NBA, Yao Ming is back!

"Damn it, he doesn't pass the ball to us at all in practice!"

"Those damn Americans!"

"I'm the top assist provider at this international training camp, but I barely touch the ball here!"

On the plane back to China, Liu Wei was full of resentment.

If there were any more, I'm afraid we'd all summon Sadako.

But Yao Ming actually thinks this is normal. He made such a big scene in the one-on-one competition, and he dominated all the high school students in the United States.

This person definitely has a temper.

It's 5 against 5, which means you'll have one less penalty kick.

That's just so you won't touch the ball.

You can't say anything about a great center.

Whether it was intentional or not, Liu Wei was not on the same team as Yao Ming.

He'd have even less chance to get the ball on that team.

Yao Ming couldn't grab the rebound and pass it to him either.

I must say, it seems that winning the one-on-one title in this training camp has really caused quite a stir.

However, Duncan, that little devil, didn't agree to a joint tryout with me.

Yao Ming was somewhat surprised.

After all, he thought Duncan would agree, because his current ability was still far inferior to Duncan's, who was at his peak when he entered the league.

Those players almost reached peak performance upon entering the league, a level I haven't reached yet. Of course, this is mainly due to my current physical development.

Because I am not yet 17 years old, and I am still a few months away from turning 17, before my body is fully developed, there is actually a huge gap every year.

Otherwise, changing one's age wouldn't offer such significant advantages before full development.

Because of physical development, the level is completely different every year.

If I were like Duncan, entering the league after finishing my senior year of college, with my current court experience...

Once they're in, they'll definitely be able to give full play to their abilities.

However, it's a good thing to go sooner. He's already unbeatable in China, so he really wants to face off against Duncan, who was at his peak as a rookie.

Let's try it with my body, which is not yet fully developed.

But to everyone's surprise, Duncan didn't agree.

Well, if it were me, I probably wouldn't agree either. It's true, winning is expected, and losing brings no benefit.

It's completely an attempt to elevate his own status.

Slightly regrettable.

But becoming an NBA player is already a foregone conclusion.

I'll be going back to take care of these things.

……

Upon returning to China, Yao Ming naturally received a tremendous welcome, and he knew very well why.

Celebrating one's good performance is one aspect.

Gaining some profit is another aspect.

What a pity.

I am different now than before, so you are destined not to gain any benefits.

Because at that time, CBA contracts were practically haphazard, with no standardized format. In fact, believe it or not, when did the CBA actually have a standardized contract?

That was back when I was the pseudo-leader in Blue Shoes.

I personally pushed for it.

It was at the CBA Company's extraordinary shareholders' meeting on June 7, 2018, that a unanimous agreement was reached to revise and implement the standard version of the "Domestic Player Employment Contract" and the standard version of the "Foreign Player Employment Contract".

Yes, you heard right. A league that has existed since 95 didn't have a truly unified standard contract template until 2018.

Before this, each club drafted its own contracts, with completely different terms, formats, and guarantee ratios.

This was the premier basketball league in China at the time.

You wouldn't believe it if I told you, but it's the truth.

Therefore, Yao Ming understands the ins and outs of this better than anyone else, after all, it was a project he personally promoted.

With contracts like this, you can dig a hole for yourself, and you can also dig a hole for yourself, all while pretending you know nothing.

When they dug the hole, none of them believed they could do it, so now it's time to make their promise.

……

"What? Everything is going according to the contract? How can that be allowed!"

"If you're not going to follow the contract, what's the point of having a contract? I had it notarized back then. By the way, here's my lawyer's number; they'll contact you later."

"Damn it! Who told you to sign this contract? My money! Not only did I not get any money, I have to give it away!"

"Boss, didn't you review it yourself back then?"

"Shut up! I've already seen it. You can't stop me!"

Little Drill Wind: ...

Yao Ming laughed a few times, then hung up the phone without listening any further.

Sure enough, because he had signed various incentive clauses, such as being able to opt out of the contract after winning the championship in two years and choose whether to continue the contract.

If you win MVP in your first year, you'll have the right to decide whether to renew your contract and can draft a new one.

At the time, these additional conditions seemed like utter nonsense and impossible to fulfill, so signing them was a quick and easy process.

They think it's impossible anyway, so they're fine with dangling a carrot in front of you; trapping you is their basic tactic.

such a pity.

No one understands these intricacies better than Yao Ming. He has not only suffered losses in this area but has also worked on reforming the league's contracts.

Therefore, everything was done perfectly in this regard, and when I persuaded my parents to sign the contract back then, I strongly insisted on it.

No matter what small favors they offered, they always refused outright.

At the time, in order to sign this promising young player as soon as possible, and given that Yao Ming had made some seemingly impossible incentive requests, they readily agreed.

And now...

Hey.

Eat my general's buff!

Not only will they outmaneuver you, but after accomplishing all that, they'll also demand a bonus of several million from you.

So not only did they not spend their own money, they also had to squeeze money out of you.

Whether you accept it or not is irrelevant; see you in court.

Anyway, I'm not going to come back to play in the CBA.

Moreover, once you achieve success, the entire basketball community in the country will have to fawn over you. No matter what grudges you have, you can only laugh them off and let bygones be bygones.

Commonly known as: If you're not happy about it, just keep it to yourself.

Once those are settled, the next thing to do is deal with the blue shoes.

In this era, CBA teams are teams, and if you want to play outside, you still need to communicate well with the CBA.

A clarification letter is needed.

Otherwise, you won't even be able to play in high school basketball, let alone the NBA.

This... requires the art of wrangling.

The way they spoke over there was exactly the same as before—

50% of salary income.

But Yao Ming knew where their bottom line was. He just needed to make that bottom line clear to the negotiation team. In the end, it would be 5% of the salary after tax, and only for one year.

That's just how history has been.

This is their bottom line.

Knowing the bottom line, how can you still lose a conversation with them?

Knowing they'll eventually give in, there's plenty of patience to wear them down.

He's starting over, so business revenue and investment will be the main sources of income; salary will be a drop in the ocean for him.

Finally, of course, there's the clause about serving the country.

Serving the country is of course a no-brainer.

He'll play in the World Championships and the Olympics without even having to say it.

If you don't let yourself hit yourself, you'll get angry with yourself.

Other smaller competitions are another matter, but of course, these also involve wrangling and back-and-forth. At this stage, almost everything requires back-and-forth maneuvering.

Fortunately, Yao Ming has experience.

There's plenty of patience, and besides, we know where their bottom line is, so there are plenty of ways to work things out with them.

He was unwilling to budge, but he also had his bottom line, clearly stating that he would make a breakthrough in the competition.

Breaking through the quarterfinals.

Negotiations will be conducted on this condition.

If I can't break through, I'll be available whenever I'm called.

If I make a breakthrough, then I'll do things my own way and I won't miss a single major competition.

In regular matches, don't waste your energy.

I guess I'll be playing in quite a few playoff games in this lifetime.

Of course, they weren't willing at first.

A series of profound principles.

But Yao Ming isn't really 16 years old, so he can't be fooled by these things.

After another round of back-and-forth negotiations, Yao Ming's team finally stated the conditions for breaking into the quarterfinals.

That's what made these people feel tempted.

For them, all the other minor breakthroughs are insignificant; what truly matters is achieving a historic breakthrough.

One such breakthrough is enough for each of them to get a big share of the pie.

Everyone can ride the upward path.

Therefore, under this premise...

The two sides engaged in a prolonged push and pull.

The negotiations are finally complete.

Then, naturally, came the happy ending, with various interviews and farewell parties.

Having achieved his goal, Yao Ming was naturally happy to cooperate.

Anyway.

Once you're out there, the world is your oyster, where fish can leap freely and birds can soar high.

"Yao Ming, you must be steady when playing outside. You represent our image, so you must be humble, cautious, hardworking, and seek stability."

Well, hearing this, Yao Ming just wants to say one thing: have you ever been to the United States? To all you knowledgeable brothers and sisters.

Don't try to give me advice if you haven't been there.

Humility? Hmm, domineering.

Cautious? Hmm, irritable.

Seeking stability? Hmm, wanting to take risks.

Only hard work is what athletes need.

"Don't worry, leaders, I'm going to America."

"We'll definitely make a name for ourselves!"

As for "打" (dǎ), it means "to play ball".

Still boxing.

Well, I didn't say I was dead.

介。

Anyway, you just have to fight.

In the NBA of this era.

Playing ball and boxing.

There was no need to make such a clear distinction.