NBA: Goat is actually me

Chapter 35 Signing a Contract
Three days later, in the Chicago Bulls Stadium, in Reinsdorf's office.

"Oh! Look who's here! Our hero! Honorary citizen!"

When seeing Meng Jin and Falk come in, Reinsdorf welcomed them warmly.

"Will the honorary citizen of Los Angeles be recognized in Chicago as well?" Meng Jin joked.

"Of course, but I don't recommend you to do anything heroic in Chicago." Reinsdorf said as he poured Meng Jin a glass of water.

Reinsdorf went on to add: “It’s a mess here.”

Meng Jin: "If you have any other suggestions, please tell me all at once."

Reinsdorf looked at Klaus next to him and said, "Jerry, introduce this place to our new friend."

Klaus looked at Meng Jin seriously and said, "First, don't take too many drugs. Last year, a poor guy got selected and drank too much because he was too excited."

Meng Jin said there was no need to worry about that, he never touched this stuff and it was not good for the brain.

Klaus continued, "Second, don't hang around the West District. This place is very dangerous."

In the era before Meng Jin traveled through time, the most chaotic place in Chicago was the South Side, which was full of drug addicts, criminals and mentally ill people.

But in the 80s, the West Side was the last place Chicagoans wanted to go.

The Chicago riots that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King in 1968 dealt a heavy blow to the area.

In the following 15 years, the West Side of Chicago went from bad to worse and became extremely desolate.

Meng Jin looked into Klaus' eyes and asked a soul-searching question: "Isn't our basketball stadium in the West District?"

This question made the two people on the opposite side embarrassed.

The Chicago Stadium is located in the area with the most crazy people in the West Side, and it is also nicknamed "The Mental Hospital on Madison Street".

After a while, Klaus spoke: "Leave after the game. Don't linger. The stadium is still very safe."

The atmosphere was awkward for three seconds before Klaus spoke again: "Have you decided on a number?"

"I've decided. No. 23."

Klaus smiled and shook his head: "This joke is terrible. If Michael were here, he would definitely fight with you."

Meng Jin smiled and said, "It's not like we haven't done this before. Is number 1 taken? I want to choose number 1."

Klaus: "No problem, this number is not currently in use."

Meng Jin: "Great, Mr. General Manager. I hope my jersey and shorts can be designed to be looser. If they are tight, it may affect my performance."

Klaus: "It's just a small problem. I'll talk to the equipment manager. Do you need any help with your life?"

Meng Jin: "Not yet. I'm alone and my living requirements are very simple."

Klaus: "Have you always been alone in the United States? Where are your parents?"

Meng Jin: “They are all in China.”

Klaus seemed very interested in Meng Jin and talked about everything from his country to his parents to his experience studying in the United States.

There was no talk of a rookie contract.

Falk had already communicated with the Bulls management regarding the rookie contract.

305 million for four years. In the first year, Meng Jin can get 76 US dollars. This salary ranks second in the Bulls.

Second only to Michael Jordan's $85.

In 1984, Jordan signed a four-year, $4 million contract with the Bulls.

If Jordan had entered the NBA a year earlier, he would definitely have received more, because the league introduced the "salary cap" agreement in 1984, and the salary cap for each NBA team in 1984 was only 360 million US dollars.

Meng Jin had to admire Falk's business ability. To be honest, this salary amount exceeded his expectations.

Klaus originally wanted to sign a six-year contract with Falk. In this era, rookie contracts are not restricted and the contract can be as long as both parties are willing.

However, he was rejected by Falk, who felt that everything was changing very quickly in this era and a long-term contract would restrict Meng Jin's development.

Meng Jin himself also thought so. He had a clairvoyant eye and knew that in a few years NBC would replace CBS and win the NBA's broadcasting rights contract.

All players' salaries will skyrocket.

It would be foolish to choose to sign a long-term contract when you have the ability to see through others' eyes.

"Gentlemen, it's been a pleasant chat. Let's get down to business," said boss Reinsdorf with a smile.

Klaus was so interested in Meng Jin that Reinsdorf felt that if he didn't interrupt, they would chat until late at night.

Klaus immediately took out the prepared contract.

Meng Jin took a quick look at the contract and found that the contract amount was fine. What made him happy was that the contract basically did not restrict his freedom of life. In the future, NBA contracts will often prohibit players from playing street ball, extreme sports, and even riding motorcycles.

From the perspective of team management, these restrictions are understandable. Players are their property in a sense, and no one wants their property to be damaged due to accidents.

But from the players' perspective, they and the management are in a cooperative relationship, and the partner is not their father, so why should their freedom be restricted?

Fortunately, there are not so many rules and regulations in this era.

Meng Jin was very satisfied. He picked up the pen and signed his name with a swish.

"It's a pleasure working with you!" Meng Jin put down his pen with a smile.

"From today on, you are an official member of the Bulls!" Krause said, adding: "The second highest paid official member of the team."

Meng Jin smiled slightly: "I will let you know what is value for money."

"Welcome to Chicago, you will love this city!" Boss Reinsdorf stood up and gave him a hug.

Meng Jin smiled and said, "I think I've fallen in love with it. No city has ever given me a million dollars before."

"Hahaha."

Both Klaus and Reinsdorf were amused; Meng Jin had a unique sense of humor.

Walking out of Rheinsdorf's office, Meng Jin felt that the whole world was different.

Meng Jin got a contract worth one million US dollars. Remember, this was in the 80s.

Although Meng Jin's father is rich, the feeling of relying on others to earn money is completely different from that of earning it yourself.

Of course, what made Meng Jin feel even happier was the sense of accomplishment.

Before traveling through time, he could only open 2K to simulate becoming an NBA player.

But at this moment, everything became a reality.

"Mr. Millionaire, what can I do for you? A house? A car? Or anything else. I'm the kind of guy who's willing to go to 20 dealers just to save a customer $."

After the big contract was signed, Falk was in a good mood and started joking with Meng Jin.

Meng Jin thought for a moment and said, "We can look for a house first. It shouldn't be too big, but it should be located in a wealthy area, which is safer."

The public security in Chicago is not very good, and Meng Jin can't stand homeless people coming to his house every day to buy things for free.

There is not much room for appreciation in the value of houses in Chicago. It is enough for Meng Jin to live in alone. It would be better to invest the extra money in New York, Los Angeles or other places in China.

Meng Jin vaguely remembered that in his previous life, Jordan had been selling his big villa in Chicago for ten years but no one was interested, even when the price was halved.

"What about the car? How about a Ferrari Testarossa?" Falk asked.

"Supercar? Not for me, unless you want to see someone driving down the street with his head exposed."

Falk: "Meng, there is something called customization. If you need it, I can immediately contact the Ferrari manufacturer and ask them to customize a supercar that fits your size."

Meng Jin smiled and said, "I really love you so much, David. Also, can you ask them to give me a car? I'll be endorsing them for free."

Falk: "Aren't Chinese people always reserved and introverted? How come someone as shameless as you came out?"

Meng Jin joked: "Oh! David, I thought you could do anything."

Falk: "Stop talking nonsense. I suggest you save some of the remaining money and invest some of it. In short, don't squander it all at once. I won't have any money to lend you when the time comes."

Meng Jin: "Thanks for the reminder, I will consider it."

Meng Jin has no talent and is not good at investing.

Meng Jin has always adhered to one principle.

That is to do what you are good at and do it to the extreme.

But not being good at it does not mean that Meng Jin completely gives up investing.

He has his own set of ideas, which is to make a few big waves, just like O'Neal's investment in Google, turning a 100 million investment into hundreds of millions in returns.

Meng Jin can completely follow this idea, only buy original shares, and invest in well-known brands if they come across them, without interfering with operations, to avoid changes caused by the butterfly effect.

Let’s not talk about real estate and Bitcoin. As long as you have capital, it’s no problem to multiply your assets several times.

Meng Jin can easily achieve financial freedom and never worry about bankruptcy.

This is very beneficial to his basketball career, as Meng Jin can focus almost all his energy on his basketball career.

A major prerequisite for becoming a great player is to be focused enough on basketball.

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(End of this chapter)