Chapter 26 Turmoil
Tonight's collaboration was held in a high-end restaurant, and the person who conducted the negotiations was Adidas executive Sony Vaccaro, a man who can be called the godfather of the sneaker industry.

He has a very sharp vision. When he was an executive at Nike, he signed Michael Jordan for $5 million over five years, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's shoe contract at the time was $250 a year.

This contract made Sonny Vaccaro a joke in the industry at the time.

But everyone knows the story that followed. It was because of Jordan that Nike was able to dominate the league today.

When this industry leader saw Zheng Yang, he took the initiative to stand up and shook hands with him with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Zheng! I'm Sonny Vaccaro, one of your newest fans.

The day before yesterday, you made a buzzer beater at the Staples Center, and I was so scared that I dropped the popcorn in my hand, hahahaha!"

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Vaccaro! If you are willing to come to the Mavericks home court to watch my game in the future, please call me and I will do my best to arrange everything for you."

Zheng Yang also said with a smile that both sides showed enough goodwill.

Then Sonny Vaccaro greeted Eric Fleischer and the two sat down to start a formal conversation.

“Mr. Vaccaro, I am a direct person and I don’t want to bargain too much with you.

Please show me your sincerity!"

Zheng Yang didn't want to argue with the other party for too long, he preferred to be direct.

Sony Vaccaro nodded and said, "The contract we offer is 7 million for 7000 years!
Of course, Zheng, we can continue to discuss. I know you like to be direct, but this is a big business after all. I think we should communicate more. "

Eric Fleischer looked at Zheng Yang. Originally, he should have been the one to discuss this kind of thing, but on the way here, Zheng Yang said that everything for tonight would be left to him.

Eric Fleischer only needs to check the accuracy of the contract or help him arrange meetings with other sneaker brands.

Zheng Yang shook his head, then suddenly changed the subject and talked about something else.

"Mr. Vaccaro, I know you wanted to sign LeBron half a year ago. You prepared for it for several months and finally raised 100 million for the signing.

It was just that when it came time to sign the contract, the contract offer disappeared, and the headquarters changed their minds and were only willing to offer LeBron a contract worth less than $6 million.”

Sony Vaccaro was stunned, then nodded. This was not a secret.

Not signing LeBron may be Sony Vaccaro's biggest regret in recent years. He has a hunch that the guy will become a superstar in the NBA in the future.

But if they really signed LeBron, he would not appear here. After all, they cannot spend so much money at one time to sign these two new stars with great potential.

"If you're angry because I didn't ask you for your cooperation in advance, I'm sorry.

But six months ago, LeBron was indeed the most commercially valuable of these rookies. You know, we are not God and cannot foresee the future. "

Sony Vaccaro didn't understand why the other party said this and thought he minded Adidas asking James to be the spokesperson first, but Zheng Yang smiled and shook his head.

"Mr. Vaccaro, I'm not that stupid.

What I mean is, since you can offer LeBron a 7-year, million dollar contract, why can't you give me that million dollar contract!
I will be better than him!
I will win the scoring title, I will win the MVP, I will win the championship, and I will also establish my own dynasty...

My playing style is gorgeous, my skills are comprehensive, my jerseys and shoes will be sought after by countless fans, and I can bring huge commercial profits!

More than a decade ago, you dared to sign Michael with 250 million, why don't you dare to be a "fool" again today? "

Zheng Yang's words seemed to have magic, tightly strangling Sony Vaccaro's heart. He looked at Zheng Yang with deep eyes. The latter sat easily in the chair with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.

Sonny Vaccaro had never seen anyone who could say these words so calmly. He was very confident, so confident that it was scary!
But how old is he? He is only 18 years old and he is just a rookie who has just played two regular season games!

How dare he say these words so confidently?
Sonny Vaccaro felt that if he just believed him, he would definitely be regarded as a fool, a big fool!

But he was a little eager in his heart. He had read all the information about this young man before coming.

He suddenly became famous after transferring from his senior year, and then led a bottom-ranked team to a winning season and eventually won the state championship.

He performed well during the tryout, his draft pick continued to rise, and he was eventually selected by the Mavericks through a trade.

He seems to be constantly breaking the definitions that people have set for him. When you think you are just a flash in the pan, he will tell you that he has real strength. When you think he needs a long time to settle down after entering the league, he uses two 20+ games and a buzzer beater to tell people that he is fully prepared.

This young man, you never seem to be able to guess what he can achieve next. When you set limits for him, he will use his wonderful performance to tell you that the limits you set are still too low.

He is better than you think!
Want to give it a try?

Sony Vaccaro was very hesitant. He looked at Zheng Yang again and then said.

"This may be a good suggestion, but I may need some time to think about it carefully. Let's talk about it in detail later!"

"Okay! Mr. Vaccaro, you can go back and think about it slowly, but like you said, this is a business, so while you're thinking about it, Reebok or Nike will be my potential next company."

Zheng Yang said with a smile, and then continued.

“By the way, Mr. Vaccaro, I don’t know if you have ever heard a sentence I once said - everything is possible.

My high school coach told me to always remember this when I left Akron, and today, I want to give it to you.

Hope it will be helpful to you.

Today may not be a good time to eat here, we'll leave first, we'll keep in touch anytime!"

Zheng Yang waved and prepared to leave.

Just as the two were about to leave, they suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind them. Sony Vaccaro chased out and called out to Zheng Yang.

“One hundred million dollars in seven years.

But I need some time, you know, this decision is difficult to make, I need time to convince the people at the headquarters. But I can assure you that as long as I am still in this position, this contract will eventually appear in front of you.

Promise me, Zheng, that you will just focus on playing basketball and wait for my good news, okay? "

Sony Vaccaro finally made a decision. He had already missed LeBron, and he didn't want to miss Zheng Yang again.

For the other party, he was willing to exchange the honor and reputation of his many years of career for such a contract from the headquarters.

If they still want to bargain foolishly, then he should seriously consider whether this company is right for him.

Zheng Yang smiled. Was he smiling at Sonny Vaccaro? No, he was greeting his own $100 million.

He gave Sonny Vaccaro a brief hug and continued.

“Mr. Vaccaro, believe me, you have made a great deal.

I will wait for your good news."

"Of course, I will always believe in you.

Let's start our dinner first, shall we? My stomach is growling with hunger for making such a great and correct decision. "

Sony Vaccaro invited Zheng Yang, and of course he would not spoil the fun, so he went back with Eric Fleischer.

Everyone enjoyed the dinner very much, and it also allowed them to get to know each other better.

Although Sony Vaccaro didn't say it, in his heart he was still amazed at the maturity of this 18-year-old boy.

He is different from most NBA players. He is very young, but he appears very mature. When you talk to him, you can feel that he has a lot of ideas of his own.

This made Sony Vaccaro believe that this choice would not be wrong.

After dinner, Eric Fleischer finally showed his surprise when he walked Zheng Yang home.

"I just can't believe that Sonny Vaccaro was willing to make a seven-year, $7 million commitment, I mean that's crazy, he was actually moved by what you said.

That’s one hundred million!”

Zheng Yang smiled.

“Did my words move him?

No, it’s my performance over the past year!

Everything ultimately depends on strength!"

……

On November 11, the Dallas Mavericks finally played their first home game. Their opponent was the Utah Jazz, the team that had just sent Karl Malone away.

The Jazz currently don't have any star players to show for themselves, with the team's best performer being the 99 rookie Andrei Kirilenko.

Although there is no real star player, the chemistry of this Jazz team is pretty good, and the management has no intention of giving up this season.

The Mavericks eventually won the game easily. Nowitzki scored 38 points and 15 rebounds, crushing his opponents in all aspects.

Zheng Yang didn't take many shots in this game and his score was not high, but his efficiency was good. He made 8 of 6 shots and scored 16 points with high efficiency. At the same time, his number of assists was also a career-high 4.

After the game, a piece of news made headlines in major media outlets.

"Mavericks rookie Zheng signed a 7-year, $1 million sneaker endorsement contract with Adidas."

As soon as this news came out, it immediately shocked countless fans.

How outrageous is this?
这么说吧，科比新秀时跟阿迪达斯签的合同是6年4800万美元，状元艾弗森跟锐步签下的合同是10年5000万美元，而勒布朗半年前跟耐克签下的7年9000万美元的代言费就已经打破了联盟历史签下最高的新秀球鞋合同记录。

But now, Zheng Yang has once again raised this record to the height of 7 million US dollars in 1 years.

No one knew what was wrong with Adidas to offer such a big contract to a rookie.

Did their money come from the wind?
They were even more shocked when they saw the detailed report that mentioned that it was Sony Vaccaro who guaranteed the headquarters with his own career.

They immediately thought of the time when Sonny Vaccaro signed Jordan. Yes, that was indeed a success.

But there are not so many Jordans in this world. Can this fledgling yellow man reach Jordan's level?

Countless media outlets expressed their views on the contract, with ESPN calling it the biggest joke in nearly two decades.

TNT said Sony Vaccaro is old and he is trying to replicate a former myth, but the reason why a myth is a myth is because it cannot be replicated.

The Akron Sports Journal said Zheng Yang could consider retiring, as his total salary during his career would probably not be more than 100 million...

The media were all pessimistic, and the players were even more so. Of course, they also expressed envy and jealousy because their endorsement fees were actually lower than that of this kid who had only played three games.

What's so good about that guy? Why should Adidas give him so much money?

Are they all blind? They were so stingy when negotiating the contract with us, but they were so generous to that kid?
These businessmen are not only a bunch of stingy people, but also have poor vision, even worse than O'Neal's grandmother.

Among them, the remarks of Anthony, who was selected by the Nuggets this year, attracted great attention.

"That yellow guy whose name I can't even remember, how could he get such a big endorsement?

He has to pray that his match with me can come later, otherwise I will let everyone know that he is a useless person who can do nothing."

(End of this chapter)