Basketball miracles

Chapter 59 [Of course I agree, a record-breaking contract]

Xiao Tu and Jennifer Connelly together are a striking sight, drawing attention not only because of their good looks, but also because Xiao Tu is incredibly tall.

The two strolled and chatted like any ordinary young couple, and a gentle breeze caressed their faces, making Xiao Tu feel refreshed.

When the Brooklyn Bridge was completed, it was considered the eighth wonder of the world after the seven ancient wonders, and was hailed as one of the seven epoch-making architectural wonders of the Industrial Revolution era.

The bridge is 1834 meters long. When people walk or cycle across the bridge, they can overlook the East River and the Manhattan skyline, and take romantic silhouette photos at dusk.

Unfortunately, none of them brought cameras, and Xiao Tu didn't see any paparazzi following them to take pictures.

The two chatted about their recent lives. Xiao Tu's story was colorful, and Jennifer was full of praise for him having lunch with the NBA commissioner that day.

Xiao Tu said he would become even more famous, and Jennifer believed him completely.

Jennifer was talking about her experiences at school: being isolated, having no friends, and feeling pitiful.

Xiao Tu sighed, "I really don't understand what your classmates are thinking. With a big star in the class, shouldn't they be vying to be your friend? When everyone grows up, they might even reconnect because they were childhood friends. It's such a prestigious thing for them to have a celebrity friend, isn't it?"

Jennifer asked, "Do you have any close friends?"

“No.” Xiao Tu shook his head: “But I’m not quite the same as you. I was the height of an average adult when I was in elementary school, but I became a giant when I was in middle school. My classmates felt that I was too intimidating.”

Jennifer laughed and said, "I think you have a great figure. You look very strong."

After researching online, Xiao Tu discovered that Jennifer liked tall men. Billy Campbell, the star of *Rocketman*, is 192cm tall, and Paul Bettany, who played *Vision*, is 191cm. Her cameraman boyfriend was an unknown nobody, and no information about him could be found.

Jennifer said, "I don't care what my classmates do, I'm transferring to a school in Los Angeles anyway. My dad's been busy with work lately, and I can move as early as next week."

"Really?" Xiao Tu was convinced that he had triggered a butterfly effect and changed Jennifer's future.

Jennifer asked, "How are you feeling?"

“Of course I agree,” Xiao Tu said with a smile.

If you were 20 years old, I would give it my full support.

Xiao Tu asked Jennifer about her new school, which wasn't far from where he lived. He welcomed Jennifer to visit him anytime, whether she needed to or not, and Jennifer smiled broadly.

The two chatted about movies and basketball, and time flew by. Xiao Tu treated Jennifer to dessert at a small shop on a Manhattan street, and after less than three hours, he called a taxi to take her home.

Xiao Tu secretly took out some premium lychees from his spatial storage and gave them to Jennifer so she could try them when she got home. Xiao Tu knew she would love them, and told her not to let her family look for them at the supermarket, as they wouldn't be available there.

Xiao Tu returned to the hotel on time, and then took a bus with his teammates to Madison Square Garden.

Professional players typically have a light pre-match meal three hours before their evening game, consisting of simple, easily digestible, and high-energy foods. The players eat just enough to avoid going hungry and becoming fatigued during the game.

NBA teams generally don't advise players on what to eat before a game, as it can affect their performance. At most, there might be some fruit in the locker room, but very few people actually eat it.

Xiao Tu hadn't eaten dinner, so some dessert was just right. He was in a great mood and was in excellent form during the match.

The Lakers crushed the Knicks 145-101 on the road, with eight players scoring in double figures.

The Knicks' star player is Bernard King, the small forward who is currently ranked first in scoring, averaging 31 points per game.

Statistically, Bernard King is undoubtedly a superstar. However, watching the game, Xiao Tu felt he wasn't anything special. King couldn't lead his teammates; he seemed to just take a lot of shots and make random plays. Moreover, he was adept at using the "Tian Ji horse racing" strategy (a Chinese idiom referring to a strategy of taking advantage of a disadvantageous situation) and avoiding peak playing times, while his defense was unmotivated.

上赛季伯纳德金带领尼克斯队打进季后赛，并在首轮3比2战胜了底特律活塞队。他在这5场比赛中的最低分是36分，其余四场全部超过40分。

Throughout the playoffs, he averaged 34.8 points per game. Although the Knicks narrowly lost to the Celtics in Game 7 of the second round, Bernard King's name was already a household name.

Unfortunately, despite having a superstar scorer, the Knicks' overall strength was terrible.

Bernard King's reputation has suffered this season due to his teammates' poor performance, and he's been labeled a stat padder. When the team is trailing by a large margin, he always stays on the court to continue playing, frequently making tough layups in garbage time to boost his shooting percentage.

In the future, almost no fans will discuss Bernard King. He only made the playoffs five times in his entire career, advancing past the first round twice. It's incredibly difficult to find a star with a worse record than him; last season was the peak of his career.

On the way back to Los Angeles, Xiao Tu opened the newly acquired brass treasure chest, which contained the Intermediate Shooting Training Aura.

Xiao Tu knew his shortcomings, so he still needed to find time to increase the intensity of his training. He didn't care if he didn't work on his jumping ability, but he had to keep practicing his shooting. His jump shot wasn't accurate enough; he was only confident on two of the five key three-point shooting spots.

His mid-range jump shot isn't without its weaknesses; he mainly shoots from the middle and the 45-degree angles on either side, but he doesn't take many shots from there.

The day after returning to Los Angeles, Xiao Tu signed a contract with Adidas, a record-breaking five-year, $2.5 million deal.

After speaking with David Stern, Xiao Tu no longer hesitated. Moreover, he directly told the Adidas executives about his dinner with Stern.

"I am a rising star heavily promoted by the league, and this meal proves it. If you keep trying to lower the price and miss out on me, you will definitely regret it later."

The two sides had been negotiating for two weeks, and Xiao Tu insisted that his contract could not be lower than Jordan's, otherwise he would not sign. Also, he had previously worn Converse sneakers and had never worn Adidas.

Therefore, this contract is benchmarked against Jordan, exactly the same. Xiao Tu's reasoning is very sound: if he has more potential and higher popularity than Jordan, there is no reason for his contract to be smaller.

Xiao Tu was grateful for Nike's overpriced signing of Jordan, which gave him a reason to raise his prices. The lower endorsement contracts of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and others were because they were signed early on; they can't possibly command the same prices now as they did a few years ago.

Regardless, Xiao Tu's shoe endorsement contract is larger than the combined contracts of the Lakers' two superstars, which is a solid fact.

Adidas desperately needed a young star to lead the market, and their biggest endorser before was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. However, Abdul-Jabbar's shoes didn't sell well; his physique and playing style didn't resonate with fans, but Adidas didn't understand this.

In the future, a shoe endorsement contract worth 50 yuan per year would be a bargain for a player, as many players earn tens of millions of yuan annually in endorsement fees. But in the 80s, this was an astronomical sum, and Xiao Tu completely outshone a host of big-name stars.

Nike took a big gamble, but set three conditions before signing Jordan.

First, Jordan must win Rookie of the Year and be selected for the NBA All-Star Game within three years; second, Jordan's average points per game must exceed 20 within three years; and third, the sales of Jordan's endorsed shoes must exceed 400 million within three years. If these three conditions are not met, the contract between the two parties will be canceled starting from the fourth year.

Adidas did not set similar conditions for Xiao Tu, believing they were unnecessary. Their bet was that Xiao Tu would become an MVP-caliber star, even a face of the NBA, and that his contract renewal price would increase in the future.

Adidas executives were convinced they would win their gamble, because after only a dozen or so games, Xiao Tu's popularity was already rapidly rising to number one in the league. Businessmen prioritize profit, and they wouldn't refuse to sign a rising star just to save face for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Looking at Xiao Tu's image, everyone in the company felt he was the best sneaker spokesperson, the only one in the league. He was different from other stars; it was like hiring a Hollywood star as a spokesperson.

They have high hopes for Xiao Tu; whether he can surpass Converse in the future hinges on this one move.

As for Jordan… Adidas is a little disappointed by his rising popularity, but only a little. They believe Xiao Tu will always surpass Jordan, both in terms of record and popularity.

Adidas' confidence in Xiao Tu largely stems from their confidence in the Lakers. Does the Bulls even have a chance to contend for the championship? There's absolutely no hope.

Jordan was just padding his stats in the regular season. How could a shooting guard compare to the core center of a championship team?
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(End of this chapter)