The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 74 Auntie, We've Been Winning While You Were Away
The following day, Sunday, the league announced the Player of the Week, and Tang Bei won the honor for the second time thanks to his outstanding performance.

In Orlando, O'Neal felt immense pressure and a sense of crisis.

In the recent game against the Rockets, he was defended so well by Hakeem Olajuwon that he only managed 12 points and 13 rebounds, and was even faked out and knocked to the ground, looking quite pathetic.

His current average stats have dropped to 21 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game, with a field goal percentage of 56.2%, all lower than Tang Bei's.

On the contrary, Tang Bei played better and better, averaging nearly 28 points per game, and even scoring 48 points in a single game.

He's definitely lost the Rookie of the Month award for November, so now he can only work twice as hard and hope to catch up with Tang Bei in the upcoming regular season games.

After a day of rest, Tang Bei arrived at headquarters with his luggage on the morning of the 30th.

The Hornets will embark on a four-game road trip in the Western Conference, including two back-to-back games, with their first stop being the Phoenix Suns.

Larry Johnson had been examined at a private clinic and was diagnosed with no concussion, so Tang Bei delivered a truly powerful blow, holding back his strength in the following punches.

After a few days of rest, the bruising and swelling around his eyes and face have mostly subsided, but he still has a large bandage on his chin. He is ready to return to play in the next game and has received permission from the doctor and the team.

Regarding trades, he really wanted to be traded away, but the Hornets really didn't want to trade him, so things just dragged on.

Besides him, the injured Kendall Gill and John Newman also came.

Both players have recovered somewhat from their injuries, but it's not yet time for them to return to the game. However, according to the rules, they must travel with the team to the away game.

When Bogues saw Larry Johnson, he grinned and said, "Hey, ma'am, how's your injury? I also slipped and fell in the bathroom yesterday, but luckily I wasn't hurt."

Larry Johnson's face was grim. He glanced at Tang Bei expressionlessly and said, "I'm fine. I'll be back for the next game."

Bogues exclaimed happily, "Oh, you're coming back? That's great! We've been winning all the time while you're gone."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Larry Johnson felt an urge to punch Bogues.

Tang Bei was chatting with Kendall Gill and John Newman, trying to win over these two teammates.

One is the team's starting shooting guard, last season's scoring champion, and a player qualified to compete for the core position; the other is an important rotation player who can compete with Dell Curry for the team's sixth man position. Both are among the team's top five scorers.

Kendall Gill, in particular, controls a significant portion of the ball possession, so securing his services would be highly advantageous for him.

With the addition of Dell Curry, several of the Hornets' strongest players will become his helpers.

The remaining Boggs remained impartial and did not hinder him.

12月1号上午，联盟官方通过NBC电视台对外宣布，1993年全明星投票将于92年12月27号开始，于93年1月24号结束。

Afterwards, the official player of the month was announced.

Unlike Player of the Week, Player of the Month is a highly prestigious and prestigious honor, with only six awarded in a season.

For the Player of the Month award, whether it's Tang Bei, Eric Fleischer, or Zhang Heli, everyone is eagerly anticipating it.

Michael Jordan has the highest score, but Tang Bei is not low either, ranking third in the entire league. Moreover, the Hornets have a better record than the Bulls, who are currently 9 wins and 3 losses, 1.5 games behind the Hornets.

But in the end, Michael Jordan won the Player of the Month award for November.

The NBA does not officially recognize a Rookie of the Month award, but some media outlets have created their own. Although it is not officially recognized, it is still highly regarded by fans.

For example, ESPN's Rookie of the Month award is the most recognized media award, and a Rookie of the Month is selected every month.

Soon after the official announcement of the Player of the Month, ESPN also announced the Rookie of the Month.

Unsurprisingly, the media award went to Tang Bei. This honor is awarded based on a combination of individual and team performance, including offensive and defensive statistics such as points, rebounds, blocks, and assists, as well as team record.

In terms of individual performance, Tang Bei surpassed O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning, and in terms of team record, the Hornets completely dominated the Magic and Timberwolves. No media outlet questioned his receipt of this honor.

However, this honor awarded by the media did not bring him the treasure chest as a reward.

With the first month of the regular season over, the previous media criticism of him as a bust has long since disappeared, replaced by praise. Even the most critical media and basketball commentators have nothing to criticize about him.

The Washington Post reported: "Tang spent a month proving he was right; he did indeed fall to second place for some reason."

The New York Times reported with a touch of bitterness: "We do not deny Tang's excellence, but we are even more looking forward to O'Neal's performance."

NBC News reported: "Don, this unprecedented behemoth is continuing to instill fear in the NBA with his dominant low-post offense and defense."

TNT reports: "We look forward to seeing Tang compete against three super centers. Only against such formidable opponents can we truly see his dominance."

At Nike headquarters, a meeting was immediately held regarding Tang Bei after he won ESPN's Rookie of the Month award.

"Gentlemen, now we need to decide whether to offer Tang a more lucrative contract. Please share your thoughts."

“Last time we offered a Tier 4 sponsorship contract, which was $300,000. This time I suggest we stick with Tier 4 and increase it to $500,000 per year.”

"I think we still need to observe. Both he and O'Neal play too physically demanding. Who knows when a major injury might occur? The fourth tier is a good fit."

"Centers don't sell shoes, and the three super centers all have third-tier contracts, let alone a Chinese player? I don't have high hopes for him. There's no need for the company to offer him a high-tier contract. A fourth-tier contract is the most suitable for Tang."

"With CCTV starting to broadcast NBA games live, do we need to assess whether Tang has influence and potential commercial value in the country?"

“China’s high-end market is very small and the purchasing power is very small. Our high-end shoes simply cannot be sold in China. I don’t think Tang has great commercial value and potential. The fourth contract is the most suitable.”

The executives present discussed the issue at length, with the main problem revolving around the contract tiers. No one agreed to offer a first, second, or third tier contract.

Sneaker contracts are generally divided into several categories, with the top tier being the most prestigious signature sneaker contracts.

This type of contract includes custom-made exclusive sneakers, independent production lines, design autonomy for the player, and a high share of the profits. The brand is required to build a complete commercial promotion system for the player.

To date, only one person in NBA history has received such a contract: Michael Jordan.

If there's a second one, it would be Shaquille O'Neal, whom Reebok recently signed.

The second tier is the next level of near-signature sneaker contracts, which are essentially high-end endorsement contracts.

This contract doesn't include a separate signature shoe, but the brand it endorses has a high-end product line, and the contract amount is very high.

This type of contract is reserved for influential superstars. Superstars without influence and super centers who don't sell shoes are not eligible to sign such contracts. There are only a handful in the entire league. The annual salary ranges from $100 million to several million. Barkley just signed such a contract with an annual salary of $300 million.

Simply put, Jordan's shoes have their own independent brand, while his semi-signature shoes do not.

Both of these contracts are high-end contracts. The third tier is the mid-range sneaker contract, the so-called team sneaker contract.

These contracts offer stable salaries, ranging from $50 to $100 million annually, and are designed for All-Stars or high-caliber players. They are not for individual players but rather for multiple players to endorse a team shoe. The three superstar centers who do not sell shoes and Larry Johnson signed this type of contract.

Next are the entry-level, rookie-level potential contracts, the lowest-level sponsorship contracts, with an annual salary of less than $50. This is the type of contract Nike offered to Tang Bei.

Of course, there are even worse options, such as providing free sneakers without any sponsorship fees.

Like Nike, Adidas and other sports shoe brands are discussing similar issues, while some brands are still taking a wait-and-see approach.

(End of this chapter)