Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Yu Fei didn't stay in Canton for too long.

According to the original plan, they were to return to Seattle and then head to the Adidas headquarters in Los Angeles.

But as soon as Sunny Vacarro heard that Yu Fei had finished the meeting with Reebok, he had someone charter a private jet to whisk them directly to LA from a nearby airport.

The luxurious private jet had more than enough seats for Yu Fei and his entourage.

As the plane slowly descended to Los Angeles International Airport, Yu Fei looked through the window at the cityscape below, and everyone was left speechless. The towering skyscrapers shimmered in the sunlight like diamonds set against the azure sky. Countless cars shuttled back and forth on the vast highways, winding through the city like a giant dragon. The colorful billboards, neon lights, and the clamor of people in open-air plazas woven together into a picture of bustling prosperity.

He didn't have any extra time to immerse himself in the bustling world, as Vacarro had already made arrangements.

A luxury sedan picked up Yu Fei and his friends from outside the airport and took them to a seaside hotel in Santa Monica.

They temporarily settled down here.

Vacarro didn't come to meet them, Trem said the plan was to rest here for a few days and wait until Adidas was ready for the meeting.

"What preparations are needed for this matter?" Yu Fei asked, puzzled.

Trem said with a smile, "Reebok's big move has disrupted Adidas's plans. Now, no one knows the situation."

Is a 4-year, 10 million US dollar deal a big move?

Yu Fei amusingly thought, then how would Lebron James's almost hundred million endorsement contract in a couple of years be counted?

Indeed, comparisons will drive one to despair, little LeBron truly is the real Chosen One...

In Yu Fei's heart though, there wasn't much discouragement. After all, his initial expectation for himself was a 4-year, 1 million US dollar contract. Now it had increased tenfold. As the most commercially valuable player among his rookie peers, he had no reason to be unsatisfied.

The next day, Yu Fei woke up to bright sunlight and a view of the sea. It was the best sleep he had had in a long time; there couldn't be a better place to live in the world than this.

Yu Fei finally understood what those players who wanted to stay in Los Angeles no matter what were thinking.

Those who can play in the NBA for a long time belong to the wealthy class. In such cases, you not only want to improve your standards in food and clothing, but your living standards would also rise accordingly.

In Los Angeles, the wealthy always find ways to create a sense of fulfillment with money.

Adidas didn't make Yu Fei wait too long.

By the afternoon of the third day, Yu Fei and Yu Fenglin, along with Trem, took another luxury sedan to a mansion in Calabasas that belonged to a bigwig from the music industry. Vacarro had specially rented this place to spend the weekend. He had arranged a performance especially for them. When Vacarro opened the door to welcome Yu Fei, the music of Bobby Darin was playing inside.

"Come on, you can listen to the music or you can look at the sea view," Vacarro joked, "although I think you've already seen enough of it these last few days."

Yu Fei smiled and said nothing. They walked a short distance into a spacious room with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the pool below and, farther afield, offered a view of the Pacific Ocean. Standing here and looking into the distance was like seeing into the future.

The negotiations with Adidas were a lot easier than with Reebok.

That was because the main person responsible for the negotiations, Sunny Vacarro, was different from that aggressive CEO of Reebok.

They wouldn't start by throwing a check at Yu Fei, trying to drown the judgment of the concerned party with substantial short-term benefits.

Vacarro's assistant, David Bond, introduced Adidas's history to Yu Fei fluently, extending all the way back to Yu Fei himself.

From brand plans to marketing strategies and then to individual signature shoe product plans.

Bond convinced Yu Fei that Adidas was far more mature than Reebok; they made Kobe a national darling and could replicate the same success with him.

The prerequisite was that Yu Fei had to prove he had the strength.

All those dizzying eloquences were just more pie in the sky to Yu Fei, reminiscent of Naruto Uzumaki's coping strategies.

Would Nagato have been swayed by mere promises if this exemplar of filial piety in the two-dimensional world hadn't defeated Pain Six Paths⑴ and found Nagato's hiding place? Even promising the moon requires strength.

Adidas was definitely strong, but the problem was that Yu Fei hadn't proven his strength yet, so listening to their grand plans was a waste of time.

Yu Fei politely listened to Bond's half-hour monologue and then exchanged a look with Trem.

Then, everyone returned from the fantasy of impossible promises to reality.

It was time to talk about money.

Money was the most tangible thing.

Trem was straightforward. Reebok offered a 10 million US dollar contract; what about Adidas?

Vacarro was confident. He nodded to Bond, who then made a call to have an attorney bring in a draft contract.

Two copies of the draft document were brought in, one for Vacarro and one for Trem.

Vacarro already knew the contract's contents, so he just waited for Trem to finish reading the document, so they could continue talking.

4 years, 12 million US dollars—Adidas seemed generous.

But the contract included too much legal jargon.

Trem looked over the contract and found that about 60% of the money and various terms were tied to Yu Fei's performance in the NBA. If he didn't meet the standards, Adidas could withhold payment. The guaranteed amount was only five million US dollars.

This was far from what Trem and Yu Fei had expected.

"Sonny, what's going on with these terms?" Trem pointed out those clauses.

When Vacarro saw the additional terms, he was also shocked; this was completely different from what he had been led to believe beforehand.

So, the negotiation was put on hold.

Vacarro, Bond, and the lawyer who delivered the documents stepped outside the room to find out what was happening.

"What the hell are you guys doing?"

Outside, Vacarro roared at the lawyer.

The lawyer said innocently, "This is a last-minute decision from the German headquarters. They don't want to invest too much in a high school student with uncertain prospects. Those terms are there to minimize the risk."

Vacarro felt his legs go weak.

When he signed Kobe years ago, there was a group inside Adidas who questioned him, but he convinced those shortsighted fools.

This time, however, they refused to take a gamble on another exceptional kid.

Vacarro knew what those additional clauses meant.

Adidas was out because Reebok's offer was fully guaranteed without any additional conditions.

Suddenly, the earth seemed to shake beneath his feet, and even the boundless Pacific Ocean seemed disconcerting. The atmosphere inside grew awkward.

Vacarro returned to the room alone and said directly to Yu Fei, "It's over."

"This shouldn't have happened, but it did," Vacarro said apologetically, "That's business, Frye."

Yu Fei nodded, indicating he understood.

Before Yu Fei and his team left, Vacarro said, "Reebok won't know what happened here. Take our offer and fight for the biggest number you can get for yourself."

"I know what you've done for me, Uncle Sonny." Yu Fei said, "I won't forget any of this."

Vacarro nodded slightly, watching as Yu Fei and his team left like sending off a younger family member who would never come home again.

After that, Yu Fei and his entourage negotiated with Li-Ning, a company from China, in Seattle.

However, at this stage, Li-Ning couldn't compare with Reebok in terms of company size, endorsement fees, or influence in the sports world.

Yu Fei tactfully declined their offer and then entered a second round of negotiations with Reebok.

Reebok agreed to increase the amount to twelve million US dollars, but Trem wanted sixteen million. The standoff continued.

In the end, Yu Fei made an additional request. If Reebok agreed, he would sign a four-year contract with them for twelve million US dollars.

Yu Fei's request was for Quentin DiMio to get a job at Reebok, not at the entry-level, but a respectable middle-upper-level position.

He wanted someone he could trust to be his eyes and ears at Reebok. DiMio was an obvious choice; he had some work experience and was sharp enough. Besides passing on internal information from Reebok, Yu Fei hoped that DiMio would learn advanced working experiences there, which would be greatly beneficial to their future.

DiMio felt like the luckiest person in the world. As long as Yu Fei steadied his footing in the NBA, his own prospects at Reebok looked very promising. Yet, this was also a daunting challenge. Although he had several years of work experience, working at a world-class company like Reebok was another matter entirely. What if he messed up?

Then, DiMio remembered his father's words: "If you have a hunch, bet big on it."

Going all-in is wisdom.

DiMio accepted Yu Fei's arrangement.

Reebok straightforwardly agreed to Yu Fei's request.

Both parties reached a preliminary agreement, with some details still needing to be ironed out, but essentially there were no issues.

Next, all Yu Fei had to do was one thing.

Wait.

Wait for the day of the 2001 NBA Draft to come.

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"The 2001 NBA Draft holds no surprises. Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Eddie Curry, Shane Battier, Eddie Griffin, and Frye Yu will be selected in order." — Sports Illustrated

"Patrick Ewing, Reggie Miller, Dikembe Mutombo confirmed to be implicated in the Golden Club case." — Los Angeles Times

"Wizards Team head coach Doug Collins revealed MJ broke his ribs in a recent practice, casting doubt on his comeback." — The Washington Post

"The Nets' interest in Frye has increased significantly." — The New York Times

⑴ "Tobi is the coolest" remains the most explosive line in my heart's dimension.