CHAPTER 88: CHAPTER 86, TENS OF MILLIONS ENDORSEMENT CONTRACT, NIKOLA JOKIC!

Zeng Xingyang spent the first three days in Denver dealing with miscellaneous life matters, and when he finally finished.

Connelly and Mike Malone invited Zeng Xingyang and Schwartz to dinner.

To accommodate Zeng Xingyang, they found a famous local Chinese restaurant and let Zeng Xingyang recommend some Chinese dishes to them.

After ordering, Connelly asked, "Zeng, have you gotten used to this place during this time?"

"There’s so much going on, I’m a bit overwhelmed," Zeng Xingyang said.

"Well, try to sort out everything outside of basketball quickly. If you need help, just give me a call."

"Okay."

"Zeng, you need to quickly get into the professional player mindset. Our goal for next season is the playoffs; we need your defense and three-point shooting," Mike Malone said from the side.

Compared to Connelly’s mildness, Mike Malone seemed to have stricter demands.

Mike Malone is 44 years old this year; he has served as an assistant coach for the Knicks, Knight, Hornets, and Warriors, then took the head coach position for the King. After a falling out with the King’s management, he was dismissed, and he took over the Nuggets last season.

Mike Malone has very rich experience in building defensive systems.

Connelly wasn’t supportive of choosing Zeng Xingyang with the 7th pick.

He preferred the team to get a point guard, which would improve the team’s offense. Connelly felt a bit aggrieved about this choice.

So regarding Zeng Xingyang, Mike Malone hopes Zeng can play at a high college level, which would make him feel a bit better.

"Hey Mike, don’t put too much pressure on Zeng. Zeng, don’t feel too stressed, that’s just how Mike is, he can get into work mode at any time."

"Mike has strong game control, I really admire his work effectiveness and ability."

Connelly’s meaning was that both are people he values, so don’t create any conflicts; get along well.

NBA and NCAA are different; NCAA coaches have more power, while NBA coaches have much less control over players.

Especially star players, as they are only accountable to their contracts.

"Zeng, after coming here, just do what you’ve always done in college."

"Keep working hard in training, and you can grow slowly on the court."

Connelly laughed heartily.

"As a team, I require teamwork and defense, to consolidate defense while launching counterattacks," Mike Malone added.

Zeng Xingyang nodded, not saying much.

After overall contact, he roughly understood the personalities of Connelly and Mike Malone.

Connelly is relatively amiable, while Malone is more stringent.

In the past, this duo’s collaboration was very successful, building a system around Jokic for the Nuggets, ultimately achieving the goal of winning the championship.

This dinner was more about them talking, Schwartz and Zeng Xingyang listening.

Mike Malone discussed with Zeng Xingyang the role he needs to take on for the new season and the areas he hopes Zeng will improve in this summer.

It always takes a long process for a rookie to become a true professional player, and Mike Malone doesn’t want Zeng to slack off after becoming a millionaire.

The day after the dinner, Zeng Xingyang and Schwartz met with the marketing president of Pepsi-Cola.

Pepsi-Cola offered Zeng Xingyang an endorsement worth 15 million US Dollars over 8 years, which directly reshaped Zeng Xingyang’s attitude towards money.

A few days ago, he was a poor kid who needed to borrow money from Schwartz, and now he’s talking millions in business deals.

For the first time in two lifetimes, he saw these scenarios.

However, Schwartz calmly said, "Your brand is nice, but the price is still too low. This year, Klay endorsed a sports drink, and the price was 27 million US Dollars over 10 years. I think you should refer to that."

"I know you want to say that Zeng is not Klay."

"And indeed, Zeng is not Klay. Zeng has a bigger market in China; he’s the first Asian MOP and the most popular Chinese basketball player."

"Zeng will be top-tier traffic in Asia, and his games will naturally receive more attention than many American players."

"In terms of market value and attention, Zeng is more potential than Klay."

"So, I hope he can get a price of 30 million US Dollars over 10 years."

Hearing Schwartz’s offer, Zeng Xing almost didn’t dare to make a sound.

Schwartz is truly fierce in offering prices, doubling it straight away.

The average yearly sum would be 3 million US Dollars, almost matching his salary; many NBA players don’t earn this much.

Klay has already proven himself in the NBA, while he hasn’t played a single NBA game yet,

When it comes to negotiation pricing, guts are important, and he still has much to learn.

Pepsi-Cola’s marketing president showed a wry smile, "Only superstars get such treatment, and historically, no rookie has gotten such a price."

"Then history starts with Zeng," Schwartz’s tone was firm, full of confidence in Zeng Xingyang.

Schwartz was determined to take on Pepsi-Cola.

The main reason is Zeng Xingyang’s massive influence in the Chinese market; if Pepsi doesn’t sign, he could just turn to Coca-Cola or Gatorade for sports drinks.

The marketing president of Pepsi-Cola came back after making a few calls with a final offer of 28 million US Dollars over 10 years, stating it was the final offer.

Schwartz didn’t push further but signaled Zeng Xingyang to go ahead and sign.

The parties had already discussed most of the contract details, the key was the amount.

Without delay, Zeng Xingyang repeatedly reviewed the latest contract and finally signed his name under the witness of a lawyer.

On the night of signing his name, Zeng Xingyang’s first year’s payment of 2.8 million US Dollars was in his account.

In these days, Zeng Xingyang was experiencing a reconstruction and establishment of his money sense.

His bank account had so much money that he didn’t know how to spend it.

He sent 200,000 US Dollars to his family, so his parents could buy a house in their hometown city, and spent 460,000 US Dollars to buy over 1,000 more Bitcoins.

This way, he now had 2,000 Bitcoins.

After doing all this, Zeng Xingyang didn’t know how to spend money in the short term, It was a special feeling going from having barely enough money to not knowing where to spend it.

Zeng Xingyang entrusted Schwartz to find two NBA level trainers to help him improve.

He didn’t hire Kenny Payne mainly because Kenny was on holiday with his family, and his work is primarily located in Kentucky.

Professional trainers could directly reside in Denver, serving Zeng Xingyang.

This improvement targeted a comprehensive upgrade, not just shooting and defense, but also his weak point, dribbling, needed attention.

Zeng Xingyang entered intense training.

Quickly, just over a week into training, the Nuggets arranged for Zeng Xingyang to play in the Summer League.

With Zeng Xingyang, representing the Nuggets in the Summer League, was another contract player.

Nikola Jokic.

Jokic was selected by the Nuggets last year with the 41st pick in the second round, then spent a year in Serbia before deciding to join the NBA.

Zeng Xingyang met Jokic for the first time the day before the Nuggets’ first Summer League game in the locker room.

"Nikola, nice to meet you," Zeng Xingyang greeted Jokic sitting in front of the locker with a high-five and hug.

Jokic didn’t look as well-built as he did on TV in the past, on the contrary, he was somewhat chubby, with a full, fleshy appearance, not showing any signs of being an MVP-level player in the future.

"Hi, Zeng, hello." Jokic smiled shyly, quickly standing up to high-five and hug Zeng Xingyang.

"Have you gotten used to life here?"

"Still a bit unaccustomed. There’s no horse for me to ride here, and the team doesn’t allow me to drink cola," Jokic humorously remarked.

Compared to playing ball, Jokic seemed to value his lifestyle more.

"Haha, they’re overly strict."

The two chatted for a while, Jokic was very conversational and had high emotional intelligence, Zeng Xingyang felt comfortable talking to him.

Zeng Xingyang was observing Jokic, and Jokic was likewise observing Zeng Xingyang.

Jokic naturally knew that Zeng Xingyang was the 7th pick for the team this year.

He’s a decent shooter.

In the new season, the two of them will form a long-term partnership in the Nuggets’ second lineup.

Building good chemistry with him is important.

In the Summer League, the Nuggets only sent Zeng Xingyang and Jokic, two assured contract players, while other players were temporary recruits, all striving for the 15th contract spot on the Nuggets roster.

Las Vegas.

The first game of the Nuggets in the NBA Summer League was quickly approaching.