Lifetime Endorsement

The reporter was stunned by Li Chen's question. He subconsciously checked the text message on his phone again, and after confirming it was correct, he said:

"Mr. Li Chen, Mr. Garnett only said these things. What do you mean by that?"

He muttered as if to himself, or as if answering, "This isn't scientific! Logically, he should have said something harsh like Mr. Bird, like he should go drive a truck!"

Hearing this, everyone was slightly stunned, and then they all pursed their lips and smiled.

"Haha! Don't mind me, it was just a joke."

Saying that, Li Chen's expression turned serious and he said, "I don't doubt Garnett's words at all. After all, he's an All-Star Player, a First Team All-Defense selection. He has the confidence to say these things."

However, that's if I don't randomly get an unmatched S-rank ability.

Hearing Li Chen playing word games with them, the reporters were a little disappointed.

Then Li Chen chatted with the group of reporters for a while longer, and finally managed to get through the post-game press conference.

On the way back to the hotel room, Li Chen said, "Coach Alvin Gentry, I'm not suited for these kinds of events. Find someone else next time!"

"Chen, you did great!" Alvin Gentry asked in surprise.

"Sigh!" Li Chen sighed slightly. "It's tiring! They're always trying to trick me. I'd rather shoot a few more three-pointers with that time."

Alvin Gentry was speechless.

However, Li Chen didn't know that the reporters had taken Li Chen's complaints and, after some editing, relayed them to Garnett.

Garnett gritted his teeth, vowing to defend Li Chen so hard that he would question his entire life.

On the way back with Coach Alvin Gentry, Li Chen received a call from Bill Duffy.

"Good evening, Mr. Bill Duffy."

"Hahaha! Good evening, good evening."

Bill Duffy was very happy today. Li Chen could feel his excitement from the other end of the phone.

Without waiting for him to ask why, Bill Duffy said, "Chen, your luck has arrived. A huge endorsement deal that you can't even imagine. Oh! My God! I still can't believe they're offering this kind of treatment."

Hearing this, he was a little surprised, then curious, and then happy.

Li Chen couldn't wait to ask, "How big is it? Is it 10 million for 3 years?"

"Hahaha! It's too late tonight, and I'm afraid you'll lose sleep from excitement, so let's discuss it tomorrow when we meet!"

Li Chen was speechless, thinking to himself, Don't you know this will also keep me awake?

At the same time, Alvin Gentry, who heard Li Chen's words, congratulated him, "Chen, congratulations."

"Thank you!" Li Chen thanked him sincerely.

The next day, at four in the morning.

The ringing of a mobile phone echoed in a quiet bedroom.

"Kobe, who is it! So annoying, calling so early?" Vanessa complained grumpily.

Kobe, with his eyes half-open, also frowned. He then turned on the bedside lamp, picked up the phone on the nightstand, and said, "Hello! Who is it?"

Kobe's tone was unfriendly, clearly showing his annoyance.

Li Chen didn't mind and introduced himself, "It's me, Li Chen from the Clippers. I'm in front of the Staples Center. The security guard won't let me in, saying you're not training in the stadium."

Veins bulged on Kobe's forehead. "F*ck you, do you know what time it is?"

"It's four in the morning! What's wrong? Didn't you train at this time last time?" Li Chen asked back, very confused.

Kobe was speechless. He thought, Last time, it was because I heard you got up at four in the morning to train. I didn't believe it, so I got up early to see.

He never expected that this neighbor from the East would misunderstand and think that he also got up at four in the morning to train.

Should I explain it to him? Kobe thought hesitantly.

Kobe, with his strong pride, felt very annoyed thinking about Li Chen's surprised and disappointed look.

His mind raced, and Kobe came up with an excuse, so he forcefully explained, "I played a game yesterday, so I usually train an hour later than usual."

Li Chen nodded. "Alright, then I'll head back. I'll come find you again at four in the morning tomorrow." With that, he hung up the phone.

Kobe stared blankly at the hung-up phone, lost in thought. Tomorrow? Come again tomorrow? F*ck, are you a devil?

"Honey, who was it! It's really annoying."

"It's nothing, Vanessa."

Then, the bedroom fell back into darkness, but Kobe couldn't fall asleep for a long time, wondering if this guy would really call again tomorrow. Should he block the scoundrel's number?

At this moment, he regretted going to find that kid from the East. Then, lost in thought, Kobe hugged Vanessa and fell asleep.

And so, to maintain his image, Kobe was reluctantly forced into the bad habit of waking up at four in the morning to practice.

Many years later, during his Hall of Fame speech, Kobe still complained about Li Chen's shamelessness. It was then that everyone realized that this man's success was not accidental.

After hanging up the phone, Li Chen fell into deep thought.

So the Black Mamba now wasn't as diligent as he would be later. But now...

Around eight in the morning, Bill Duffy pushed open the doors of Paravilla Stadium.

"Haha! Chen, you really are training."

Li Chen was very curious. What kind of endorsement deal could make Bill Duffy, a seasoned agent, so happy?

Li Chen didn't rush him.

At this moment, Bill Duffy said, "Let's go, we can talk while we eat."

A short while later, the two arrived at a Chinese restaurant.

"Eastern cuisine is truly delicious," Bill Duffy praised as he ate.

Meanwhile, Li Chen looked over the terms and conditions before him.

He was also surprised that Sketchers would offer such a generous deal.

However, Li Chen felt it was more like a pie in the sky.

This endorsement was divided into two parts.

First, after Li Chen met Sketchers' requirements, Sketchers would give Li Chen a 50% share of shoe sales and 1% of the company's stock.

This condition looked very tempting, but one would only realize how difficult it was after seeing the conditions they laid out.

First, Li Chen had to win the Rookie of the Year award for the 2002-2003 season, and average a double-double with over 30 points per game.

Second, he had to become an All-Star Player within three years, win the Regular Season MVP, win an NBA championship, and an FMVP.

Finally, his shoe sales had to exceed two hundred million dollars.

These were impossible tasks for a rookie.

But Sketchers was very thoughtful. You can't do it? No problem, they thoughtfully prepared a second option for Li Chen.

If Li Chen couldn't achieve the above, Sketchers would still offer him a three-year endorsement deal worth 15 million.

Seeing Li Chen put down the contract, Bill Duffy said, "Chen, 15 million is not a small amount. After all, Sketchers is a small company, and they've shown a lot of sincerity for a small company."

After careful consideration, Bill Duffy felt that Li Chen wouldn't be able to meet Sketchers' far-fetched demands within three years.

It wasn't that he looked down on Li Chen; it was just that after checking the data overnight, he realized how incredibly difficult the requirement was. After all, Jordan only averaged 28.2 points in his rookie season!