NBA: My template has no limit

On May 19, 1996, the Chicago Bulls faced the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals.

This game is highly anticipated not only because it will determine whether Jordan's legendary journey can continue, but also because the lottery draw results will be announced during halftime.

The camera pans to the NBA Entertainment office, where David Stern stands at the front of the stage, flanked by a notary and the lottery machine that carries the hopes of teams and fans.

"The 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft belongs to—the Charlotte Hornets!"

"Shit! Our record deserves a better draft position!"

Bob Bass is very unhappy with his bottom-ranking position in the lottery.

"The twelfth overall pick belongs to..."

……

The fourth overall pick belongs to the Milwaukee Bucks!

Dunleavy remained calm. He and Xu Feng had already reached an agreement, and he was willing to accept the outcome as long as his ranking didn't fall out of the top five.

The third overall pick belongs to the Vancouver Grizzlies!

"Fuck you! David! Fuck you, NBA! Is there a 25% chance this was all rigged?! It's a conspiracy!!"

Grizzlies general manager Stu Jackson was furious that the team with the worst record in the entire league could only get the third pick!

Damn it, give me my money back!

He really wanted to stuff basketballs into the pockets of those brain-dead NBA executives!

The lottery draft order remained unchanged due to Xu Feng.

Next, the Philadelphia 76ers won the second pick, and the Toronto Raptors won the first pick.

Because of the NBA's "expansion ban," the newly added Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies were ineligible for the number one draft pick between 1995 and 1998.

The Raptors had to hand over their first overall pick to the Philadelphia 76ers, finishing second.

For the 76ers, they got the perfect script; the NBA practically fed Iverson to them.

"Nice! Xu Feng, even if you can beat me in college, my ranking will still be higher than yours!"

Iverson finally won a small round in his one-on-one competition with Xu Feng, and he danced with excitement.

Aunt Jessie felt that her son seemed to have been stimulated by something, often making strange movements on his own, sometimes angry and sometimes happy.

Or should we wait until he gets his salary and then take him to the hospital for a checkup?

"Congratulations, Xu Feng, and congratulations to myself, for successfully completing the most important task."

Tellem said with a smile to Xu Feng, who was training.

Swish! Swish! Swish! ...

"Phew~ I've always believed in your abilities!"

Xu Feng is shooting a three-pointer. If a basketball professional were standing next to Xu Feng at this moment, he would notice that Xu Feng's shooting posture has changed somewhat compared to before.

With a high elbow and a straight elbow, Xu Feng's shooting posture is more standard. This is the result of his practice with Klay Thompson.

After leaving Dunleavy's office that day, the rest of the team also talked a lot with Xu Feng.

Chris Ford explained the team's current roster and ball distribution to Xu Feng.

"If you come to the Bucks, I will make you the starting shooting guard. You can execute cuts to break down the opponent's defense or become the team's second playmaker."

However, I also hope you can develop a more consistent off-ball three-point shot. This will allow the team to create more space inside.

"I've watched your game footage. You have a natural talent for shooting. In just two months, your three-point shooting percentage has improved dramatically, so I believe in you, Xu Feng!"

Looking at the Klay Thompson player card in the system, Xu Feng couldn't help but chuckle.

The team's needs and the system's rewards are perfectly aligned! Isn't this like walking right into a trap?

"I want to learn Klay Thompson's three-point shooting and raise my three-point percentage to 80!"

[Two player templates detected for the host; opening the second three-point template interface]

What does that mean?

Xu Feng's third column began to change, extending into two branches.

[The three-point template reconstruction is complete!]

[Klay Thompson's initial three-point shooting rating is 40 points]

[The system has detected a simultaneous need for both on-ball and off-ball three-pointers; training tasks will now be calculated independently!]

Training tasks (Klay Thompson 40-80, off-ball three-pointers):

1. Standard catch-and-shoot three-pointer: 64000 times

2. Receiving the ball after a screen for a three-pointer: 20000 times

3. Shuttle run catch-and-shoot three-pointer: 12000 times

Ninety-six thousand three-pointers! Without advanced training cards, how long would it take to achieve that?

Nine thousand six hundred times is well within Xu Feng's capacity, and he can even complete another task before the start of the new season.

"Xu Feng, several mainstream clothing companies have contacted me recently, expressing their interest in making you their spokesperson."

"This is great news! Who are they?!"

Xu Feng understood that one of the most lucrative ways for basketball players to earn money—commercial endorsements—had finally arrived!

This isn't a small business involving a few thousand dollars; it's a multi-million dollar deal! An amount that can instantly make someone financially free!

The evils of capitalism are truly plunging Xu Feng into an abyss of US dollars!

"Converse, Adidas, Nike..."

"So where do we begin?"

"Let's start with Adidas, you know, Kobe just signed a great contract there. We can catch up with old friends."

In Portland, Oregon, Xu Feng met with representatives from Adidas at the company's headquarters.

"We meet again, A'en. Hello, Xu Feng."

Upon entering the office, Tellem got straight to the point:

"I'd like to know what kind of offer you can give Xu Feng."

Since the 1980s, Nike has captured 40 percent of the global basketball shoe market thanks to the success of the Jordan AJ series.

From then on, the importance of celebrity endorsements in the sneaker industry was further emphasized by various companies.

They realized that a successful star player could even turn the tide for the entire sneaker industry.

Adidas was the first to rebel against Nike, but its main problem is that its shoe technology and appearance are not accepted by the market.

The AJ series features a bold and flamboyant design, with a large Swoosh, crystal outsole, and Foamposite technology, making it a symbol of street fashion. The Air and Zoom Air technologies are mature and have received positive feedback from players.

What about Adidas?

Its simple and conservative design makes it look less like a sneaker and more like a pair of simple track shoes. In addition, the sneaker technology is outdated, and the endorsers, Ewing and Mutombo, are relatively old.

Adidas is losing touch with the youth market.

In an effort to reverse their losing streak, they finally launched the "Feet You Wear" line in 1996, with Kobe Bryant and Antoine Walker just confirmed as spokespeople.

This was a plan they had finalized long ago, so they hadn't had time to consider Xu Feng, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Our offer was $3500 million over 5 years. Keep in mind, that's higher than the $5000 million 10-year contract Reebok offered Iverson."

This was the reasonable price Adidas could offer, but Tellem wasn't buying it; he waved his hand dismissively.

"Oh, don't say that. You know, the contract Kobe made with you was also negotiated with me. He got an offer of $800 million per year!"

Do you really think this professional player, who swept all the individual awards in a single college league season, is worth less than a high school student?

Tellem added, "Right now, when people think of basketball shoes, Nike is definitely the first brand that comes to mind. They have proven, excellent shoes that have been proven in actual gameplay."

As for Adidas, people might think, 'Their running and casual shoes are alright, but basketball shoes? Forget about them!'

Forgive my bluntness, but Kobe alone can't change the entire market's perception. You still need him, Xu Feng! So you should at least give Xu Feng a 6-year, $5500 million contract!

Unfortunately, no matter what Tellum said, the Adidas representatives were unwilling to change their minds. They felt that this cunning old man was emboldened by Kobe's success.

The leader's tone turned cold:

"To be honest, we can't trust Xu Feng's market appeal right now. Besides, the spokesperson and budget for the 'Natural Feet' project have already been finalized. An unreasonable price would cause our budget to exceed the limit. I'm sorry, but I can't agree with your proposal."

"Gentlemen, I understand your budget constraints. But I also must fight for the position my client deserves. I hope you will consider this carefully!"

Tellem closed his notebook, stood up, shook hands, and left with Xu Feng. The whole process was clean and efficient, without a single unnecessary argument.

It wasn't until he stepped outside that Tellem smiled again.

"Xu Feng, let's go to Nike. Their terms might be better than Adidas'."