"I'd like to invite you to be the brand ambassador for my sports drink."
Sure enough, just as Link had expected, this was the business partnership Kobe wanted to discuss with him.
In 2014, while Kobe was still playing, he had already begun expanding his business empire in preparation for retirement.
Although the sports drink market was almost entirely dominated by Gatorade at the time, Kobe believed the market still held enormous potential.
So he invested $6 million to purchase a 10% stake in BodyArmor, intending to take a slice of Gatorade's pie.
After Kobe joined the sports drink brand, his historical standing in the NBA quickly drew fans' attention to it.
The drink managed to carve out its own territory under Gatorade's dominance. This year, BodyArmor posted $280 million in sales and captured 6% of the United States sports drink market, second only to the giant Gatorade!
People believed that in a few years, Gatorade's position at the top would inevitably be threatened.
To achieve that goal, Kobe, as a major shareholder, naturally had to take some promotional measures.
If he could sign a superstar like Link to endorse the drink, its sales would undoubtedly multiply!
Over the past two years, Link's jerseys and shoes had both ranked first in the league in sales. Last season, even after Silver changed the All-Star voting rules, Link had still remained the All-Star vote leader.
All these facts pointed to Link's extraordinary market influence, immense popularity, and massive fan base.
If Link became the spokesperson for BodyArmor, his influence would certainly boost sales significantly and further threaten Gatorade's position.
Besides, Kobe and Link joining forces was already a highly buzzworthy prospect.
One was a superstar who had just retired, while the other was a superstar still in his prime. Fans would naturally