บท 170: The 2006-07 Season and Kobe Bryant's First Appearance in "Transformers"
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However, the director had his share of headaches during the shooting.
After all, this was just a cartoon created to sell toys. The content was childish and simple, with nearly the entire story needing to be revamped to fit a film structure. This was a completely basic endeavor.
In this scenario, Wang Chong, who had already seen the movie and several sequels, came up with a few ideas. For the frustrated Michael Bay, it was like a sudden flash of inspiration.
"Wang, if you hadn't had greater achievements in the NBA, I would have hired you as my screenwriter."
Hearing Michael Bay's sincere remark, Wang Chong just smiled.
He knew his limitations. His input was minimal, relying only on his memory of the movie. It didn't mean he had any real professional knowledge.
If Wang Chong hadn't invested nearly all of his net worth into the film, he wouldn't have planned to say anything at all.
For him, the way Transformers was filmed didn't matter. What was important was that he didn't lose the money he invested. A small profit would be even better.
From Jessica Alba's perspective, though, Wang Chong wasn't just a handsome face.
Even though he was a basketball player and knew nothing about movies, he gave suggestions to the director during filming, many of which were adopted. That's something most people couldn't do. Jessica always thought Wang Chong only talked about movies with her to bond over common interests. She never expected him to be so knowledgeable.
As time went on, Wang Chong started going to the Transformers set less frequently. It wasn't that he felt embarrassed to visit—he was an investor after all, and no one would say anything even if he lived on set.
But he noticed Michael Bay seemed to rely on him more and more. Every time there was a problem, the director's first instinct was to discuss it with Wang Chong.
Wang Chong wasn't here to work for free, though. He came to the set mainly to visit his girlfriend and soak in the atmosphere. So, whenever he saw Michael Bay approaching, he quickly ducked away like he'd seen a ghost.
Wang Chong wasn't too worried the movie would flop without his help. After all, Michael Bay originally made Transformers without anyone's help, and it became a worldwide success.
Apart from the energy he put into the movies, Wang Chong didn't just take it easy during the offseason. He also accepted several commercial sponsorships and worked on various advertisements.
Thanks to his explosive performance with the Bulls, Wang Chong's market value began to soar. Although still a bit below American superstars like Kobe, LeBron, and Garnett, his commercial value was quite high. In the United States, and especially in China, Wang Chong became the most famous basketball player after Yao Ming. Countless companies were lining up to have him endorse their products.
Of course, Wang Chong didn't accept every offer. He selected trustworthy products with a low risk of problems.
Lin Lin finally sorted out his deals, and Wang Chong's annual endorsement earnings reached nearly 10 million yuan.
Don't underestimate those 10 million. This was 2006, not the inflated price era of a decade later. The maximum salary contracts of NBA stars rarely exceeded 15 million at this time. Wang Chong making 10 million yuan from endorsements alone placed him among the league's top earners, even before including his shoe contract.
Few players in the league could match his money-making ability. Even Yao Ming's yearly endorsements were only around 20 million at the time.
The Rockets' owner also reaped a fortune from Yao's commercial value. With Yao as a top asset, Alexander earned big money.
Though Wang Chong's influence wasn't yet on Yao's level, where his rise lifted the entire team, he was still able to generate substantial wealth.
Free time passes quickly.
Wang Chong hardly realized how fast time flew, as his month-and-a-half vacation was over in the blink of an eye.
Before he knew it, early September had arrived.
Though reluctant to leave, Wang Chong had to say goodbye to Jessica, leave Los Angeles, and return to Chicago to start preparing for the new season.
Even after a long break, Wang Chong paid much more attention to the 2006-07 season than the previous one. Unlike last year, when there was no pressure, this season Wang Chong had a system task: compete for the MVP title of the regular season. To complete the system upgrade task as soon as possible, he had to be fully prepared.
Returning to Chicago in early September, Wang Chong resumed his training. As expected, his digitized skills didn't degrade after a short period of neglect. There was no decline at all.
However, there was also no progress.
Before completing the system upgrade, Wang Chong, who had maxed out Durant's growth template, could hardly improve his skills further, except by working on his badges.
So if Wang Chong wanted to compete for the MVP title, he had to focus more on his teammates.
By mid-September, the Bulls players returned to the team for media photoshoots and interviews.
The Chicago reporters seemed somewhat indifferent.
It wasn't their fault. The Bulls' lineup for the new season hadn't changed much from last season. Though they reached the Eastern Conference Finals and performed well, there wasn't anything especially noteworthy at the start of the new season.
However, when it was Wang Chong's turn for an interview, the reporters showed a bit more interest.
Unlike other players who were cautious with their words, Wang Chong had no filter and never held back.
Even better, Wang Chong actually delivered on what he said.
At the start of last season, Wang Chong promised the team would win more than 50 games and make the Eastern Conference Finals. At the time, everyone thought he was crazy for making such bold statements, but he did it.
With last season's brilliant results as a precedent, everyone was curious to hear what ambitions Wang Chong would announce this time.
But to their disappointment, Wang Chong was very low-key during this interview. He refused to make any specific win predictions as he had the year before.
"We're still a young team that needs to keep growing and improving. The number of wins we get is less important than achieving real growth. I hope we can play well every game and improve both ourselves and the team."
Wang Chong's words were immediately dismissed by the reporters.
"What is this? Did Wang Chong change his style? Why so modest?"
What they didn't know was that Wang Chong was trying to protect his image.
As the saying goes, don't act too cool, or you'll be struck by lightning.
Last season, he had no clear objectives, so it didn't matter if he spoke carelessly.
But this season was different. Wang Chong, with his eyes set on the MVP title, had to carefully calculate everything and leave nothing to chance.
In short: avoid unnecessary attention.
Meanwhile, in Cleveland, LeBron James made bold declarations during his media session.
"The Cavaliers' goal this season is to finish first in the Eastern Conference and make the Eastern Conference Finals!"
James was confident enough to make this statement.
The addition of Big Ben made the Cavaliers one of the strongest teams in the East. The Pistons, the former Eastern Conference powerhouse, were sure to weaken without Ben Wallace. The Cavaliers' only real threats in the East were Wade and O'Neal's Miami Heat and Wang Chong's Bulls.
This wasn't just James' opinion—the Cavaliers and even many media outlets agreed.
However, what they were hoping for was a new rivalry between the Cavaliers and Bulls. Yet while James was being ambitious, Wang Chong's modesty didn't allow for the sense of a strong confrontation right at the start of the season.
To James' camp, Wang Chong's modesty was seen as a sign of weakness.
"Wang Chong knew the Cavaliers were better than his Bulls this season, so he backed down. This guy is cunning. He outmaneuvered us with little tricks before. After two or three years, it's finally LeBron's turn to rise, but now Wang Chong shrinks away. If you're that good, then show it!"
Wang Chong's fans didn't back down from this challenge, firing back: "James is only showing off because he picked up Ben Wallace. Last season, when the two teams were evenly matched, Wang Chong dominated. James should be careful. If he talks too much now, it'll be embarrassing when we beat them again after the new season starts."
The war of words between Wang Chong and James' fans continued until another incident quickly grabbed attention.
The Lakers' new season media photos were released, and it was revealed that Kobe Bryant had abandoned the number 8 jersey he had worn for a decade. For the new season, he switched to number 24.
This news caused a stir across the league.
In the original timeline, Kobe's switch to number 24 was met with skepticism. Many thought Kobe wanted to one-up Michael Jordan since 24 was one number higher than 23.
Although Kobe denied this and gave other reasons for choosing 24, no one believed him. Most people considered the change childish.
In this timeline, however, besides the Jordan angle, the biggest speculation about Kobe switching to 24 stemmed from Wang Chong, who had worn number 24 with the Lakers.
Of course, Wang Chong did this deliberately, just to satisfy his own playful interests. But the fans didn't know that.
From their perspective, Wang Chong had first chosen number 24, and now, after leaving, Kobe was picking up the jersey again.
Was this a sign of Kobe missing Wang Chong?
Did the two really have no feelings for each other as they claimed?
Speculation spread quickly, but neither Wang Chong nor Kobe responded.
In truth, neither paid attention to these rumors. Wang Chong had already committed to making Chicago his home, while Kobe was fully focused on his new journey with the Lakers.
In late September, the preseason officially began. Wang Chong and the Bulls set off on their season-long journey, aiming for new heights and challenges.
End of this chapter
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