The longest river

Chapter 35 Knights Training

Adidas is a German company founded in the 1950s and officially entered the North American market in the 1970s.

However, because they are not a local brand, their development in North America, especially in the basketball shoe sector, has been extremely difficult.

Moreover, Nike, the current sneaker giant, is much stronger than Converse was back then. They own more than 40% of the North American market, and with Reebok's strong rise, Adidas's situation is precarious.

It was for this reason that when disagreements arose within Nike, they decisively poached Nike's core members and made them managers of Adidas' North American division.

Rob Strasser, former vice president of Nike, became the president of the division. After Strasser's unexpected death two years ago, Peter Moore, who left the company with Strasser, took over as president.

Then there's Vaccaro, who left with them and is now the Vice President and Sales Director of Adidas North America.

"If you ask why we left together, it's because we hated Knight, hated that bastard who said, 'We already have Michael, do we need anyone else?'"

Vaccaro's disgust for Nike president Phil Knight was written all over his face, but the string of profanities made Yang Shuai increasingly feel that the other party was a member of the mafia.

"So I'm looking for the next Michael, and someone who will have a longer and more successful career than Michael."

Vaccaro's next words made Yang Shuai understand even more why the other party was so fixated on high school students.

Jordan entered the NBA after attending college for three years, at which time he was already 21 years old.

Unlike the future, medicine is not as advanced in this era, and the competition is more intense. Most players experience a sharp decline after the age of 35.

Therefore, Jordan's NBA career lasted at most fourteen or fifteen years.

For high school students, this timeframe will be extended by at least three years, naturally increasing their chances of success.

“But you know, not everyone has the opportunity to surpass Michael. Another thing that attracts me about you is your learning ability. You have reached your current level in less than two seasons.”

Because of Paul's article, the general public's view on Yang Shuai's high school career is that: because he was abandoned, Yang Shuai was hungry, lacked physical strength and could not play basketball, but after being adopted by the Rondo family, his food and accommodation problems were solved and he quickly showed his basketball talent.

And in less than a year, he went from being outside the top 300 in the US to being in the top five.

This rate of progress is truly astonishing.

"What do you think of the NCAA?" Vaccaro started cutting his cigar again.

When Yang Shuai went back and talked to Johnson last time, he learned that only handmade cigars need to be cut.

"The NBA is the cradle of players, where they can learn skills and tactics, which makes them more mature," Yang Shuai shared his understanding.

"You're right, but they're also selfish."

"Selfish?" Yang Shuai didn't quite understand what Vaccaro meant.

"The NCAA earns just as much money as the NBA every year. They make money off college players but don't pay them anything. Isn't that selfish?" Vaccaro lit a cigar, his face full of sarcasm.

Yang Shuai seemed to be deep in thought.

Now that Vaccaro mentioned it, I remembered that when I was browsing forums in my past life, I seemed to have seen something about an image rights contract in the NCAA. Back then, NCAA players were the only ones who could earn income.

Before that, NCAA players were indeed just free laborers.

"But without the NCAA platform, many people wouldn't have the opportunity to play in the NBA." Yang Shuai doesn't think the NCAA is unnecessary; the platform itself has value.

"Yes, but that's for most people. For top high school players, they don't really need that kind of opportunity. On the contrary, playing in the NCAA increases the risk of injury. I've seen too many talented players fall apart in college because of injuries, and the NCAA doesn't give them any compensation."

Vaccaro took a puff of his cigar as he spoke.

Yang Shuai noticed that Vaccaro always liked to take a puff when he got to the crucial points.

However, Yang Shuai once again experienced the charm of Vacalo's language.

First, he explained why he chose a high school student, then he made Yang Shuai feel like he was the chosen one, and finally he downplayed the necessity of the NCAA.

After going through this whole process, Yang Shuai would feel how right his choice was.

Of course, none of this is bad for Yang Shuai, because the fact that he came here means that he has already made his decision.

"In the coming days, I will try to increase your visibility and promote you. When the time is right, we can officially sign the contract, which will be a very lucrative one."

However, what Vaccaro said next was unexpected for Yang Shuai. He had thought that the two sides could directly discuss the contract this time.

Vaccaro noticed his surprise and then talked to him about how Adidas operates.

He and Moore were old friends for many years, and Moore naturally gave his full support to his work, but the US branch did not have any money.

Take his move from the West Coast to New York, for example; the $7.5 he spent was all applied for from Adidas headquarters.

Therefore, signing a contract with Yang Shuai, and determining the size of the contract, also requires approval from Adidas headquarters.

To achieve this goal, and to secure the "substantial" contracts he mentioned, marketing is essential.

Although things were somewhat different from what he had expected, Yang Shuai wasn't in a hurry. He understood the principle that haste makes waste, and promoting him was a good thing.

Soon, Yang Shuai experienced Vaccaro's amazing influence in the basketball world.

Shortly after he returned to Cleveland, he received an invitation from Cavaliers head coach Mike Fratello to train with the team.

Yang Shuai previously had no way to compete against NBA players, but now Vaccaro can get him to train with an NBA team with just a little effort!
The Cavaliers' home arena is a little different from what Yang Shuai remembers; it's called Gund Arena, named after the Cavaliers' current owner, Gordon Gund.

On the morning of the day the Cavaliers hosted the Mavericks, Yang Shuai participated in the entire training session with the Cavaliers players in the training room on the second floor of Gund Arena.

When Jordan established the Bulls dynasty, the Cavaliers, led by 1986 number one draft pick Brad Dougherty, current top shooter Mark Price, and the first NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion Larry Nance, became the Bulls' main rival in the East.

One of Jordan's most iconic moments, "That Shot," was made during the playoffs against the Cavaliers.

In 1994, Daugherty and Nance both retired, and the Cavaliers' strength declined, but they were still an Eastern Conference playoff-caliber team.

Therefore, the Cavaliers' training intensity is still very high.

However, Yang Shuai persevered, and even impressed the Cavaliers players with his three-point shooting.

"Coach, is this the successor you found for me?" Price even joked with Fratello.

After training ended, Yang Shuai was about to leave when Fratello gestured for him to wait.

He then left the stadium, leaving Yang Shuai alone in the training hall.

Yang Shuai sat on the sidelines to rest, and it was only then that he had time to take a look at the venue in front of him.

Besides being large, the training hall is also bright.

The Gund Arena was only built last year, and everything still feels brand new.

The huge floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides of the training hall offer views of the street outside, which greatly alleviates the feeling of oppression during training.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg of the NBA, the world's premier basketball league.

To be honest, this experience successfully sparked his desire to play in the NBA.

Just as Yang Shuai was standing in front of the French windows looking at the scenery outside, Fratello returned, and he was accompanied by someone.

He was about the same height as him, but his build was noticeably larger, clearly indicating he was a professional athlete.

Yang Shuai didn't know the other person, but after Fratello introduced him, he looked surprised.

Jim Jackson's name was not only familiar to the original owner of this body, but also to Yang Shuai after his transmigration. He had heard of it more than once.

This player, born in Toledo, Ohio, and a graduate of Ohio State University, was the fourth overall pick in the 1992 draft.

In that draft, he was ahead of Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, and Christian Laettner.

In other words, Jackson was considered the best perimeter player in that class.

His experience in the NBA proved that the Mavericks made the right choice in drafting him.

第一年场均16.3分4.4板4.7助攻1.4抢断，第二年场均19.2分4.7板4.6助攻，第三年也就是这赛季，他的数据更是飙升到了25.7分5.1板3.7助攻，其中场均得分排在了联盟第五。

Although his stats may be somewhat inflated because the Mavericks are a bottom-tier team, they are still enough to prove his individual ability.

After learning the other person's identity, Yang Shuai took the initiative to reach out and greet this legendary player from Ohio.

However, Jackson seemed somewhat aloof, urging everyone to start quickly after a brief handshake.

Yang Shuai didn't understand at first, until Fratello explained, and he realized that this was a "surprise" prepared for him.

Needless to say, this was also arranged by Vaccaro.

If he can compete with Jackson, then the news will be direct evidence that he is ready to play in the NBA.

Jackson is indeed a suitable opponent, with considerable fame, but his ability is still some distance from that of a true NBA All-Star.

Fratello asked Jackson to warm up first, but Jackson refused.

"Let's start quickly."

Jackson looked like he was in a real rush.

Although Yang Shuai is currently ranked as the top high school player in Ohio, who isn't?

That title also belonged to Jackson before he entered Ohio State University.

Therefore, he knew very well what level high school students were at. If it weren't for Fratello, he might not have had the time to play house with a high school student.

(End of this chapter)