Chapter 94 Double Happiness
The Knicks left the hotel shortly afterwards and headed to Memphis.

Just as I got on the bus, Xia Song called and said happily: "Zhongqiu, AND1 company just contacted me. Last time they offered 6 years and 3000 million US dollars. This time they are willing to offer 8 years and 6000 million US dollars. What do you think?"

"Doubled?" He Zhongqiu was surprised.

"How did you calculate it?"

Xia Song hurriedly said: "The total contract amount has doubled, but the annual endorsement fee has only increased by 50%."

"How many in a year?" The number was too big for He Zhongqiu to calculate.

"It was 500 million a year before, and now it is 750 million." Xia Song said.

"Brother Xia, do you mean we can still hold on a little longer?" he asked.

"No, Mid-Autumn Festival, I mean signing." Xia Song said decisively.

"Why?" he asked.

"Centers don't sell shoes. As far as I know, among the four super centers, only O'Neal's shoes sell well. The other three centers don't sell well. Their contracts are not big either, far less than yours." Xia Song said.

"Why doesn't the center sell shoes?" he asked puzzledly.

"Because the center's physique is very different from that of ordinary people." Xia Song said.

"Then why are O'Neal's shoes popular?" he asked again.

Xia Song said: “It should be O’Neal’s abnormal quality, and his personality is very good, and the fans like him very much.

But as far as I know, the sales of his sneakers are actually average, just much better than other centers, and cannot be compared with outside stars like Tracy McGrady and Carter.

"Mid-Autumn Festival, you are not an American, you cannot compete with American stars in the United States, these sneaker brands are mainly targeting your Chinese identity, they want the domestic market."

"I see." He nodded.

Xia Song added: "But I guess they haven't done a detailed market survey in China. Nike shoes have already occupied a large market share in China. It's not easy for later brands to develop because they have been first-mover advantage.

Besides, Yao Ming's sneakers will definitely come out in the future and compete with you for the domestic market, so it's better to sign it and not wait any longer."

"Okay, then sign it."

He Zhongqiu didn't understand this either, so he agreed.

"Okay, I'll have the final negotiations with them right away and try to get them to add a little more. We'll sign it after the details are finalized. They mean to get it done before the All-Star Game, which is only a few days away," said Xia Song.

At this point, he added: "It's Mid-Autumn Festival, and tomorrow is New Year's Eve. I have to negotiate with AND1, so I can't..."

"It's okay. I haven't had the habit of celebrating the New Year in recent years. You just go about your business and don't worry about me." He Zhongqiu said casually.

Xia Song on the other end was silent for a while, and He Zhongqiu had already hung up the phone.

Philip, who overheard a little bit of the content, smiled and said, "Zhongqiu, have you finalized your sneaker contract?"

"Well, it's from AND1 company. They say it's 8 million for 6000 years." He said with a smile.

"8 million in 6000 years?" Philip's mouth opened wide.

This news quickly spread within the team, triggering a wave of envy and jealousy among teammates.

On January 1, after afternoon training, He Zhongqiu and his teammates went to the stadium’s restaurant for dinner.

The Knicks defeated the Grizzlies away from home to complete their January schedule.

With 25 wins and 20 losses, a winning rate of 55.5%, they have rushed to the sixth place in the Eastern Conference, followed by the Celtics and the Bucks.

His stats in January were pretty good, especially in the first half, when he averaged 20+ points per game, but unfortunately he lagged behind in the second half.

场均30.2分钟，11.2投7.6中，命中率67.9%，5.8罚3.3中，命中率56.9%，场均18.5分8.8篮板1.2助攻1抢断2.1盖帽3.6失误3.5犯规。

February 2st, Chinese New Year.

That night, the Knicks lost to the Bucks in a back-to-back game and still ranked sixth in the Eastern Conference.

This day the league announced some of the January honors.

He Zhongqiu originally thought he had a chance to win the Rookie of the Month award for January, but he didn't, because the Heat's Caron Butler had better statistics and won the Rookie of the Month award for the second time.

In addition, the list of All-Star substitutes selected by coaches was also released, and the league announced this year's All-Star lineup.

Eastern Conference starting lineup: He Zhongqiu, Jermaine O'Neal, Vince Carter, McGrady, Iverson

Western Conference starting lineup: Yao Min, Duncan, Garnett, Kobe, Francis
Eastern Conference Reserves: Michael Jordan, Jason Kidd, Jamal Mashburn, Paul Pierce, Antoine Walker, Brad Miller, Big Z
Western Conference bench: O'Neal, Nowitzki, Marion, Payton, Peja Stojakovic, Marbury, Nash
At this time in the president's office at the NBA headquarters in New York, David Stern had already received the AMVP trophy for this year's All-Star Game.

This is specially made. Jordan is going to retire for the third time. At his age, he will never make a comeback. This is left for him as a commemoration. MJ's name is already engraved on it.

He just felt a little regretful. Jordan had been an All-Star starter since his debut, but he didn't expect that he could only appear as a substitute this time.

On the 2nd, the Knicks returned to New York.

The next game is on the 4th, at home against the Clippers, and then on the 6th at home against the Lakers.

In the afternoon, He Zhongqiu was practicing shooting and dribbling at the training base, and was also doing rebounding prediction training.

The other players had gone home to rest, and even the team's trainer was not there. There were only him, Felton, one of Felton's assistants, and Philip in the training hall.

After practicing for a while, President Layden called and said, "Wolverine, the league invites you to participate in the dunk contest. If you agree, I will reply to them."

"What day is the All-Star Game?" he asked.

"The All-Star Weekend is from the 7th to the 10th, the Rookie Contest and the Slam Dunk Contest are on the 8th, and the main event is on the 9th," said Layden.

"OK."

This is an opportunity to show off, and he will definitely not refuse it. He just doesn't know what dunking move to use, so he needs to think about it carefully.

"Wolverine, how about another dunk from the free throw line in the dunk contest? Or an alley-oop dunk from the free throw line? I think an alley-oop dunk is more exciting."

"Yes, I also think that dunking from the free throw line is more exciting."

"I think it's more exciting to break a backboard in the All-Star dunk contest."

"You can have this."

He was thinking about what kind of dunking move to use, while Felton and the other two were discussing it excitedly.

At five o'clock, He Zhongqiu had something else to do, so he ended the training. When he returned home, Xia Song had already returned, and two other people were waiting for him.

Xia Song introduced: "Zhongqiu, let me introduce..."

These are the two helpers Xia Song found. One is an NBA agent named Mike Johnson, who is white, 31 years old, capable, but new to the industry, and is responsible for his affairs in the NBA.

The other is Frank Zhang, a second-generation Chinese, 45 years old, who can speak some Chinese and has worked at Nike's US branch for ten years and has good abilities.

But because of his Chinese identity, he had no hope of promotion, so Xia Song poached him and made him responsible for his overseas business affairs as the manager of the American branch.

After having dinner with Xia Song and others outside, Xia Song said after returning home: "On the 6th of the Mid-Autumn Festival, we will play against the Clippers. I wonder if Dazhi can make the roster. If you see him, can you say hello and ask for his contact information?"

"He doesn't even contact you, why are you looking for him?" he said indifferently.

"No, most people are introverted and passive. We are all living in the United States, so it would be better to have a connection." Xia Song said.

"alright."

……

The next morning, Xia Song was busy in the office of the Mid-Autumn Culture and Sports Company which he had just rented in Tali Town.

During the negotiation the day before yesterday, he asked AND1 to increase the contract amount to 8 million US dollars for 7500 years. Although AND1 refused, its attitude has softened. They are preparing to have one last talk before the All-Star Game, which will be on the 7th. Hopefully, there will be some results.

The company is not big, with an office of about 60 square meters and two small offices on one side, belonging to him and Frank Zhang.

We also hired a black receptionist, two accountants, and Mike Johnson. The four of them occupied the remaining 30-odd square meters of space, which was enough, and there was no problem adding a few more people.

"Hello, I'm Scottie Xia."

At this time, his cell phone rang. He looked at the incoming call and saw it was an unfamiliar number.

"Uh, Teacher Xia..."

A man's voice came from the other side, speaking Mandarin.

"Great?"

Xia Song understood it immediately and said with mixed feelings: "I have been in the United States for so long, and you finally called me."

He had several tasks, one of which was that the people in China hoped that he could contact Dazhi and try to get him back home, but they couldn't get in touch with him, so they were anxious. Dazhi was silent for a while.

He was not surprised. This was Daji's personality, passive and submissive. If he had half of He Zhongqiu's personality, he would not be in the predicament he is in today.

"Dazhi, are you in New York?" he then asked.

"No, in Los Angeles." Dazhi said in a low voice.

"..."

Xia Song shook his head. CCTV chose to broadcast this derby live. This was going to be disappointing.

"Dazhi, do you have an agent now?" he asked again.

"Uh, not yet." Dazhi said.

"Or is it your translator who helps you with the affairs?" he asked.

"Yes." Dazhi said.

"Then you called me?" he asked.

Dazhi fell silent again. Xia Song said with a headache: "Go ahead, we are old acquaintances. I will definitely help you if you have any problems, as long as you are willing to trust me."

Dazhi hesitated for a moment, then said, "This is it, Mr. Xia, can you help me run the transaction?"

"Do you want to leave the Clippers?" Xia Song asked.

"I can't play basketball here." This time Dazhi answered quickly.

Xia Song thought for a moment and said, "I can help you, but the trading window is about to close, so I'm afraid it won't work this season."

"I understand. Next season is fine too." Dazhi said hurriedly.

"Dazhi, have you ever considered returning to China for development? You know that the country wants you to go back," said Xia Song.

Dazhi was silent for a while, and then he said, "Teacher Xia, I will definitely not return to China now. I have a three-year contract with the Clippers."

"That's no problem. I'm talking about the off-season. What about the 03 Asian Championships and the 04 Olympics? Don't you plan to participate?" Xia Song asked.

"Don't we have Dayao and Daba? Now we also have Happy Mid-Autumn Festival?" Dazhi said with a wry smile.

"Zhongqiu has reached an agreement with China that you will only participate in the World Championships and the Olympics, so China still hopes that you will return. They said that everything can be discussed as long as you return." Xia Song said.

I felt a great sense of loss. Why could He Zhongqiu not play in the Asian Games and Asian Championships, but be forced to play in these low-level competitions?

Hearing the silence from the other side, Xia Song urged: "Dazhi, what do you mean?"

"Forget it, Teacher Xia. I'm afraid I won't be able to get out once I go back." Dazhi said.

"How is that possible? Hey..."

Xia Song was about to say something else when the person on the other end hung up the phone.

……

On the afternoon of the 54th, the Knicks conducted a one-hour joint practice. He Zhongqiu practiced dribbling for another hour, and his dribbling level was raised to level .

That night, the Knicks defeated the Clippers at home and won their 26th game.

November 2th, light snow.

In the afternoon, the Lakers arrived in New York.

Many reporters were waiting in the airport parking lot, and when O'Neal, Kobe and others came out dragging their suitcases, they rushed over.

"Shaq, how do you feel about coming off the bench for a rookie?" a reporter asked loudly.

O'Neal, wearing a fur coat, looked at the sky with light snow, seemed to feel the chill, shivered, and pretended to beg: "It's so cold, gentlemen, please let me get in the car? I don't want to freeze to death in New York."

"Shaq, are you mad?" a reporter shouted.

O'Neal shrugged and said: "This is the fans' choice. Chinese fans are also fans. I respect their choice."

"Aren't you angry at all?" a reporter asked.

"No, I'm very angry, so I will treat Wolverine well tomorrow and beat him to death." O'Neal said with a fierce face.

"Why Wolverine? He didn't take your starting position." asked a New York reporter.

"Who made him and Yao the same countryman?" O'Neal said with a "rude" look on his face.

Next to him, Kobe was surrounded by more reporters.

"Kobe, congratulations on becoming the vote king." said a reporter.

"Thank you!"

Kobe was in a very good mood and was smiling from ear to ear.

"What do you hope to do for this All-Star Game? AMVP?" a reporter asked.

Kobe shrugged and smiled, "I'm only interested in winning, no matter what the game is, even if it's a pickup game."

"This All-Star Game is Jordan's last. He has confirmed that he will retire again after this season. You are the guard most like him. What would you say to him?" a reporter asked.

Kobe thought for a moment and said, "He is a respectable man with a great career and is my idol, but he and I are different, both in character and in behavior."

At this point, he smiled and said, "I will bless him, what else can I say?"

"Kobe, Wolverine and Yao Ming beat O'Neal and Ben Wallace to become the starting center of the All-Star Game. What do you want to say about this?" asked a TNT reporter.

"Sorry, it's time."

When Kobe heard this question, he ended the interview, handed his suitcase to the staff, and boarded the bus.

"I heard that he and O'Neal had some big conflicts."

"Shaq didn't go for surgery during the offseason, but insisted on defensive treatment. He took more than ten games off right after he came on the court. He also said that he had to rest during work hours because of a work-related injury. This must have angered Kobe."

"The Lakers haven't even made it into the top eight in the Western Conference yet. They've fallen so fast. Kobe is such a competitive guy, it's strange that he and O'Neal have a good relationship."

"Can the Lakers dynasty continue to flourish?"

"It's terrible. Maybe the OK band will break up."

……

No. 6, Madison Square Garden.

The game against the Lakers was also the last game before the All-Star Weekend. It featured the most popular superstar Kobe Bryant and the league's No. 1 player Shaquille O'Neal. The entire stadium was full and the ticket price tripled, but it was still in short supply.

Many Hollywood celebrities also came tonight, many of whom are fans of Kobe.

In the strength training room of the home team's locker room, He Zhongqiu is practicing dribbling.

During the afternoon training, he had improved his bank shot to level 69, and his shooting basics to level 49 accordingly.

At about 7:30, Thibodeau walked in and said, "Okay, Wolverine, it's almost time. Don't waste your energy. Your opponent tonight is the Sharks."

"OK."

He threw the ball to Felton and took the towel handed to him by Philip to wipe his sweat.

Thibodeau said: "We have no competition with the Lakers, and our current record is pretty good, so winning or losing this game is not important.

But I hope you can learn something from playing against O'Neal, which is very important to you."

"I understand." He nodded.

Thibodeau added: "On the offensive end, it's probably difficult to hit him under the basket, even if he doesn't defend with all his strength, but just because of his size, as long as you stand under the basket, you can't get close to the basket.

I suggest you pull him out and then cut to the basket, using a faster speed to hit him, which can also consume his physical energy.

If he doesn't come out, you can actually use the rebound now, and there is no problem when there is no defender."

"What about defense?" he asked.

Thibodeau smiled bitterly and said, "Defensively, you can do whatever you want, but don't get hurt."

He Zhongqiu curled his lips. Does this mean he looks down on his defense?
(End of this chapter)