The Best Point Guard-Chapter 94 - 22: Who’s the Real King?

Su Xi walked down from the stage, not turning away from the media’s interview requests as he headed straight for the backstage area.

Just as he entered, he saw Larry Bird walking toward him.

This time, Bird generously extended his arms and gave Su Xi a hug. He said to Su Xi, "Jack, I didn’t expect the Cavaliers to make a trade like this. But I believe we’ll meet again within a year."

"Trust me, I will bring you to Indiana."

Bird patted Su Xi’s shoulder, giving his earnest promise.

Su Xi nodded.

He had been quite calm when he first heard about the trade. For him, in his current state, this wasn’t a bad thing. Being with James, whose talent could accelerate the fusion of the super-talents within his own body, was an advantage no other player could offer.

Su Xi believed that it wouldn’t be long before his own explosive power, speed, and even strength talents would be stimulated by LeBron and rapidly enter the super-talent domain.

Su Xi chatted with Bird for a little while.

Then, LeBron James approached from the other side. He was happy, yet a bit unnatural.

Because just as the trade was finalized on stage, the Goodwin Brothers had finally told him the truth. "LeBron, Jack just signed a 5-year, 145 million USD endorsement deal with Nike."

What?

James froze for a second, not quite processing it. "How much?"

"5 years, 145 million!" Allen Goodwin repeated.

WHAT!!!

James’s expression changed drastically, becoming almost savage. He gripped Goodwin’s shoulders tightly with both hands. "You got him a 5-year, 145-million-dollar contract? Didn’t you say you were just using him to drive up my price? Didn’t you say I was the greatest in history? You only took one million from him, but you took seven or eight million from me! How dare you!!!"

James was furious.

He never expected that the first thing to happen after the trade was announced and Su Xi joined the Cavaliers would be Su Xi’s sponsorship deal surpassing his own—by more than half. ’Am I the King, or is he? Am I the Chosen One, or is he? He’s supposed to be here to assist me, not the other way around!’

He was filled with anger and jealousy.

He vented all this resentment on Allen Goodwin. The Goodwin Brothers had never seen James so out of control. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Eric Goodwin quickly interjected, "LeBron, it’s not what you think. Actually, the guaranteed portion of the contract is only 45 million USD. No, wait, it’s 22.5 million USD. Jack has to meet a lot of conditions to get the other 22.5 million, and then he has to meet even stricter conditions to get the full amount... It’s almost impossible for him to get it all. It’s just a gimmick. It’s completely different from your 92 million."

Eric’s words helped James’s expression soften considerably.

He quickly called a Nike executive. After getting the specific details of Su Xi’s endorsement deal from the executive, his mood improved significantly.

But he still felt a bit uncomfortable. He thought, ’But what if Jack actually manages to meet all the conditions? Wouldn’t that make him the King? And I’d become the little sheep?’

’If I had known this would happen, I shouldn’t have insisted that the management get him. He’s supposed to be here to support me.’

This emotion churned within him.

When he saw Su Xi, he still put on a very enthusiastic smile. He extended his hand for a high-five. "Jack, I told you we’d fight side-by-side. What do you think? The King always delivers!"

Su Xi said, "When are we training together?"

"Oh, man. We have to wait a bit. We haven’t even attended the financial literacy class the NBA prepared for us. By the way, I heard you got over ten million in after-tax endorsement money from Nike. How are you planning to use it?" James asked Su Xi, a hint of concern in his voice. "You’re only 18. You have to manage your money well."

"I’ve already spent it. I bought three million USD worth of Apple Inc. stock, and I’m planning to invest the rest in a few internet startups."

Su Xi added, "I have a friend who works in the internet industry over in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley."

’The internet, huh?’

Hearing this, James felt a strange sense of glee. He wasn’t very optimistic about the internet, especially after the dot-com bubble burst. He felt that internet companies were little more than scams.

However, he encouraged Su Xi, "That’s right, Jack! That’s the correct way to manage your finances. If you can just invest in one unicorn company, you’ll be rich. You could become a world-class tycoon."

"Is that so? I’m surprised you’re so optimistic about it too. Then my direction must be the right one," Su Xi nodded.

Just then, Carmelo Anthony walked over. He congratulated Su Xi on being the eighth pick and also congratulated James on getting the chance to play with Su Xi.

The three of them chatted for a bit before James was called away by his agent for an interview.

Carmelo Anthony and Su Xi remained.

Anthony couldn’t help but remind Su Xi, "Jack, playing alongside LeBron is a bit different from playing alongside me. You’re going to have to practice your off-ball skills more."

Su Xi knew what Anthony was trying to say.

In fact, he had told Su Xi this before.

But at that time, Su Xi had thought James was just talking. Who would have thought he’d actually get the Cavaliers to make a trade today?

"I’ll handle my relationship with him. If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll just request a trade. For me, the top priority is to improve my strength," Su Xi said casually.

...

LeBron James being selected as the number one pick was the most reported story that evening and the next day. Coming in a close second was the news of Su Xi wearing Reggie Williams’s and Dennis Scott’s jerseys on the draft stage. The discussion around it was even more intense than for James being the top pick.

That’s because it was a story full of human warmth, with a touching backstory.

It was also juxtaposed beautifully with the image of Su Xi cutting down the nets after winning the NCAA championship.

By noon on the 27th, Su Xi’s story had completely overshadowed James’s.

Because ESPN had interviewed the families of Reggie Williams and Dennis Scott.

"Jack was Reggie’s best friend. He’s a good person. Some people say he’s just putting on a show for the media, but that’s an unfair accusation. He bought me the best apartment in Cosworth back in June, and he also pays me 5,000 USD a month."

"He didn’t come and give it to me with a big fanfare. Instead, he had a white man pretend to be a lottery salesman, who claimed I’d won a grand prize. I know he didn’t want me to dredge up sad memories. He wanted me to feel like I was still surrounded by luck, even after losing my youngest son."

"Thank you, Jack. He’s the kindest, most gentle person I’ve ever met."

Reggie Williams’s mother sang Su Xi’s praises on ESPN.

Dennis Scott’s mother said the same thing. "Jack was like this even when he was very young. He always looked after us, even though he was small and weak himself back then. He would still cook lots of dishes and leave them at our door, ringing the doorbell and then running away as fast as he could."

"I hope he succeeds in the NBA, and I’m sure he will. Danny and Reggie will be watching over him from heaven!"

This ESPN special moved many fans, and Su Xi’s image grew even more impressive.

At this moment, Nike’s official announcement that Su Xi had become their spokesperson came as a natural next step. Furthermore, they announced the contract was for 5 years and 145 million USD.

When that number came out.

The whole world was shocked.

Such a high amount?

Had Nike gone mad? LeBron James only got 92 million? With Jack’s deal being so high, did that mean Nike considered Su Xi even more formidable than James?

So, when Su Xi went to the Cavaliers, who would be the real star between him and LeBron?

The offseason had been quiet, but Nike’s official announcement set everything on fire.

The entire sports world was in an uproar.

"My God, even though I know the China market is important, giving Jack 145 million is just terrifying. You have to remember, LeBron’s 7-year, 92-million-dollar deal already broke historical records. Jack’s is almost double that? Does Nike really think Little Sheep Su Xi is twice as good as the Chosen One?"

"This is practically the first unequal treaty in the history of American sports. I can’t think of a single reason why Su Xi should get 145 million USD. It’s not fair to Kobe, Tracy McGrady, LeBron..."

"That’s right, Jack is handsome, he’s kind, he has the vast Asian market, and he’s the NCAA MOP. But is his talent really better than LeBron’s? Can he really achieve more than LeBron? Then why was LeBron the first pick, while he was the eighth?"

"Suddenly, LeBron’s 92-million-dollar contract looks like a bargain."

"..."

That night, Su Xi turned on the TNT Channel, and the basketball commentary shows were filled with such voices.

Questioning, confusion, and even condemnation.

In China, however, it was a completely different story. Every fan was shouting in victory. Su Xi was actually valued more than the number one pick, James! The sponsors had voted with their cold, hard cash. It looked like Su Xi was the true number one of the 2003 class after all. Is the number one pick, James, going to be Su Xi’s Pippen?

The day after the media storm erupted, the Cleveland Plain Dealer published a piece of news: "Exclusive Insider Info: Nike’s Endorsement Contract with Su Xi is Incentive-Based. The Guaranteed Portion is Only 22.5 Million USD, with Another 22.5 Million Being Difficult to Obtain, and One Hundred Million USD in Incentives Being of ’Hell-Level’ Difficulty."

Once this clarification came out, the American media had a collective moment of realization.

So it was a 5-year, 22.5-million-dollar deal. Well... that made sense.

million USD was just a terrifying number.

However, Carmelo Anthony looked at his own 6-year, 18-million-dollar contract and felt like crying... ’What is even happening?’

...

...

...

[From the moment Su Xi got the nickname ’The Law,’ it was already being foreshadowed. ’The Law’ arose because of ’The King,’ and will ultimately bring an end to ’The King.’ In this book’s setup, James is the Chosen One, and some of Su Xi’s talents must be unlocked to their peak through him, creating a situation where ’the east wind prevails over the west wind.’ It has a sense of destiny, as well as a cyclical plot design. Therefore, he will definitely play for the Cavaliers for a period of time to unfasten the first button of the story. But this period won’t be too long.]

[Finally, I feel that readers who can think with story logic will understand what I am trying to express. They won’t just chase after sketch-comedy-like jokes and superficial satire.]