Basketball Terminal

Chapter 45 Ten Days
Li Wei was lucky enough to buy a discounted flight ticket from Orlando to Los Angeles at the airport counter; otherwise, he would have had to wait until tomorrow to leave and stay overnight at a hotel near the airport, an expense the team would not reimburse.

Five and a half hours later, the plane landed at Los Angeles International Airport. It was 8 p.m. Pacific Time, and it was already dark. Levi sent Max a message, informing him to go to the LA LIVE JW Marriott Hotel, where he would wait in the lobby.

On his first visit to Los Angeles, Li Wei had no time to enjoy the beautiful scenery of this West Coast entertainment capital. He hurriedly called a private car and arrived at the Marriott Hotel before nine o'clock, where he met with Nets general manager Sean Marks.

Sean Marks, a former NBA player, was selected 44th overall in the second round of the 1998 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. He played for several teams before retiring in 2011. A New Zealander, he represented the New Zealand men's basketball team in numerous international competitions, including the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2004 Athens Olympics. New Zealand lost to China in both Olympics, and Sean Marks consistently put up impressive performances, facing off against players like Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi.

What impressed Sean Marks most was probably the group stage match against China at the 2004 Olympics, where New Zealand lost 62-69. Yao Ming scored 39 points, nearly a third of the total points scored by both teams. This made Sean Marks feel less contemptuous when he met Levi, a respect earned through the performance of a senior player.

“It’s great to meet you, Victor! You’re the first player I’ve ever had to fly six hours from Brooklyn to Los Angeles just to bring a contract with me. The whole team values ​​you a lot.”

Upon their first meeting, Max flattered Levi, though it was just a polite remark. In fact, Max did take a six-hour flight for a 10-day contract, which is extremely rare, if not unprecedented, in NBA history.

Normally, players go to the team headquarters to sign contracts. If the team is playing an away game, they wait until they return home to train and play together. Only in rare cases, such as when the team is severely short of players due to injuries, will players travel to the away game to sign contracts and immediately join the team for training and matches.

Sean Marks' original suggestion was to wait until he returned to Brooklyn before signing Levi, but Nash was an impatient man. Once he decided to sign him, he wanted to do it quickly to avoid any unforeseen complications, as other teams were indeed eyeing Levi. Furthermore, Nash was truly dissatisfied with Robertson's performance; he no longer had the ability to play in the NBA. Another purpose of Marks' trip to Los Angeles was to terminate Robertson's contract, hoping for an amicable separation.

Just an hour before his meeting with Levi, Max had already spoken with Robertson, informing him that his ten-day trial period was over and that he would not be renewing his contract. Robertson wasn't too disappointed; he knew his condition was no longer suitable for the NBA, and the two parted amicably. Robertson will not participate in the team's practice tomorrow morning; he will leave on his own to look for his next job opportunity.

When someone leaves, someone else comes; there's always someone to fill the vacant spots on NBA teams.

Li Wei carefully read the terms of the contract. He would sign a 10-day contract with the Nets, for a period of 10 days or 3 games, whichever came first. The contract was worth $4.82, the lowest tier, but still more than he would have earned in the G League, and for only 10 days, it was close to $5000 per day.

If he performs well during the contract period, the Nets can extend his contract by 10 days. If the Nets want to keep Li Wei after the contract expires, they will have to give him a formal guaranteed contract that will ensure he plays for the team until the end of the season.

Therefore, if Li Wei wants to stay with the Nets long-term, he needs to complete a 20-day, 6-game trial period, with a pre-tax salary of nearly $10. This temporary job is still acceptable. It's no wonder that many players are desperate to secure a short-term contract. Fans may look down on it, but for an employee, $5 for 10 days or $10 for 20 days is indeed a good deal.

"Don't you have an agent?" Max asked as Levi looked at the contract.

"We'll need one in the future."

"I've saved you a room for the night. Go see the equipment manager first thing tomorrow morning and get you a suitable jersey and training clothes. You brought your own shoes, right?"

"Yes, can I choose the number myself?"

"That won't work. Just wear whatever you have."

"Okay." Li Wei was destined to just grab any jersey and wear it.

After confirming all the terms, Li Wei took the pen from Max and signed his name on the contract. At that moment, Li Wei became a temporary NBA player, at least able to leave his name in the NBA database. Whether he would have a photo and stats depended on his future performance.

After finally signing the confirmation, Li Wei remained remarkably calm. People are always like this; they're happiest when things are about to succeed, but once everything is settled, they become quiet. Because the completion of one task is often the beginning of the next, and usually an even more difficult one. Afterwards, Li Wei met with Nets head coach Steve Nash. He explained to Marks that he had just been in a meeting in his room, arranging rotations and strategies for tomorrow night's game. Then he turned to Li Wei, looked him over, and said, "I heard we signed a boxing champion. Welcome to the team; now we represent racial diversity in the league."

Nash's humor broke the awkwardness of their first meeting. While answering the phone, there was nothing particularly special about it, but meeting Nash, the former MVP, in person was a completely different experience. From 04 to 07, Li Wei was in junior high school, a time when he was most passionate about basketball. The Phoenix Suns and Nash burst onto the scene, stunning many. From that time on, Li Wei was deeply influenced by Nash and aspired to become an excellent point guard.

Fate is truly unpredictable. Now I'm not only a player on Nash's team, but also a two-meter-tall center. This is just too damn unpredictable.

The three sat in the lobby and chatted briefly. Nash praised Levi, saying that after watching his games, the coaching staff all acknowledged his defense. The Nets' biggest weakness right now is interior defense, and they hope Levi can bring some surprises.

"In tomorrow's game against the Lakers, I might give you some playing time in the final stages of the first half, depending on the situation. You need to be prepared, do what you're supposed to do, and seize the opportunity." During the regular season, coaches give a lot of playing time to experiment with lineups and to train and evaluate players.

"Any requirements for defensive matchups? For example, who should I be guarding?" Li Wei's question was actually unnecessary. Any requirements would be given during the game. Right now, he just wanted to be more proactive.

Nash chuckled and said, "Then you can go and guard LeBron James. The requirement is to shut him out completely, how about that?"

Max laughed, but Levi said seriously, "That might mean I have to sacrifice some rebounding and help defense."

Seeing that he was taking it seriously, Nash patted Levi on the shoulder and said, "Just don't hit anyone. Remember to come to practice tomorrow morning to get familiar with the team. You should go and rest now. The NBA is tough."

Li Wei nodded and went back to his room to rest, clearly indicating that Max and Nash still had something to say.

The two sat in the lobby, and Max said, "I thought you weren't going to come down. Actually, you didn't need to. You talked a lot today."

"Is it much?"

"Of course, a player on a 10-day contract! I've never seen you speak to Novan Pellè before."

Who is Novak Pellè?

“Shit, yes, it was Udoka in charge back then. Did you think highly of him?” Max was referring to Levi.

"No, I don't have high hopes for anyone; it all depends on their own performance. I just think he's interesting and I'd like to talk to him more. You know, I don't really have time to talk to my players; I'm always surrounded by coaches."

"This is how a head coach works nowadays: you direct your team, instruct them to do their jobs, and handle player affairs. You need to have an overall view of the situation. When the game comes, you have plenty of time to chat with your players."

"Okay, I understand, I understand! See you tomorrow, Sean. Thank you for flying all the way to Los Angeles."

"This is my job. See you tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)