Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 236 My talent is extraordinary!

"1.2 million!"

"make a deal!"

Chen Fang and Drew held hands tightly.

After leaving Las Vegas, Chen Fang did not return to California immediately, but came to St. Louis to meet Drew.

This time, I came to discuss the matter of forming a private service team.

The team includes nutritionists, trainers, masseurs, rehabilitation doctors, agents, and public relations personnel.

The trainers are Chen Fang’s old friends, Hannon, Wick, and Carl, and one or two more trainers with NBA training experience are needed. Chen Fang believes that this luxurious training team is a necessity.

The fact that he can get all the way from Nanyang to where he is now is inseparable from his trainer. Manpower is limited, and collective efforts are the best solution.

Nutritionists, masseurs, and rehabilitation physicians are also urgent matters. Chen Fang plans to spend all the money from his first rookie contract in the NBA on logistical support, including hiring staff, purchasing equipment, and renting venues. These are all necessary.

Finally, regarding agents and public relations media, Chen Fang believes that North America also needs an organization like Corsair to serve itself.

Duffy went with him to St. Louis and had an in-depth conversation with him about promoting and enhancing commercial value.

This made Chen Fang realize that cooperation with sports companies is not only about making money, but also has its own meaning.

Signing with Nike, Adidas, or Under Armour is actually a matter of taking sides. The situation you choose will determine which camp you are in.

"Now is the era of Nike's dominance. Choosing others will cause you to encounter some inexplicable troubles in the future."

"Can you consider choosing a Chinese manufacturer?" Chen Fang asked.

"I understand your feelings as a Chinese and want to sign a contract with a Chinese brand, but I want to tell you that if you have lofty ambitions, Nike is your only choice," Duffy told Chen Fang sincerely.

"The relationship between Nike and the NBA is deeper than you think, especially in the past decade. You can think of the two as two sides of a coin."

"Will we be suppressed if we choose something else?" Chen Fang asked with great interest.

"You can't understand it this way, but you will lag far behind in league promotion. For example, you will always have fewer votes in honorary awards. For some awards, your data clearly meets the standards, but you are not even nominated."

"Those who usually choose Adidas, Under Armour, and other brands have already given up competing for the top honors. Some are also abandoned by the brands and choose to go into self-exile."

"Choosing Nike means you can compete with other stars on an equal footing. Chen Fang, when you come to the league, you are a part of it. The league's valuation is closely related to you. Every penny of the money the league earns has a lot to do with you."

"If you reject business, you are rejecting progress. Don't try to use data to gain knowledge. Some things cannot be represented by data alone."

"What you said makes sense. I will seriously consider it." In fact, Chen Fang is already friends with Kobe, Harden, Garnett, Rondo, DeRozan and others. These older brothers have discussed related topics and the suggestions they gave are similar to what Duffy said.

"I need your recommendation for public relations, but I don't want you to interfere." Chen Fang switched to the next topic.

"No problem, I'll give you a list of recommendations and you can choose from them. I'm only responsible for commercial signings and contracts." Duffy had no objection. If a star player is completely controlled by him, it is naturally a good thing, but it is also a bad thing.

Balance is king in a lasting relationship.

Back to the signing scene with Drew, both parties took a step back on the contract and signed a four-year team transfer contract for 120 million US dollars, totaling 480 million, an average of 120 million per year.

Carl, Hannon and Wick became Chen Fang's exclusive personal trainers, working only for Chen Fang. Drew also needed to find two trainers with NBA experience for him to form a team of five people.

As for nutritionists, rehabilitation physicians, and masseurs, they will be recruited by Chen Fang. Chen Fang's plan is to set up a company with about 20 people to serve him.

The company has been established and named Rock.

The implication is very straightforward. Chen Fang hopes that this company can keep his health as solid as a rock. He also hopes that the company can protect him as firmly as a rock.

Even Duffy and Drew were shocked by Chen Fang's generosity. Drew asked half-jokingly, "Are you going to spend all your rookie contract here?"

"Yes, I have planned to do so!"

NBA player contracts are paid year by year. Part of each year's salary is paid before the start of the season, and the rest is paid in the middle of the season and after the end of the season, usually in October, February, and May.

For example, Chen Fang signed a four-year rookie contract with a total salary of 3400 million yuan. The salary in the first year is the lowest, and it increases year by year thereafter. But don't be happy too soon. Strictly speaking, you can only get the minimum salary of the first two years.

Because the third and fourth years are team options. If you don't perform well, I'm sorry, the team will choose to give up on you in the third year. So the so-called four-year contract, in fact, is only guaranteed in the first two years.

The salaries in the third and fourth years will reach over eight million and nine million respectively.

Even so, the more than 30 million in the first year contract is not something that can be obtained. Usually, high taxes have to be paid, including federal taxes of 40%-10%; state taxes of 13%-10%; league escrow fees (10% of the salary will be held in escrow by the league to pay the players' pensions and other benefits, which is actually social security) of 5%; medical expenses of 2% (medical insurance); and agent fees of 4%-%.

By this calculation, the salary that players can get is about 40%.

Taking James as an example, his annual salary in the 2023-2024 season is 4447 million US dollars. After deducting federal taxes, state taxes, custody fees, medical expenses and agent fees, the actual amount he receives is about 2400 million US dollars.

Of course, some states have very low or even no state tax, but the highest is California, at 13%.

But please don't worry about the stars, because there are hidden clauses in the contract, including incentive clauses (activation conditions such as data, honors, and entering the playoffs), bonuses, and advertising endorsements.

These are huge ranges. Taking James as an example, his annual income in 2023 is 1.176 million US dollars, of which advertising income is as high as 7000 million.

So the problem with a small market is that it can only pay superstar salaries, while a big market can give superstars double their wealth elsewhere.

Chen Fang currently receives less than 300 million yuan, and the trainer contract alone is 120 million yuan, plus other expenses, so Drew asked this question.

Drew felt unbelievable when he heard the answer, but when he thought about how Chen Fang, who was still a high school student, dared to take out 50 yuan to negotiate with him, he understood.

"You are such a generous person." He praised.

"There is an old Chinese saying that fish from the Yangtze River return to the Yangtze River," Chen Fang replied.

Duffy and Drew both looked thoughtful, and then they roughly understood what Chen Fang wanted to express.

"Yes, these investments will eventually double back. Your wisdom is worth learning." Drew said admiringly.

As far as he knows, Tatum spends his salary as soon as he gets it. Although everyone does the same, Drew feels the gap when comparing him with Chen Fang.

No wonder Chen Fang was able to catch up and surpass Jason.

It seems that if I have the chance, I should have a good chat with Jason, and his personal functional plan should be put on the agenda.

"However, your operation may encounter some troubles from the team management." Duffy suddenly interrupted.

Chen Fang asked: "In which aspect, Drew is not an outsider, he is my partner."

"In fact, even if I don't say it, Mr. Drew can think of it." Duffy nodded to Drew first, and then said: "The team has its own medical team and training team. They are a full set. Although they serve the whole team, it is also a means for the team to control the players."

"Especially in terms of medical treatment, the team wants to understand the health status of the players through medical treatment. Although this is positive and beneficial for the team to use the players more scientifically, it also has disadvantages."

"Players will worry that the team will falsify health certificates for the sake of results, regardless of their physical health and long-term career, so that players with injury risks can continue to play on the court."

"Some superstars will form their own medical support team and refuse the team's regular physical examinations. The team management can only use the players based on the medical examinations presented by the players."

"Therefore, team management is very averse to players having their own medical team."

Chen Fang nodded. Duffy's words reminded him of Kawhi Leonard. Wasn't it this move by Kawhi Leonard that caused the Spurs management to collapse and be forced to break up?

This is a typical case of competitive cold violence.

"How to avoid it?" Chen Fang asked.

Duffy said, "It's actually very simple. You just need to be a little tired."

"You need to meet the team's medical monitoring requirements. Of course, you can also check with your own team to compare the two and understand your physical health status in a timely manner. If the risk value exceeds the yellow line, you can apply for a break."

"Well, that's a solution." Chen Fang nodded.

"Don't trust management too much. There are too many examples to prove that when management feels you have no hope, all promises will be torn up, and they will send you to other teams without hesitation, even in exchange for a second-round pick, without blinking an eye." Duffy reminded.

"Yes, I am very clear about this."

To put it in a metaphor, every team is a scumbag. As long as they find that you are no longer beautiful, no longer fresh, and can no longer bring them emotional value, they will disappear immediately and their enthusiasm will no longer exist.

Therefore, Chen Fang would never be blindly loyal. One man, one city, just like diamonds, is specially used to fool women and players.

"Let you communicate with the management about this matter," Chen Fang said.

"No problem, I'll take the blame." Duffy did not hesitate. The agent is the bad guy. Causing conflicts between the players and the team means that the agent has failed in his duty, or the conflict between the two parties has become irreconcilable.

"As for the remaining two trainers, I'll trouble you!" Chen Fang said to Drew.

"Of course, but can you tell me your requirements?" Drew asked.

Chen Fang pondered for a moment, and he thought of James. To be honest, there were many things about James that were worth learning. The one who knows you must be your enemy.

"I need a trainer who can help me improve my core strength, just like James' personal trainer Cisa Mancias, to reduce my risk of injury."

Drew nodded, then asked in confusion: "Isn't Wick doing this?"

"Not enough. I respect Wick a lot, but Wick is more professional in strength training. When it comes to protecting the body from damage, I think someone else is needed."

"Yes, I think I understand." Drew would not argue with his employer over such matters, so he just glanced over it.

"The other one should be technical. We need trainers who have advanced theory and practice in simplifying offense and improving scoring efficiency, especially in confrontation." Chen Fang has been reviewing the summer league games recently.

His confrontation is obviously insufficient. Although he can score, this is based on the fact that everyone is still unfamiliar with him. It is foreseeable that after he has played in the NBA for half a year, his weaknesses will become an open secret.

By then, it will be the so-called rookie wall.

"I don't want to have a rookie wall." Chen Fang said to Drew.

"Well, now I understand what you're thinking." Drew understood very well because he was planning for Tatum on how to avoid the rookie wall or break the ice quickly.

"It's getting late, so let's stop here for today!" Chen Fang felt much better when he saw that the matter was finally settled.

"Will you go to the school to check it out?" Drew suddenly asked. Chen Fang was stunned. To be honest, he had never thought about it before Drew said it. Now that he was reminded, he felt a little embarrassed.

"You should go!" said Chen Fang.

"Well, I heard that Chaminade is planning to retire your and Jason's jerseys. Isn't the picture of the two of you retiring together exaggerated?"

This news surprised Chen Fang. He didn't expect the school to be like this. He knew Tatum would definitely have his jersey retired by Chaminade, but he didn't expect that he, who only stayed there for one year, would also have his jersey retired.

Seeing Chen Fang's surprised expression, Drew explained, "Actually, this is a common practice. As long as a former player enters the NBA, the school will retire the player. It has nothing to do with how long you have been there."

"Oh, I see!" Chen Fang understood.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Chen Fang and Duffy walked out of Drew Company and came to the side of the road. The door of the GM commercial vehicle had already been opened, and the driver and bodyguard, Kner, got out of the car. He quickly glanced left and right and made a safe gesture.

Kerner came from Bodyguard Stars security company, a well-known company specializing in private protection for sports stars. With Duffy's help, Chen Fang hired Kerner.

Even so, Duffy still told Chen Fang that he still needed to recruit a reliable private bodyguard himself, because some private activities were not suitable for using the company's bodyguards.

These are all very normal operations. Kobe's personal bodyguard is a retired Delta Force soldier with a daily salary of up to 10,000 US dollars. Harden's personal bodyguard is an agent. Later, because of his service to Harden, he became the security director of the Rockets.

Of course, many stars’ bodyguards are mostly childhood friends, such as Anthony and James.

And what’s interesting is that some real superstars will be arranged with bodyguards on the field by the team management, just like Oakley beside Jordan, Jordan’s sword-wielding bodyguard. If anyone dares to make a move against Jordan in the game, he will immediately strike the opponent ruthlessly.

Because of Oakley, Jordan did not suffer any major injuries during his career.

For players like Kobe and James, the team has arrangements for them, which is standard for superstars.

This was what Elijah wanted to express at the beginning, but Chen Fang didn’t quite understand it. Now he suddenly realized it. Thinking back to that time, he couldn’t help but feel a lot of emotion.

Thinking of Ilya, Chen Fang also felt that it was time to make arrangements for him. Ilya, who had just graduated, was still in a situation where he had nothing to do, so he had to do something.

After getting in the car, Chen Fang said to Kerner, "Let's go to Chaminade."

Kerner is a white man in his forties, slightly bald, and his facial features are very similar to Kevin Costner in "The Bodyguard".

Chen Fang competed with him and was quickly subdued. Although Chen Fang did not take it too seriously, it also proved that Kner was the real deal.

He was qualified to carry a gun. With Kner, Chen Fang's constant feeling of uneasiness was much less.

They soon arrived at Chaminade. Duffy did not get out of the car, so Chen Fang walked over alone.

Sid Perez was already waiting at the door. The old man was very happy and gave Chen Fang a big hug when he saw him.

"You've become a lot stronger!" Perez hit Chen Fang on the chest.

"Yes, it's 94 now, and my body fat has also decreased a bit, but it still feels not enough." Chen Fang said with a grin.

"Don't be in a hurry, take your time," Perez reminded him.

"Well, how about this year?"

"As always, I spend half a year scouting for talent all over the country. Now that you two have a great reputation, many high school students know about Chaminade, so recruiting has become much easier and it saves me a lot of time."

"Great, is the coach here?" Chen Fang asked.

"Yes, he is leading the team in training. Let me come to greet him."

Chen Fang came to the gym he hadn't seen for a long time. Every tree and blade of grass here was familiar to him. Although he had only been here for less than a year, for Chen Fang, this was the beginning of his dream. It was not an exaggeration to call it his alma mater.

When Frank saw Chen Fang, he did not interrupt the training. Instead, he pointed to a chair under the court and motioned Chen Fang to sit down first.

But the players had already recognized Chen Fang. More than a dozen players at the scene became excited and the intensity of their training suddenly increased.

Chen Fang sat there and watched for a while. Perez asked, "Are you a little disappointed?"

"It's okay, but I definitely haven't found any talent like the one in mine and Jason's." Chen Fang answered truthfully.

"That's nonsense. Do you think you guys are common? I'm not exaggerating. I never expected that I would run into one."

"That's a really high compliment." Chen Fang laughed.

"I'm very happy that they can enter D1. For a high school coach, it is a dream to coach an NBA player, but my job is to help more high school students enter the NCAA major league. Even if it is D2 or D3, it is a happy thing."

Chen Fang nodded. This is the simple American high school coach who is not too ambitious and is worthy of reference and role model for every high school basketball coach.

Countless Perez and Flacco have created the ever-strong NCAA, and indirectly created the world's number one basketball league, the NBA.

The two watched and chatted, and Chen Fang also shared his judgment on each player, which was praised by Perez.

"Your eyesight is good enough to be a scout now." The old man sighed.

"Didn't I learn that from you?" Chen Fang was very humble, but he also told the truth. Chen Fang did go to Chaminade, and with the help of Perez, he began to read and analyze the players' technical characteristics and match predictions.

Perez was grinning, and at this moment, Frank came over.

"You take my place."

"Okay." Perez did not refuse. He knew that Frank and Chen Fang had a grudge, and now that Chen Fang was back, they should take this opportunity to resolve it.

"Let's go to the office. I still have the tea we drank last time." Frank said.

"I still remember the scent of tea." Chen Fang understood and said with a smile.

The two came to the office and revisited the old place, feeling quite emotional.

Soon, the aroma of tea filled the air, and Frank started talking: "Did you meet Jason?"

"It's the RTP that just ended."

"I haven't seen you for a long time." Frank said with emotion.

"Haven't you seen it now?"

"Yes, you are already NBA players, just like Bill and David Lee, that's great." As the head coach of Chaminade, Frank is very proud. He has produced 5 NBA stars, which is considered a very impressive existence in North America.

"I've always had something I wanted to explain to you." Frank knew that he wouldn't have many opportunities to meet Chen Fang, so he spoke directly.

"Actually, coach, you don't have to worry about it." Chen Fang interrupted.

Frank was stunned for a moment and looked at Chen Fang's clear eyes.

"It's understandable that I did the same thing. I'm very touched that the coach is still struggling with this. For me, this is enough."

After saying this briefly, Frank's eyes moistened slightly and he smiled easily.

"Thank you."

"I have always been grateful to the head coach for his training of me. I am a person who knows how to repay kindness. I have always regarded Chaminade as my alma mater, so if there is any need for me, I will respond immediately."

"Very good, I guess I don't need to say more, you are indeed a Chaminade, a man!" Frank recited the school motto.

"Yes, we all are!" Chen Fang took a sip of tea. Mm, it still tasted the same.

“Keep competing and remember that not only does USC have your back, but Chaminade does too!” Frank promised solemnly.

"Of course. How can you not love your own children?" Chen Fang said with a smile.

For the next hour, Chen Fang and Frank returned to the training ground. As a rising NBA star, Chen Fang taught on the spot, mingled with the high school students, and shared his understanding of offense and defensive thinking.

Even Perez and Frank were surprised. They realized that after two years, Chen Fang's level had reached a level that they found difficult to understand.

Morris, who was once the vice president and was in charge of academic affairs, also came to the stadium. Before leaving, Morris said, "We are really preparing for the ceremony of retiring the jersey. The specific time needs to be coordinated with your schedule and Jason's schedule."

"I have no problem. I will follow the school's arrangements." Chen Fang seemed very friendly, without any NBA airs at all.

Morris appreciated Chen Fang's attitude of treating himself as a student of the school. He nodded and said, "We won't make things difficult for you. If you have any difficulties, the school will be your strong backing."

Even though Frank said it, it was different when Maurice said it.

Don’t underestimate a high school’s board of directors. There are even state legislators behind it.

"I will try not to make mistakes and dare not embarrass the school." Chen Fang said half-jokingly.

"Haha!" Morris was amused. He patted Chen Fang on the shoulder and was very satisfied with Chen Fang's answer.

Back in the car, Duffy saw that Chen Fang was in a good mood, so he asked, "It seems that everything went well on this trip to visit relatives."

"Yes, everything is fine. I hope it will always be like this!" Chen Fang replied.

"It's a good wish, let's maintain it carefully." Duffy said meaningfully.

Looking at the scenery outside the car that kept flying backwards, Chen Fang said: "Yes, good wishes require us to keep our original intentions."

"Yes."

"What do I need to go through next?" Chen Fang turned and asked Duffy.

"I attended the team's training camp in August and started to get in touch with the team's core players. This requires enough caution. Perhaps a tiny detail will lead to a deviation in the future."

"Well, I've always been very careful." Chen Fang said to Duffy confidently, "I don't think I'll capsize."

After all, my name comes with the bonus attribute of riding the wind and waves.

I am gifted and God has been very generous to me.

Chen kept it in his mind and said to himself.

(End of this chapter)