บท 293: Chapter 291: The 2013 Draft
After Durant's arrival, fans stopped criticizing the Heat's Big Five and eagerly awaited the start of the new season. They couldn't wait to witness the epic clash between the Suns and the Heat.
Wade Dong didn't deceive Durant; he genuinely verified his Weibo account. Dong's profile description was simple: "Basketball Player."
He didn't mention any other identities and only verified his account without posting anything. However, Dong followed two people: Zhang Yang and Durant. Soon after, both of them followed him back.
But what surprised even the Weibo officials was that within a week of Dong's verification, his follower count soared to 7 million. Furthermore, according to incomplete statistics, during this week, almost 5 million new users registered on Weibo, primarily to follow Dong.
...
As soon as the news of Durant's signing with the Suns broke, Dong sent a text message to Draymond Green, "If you dare to tell Durant that we were already champions before he arrived, I'll kill you!"
Green was puzzled by Dong's early morning text. Why was Dong suddenly bringing this up?
It was indeed a fact that the Suns had won the championship before Durant's arrival, and they had already achieved back-to-back titles.
With Durant, Paul, Anthony, and Harden's destinations confirmed, the free agency period effectively ended. Fans were most concerned about these four players, and the remaining players, despite their talent, were overshadowed by the star power of these four.
A few days later, the NBA Draft commenced.
This year's draft was peculiar. Before it began, experts had made predictions about the players' draft positions, but the actual results differed significantly from their forecasts.
First overall pick: The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Second overall pick: The Orlando Magic selected Victor Oladipo.
Third overall pick: The Washington Wizards selected Otto Porter.
Fourth overall pick: The Charlotte Bobcats selected Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Fifth overall pick: The Atlanta Hawks selected Dennis Schroder.
...
Eighth overall pick: The Utah Jazz selected Rudy Gobert.
Ninth overall pick: The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Steven Adams.
Tenth overall pick: The Sacramento Kings selected C.J. McCollum.
...
In the second round, the Golden State Warriors selected Gu Qi, who would join forces with Huang Yu in the Bay Area. This marked the first time an NBA team had two Huaxia players on their roster.
Wade Dong watched the draft live from his office, and the results left him stunned. "What the hell? Did everyone develop X-ray vision?"
Dong couldn't believe the outcome. The top prospect, Nate, wasn't selected until the 15th pick, while the relatively unknown Antetokounmpo became the first overall pick, joining forces with Kyrie Irving in Cleveland.
The Cavaliers, who had missed the playoffs the previous season, now had two number one picks on their roster.
"Who leaked the information?" Dong wondered. The four players he had mentioned to Sarver were all drafted in the top ten by other teams.
Tian Zhen used the 11th pick to select Nerlens Noel, which showed his eye for talent as the team's manager. Noel was a better choice than Nate.
...
"Dong, all seven rookies we signed were drafted in the top ten," Dong received a text message right after the draft ended. It was from Luo Qingyan.
Dong immediately called her, "Did you pull some strings?"
"No," Qingyan laughed. "Is there even room for manipulation in this?"
"I'm just curious how the Cavaliers ended up drafting Antetokounmpo with the first pick," Dong said.
"It's simple," Qingyan explained. "The Cavaliers invited Antetokounmpo for a workout, but I declined on behalf of the team. I told their manager that you highly regarded this player and hoped he would join the Suns."
"Wow, that's impressive!" Dong exclaimed. Qingyan, with her delicate appearance, was a cunning woman.
However, Qingyan was right. Among the rookies, Antetokounmpo was Dong's favorite, and he believed the player would quickly establish himself in the league.
Since he was signed to Dong's agency, it made sense for the company to benefit from his success and subsequent big contract.
...
August 3rd.
Wade Dong was preparing to shoot a commercial for his shoe brand, Wade Dong Generation 2. Although Dong didn't usually endorse commercials, he had to promote his own shoe brand.
The commercial shoot attracted several celebrities. Erik Spoelstra, Stephen Curry, Jared Dudley, and Huang Yu were all present, as they had endorsement deals with Dong Sports. The three of them would also be shooting the commercial alongside Dong.
Dong Sports was launching signature shoes for all three players. Jared Dudley, in particular, was thrilled beyond words. He never imagined that one day, he would have his own signature shoe.
Dong Sports designed Dudley's signature shoe with a focus on affordability. The shoe prioritized practicality and durability, and it was priced at 98 Huaxia Yuan in Huaxia and the same in the M Country. It was the most affordable signature shoe on the market.
Dudley was overjoyed.
The shoe had a unique feature: instead of the Dong Sports logo on the tongue, it displayed two Chinese characters: "Dream."
This resonated with Dudley, who had grown up in a poor neighborhood. He understood the desire of basketball-loving kids for a pair of shoes, and he took pride in the fact that his signature shoe would be affordable for most children.
Apart from these basketball stars, three notable figures were also present at the commercial shoot. One was the director, Zhang Yang, accompanied by his close associate, Ge Qian, a former special forces soldier. The third person was Su Sheng, a track and field athlete.
Su Sheng had an endorsement deal with Dong Sports, and he had made history the previous year by becoming the first Huaxia male athlete to reach the Olympic semi-finals in the 100m sprint, finishing third in his heat. Unfortunately, as of this year, he hadn't managed to break the 10-second barrier.
Dong and Zhang Yang discussed the concept for the commercial, which was relatively straightforward: Dong would leap over a speeding car while wearing his shoes.
"Dong, I think your idea is a bit dangerous," Zhang Yang shook his head after hearing Dong's proposal. "I have many techniques to make it look like you're genuinely leaping over the car."
Zhang Yang and Dong had differing opinions. Dong wanted to attempt an actual leap over a speeding car for authenticity, while Zhang Yang believed it was too risky. A single mistake could result in Dong being hit by the car, so he disagreed with Dong's plan.
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