxurious desk, which looks noble and decent.

There are some legal documents and computers stacked on the table, and he is obviously very busy at work.

A huge bookshelf hangs on the wall, neatly arranged with many legal books, corporate literature, economics magazines and management books.

There is also a small conference room in the office, equipped with a round table and several chairs, which is convenient for David and his clients to hold discussions and meetings.

The curtains are made of black silk fabric and cover the windows. They not only play a beautiful role, but also protect privacy.

The entire office environment is clean and tidy, giving people an elegant and comfortable feeling.

From the office furnishings to the air environment, everything reflects David's pursuit of professional quality and quality of life. The office reflects not only David’s identity and status, but also his taste and values.

But don't think that if Nike wants to sell sneakers, it will take the initiative to please David Stern. In fact, the situation is exactly the opposite.

(This is not the actual situation, it needs to be adapted for the plot, thank you!)
At that time, the NBA was at the bottom of the four major sports leagues. Big brands like Nike had actually already worked with other sports leagues to manufacture sneakers for baseball and football players.

In other words, Nike already had very good sales at that time.

If David Stern can take the initiative to establish a relationship with him, it will be of great benefit to the development of the league, and it will also allow the stars to make more money.

Then a virtuous cycle will occur, allowing more talented people to choose to play basketball.

As we all know, talent is a very important aspect in sports. Some people are very talented and can play both rugby and basketball. As for what this athlete will ultimately choose to do, it all depends on where he makes more money. .

Only if basketball allows him to earn more will he choose to play basketball. This is also a very realistic thing. Therefore, if he could climb the big tree behind Nike, David Stern would definitely not hesitate.

It is precisely because of this that Nike manipulated the game later.

Because of course Nike hopes that its basketball players will eventually win the championship. This is also very normal.

Nike is, after all, a business.

As for morals, they don't need them at all. What they need is interests and money.

What they think about is not success or failure.

They just want to make more money.

That's it.

Of course, this can be regarded as everyone getting what he needs.

David Stern said quickly: "Excuse me, Mr. Phil, why did you call me so late? What's the matter?"

David Stern is also very sophisticated. He knows that the other party must want to negotiate with him, or that the other party has a strategic vision and thinks that he is very good. Otherwise, the other party will not call him so late. .

However, if this is the case, then there must be benefits to be found.

If that's the case, then don't be so excited.

If you act particularly excited, you will already be at a disadvantage during the negotiation process.

On a summer night, a bright moon hangs in the dark blue sky, quietly casting a misty light. Dots of lights shine on both sides of the street, like dancing elves, adding a vivid charm to the city.

The green plants on the balcony are softly illuminated by the moonlight and grow quietly.

The breeze blows on the leaves of the sycamore tree on the street corner, making a rustling sound, which seems to be a tribute to summer.

In the distance, there were sounds of frolics and laughter. These lively sounds formed a sonata belonging to the summer night, filling the entire city and making people involuntarily immersed in it.

The summer night air is filled with the scent of flowers, leaves and earth, giving people a refreshing feeling.

There are also pots of blooming flowers placed on the balcony, blooming with charming colors. Walking in the alleys of the city, the blue tiles make people nostalgic; the fresh walls are decorated with lines carved The little flowers add a bit of vitality to people. The road is paved with smooth and dark colors. Occasionally, the wind will blow, blowing up carrot peelings, catkins, earth and rocks, like pieces of falling snow, beautiful and intoxicating.

In the small town on summer nights, apart from idlers, gamblers and idle people, the nightlife is even more colorful. In the alleys, there are dogs wandering around, and small gardens dot the doorways of the houses, which look antique.

On the balcony, gauze curtains were hung and electric lights were lit, like a palace hanging thousands of years ago. The night in the city is like a picture of kindness and joy, making people feel warm and happy. Everything is peaceful and graceful, quiet yet energetic. Staying in this city makes people feel incomparable joy and beauty.

At this time, Phil Knight was actually in such a balcony.

In a very luxurious balcony.

In fact, he was also very puzzled as to why he suddenly received a call from the big boss behind his back.

Moreover, the big boss seemed to be drunk and asked himself to call David Stern to praise a Chinese man.

Phil Knight was wondering if the big boss behind him had drunk too much. How could he suddenly make such a decision? This was simply a joke.

Moreover, he didn't even know who the man named Wu Liang was.

Is there any benefit to praising him?

The key is that the big boss behind the scenes uses an unquestionable tone.

Phil Knight was also very speechless, he could only do as he was told.

David Stern didn't know why Phil Knight called, but he still said respectfully: "Mr. Phil, you haven't told me yet, what exactly did you call me about? I actually don't know. You know your past very well."

Knight and Bowerman each invested $500 to found Blue Ribbon, the predecessor of Nike. A year later, Japan sent 200 pairs of sports shoes, and the company officially started business. At that time, Knight was working as a regular accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers during the day, and after get off work, he would set up a street stall on university campuses or sports grounds to sell sneakers they imported from Japan. Knight even served as a teacher at Portland State University until 1969.

In 1964, Knight and his former coach Bowerman each invested US$500 to establish "Blue Ribbon Sporting Goods Company" and began selling their own brand of sports shoes. Their products were produced by a Japanese manufacturer. Due to lack of funds, they do not have a fixed office location or business office. When selling products, the house becomes the store and the sales car becomes the office. In order to save rent, they chose to open a store near a garbage station; the packaging fee was too expensive, so they bought old wrapping paper from the waste collection station for packaging.

But even so, Knight still dreamed that one day, their company's sneakers could beat the best-selling Adidas sneakers and other brands.

In 1971, Knight began to consider changing the name and logo of his fledgling company. One of the company's employees suggested a name he had dreamed of in a dream - Nike (the winged goddess of victory in ancient Greek mythology).

Phil Knight(11 photos)
Le Cordon Bleu's sales have exceeded $600 million. Onitsuka Tiger sent people to the United States and proposed that Onitsuka Tiger purchase 51% of the company's shares and occupy two seats among the five directors. If Onitsuka Tiger did not agree to this request, supply would be stopped immediately. Bowerman and Knight couldn't bear the Japanese businessmen's difficulties and flatly rejected this unreasonable request. With their design patents, they quickly found a partner, and at the end of the year, Knight named the company Nike after the Greek goddess of victory.

Therefore, Phil Knight is a very strategic company, and it is very cool to be able to cooperate with it.

Phil Knight said: "Well, I want to sign a contract with someone in your league."

ps: As mentioned before, this book is expected to be finished by the end of this month.

Now that it’s about to end, maybe it’s time to really let yourself go.

If you really don’t like it, it’s better not to continue subscribing. I feel really bad about wasting this point coin. After all, this thing costs money.

In addition, I still want to use my own treasure to recommend a new fantasy book "Immortality from Burying the Corpse". This is another new book written by me. If possible, I still hope that my friends can help me click on it and collect it. I read it to the end, thank you very much.

If you follow the story, you should be able to write a long one.

This is the first purely enjoyable article I wrote at Qidian. Thank you. (End of chapter)