Chương 136: Chapter 136: You Taught Me, Idol
"Having a pair of signature shoes would be great..."
Curry hesitated, not knowing what to say.
When Curry first entered the league, Nike offered him a four-year, six-million-dollar shoe contract, but they did not create a signature shoe for him.
This year, when Curry parted ways with his agent, his shoe contract with Nike also expired. Moreover, Nike's offer of a two-hundred-thousand-dollar endorsement deal angered Curry, leading him to not renew with Nike. As a result, Curry currently has no shoe endorsement.
Shoe endorsements are typically handled by agents, but it seemed Wade Dong wanted Curry to endorse Wade Dong Sports' shoes, which made things complicated... The agent might not necessarily side with Curry.
The only good thing was that Curry would have his own signature shoes.
Seeing Curry's hesitation, Luo Qingyan smiled and said to Curry, "Normally, I should negotiate this endorsement contract with Brother Dong... I know you rejected Nike's renewal this year. I want to ask, what is your expected value for a shoe endorsement contract?"
"Four hundred thousand!"
Curry did not hesitate and directly stated his expected value.
Wade Dong asked, "Four hundred thousand per year?"
"Yes."
Curry nodded, looking at Wade Dong with some expectation, wondering if Wade Dong would agree to this contract.
"How about this..."
Wade Dong thought for a moment, "Wade Dong Sports is willing to offer you a ten-year, sixty-million-dollar shoe endorsement contract, including a signature shoe. Do you think this is reasonable?"
Wade Dong knew Curry's future commercial value. Giving him a four-hundred-thousand-dollar per year shoe contract would be embarrassing, considering they would be seeing each other frequently in the league. As for the ten-year, sixty-million-dollar contract? That's an annual salary of six hundred thousand dollars, which Wade Dong Sports would profit from based on Curry's performance over the next ten years.
"Are you serious?"
Curry looked at Wade Dong in surprise.
Even Green and Middleton were envious. A ten-year, sixty-million-dollar contract was not far from the endorsement deals of top NBA stars.
Did Wade Dong have such high expectations for Curry?
Luo Qingyan also looked at Wade Dong in surprise. In her opinion, this endorsement contract was too generous. Curry's asking price was four hundred thousand dollars per year, which was his expected value. Even if it were reduced by fifty thousand dollars, Curry would still accept it. However, having worked in the entertainment industry, Luo Qingyan knew better than to question Wade Dong's decision at this moment.
"I'm serious."
Wade Dong confidently told Curry and asked, "Are you willing to accept this endorsement contract?"
"Of course!"
There was no need to hesitate.
Compared to Nike's offer of two hundred fifty thousand dollars per year, Wade Dong Sports' offer of six hundred thousand dollars per year was more than double, and it included a signature shoe.
Just for the "Wade Dong Era," Curry had no worries about the quality of his shoes.
"Since we've reached a consensus."
Wade Dong said, "Drafting the contract will be very simple. Luo Qingyan can handle it alone."
Wade Dong Sports Goods Co., Ltd., was currently funded by Zhang Yang and Guo Zifeng, but no one would interfere with Wade Dong's decisions in the company. So, if Wade Dong said to give Curry a ten-year, sixty-million-dollar endorsement contract, Wade Dong Sports would do it.
The gathering ended on a happy note.
...
The next evening, the Warriors hosted the Suns at their home court.
The Warriors' current record was 3-1, tied for second place in the Western Conference with the Thunder and the Spurs.
During the warm-up, Curry even snuck onto the Suns' court to shoot a three-pointer, only to be chased away by Dudley with a laugh.
After the fans entered, the game was about to begin.
First, there was the player introduction ceremony. When Wade Dong emerged from the player tunnel last...
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
The crowd chanted "MVP," which surprised Wade Dong a bit. It seemed that the fans in Oakland were quite friendly, perhaps because it was Wade Dong's first time playing on this court.
Wade Dong's charm in the league was not just about his skills but also his looks.
During the off-season, a website conducted a poll for the NBA's most handsome player, and Wade Dong topped the list, surpassing LeBron, Hayward, Curry, Kobe, and other handsome stars, becoming the fans' favorite handsome basketball player.
Of course, the fans of teams like the Heat, Spurs, and Lakers, who were defeated by Wade Dong in the playoffs, did not show him any kindness just because he was handsome.
"Beep!!!"
With the referee's whistle, the game began.
Suns' starting lineup: Dragic, Wade Dong, Dudley, Gortat, Bynum.
Warriors' starting lineup: Curry, Thompson, Jack, Landry, Lee.
Nash sat out this game due to back pain. From the lineup, if the Suns did not have Wade Dong, their depth would be weaker than the Warriors.
Bynum won the jump ball.
Wade Dong grabbed the ball and scored easily with a fadeaway jumper over Jack.
This defensive pressure was too easy for Wade Dong. He had faced the defense of James and Wade during the Heat games, so switching to Jack felt a bit strange.
0:2!
The Suns scored the first two points.
Curry, who had just signed a shoe endorsement, was excited.
He dribbled to the frontcourt and hit a step-back three-pointer!
"Three-pointer!!!"
The DJ's enthusiastic voice echoed through the arena.
Wade Dong smiled, "That's got some flavor~~~"
Tonight was destined to be Curry's night. In the first quarter, Curry's shooting was on fire, making 7 out of 9 three-pointers and scoring 21 points.
"Three-pointer!!!"
"Three-pointer!!!"
"Three-pointer!!!"
Every time Curry made a three-pointer, the DJ's enthusiastic voice would echo through the arena.
...
Yu Jia, "Curry is possessed by Wade Dong tonight!"
Zhang Zhidiao, "This kind of crazy three-point shooting style seems to have been brought into the league by Wade Dong."
...
Curry was on fire with his three-pointers.
However, Wade Dong did not respond with three-pointers.
The Warriors' defense on Wade Dong made his mid-range scoring feel effortless, so all his attacks were fadeaway jumpers.
The first quarter ended.
37:32!!!
The Suns were still down by five points.
The Warriors made a total of 10 three-pointers in the first quarter, with Curry making 7 and Thompson making 3, which was the main reason their score was ahead of the Suns.
Wade Dong played for 9 minutes in the first quarter, making 9 out of 13 shots and scoring 22 points, one point more than Curry.
"Good job, buddy~"
At the end of the first quarter, Wade Dong praised Curry during a matchup.
Curry smiled and said, "You taught me, idol~"
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