Basketball miracles

Chapter 61 [Sneaker Culture, Easy Difficulty]

Xiao Tu knew that Adidas would be fined for creating custom purple and gold boots for him, but he still made a request.

This is a must. If Adidas doesn't comply, then the management team is a bunch of idiots and should all be replaced.

Nike has paid fines for this for some time now, and as a result, it has made a fortune.

On October 18th, Michael Jordan took to the court wearing black and red Nike shoes. However, the NBA has a rule that shoes must be white.

The league immediately issued a ban, prohibiting Jordan from wearing those shoes. Nike had two options: change the colorway, or pay a $5,000 fine per game.

Nike responded by paying every fine and using the incident as advertising: "The NBA can't stop you from wearing them."

The "banned" ads have taken the market by storm. Kids all want the shoes the NBA forbids, and store shelves are emptied. Every new product launch triggers buying frenzy and even conflicts, not because Jordan's popularity is invincible, but because nobody likes wearing white shoes.

Xiao Tu thought the NBA executives who made that rule back then really should get their heads checked. Even Little Dragon Girl wears black, so why can't basketball shoes be other colors?
Stern has taken office, and this rule will definitely be abolished next season.

Nike's brilliant marketing campaign has created a whole new cultural phenomenon—sneaker culture!
Jordan benefited from this, his popularity soared, and it was a win-win situation for both Jordan and Nike.

Adidas has fallen far behind in marketing. Xiao Tu requested purple and gold sneakers, and of course they complied. Everyone needs to design unique sneakers to boost their spokespeople's popularity; continuing to produce white sneakers is a dead end.

If Xiao Tu can wear these shoes and help the Lakers win the championship, Adidas's sales will definitely crush Nike's. Given the choice between the shoes of a star player from a struggling team and the shoes of a core player from a championship team, how many people would choose the struggling team's shoes?

Xiao Tu is also confident that he and Adidas will achieve a win-win situation, and they will probably be overwhelmed with wins after the dunk contest.

Lakers general manager Jerry West called that evening to congratulate Xiao Tu on signing the endorsement contract and said he would offer him a much larger contract in the future.

Xiao Tu and West had a pleasant chat, and Xiao Tu completely trusted the manager's verbal promises. This was because the Lakers were currently the most humane team in the NBA and wouldn't deliberately exploit their players.

The Lakers have given Magic Johnson a privilege that allows him to adjust his contract salary at any time to avoid the $2500 million contract impacting his future salary growth.

Therefore, although Johnson signed a 25-year long-term contract early on, he did not suffer a significant reduction in his career salary like Scottie Pippen later did with a 7-year contract.

Xiao Tu will definitely not choose to sign a super long-term contract; the term can be negotiated with management at that time.

Madonna was in New York for work and didn't return to Los Angeles with Xiao Tu. After seeing the news, she called to congratulate him and held the phone tightly, praising his charismatic performance at the press conference.

The two talked for over an hour before hanging up. Xiao Tu turned his head and was stunned for a moment: "Chris, what are you doing here? No... Chris, why are you lounging around like that?"

Chris Ford was eating dog food in the living room, looking utterly dejected. "So, you came back just so I could hear you two on the phone, showing off your love?"

"of course not."

"Then why don't you live in her mansion anymore?" Chris asked.

"It's so boring living alone in a big house."

"I can live with you in a mansion."

"Forget about it, she definitely won't agree. And bro, can you talk normally for once? Stop being so gay!" Xiao Tu rolled his eyes.

"I was just kidding. Actually, I'm doing pretty well even without you coming back. I can bring women home. Don't let my lack of money fool you, I'm still very popular with women, okay?" Chris boasted.

Actually, Chris was more comfortable when Xiao Tu came back to stay. Xiao Tu hadn't forgotten his friend and had just treated him to a barbecue feast.

Chris didn't earn much as a backup dancer for Madonna; he wasn't always working. He auditioned but couldn't get any good roles, mostly just bit parts in bad movies.

Hollywood is incredibly competitive; without connections, it's extremely difficult to succeed. Actors like Jennifer Connelly, who easily land leading roles based solely on their looks, are few and far between. Most actors can't even get a chance to be sexually exploited; they need a wealthy patron to take notice.

The two were watching TV and chatting when Chris asked Xiao Tu how he planned to spend his money now that he had made a fortune.

"I don't know, there's nothing I want to buy."

"Aren't you considering buying a new car?" "I really like my current car; it's spacious."

Chris exclaimed, "Dude, $250 million! Madonna would be so proud of you, how come you're so calm?"

"Because I'm not excited at all, it's only 250 million."

"I'd be perfectly content if I could earn $250 million in my lifetime," Chris thought, feeling he could just relax with that much money. He couldn't predict future inflation.

Being a "millionaire" is now a prestigious title, with reportedly fewer than 50 people in the entire United States.

American millionaires spend lavishly, buying private jets, yachts, and mansions, while the middle class also spends lavishly on various luxury goods and travels abroad at great expense. This era of dazzling extravagance and rampant materialism is a true reflection of our times, making wealthy individuals like Xiao Tu, with their detached and Buddhist-like attitudes, extremely rare.

"Don't underestimate yourself. Maybe one day you'll become famous and earn more than two million for a single movie." Xiao Tu really didn't take the Adidas contract seriously. What's an exorbitant price now would be a friendly price in the 90s, and a dirt cheap price in the 21st century.

Xiao Tu's contract extension with the Lakers will be much larger. If he signs a shorter contract at the right time, and then renews it in the 90s, his salary will increase many times over, making him one of the first people to earn a multi-million dollar annual salary.

Chris asked, "Aren't you planning to buy a house?"

Xiao Tu shook his head. "I'd rather not live in a house I buy. I'll see how it goes. Madonna loves buying houses, and they're almost always empty. If I were to buy one, it would only be in a location I really like."

He knew he had to buy a house sooner or later, and that Los Angeles house prices were cheap now, but would skyrocket by the mid-90s.

He's thinking very far ahead; he plans to sell all his houses in Los Angeles by 2020 and rent instead.

He wasn't like Da Shachun, waiting for the house to go cheaper before buying it back; he simply didn't want his mansion to be burned down in a future fire. The future of Los Angeles wouldn't be suitable for human habitation. California was prone to wildfires, water resources were monopolized by the wealthy, and the lack of water for the fire suppression system was surreal.

Chris exclaimed, "Don't you think your life has been a little too smooth?"

"Yeah, if life is a game, I'm playing on easy difficulty right now." Xiao Tu sighed inwardly: I'm really having a smooth time in this world, I'm not this strong in other worlds.

He prefers the internet age; Madonna used a landline to call him, and they had to confirm his location beforehand. He also couldn't go online to find what he wanted to know, which made him feel isolated and inconvenient.

Xiao Tu asked, "How have you been lately? I feel your accent has improved."

"It's definitely a bit better. I passed the audition and will be playing a supporting role in a movie." Chris sighed and said with a wry smile, "The movie is called 'Boys' School Girls,' and you can tell from the title that it's a terrible movie. But I didn't have a choice; I'm lucky to even have a role."

"At least this is a good start. If you have enough scenes, you can hone your acting skills and accumulate experience."

"I really envy you, you've achieved both fame and fortune. I don't aspire to be a big star in Hollywood, I'd be content just to have a stable stream of roles to play."

"There will be opportunities. Madonna said she wants me to be her date to some high-society parties. I'll get to know some people in the entertainment industry then, and I can keep an eye out for any movies that are about to be made."

"Thank you, I like your personality, you're so loyal!"

"Don't mention it, I'd also like to see what a celebrity party is like. I've never been to a party before."

“People invited you before, but you didn’t want to go. Luckily you didn’t go, otherwise you might have found a very ordinary girlfriend and might not be with Madonna.”

Xiao Tu laughed and said, "You seem to enjoy going to parties, but I haven't seen you find a long-term girlfriend."

“I’m different from you. I’m single because I don’t have money to date. If someone wants to have a one-night stand with me, I won’t hesitate. It’s easy to have a romantic encounter at parties.”

"Take it easy, you'll catch something and be done for. I often hear my teammates bragging that they like one-night stands, which sounds dangerous. Women who have one-night stands don't seem very decent."

Chris looked at him like he was an idiot. "Dude, everyone in America knows you and Madonna met and got together in a day."

"..."

(End of this chapter)