Reborn Industrial Tycoon

Chapter 484 Millions of boys

Los Angeles, Lakers training facility.

Young Kobe Bryant is participating in a tryout with the Lakers.

Before the NBA draft, each team will invite some young people who are about to participate in the draft to come to the team for trial training. This is also an excellent opportunity for the team to examine the player's level.

Of course, the players themselves will also have their own choices. Those players who are well-known, outstanding, and relatively high in the draft will only participate in trial training with their favorite teams or teams in big cities; others will play big names and refuse to participate in trials.

training.

Those players who are not famous or capable will cherish every trial opportunity, hoping to leave a good impression on the team.

If he can be chosen by the team, even if he is not selected in the future, he can enter the NBA as a free agent.

Before the draft, Kobe didn't actually get many trial opportunities, at least not in line with his status in later generations. This was mainly because Kobe was only 17 years old at the time, and his age was his biggest disadvantage. At the time, many people felt that

, at Kobe's age, he cannot adapt to the fierce competition in the NBA.

The NBA has always been biased against high school players. Americans generally don't like players who skip college from high school and enter the NBA directly.

Before Kobe, the last player to participate in the NBA draft as a high school student was Kevin Garnett. However, Garnett was already 19 years old when he participated in the draft, so Garnett can be regarded as a big player.

One player.

And at that time, Garnett was regarded as "the strongest high school student in history", so the Timberwolves were willing to use the fifth overall pick to select Garnett.

After Garnett, the next "best high school student in history" is LeBron James.

Thinking about James' treatment before and after the draft, he was truly favored by thousands of people. Before he even entered the NBA, he was regarded as a superstar and the future ruler of the NBA.

Looking at Garnett's treatment during the draft, there are all kinds of doubts. Many people even think that the Timberwolves using the fifth pick to select Garnett is simply crazy!

Such a comparison shows how discriminatory the NBA was against high school students in the draft at that time.

Moreover, before Kobe, all the high school players selected were inside players. Kobe, as an outside player, was even less favored.

Kobe was able to participate in a trial with the Lakers thanks to his agent Arn Tellem.

Arn Tellem is the future minority owner and vice president of the Pistons, and before that he served as a player's agent.

He has many connections in the American basketball circle. For example, Jerry West, the general manager of the Lakers at the time, was Tellem's friend.

It was also because of this relationship that Kobe got the opportunity to try out with the Lakers, and his performance impressed the Lakers. In the end, Jerry West decided to get Kobe.

Kobe is from Philadelphia, so he hopes to join the Philadelphia 76ers. In high school, Kobe also trained with the Philadelphia 76ers.

In 1996, the Philadelphia 76ers won the No. 1 pick, but the entire United States knew that the Philadelphia 76ers' choice must be Allen Iverson.

At this time, Iverson was a god-like presence in American college basketball, and the 76ers lacked an outstanding outside leader, so Iverson naturally became the best choice for the 76ers.

At that time, Kobe's draft prediction was in the top 20. Since the Philadelphia 76ers were unwilling to use the No. 1 pick to acquire Kobe, Kobe was destined to miss the 76ers.

As Kobe's agent, Tellem worked hard, hoping to send Kobe to a team in a big city, so Tellem began to use his personal connections to get Kobe a trial training opportunity with a big team.

On the training ground, Kobe was conducting confrontational training. There was no doubt that Kobe beat his opponent to the ground.

In the stands next to him, Tellem was sitting next to Jerry West, constantly promoting Kobe to West.

West is the general manager of the Lakers. As long as he is willing to nod, it will be a sure thing for Kobe to come to the Lakers.

"Kobe is the most talented young man I have ever seen. Last season, he just led his high school team to the state championship, and he also broke the Pennsylvania high school scoring record. The record holder was Chamberlain!

"

Tellem paused before continuing: "In addition, he also won the Naismith High School Player of the Year, the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year, and the McDonald's All-American Team."

West looked at Kobe Bryant on the training ground and said, "I admit that this is an excellent young man and a talent that can be made, but he is still too young. I am worried that his physical resistance will not be able to compete in a short period of time."

Use NBA intensity."

"In terms of physical confrontation, you don't have to worry at all. Kobe once trained with the Philadelphia 76ers." Tellem introduced.

"That's because his father was once a player for the Philadelphia 76ers!" West smiled and then said: "I still remember that guy Joe Bryant. He had no technical details and no love for playing.

Doing dirty work, all the bells and whistles, it’s like a performance!”

When Joe Bryant was playing in the NBA, Jerry West was the deputy general manager of the Lakers, so he naturally knew Joe Bryant.

Tellem smiled awkwardly. The reason why Kobe was able to go to the Philadelphia 76ers and train with NBA players was indeed inseparable from Joe Bryant. After all, Joe Bryant once played for the 76ers.

After four years.

However, Tellem did not give up persuading, and decided to approach it from another angle.

Just listen to Tellem say: "O'Neal's contract has expired, the Lakers should be interested in him, right?"

"I think every team except Houston will be interested in that big guy!" Jerry West said.

"But the Lakers' salary space should be tight! If you want to sign O'Neal, you must use a maximum salary. You need a contract worth over 100 million US dollars to impress him."

Tellem paused, then lowered his voice and continued: "And if you successfully sign O'Neal, then your current starting center Divac will lose his role.

Divac is in his prime and his salary is quite high, so I think you need to trade Divac out and clear his salary space so that you can give O'Neal a big contract.

I happened to receive information that several teams are hoping to strengthen their interior lines. They may be interested in Divac and are willing to pay a first-round pick for it!"

Jerry West raised his eyebrows slightly, he already understood what Tellem meant.

If the Lakers want to sign O'Neal, they must clear some salary space, and the best way is to trade out current starting center Divac.

Tellem is willing to help the Lakers trade Divac, but the prerequisite is that the other party will use the draft pick to pick Kobe, and then use Kobe's signing rights in exchange for Divac from the Lakers.

In this way, the Lakers traded away Divac in exchange for salary space, and at the same time got rookie Kobe Bryant, while the other side got Divac's immediate combat power.

Looking at Kobe Bryant sweating profusely on the training ground, Jerry West was still very satisfied. This young man has a maturity that belies his age and is someone worth spending time to cultivate.

"Let me think about it first!" Jerry West replied.

Tellem went on to say, "Let me tell you another news. There is a sports brand that is also very optimistic about Kobe's potential. They have already offered him a five-year endorsement contract worth 5 million US dollars."

"Five million in five years? To a high school student. Real or fake?" Jerry West's eyes were full of disbelief.

Although this price is not high in terms of star endorsement contracts, after all, Kobe is only a minor high school student, not an official NBA player.

He was offered an endorsement contract before he even entered the NBA. It was an unbelievable act at the time.

However, this incredible behavior has become normal after the emergence of LeBron James.

At this moment, Tellem's cell phone rang.

"Sorry, let me take a call!" Tellem said.

"Hello, I'm Tellem, Mr. Bond, hello, what? Seven million in six years? Okay, I will notify Kobe."

Tellem put down his cell phone, smiled at West, and said: "Now it has increased to 7 million in six years!"

…

In addition to the team's coaching staff and management, there are also some scouts and media reporters paying attention to the training camp organized by the team before the draft.

Teams in big cities like the Los Angeles Lakers attract even more attention, so there are many reporters and scouts sitting in the auditorium on the sidelines to watch the players' trial training.

At this time, a bearded scout was staring closely at Kobe.

This bearded scout is not from a certain team or a sports media, but is employed by the famous sports brand Adidas.

"This high school student is underestimated. He can completely adapt to NBA competition. Sooner or later, this young man will become a superstar in the league! It is worth our early investment at Adidas!"

…

After the tryout, Tellem immediately found Kobe.

"The other party has increased the price again. It's 7 million US dollars over six years. How about it? Do you want to agree to it?" Tellem asked.

Kobe shook his head without hesitation: "I have sneaker sponsorship now, so I don't want to consider any sports brand endorsement. Participating in the NBA draft is the most important thing next."

In the United States, it is easy for students to find sponsors when they engage in sports. Even primary school students can find sponsors as long as they practice a certain sport well.

High school stars like Kobe naturally have sneaker sponsors, but this kind of sneaker sponsor only supplies some basketball shoes and reimburses some training expenses.

For example, when Kobe Bryant came to Los Angeles for a trial training, his sneaker sponsor paid for the transportation expenses, as well as the room and board expenses during the period.

Of course, this kind of sponsorship is nothing compared to endorsements from big brands.

Tellem has also seen the world, and he knows that Kobe's future commercial value will definitely be more than 7 million US dollars.

So he said: "Well, since you don't want to, I will help you decide. Maybe they will add more money!"

…

"Kobe refused again?" Li Weidong shook his head helplessly.

"I think we should change our spokesperson!" James Bond said.

"No, it has to be Kobe!" Li Weidong thought for a while and said, "Continue to increase the amount, 10 million US dollars in six years!"

"What? Ten million US dollars in six years? To a high school student? A minor?" James Bond looked shocked.

"Minor?" Li Weidong suddenly had an idea in his mind, and he continued: "Since he is a minor, he needs the consent of his guardian before he can sign the endorsement contract!

Find a way to contact Kobe's father and tell him that if he is willing to help us convince Kobe, we will give him a commission of 2 million US dollars!"

…

Joe Bryant is laid off.

His previous job was as a high school basketball coach. Although the salary was not very generous, it was still enough to support his family.

However, the job of a basketball coach is not stable. Once the contract expires and the employer refuses to renew it, you will immediately lose your job.

More importantly, it is difficult to get re-employed in this job, and sometimes you may have to wait two or three years before you can sign a contract.

Even if Joe Bryant is a retired NBA star and wants to find a job as a basketball coach, he still needs to wait for the opportunity.

In this case, 2 million US dollars is a lot of money for Joe Bryant!

The future Kobe Bryant did not have a harmonious relationship with his parents because of his marriage. During an interview, Kobe himself said that his parents were greedy for money.

Now that there is 2 million US dollars in front of an unemployed Joe Bryant, how can he not be tempted!

Ever since, when Kobe Bryant finished his workout and returned to Philadelphia, Joe Bryant was in full swing and entered a frantic persuasion mode.

…

"For six years and 10 million U.S. dollars, most official NBA players cannot get such endorsements. Are you really not going to consider it?" Tellem asked with a smile.

"How come you are like my dad and have been trying to persuade me to accept this endorsement! Didn't I say it before? Now I just want to participate in the NBA draft!" Kobe said a little irritably.

"To be honest, for a high school student, the other party's offer is very sincere. I guess they are also betting that you can be selected with a high pick!" Tellem paused and then said; "You

Have you looked at the recent draft predictions?”

Kobe nodded with an unnatural expression: "Look, they said I can be selected in the top twenty!"

In NBA scouts' draft predictions, the so-called top 20 picks have a subtext of between 15 and 20.

Kobe is obviously not satisfied with this result. With Kobe's competitive spirit, if he doesn't take first place, he will lose!

Tellem comforted him: "When high school students participate in the NBA draft, their picks are never too high. Jermaine O'Neal, another player who participated in the NBA draft as a high school student this year, is also predicted to be in the top 20.

Like you, he also made the All-American high school team, and he also represented the United States team in the World Youth Championship."

In 1996, the year of the draft, not only Kobe Bryant was the only high school student who was not recognized, but also O'Neal Jr.

However, unlike Kobe, O'Neal Jr. came from a poor family, so he had no choice but to give up his college scholarship and come to the NBA to earn money to support his family.

Kobe said stubbornly, "But I also saw some media saying that Philadelphia will select me with the No. 1 pick!"

"The top pick in high school? Hahaha, don't be stupid, how is that possible! That's just a gimmick created by the media to attract attention."

Tellem paused and then said: "The No. 1 pick will definitely be Iverson, and the No. 2 pick will be Camby. This is a sure thing.

As for second place, Berkeley's Raheem, Kentucky's Walker, Georgia Tech's Marbury, and Connecticut's Allen are all possible."

Kobe pouted, looking unconvinced.

Tellem said: "Well, if the news about my 10 million US dollars in endorsement fees gets out, it might help you improve your draft pick. But don't have too much hope. This year's draft pick will be better."

The top teams don’t really lack outside players.”

…

In the NBA, endorsement contracts worth tens of millions of dollars are not that big. Big tycoons like Nike and Adidas often make deals worth more than $50 million.

However, it is extremely topical for a high school student to get a big contract worth tens of millions of dollars.

And as the NBA draft approaches, the topic of the draft is becoming more and more popular, and major media in the United States are also happy to report on this matter.

Under intense media coverage, Kobe received his first nickname in the NBA: Billionaire.

…

Adidas North America Headquarters.

In the conference room, the bearded scout reported his observations to executive Blair.

"According to my observation, Kobe Bryant has great potential and he will become a superstar!" the bearded scout said confidently.

While reading the scouting report of the bearded man, Blair said, "Actually, we have already started paying attention to him when he was on the McDonald's All-American team. However, it is still unknown whether he is the person we are looking for.

Since Nike signed Jordan, we have been suppressed in terms of brand ambassadors. We have never been able to find a star who can compete with Jordan, and our brand has been surpassed by Nike.

Jordan took a two-year break and then came back. His influence is still there, so we need a superstar, or even several superstars, so that we can fight against Jordan's influence and fight a turnaround!

So I plan to observe again. We must at least make sure that this young man can adapt to the NBA, so I want to wait until after the draft and he really enters the NBA before making a decision!"

"But there is news that there is already a sports brand that is willing to pay 10 million US dollars to sign Kobe Bryant. Everyone calls him the 'Million Dollar Boy'. If we don't take action, won't we be beaten by other brands?" the bearded scout said.

.

Blair shook his head with disdain: "Young man? Do you believe this kind of fake news? How could someone offer such a high price to a high school student!

Kobe's agent should be Tellem, right? I know this person is very well-connected in the basketball circle, and he is also a very cunning guy. This news of 10 million US dollars must be deliberately released by Tellem in order to improve his performance.

Kobe’s draft pick!”

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