I've been playing in the NBA for three years, and this system is only now showing up?

Chapter 86 Sneaker Contract Finalized! Basketball Association or Fraudulent Park? Director Xin's Furious Outburst! [Please Subscribe]

"His ability is still a bit lacking," Bass said. "He doesn't have the ability to be the leader of a championship-contending team right now."

""

"I think he knows his own capabilities very well, which is why he signed such a contract," West said.

"We all underestimated him," Bass sighed. "I never expected him to have such ambition and confidence."

"But this is also good news," West said. "A player who dares to sign a short-term contract will never let himself go, he will never let his physique deteriorate or his form disappear. We can completely trust him and look forward to an even stronger him next season!"

"I don't know what his plans are, or when he plans to start training, but I'm pretty sure that with the attitude and determination he showed today, he won't let us down in the new season! The dynasty we've been waiting for has really taken shape."

"Are you going to the party tonight?" Bass got a satisfactory answer and quickly changed the subject.

"No way." West shook his head. "I need to talk to Kobe. I need to make him feel threatened. I need to let him know that if he doesn't play his heart out, he won't even be the second-best player on the team anymore. He'll only be the third-best player on a dynasty team."

"And no one would consider the team's third-ranked player to be Jordan's successor."

"The internal competition within our team is going to be insane next season!"

"You're so wicked!" Bass chuckled. "You're the kind of evil capitalist I'm talking about."

For the next week, Lin Ze continued his eating, drinking, and having fun, trying to gain weight. But to be honest, it wasn't until this point that Lin Ze realized that it wasn't so easy to get completely fat!

He originally planned to gain at least 25 kilograms and 7-8 kilograms of muscle in these three months, but he is not satisfied with the progress so far. In the end, he may not even be able to reach 20 kilograms.

There's no way around it; athletes have such high metabolisms and daily energy expenditures.

Even if Lin Ze doesn't train or exercise every day, his basic energy expenditure is already very high.

That day, Lin Ze ate a pork chop covered in cheese while waiting at his villa with Schwartz.

This is a villa in Beverly Hills that he had his eye on for a long time, but only bought after officially signing with the Lakers.

Although his house is insignificant compared to those estates that cover hundreds of acres and those top-tier mansions that are frighteningly luxurious, it still has all the necessary facilities.

Garage, swimming pool, indoor gym, basketball court, and home theater.

And what Lin Ze couldn't understand the most was that this house, which only had 6 bedrooms, had 16 bathrooms.

This seems to be a common feature of all houses in the United States.

Regardless of the number of rooms or the size of the area, the number of bathrooms will always be extremely large.

What he and Schwartz were waiting for today was Adidas's business team.

Soon, a knock came at the door, and a small team of five people entered Lin Ze's villa and sat down.

"Let me introduce myself." The leader smiled and said, "I am David Bond, Vice President of Basketball Operations for Adidas North America. Actually, we met once four years ago, but back then I was just a nobody, and we made a stupid mistake by failing to sign you."

"Fortunately, four years later I got a chance to make up for my mistakes, so, shall we begin?"

"I was also very impressed with you back then, Mr. Bond. I knew then that you would definitely have the opportunity to meet me again as a person in charge, and I look forward to everything you have prepared for me." Lin Ze smiled as well. He had a very good first impression of Bond. As for that meeting four years ago?

He had absolutely no recollection of this, and he wasn't even sure if he had ever met this guy before.

After all, back then he was just a small player. When shoe manufacturers negotiated with players of his caliber, they would just send a specialist or something similar to handle it.

As for things like PPTs or future plans, there were absolutely none of them.

His treatment today is completely incomparable to what it used to be.

For the next hour or so, a staff member used a projector to show Lin Ze their grand plans for the next few years.

From how to build Lin Ze's personal brand to the promotional plan that lasts for several years, from how much resources they will allocate to Lin Ze, to their signature shoes and other exclusive merchandise plans.

In short, as long as Lin Ze can maintain his level from last season for the next few years, Adidas will develop him into a top global star!

It must be said that their PPT was quite beautifully made, and it did indeed outline an almost perfect and incredibly promising future blueprint for Lin Ze.

Then, after the staff finished their report, Bond immediately made his move: "To make up for my mistake back then, I've been applying to headquarters for a long time, and we're willing to give you the best, most outstanding contract. First, the base amount: $2500 million for 3 years! Fully guaranteed!"

"In addition, if you perform even better in the future, such as making the All-NBA Team, becoming an All-Star starter, averaging more than 20, 25, or 30 points per game, winning the MVP award, etc., we will also give you corresponding rewards."

"Excluding unlikely awards like MVP or scoring title, the final total value of this contract would be around $32 million over three years! That price is definitely competitive!"

"That's certainly a very sincere offer." Lin Ze nodded, touched, then looked at Schwartz: "Jeff, the rest is up to you."

Schwartz laughed and said, "Then I think this price is too low!"

For the rest of the time, Lin Ze resisted the urge to eat something delicious, since they were discussing the contract.

He wasn't good at bargaining and didn't like it, so he handed it all over to Schwartz.

But at the same time, he also knew how to assist Schwartz.

He took off his clothes, revealing his muscular physique, and went swimming in the pool in the yard.

Lin Ze told the Adidas staff in the most practical and direct way: Don't worry about my physique, don't worry about me being too indulgent and losing my form in the new season.

Lin Ze did not get involved in the negotiations. He had complete faith in Schwartz, after all, as agents, their main source of income was the players' various business collaborations and endorsements.

Schwartz can only take 4% of Lin Ze's contract with the Lakers, but he can take 12% of all of Lin Ze's business collaborations and contracts!

Therefore, Schwartz will definitely put in every ounce of effort in this kind of negotiation!

Those are all bright green knives!

As for Lin Ze, after swimming, he went to the gym to lift weights for a while. Then, feeling that he had gone a bit too far with his acting, he said goodbye and went to his game room to play games.

By the time Schwartz came to knock on the door and announced that the first round of negotiations had ended, about three to four hours had passed.

Schwartz and Bond were clearly exhausted, but they still wore professional smiles.

Lin Ze, with a smile on his face, escorted Bond and the others to the door. Just as everyone was about to leave Lin Ze's villa, Bond suddenly waved his hand, signaling the other staff to leave first. He mysteriously stayed behind last and closed the villa door again.

Then he pulled his laptop out of his briefcase and opened it.

"These are actually secrets, and I shouldn't be showing them to you now, but I really like you, Lin, and I believe you can definitely become a true superstar! I also really regret the mistakes we made back then."

"I want to make amends, so I think you should take a look at this beforehand."

Lin Ze couldn't help but move closer and look at the pictures on Bond's computer; he was immediately captivated!

Above are the prototypes of several sneakers, which already have basic designs and patterns, and next to the sneakers are several small logos with different designs.

For example, one of them features the Chinese character "林" (Lin) at its center, and is decorated with the Arabic numeral "14" around it, forming a rather exquisite graphic.

This is the personal logo that Adidas designed for Lin Ze!

With a signature shoe and a personal logo, Adidas' sincerity is truly evident. Bond's approach of negotiating first and then revealing his trump card at the end is also reassuring.

Although Lin Ze knew very well that the idea of ​​leaking the information prematurely on a whim was nonsense and that it was definitely planned in advance, this action was indeed very endearing.

However, this bit of goodwill was clearly not enough for Lin Ze to sign the contract on the spot. He politely saw Bond and the others off, and then Schwartz quickly reported the results.

"The base amount is 3000 million with full protection over 3 years. If you add the bonuses you have a high chance of receiving, that's 3600 million over 3 years. If you add the bonuses that are almost impossible to obtain, it can reach 4200 million over 3 years!"

"If we reach an agreement with them in the end, the figure we've heard is 4200 million over 3 years. Of course, if we confirm the contract with them, this amount can definitely be increased."

"So, shall we talk to Nike tomorrow?" Lin Ze rubbed his hands excitedly. 3 years for 3600 million, that's more than what he could get from the Lakers over the next three years. At the same time, he thought about the 7-year, 9300 million contract Nike gave James two years later. He felt that even if Nike's contract for him wasn't as good as James', it certainly wouldn't be much worse.

"Are you a farmer who traveled from the Middle Ages?" Schwartz looked at Lin Ze and said, "I'll be exhausted! In a week!"

We've made an appointment with Nike for a week from now!

"I've already told Bond that we'll only negotiate with each side once, and then we'll make a decision and move on to final negotiations, so don't worry, it'll be quick!"

"Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll head out." Lin Ze, the ruthless rancher, was already waving people away: "Bass has prepared a grand party, and I have to attend."

"You bastard, go to hell!"

A week later, however, the negotiations between Lin Ze and Nike did not go as smoothly as he had imagined.

Nike's offer was nowhere near as good as Adidas's. They only gave Lin Ze a 5-year, $2500 million contract and didn't show much sincerity, not even mentioning a personal signature shoe.

Clearly, Nike didn't consider acquiring Lin Ze a major priority.

They prefer exceptionally talented defenders.

Those are the players who can sell their shoes and are truly loved by fans. As for Lin Ze?

Even though he has helped Nike make a lot of money in the past few years, especially since the exclusive colorway of the sneakers Nike made for him sold quite well in China, Nike still did not choose to increase his priority.

They believe he is an inside player and that his performance this year is unlikely to be consistent.

"Those bastards, they'll pay for this!" Schwartz cursed angrily after the Nike representatives left. "You've made them countless amounts of money over the past few years! But they still don't realize how important you are!"

"Then there's no need for them to realize it," Lin Ze said. "Let those idiots regret it."

"They will suffer for at least 10 years because of losing me!"

"These stupid bastards!" Schwartz was still indignant. This summer, he and Lin Ze had been treated like royalty wherever they went, and now Nike was showing him such disrespect. Schwartz was extremely unhappy: "You have to play well against Lin! Give it 120% and avenge me!"

Lin Ze was too lazy to pay attention to this guy, but at the same time he understood why Nike was so stingy, only giving him, an All-NBA Team member, All-Star starter, All-Star MVP and champion, such a small amount of money.

If Lin Ze remembers correctly, in 2002 they were only willing to offer the then-newcomer top draft pick, Yao Ming, $1.6 million for four years.

Compared to this, their 2500 million for 5 years is actually pretty generous!

It can only be said that this company is really not friendly or trusting towards international players, especially interior players.

They have more trust in exceptionally talented perimeter players.

Thinking about this, Lin Ze naturally didn't want to cooperate with them anymore. He looked at Schwartz and said, "Shall we have a second round of negotiations with Bond tomorrow?"

"I've realized that calling you a farmer is an overstatement; farmers are far more humane than you!"

See you in a week!

Schwartz left a message and quickly left Lin Ze's house, as if Lin Ze would whip him if he stayed even a second longer.

A few days later, when Schwartz negotiated with Bond's Adidas team again, Nike, which they had criticized as worthless and idiotic, became Lin Ze's ideal, his dream, and his favorite sneaker brand.

"To be honest, Nike pays less than you guys, but Lin really likes Nike. His dream since he was a child was to join Nike. He would rather take less money than not be able to achieve his dream."

"And I can tell you, Nike brought in Michael Jordan, Lin's best friend and idol on the Bulls. Do you know how much Michael is in Lin's heart? Just watch his highlights! His mid-range shot is a perfect replica of Michael's."

"Honestly, if I hadn't tried my best to dissuade him and hoped he would give you some respect and a chance, he would have renewed his contract with Nike last week."

"But as an agent, I don't care what his dreams are or what brands he prefers! I just want a higher commission."

"Think of a way, David, get him on board! Get him to join Adidas, then we'll both be happy, right?"

""

After hearing Schwartz's heartfelt words, Bond nodded heavily to express his gratitude and understanding. Then he went to a place where Lin Ze and Schwartz couldn't hear him and made a phone call to someone at a higher level.

"Schwartz is a real old fox. He's spouting nonsense and trying to play the emotional card against us! But I think he's right. Lin can definitely help us increase our influence in Asia, and his playing style and looks are really fine! He can definitely make us a lot of money."

On the other side, Lin Ze whispered, "The way you just talked was shameless! Besides that first sentence about Nike giving you less than them, did you tell the truth in a single word?"

"Of course!" Schwartz said. "I don't care about your dreams, I just want to earn more commission—that's the honest truth!"

"So tell me, will your trick work on 007?"

"He probably thinks I'm talking nonsense, but I believe it's effective because he doesn't need to believe what I say. He just needs a reason to call his boss and ask for a price increase. I've already given him the reason. Now let's see what he can get in return."

A few minutes later, Bond walked over, smiling, and said, "We need to have a meeting at our European headquarters to discuss this further. They have their reasons; after all, this is no small sum of money!"

"Perhaps we should go get lunch first?"

They waited for a full three hours before Bond's phone finally rang.

Bond first found a secluded spot to answer the phone, then returned a few minutes later with a smile: "Let's sign the contract!"

"A win-win situation! This is definitely a win-win situation!" Schwartz smiled and reached out to shake hands with Bond, followed by Lin Ze and Bond, and then the other Adidas staff also happily celebrated.

If they successfully sign a contract, they can also receive a considerable bonus!

The conditions that Adidas headquarters agreed to were the final ones Schwartz made for Bond.

The base contract is $39 million over three years, and Lin Ze will receive additional bonuses if he becomes an All-Star starter, is selected for the All-NBA First Team, or wins the championship.

In addition, Adidas has requirements for his performance and has set up multiple reward tiers for him. For example, if he averages more than 20 points per game next season, he can get an extra $30, and if he averages 25 points per game, he can get $100 million.

Of course, besides these conditions that are very likely to be met, there are some that are almost impossible to meet.

For example, MVP, scoring champion, etc., these clauses are more for making the contract look bigger and better!

If all the incentive clauses are included and Lin Ze fulfills them, he could earn $51 million USD within three years! Even considering only the bonuses he can basically receive by maintaining his current level, the contract still amounts to $48 million USD over three years.

Ten thousand!

Looking across the entire league, only a handful of players, such as Carter, Hill, and Iverson, have a more lucrative and larger shoe contract!

This signing is absolutely groundbreaking and will definitely take the basketball world by storm.

At the very least, Lin Ze's contract is bigger than Kobe Bryant's 6-year, $4800 million contract with Adidas, and also bigger than the contracts of players like Kevin Garnett.

After signing this contract, if we only look at the contract amount, Lin Ze immediately became the top player in Adidas' basketball team!

That's quite a leap!

Of course, the money in this contract isn't so easy to get; Adidas has also included a clause to protect their interests.

Jump out of the terms!

Every off-season, Adidas has the right to terminate contracts early without paying a penalty.

In other words, if Lin Ze doesn't perform well, his form declines, or if this signing causes Adidas to lose money, they can opt out of the contract at any time and cut their losses in time. This is the core reason why the final signing amount was so high.

So for now, only the first year's 1000 million yuan has gone into Lin Ze's pocket; the rest depends on his performance!

After the three-year contract expires, Adidas will have the right of first refusal to renew Lin Ze's contract, and they will be eligible to match any offer made to Lin Ze by any basketball shoe manufacturer!

If Adidas doesn't release him, then Lin Ze will have to accept their match and stay!

"Both of these signings this year have gone against my professional principles!" Schwartz couldn't help but say a few hours later, after the signing was completed. "You little brat, you broke my rules."

"When I sign contracts, I always believe that the bigger the contract and the longer the term, the better, so as to provide players with the most stable future and the most security possible."

Lin Ze then exposed the guy: "Also, keep as much commission as possible for yourself."

Schwartz ignored him and continued talking to himself: "But both of your contracts are three-year contracts. If you're not in good form, your ability declines, and your stats are terrible after three years, I'll be nailed to the pillar of shame! I'll definitely be blacklisted by many players, and those reporters and colleagues won't let me off the hook either."

"They'll definitely write about me as the dumbest agent in history, the dumbest signing in history, and the idiot agent who makes players lose money the most."

"I'll be finished then."

"It's okay, Jeff, relax." Lin Ze smiled and took out a bottle of champagne, popping it open with a "pop." "If it really comes to that, I'll just change agents. I won't be a burden to you."

"How about we celebrate now?"

"Fuck! They're absolutely right, you're a damn bitch." Schwartz really didn't expect Lin Ze to say such shameless things, and finally couldn't help but utter the swear words he had been wanting to say for a long time. But then, he still took the wine glass and clinked it with Lin Ze's.

"Wishing you all the best! May you stand atop the League in three years!"

Don't worry!

Lin Ze downed the champagne in one gulp, full of confidence for the next three years!

In the following period, Lin Ze also entered a full vacation mode. He would occasionally attend some events that he had to attend, support his business partners, and sign some business contracts that Schwartz had found for him.

Aside from that, he just eats, drinks, and has fun, trying his best to gain a few more pounds.

In August, Britney Spears was going to hold a world tour, and Lin Ze secretly followed her to more than 10 cities in three continents: Europe, Asia, and South America. During the day, Lin Ze would wander around on his own, and at night, after Britney's concert ended, Lin Ze would explore her body to find treasures.

In September, Lin Ze also flew to Sydney to watch some of the Olympic Games.

Lin Ze was present at the match where Hebei China Fortune suffered a heartbreaking defeat against France, a game that ended in a dramatic reversal.

After the match, Lin Ze was also surrounded by reporters from China.

The reporter was clearly in a bad mood, and his questions were quite unforgiving.

"On such a regrettable and painful night, why weren't you on the field? Why didn't you join the national team? You've expressed your desire to join the team many times before, but in the end, you still haven't been able to stand on the field. We really need an answer!"

"I don't know." Lin Ze's answer was also full of helplessness: "My answer will never change. I long to wear the national team jersey and represent my country."

"That will never change."

"So I don't know why I didn't make it into the national team. I didn't receive any call-up notices, no one invited me to join the team, no one sent me a notice to join the team, and no one even told me where the national team training camp was located."

"Don't you know where the team is training?"

"How would I know?" Lin Ze looked at the reporter and spread his hands, saying, "Nobody told me."

"So, from beginning to end, no one contacted you to invite you to join the national team?"

"Never," Lin Ze said, pausing before adding, "except for one fraudster."

"I once received a phone call that basically said I could talk to him if I wanted to join the national team, and if I could donate a few million US dollars to support the development of national basketball, there wouldn't be any more problems."

"I immediately thought, 'This must be a scam call. There's no reason why you have to pay to get into the national team.' So I cursed at the scammer and hung up."

"Besides that, no one has contacted me since."

1

The reporter frowned, instinctively sensing that things weren't so simple. Fortunately, despite his disappointment and frustration, he still maintained basic professionalism, quickly changing the subject: "If you were on the field tonight, do you think we would have been overturned?"

"I think this assumption is wrong because I saw that our players had already given their all and played very well. It was just that the French team suddenly exploded and played a game far above their average level."

"Instead of assuming we could have won if I were there, I think it's more appropriate to assume the two teams played another match and whether we could have avoided being overturned by the French team."

"I don't think so! If we played another match, we definitely wouldn't lose."

"So after such a regrettable defeat, do you think we still have a chance to advance and enter the knockout stage?"

This is actually the real reason why the reporter broke down. In the pre-match predictions, the French team was not considered strong, and they were the main rivals for fourth place in the group against the Chinese men's basketball team.

If they had beaten France, qualifying for the next round would have been a sure thing. But now that the Chinese men's basketball team has lost, their hopes of reaching the world's top eight for the second consecutive Olympics have been essentially dashed.

"I hope so! I will continue to cheer them on from the sidelines!" Lin Ze said. "I believe they will not give up. There are still two games left, it would be too early to give up now."

This impromptu interview was conducted without any prior communication between the two parties, yet the information revealed shocked a vast number of fans in China.

What does it mean to have never accepted an invitation? What does it mean to have no idea how to report to the team?

Are the leaders and team-building personnel of the Chinese men's basketball team incompetent?

Why wasn't Lin Ze invited?

Immediately after this game, the angry voices of fans, the overwhelming questioning, the letters of doubt that poured into the Basketball Management Center like snowflakes, and the almost non-stop, uninterrupted complaint calls caused the staff of the Basketball Association great suffering for a long period of time.

When the Chinese men's basketball team subsequently lost to Lithuania and Italy, completely missing out on the quarterfinals, this anger and dissatisfaction reached its peak.

Some members of the public have even started blocking the entrance to the Basketball Management Center to question their inaction.

Then, they finally had no choice but to come forward and clarify.

The staff member in charge of speaking said, "Lin Ze is lying. We invited him, we called him, but we didn't get any opportunity for in-depth communication at all. He rudely rejected us!"

This statement immediately plunged public opinion into a new phase of chaos. Some said Lin Ze was a liar who talked nonsense and had no intention of serving the country. Others said Lin Ze was just making money off people by saying he wanted to play for the national team, and that it was just an excuse.

But many people associated it with Lin Ze's interview at the time.

That phone scam, isn't it just a damn scam?

Did they really call and directly ask for money? And they wanted millions of dollars?

Therefore, this clarification not only failed to achieve any effect, but also made the public and fans even angrier.

They demanded further clarification and explanation from the Basketball Association regarding how the call was made, who made it, what was said, whether Lin Ze's words were true, and whether the suspected fraudster was actually from the Basketball Management Center.

But this time, the Basketball Management Center did not respond.

They decided to play dead and would no longer publicly comment or answer any questions about Lin Ze.

This ostrich-like response immediately made everyone think it was an admission of guilt, which made everyone even angrier!

Meanwhile, inside the Basketball Management Center, Director Xin had been so angry that he had demolished his office countless times.

"That bastard! Screw him! He won't listen to reason, so he'll have to suffer the consequences. As long as I'm here, that bastard will never make it into the national team! #!"

Meanwhile, on a private beach on Oahu, Hawaii, Lin Ze held a firework and set it off with a bang, filling the sky with the brilliant afterglow of the exploding fireworks.

"Happy wrap-up, Hollywood A-list actress, dream girl of movie fans worldwide, and the most beautiful English rose."

Kate laughed so hard her eyes almost disappeared, and soon she hugged Lin Ze, and they became one.

The Chinese men's basketball team returned to Beijing with regret after their defeat in Sydney. There were many fans and reporters at the airport to greet them, but almost everyone there just wanted an answer.

"Did you invite Lin Zeyao?"

"Some people are saying that someone on the team doesn't want Lin Ze to come because he would take someone else's spot. Is that true?"

"Is it true that you were the one who instigated everyone to prevent Lin Ze from joining the team?"

"Don't fucking spout nonsense!" The hot-tempered Sun Jun glared at the reporter who asked the question: "If he comes, I will give up my position without hesitation. The capable should take the place. I, Sun Jun, have a bad temper, but it's not right for you to treat me like an idiot."

"No one in our team is a selfish bastard, but you can't be sure about other places, there might be some—"

"Let's go, let's go!" Liu Yudong caught up from behind and quickly grabbed him, forcibly dragging Sun Jun away. If this guy kept talking, who knows what he would say next.

Then the reporters stopped Yao Ming, who had just debuted and was playing in his first major international tournament representing the national team: "Will you join the NBA?"

"You've had an outstanding year, scoring 20+ points in two games. Many people say you'd be a guaranteed first-round pick in the NBA draft if you went straight there, and some even say you're a shoo-in for the top three pick next year. When are you going to go to the NBA draft?"

"I don't know, but I will definitely go." Yao Ming's emotional intelligence and temper are much better than Sun Jun's; this guy can still smile and say, "I'm not good enough yet. I will go to the NBA after I have enough strength."

"Some people say that you couldn't go to the NBA because the Shanghai team didn't want to let you leave. Is that true?"

"Let's go, let's go! Don't stand here! Hurry up!" Hu Weidong, who was behind Xiao Yao, was just as worried as Liu Yudong that Xiao Yao might say something inappropriate, so he quickly pushed him forward to prevent him from getting entangled with the media any further.

But behind Hu Weidong, there is another key figure that the media wants to interview.

"So, you were drafted by the Mavericks last year, and Coach Nelson has expressed his high expectations for you. When will you be reporting to Dallas? Will it be this year?"

"Lin Ze had a pretty good time in Dallas. He had a breakout year there, which led to him being drafted by the Lakers and eventually becoming an All-Star. Do you think you can replicate Lin Ze's success in Dallas?"

"No comment." His face was gloomy and his expression was unfriendly. He left the scene quickly on his own without being pushed.

Meanwhile, Lin Ze had already flown to New York because O'Neal's vacation was over. This big guy wanted to expand his title as the GOAT of the party world to the East Coast, and Lin Ze, as a good friend, naturally had to lend a hand!

Summer is fleeting.

This summer, Lin Ze experienced two of the happiest and craziest summers of his life.

There was no pressure, almost no work, just signing contracts, exploring locations, making money, eating, drinking, and having fun.

During this offseason, he ate his way through almost every food stall in Los Angeles, and also enjoyed a lot of cuisines from around the world.

Although West admitted that he was responsible for the initial negative news about Lin Ze, the criticism did not subside after Lin Ze signed the contract.

Because this guy is too high-profile.

He goes wherever the food is good, wherever there are crowds, and he eats whatever is high in calories.

Throughout the summer, this guy was practically the league's number one street hustler, and you could see him all over the world.

Therefore, the media's criticism of him has never stopped.

There's nothing we can do about it; you're just too popular in the summer.

He signed a huge contract with the Lakers and became Adidas's top star. Regardless of whether Adidas will allocate the most resources and manpower to Lin Ze, his contract is the highest and largest among all Adidas basketball players!

This person spends his days eating, drinking, and having fun, and no one has ever seen him enter a gym or weight room, or even touch a basketball on a local basketball court.

Even a Los Angeles gossip media outlet did a special feature on it.

When will our Lin remember that he was a basketball player?

This feature will be updated at least every three days, and each time it will record the new places Lin Ze goes to and whether he is seen entering the stadium for training.

Then, from July when Lin Ze signed with the Lakers until the end of September when the Lakers' training camp started, he didn't touch a basketball even once, except for participating in commercial activities!

Aside from watching a few basketball games in Sydney, Lin Ze had no further involvement with basketball.

After such a long offseason, even Los Angeles fans are starting to doubt Lin Ze's form.

If you keep doing this, how can you expect to be in good shape?

They began to worry about the team's title defense, while more people thought West was great!

It was so smart of them not to lock Lin Ze in with a 7-year contract!

If this guy continues to be this bad for seven years, then the entire team's rebuilding process will be completely ruined.

It wasn't just Los Angeles fans; even fans in China were unhappy with Lin Ze's extravagant lifestyle of eating, drinking, and having fun.

A Chinese journalist's headline in a report best describes the current mindset and thoughts of the Chinese people.

Lin Zezheng is single-handedly changing the world's stereotype of the Chinese people as hardworking and resilient!

Furthermore, the matter between Lin Ze and the national team remains unresolved, and many people still believe that Lin Ze is just talking big.

Patriotism is a long story, patriotism is a short story, and you don't care when the national team is in trouble.

Then what kind of patriotism do you have?

There are many similar opinions, and everyone's mindset is completely different.

Those who watched the spectacle, those who were indignant at its lack of ambition, those who gloated, and those who harbored illusions—

But for Lin Ze, none of these are problems!

Because he has Kobe!

I, Lin, did not practice, but Kobe practiced hard all summer!

He had inquired about Kobe's summer trip well in advance!

After returning from a short vacation, this guy started training like crazy in early July.

It all started with getting Grover to give him a two-week grueling training session, and then he went to Hakeem Olajuwon, who hadn't retired yet, and begged and pleaded with the old man for a week before finally getting him to agree to teach him back-to-the-basket moves. He then trained with Olajuwon for two weeks.

After a week's rest, Kobe immediately resumed ball training, focusing on shooting, driving, dribbling, and strength exercises.