Choosing a sneaker design is obviously not an easy task, but picking your favorite sneaker can be a fun task.

Lu Ke and Curry stayed in the office for nearly an hour, communicating with the designer, discussing their preferences and habits, and then making some changes to the design, confirming that both sides had reached a consensus, and this morning's work finally came to an end temporarily.

Curry didn't spend much time in San Francisco after the meeting, as they will host the Los Angeles Clippers tomorrow and have regular practice this afternoon.

Compared to the NFL, the NBA has 82 games in a season, which is not only long but also intensive, sometimes three games are scheduled in a week, and the regular season of the FL is over, but the regular season of the NBA does not end until April.

However, Lu Ke did not have time to rest. Yesterday was the only relaxing holiday between the regular season and the playoffs, and today he had to devote himself to the preparation process for the next game, and after upgrading to the ultimate plug-in, he now has a lot of game video summary materials to browse and study, and he has no time to be lazy.

returned to the carriage, left the office, and headed towards downtown San Francisco, looking out the window, but Lu Ke recalled the story of Curry and Nike again, because just now Chris mentioned Yao/Ming, and now that he has come back to his senses, Lu Ke remembered that Yao/Ming first signed a contract with Nike, but later switched to the Reebok camp.

This matter has been discussed and focused on again and again in major media.

In 1999, Nike signed a four-year contract of $200,000 with the nineteen-year-old little giant who was still working hard in the CBA; And with the help of Nike, the little giant decided to go to the NBA to participate in the draft, and successfully became the top pick in 2002, and Nike launched his exclusive sneakers as soon as possible.

However, at that time, Yao/Ming was the pioneer of making history in North America, and he was the first to do so, so many Nike executives were doubting whether the big man's sneakers could be sold, and the center's sneakers were already lacking in the market, and there was only one year left before the contract expired, and it was unknown whether the contract could be renewed.

So, although Little Giant was the spokesperson of Nike at that time, he basically did not appear in advertising. Nike was worried that after investing too much in advertising, it would increase its popularity, but it was not able to renew the contract, wasting the upfront investment, so it chose to slow down and wait and see.

In May 2003, the contract between Little Giant and Nike expired, and the two teams negotiated, and Nike offered a contract of four years and $1.6 million, and at the same time guaranteed that after the signing was completed, advertisements would be placed immediately to increase exposure. In fact, as early as a year ago, after the draft was over, Nike had already sent this contract, but the Little Giant's team did not choose to sign, but waited for the end of the rookie season before waiting.

But now, the rookie season is over, and Nike still has no idea of giving a big contract.

At that time, Nike had just signed LeBron James for seven years and 90 million, and Kobe Bryant's four-year 45 million, in addition to countless big-name basketball players.

The Little Giant's team expected an offer of between one million and five million per year, but the reality was 400,000 per year, a huge difference; The little giant himself said that if the difference in the contract value between Reebok and Nike was less than five million a year, then he would choose Nike, after all, Nike still has the grace of knowing and giving him very significant help.

Later, Reebok and Adidas both joined the competition, and Nike also realized the crisis and followed up to raise the offer, but it was still lower than Reebok's five-million-year-old price.

However, this time Nike showed enough sincerity and handed the contract directly to the little giant, who almost nodded and signed, but noticed serious problems with the details of the contract before signing, which became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The little giant agreed to Reebok's offer, and Reebok also had riders that he would need to appear on the All-Star court at least three times over the next seven years, and if that happens, his contract would be like Iverson's, a lifetime contract.

The little giant informed Nike of the signing results, and Nike's senior management was surprised and immediately made a third round of offers, with a contract of up to seven years and $120 million, and there were no additional clauses like Reebok; But the little giant responded, "It's not a matter of numbers, you can give me less money, but you have to be honest with me." ”

As we all know, Little Giant became an important member of the NBA, and his contract with Reebok smoothly evolved into a lifetime contract, even though Adidas acquired Reebok in 2005, they still maintained a good relationship with Little Giant, which also became a decision mistake for Nike.

Of course, for Nike, they will never be short of superstars, even the top superstars are countless, and without a Yao/Ming or Curry, they will not be too painful, because there will always be the next superstar waiting for them. It can also be seen from the side that Nike has countless options, and in front of the players, they are the one who takes the initiative.

As an aside, tennis superstar Roger Federer has a long-term relationship with Nike, starting as a teenager in 1994, Nike has accompanied the former all the way to grow into the best seed player in history, and the relationship between Federer and Nike is as inseparable as the lifetime contract between LeBron James and Nike, and Federer even has his own registered trademark and the entire line of products at Nike.

However, in 2018, Federer said goodbye to Nike, which had been with him for twenty-four years, and chose to sign a contract with Uniqlo, a ten-year contract of $300 million, which shocked the entire tennis world.

At one time, people thought that it was impossible for Federer to leave Nike, and it was impossible for Nike to let go of Federer; Now, people are realizing that there are no absolutes in the mall and in the arena. There is never an impossible.

So, if Lu Ke chooses Nike, will he be able to become an indispensable member of Nike's superstar family?

For a long time, Lu Ke has maintained a relatively normal heart for matters related to sponsoring brands, and has not suffered too much from gains and losses, because he knows that his only job is: to go on the court and play well, what should come will still come after all, and those things that do not belong to him will still leave after all, and those off-field things will be left to Lech.

But now, from Yao/Ming to Curry, Lu Ke has begun to think about this question positively for the first time.

Lu Ke is the same as Yao/Ming, Lin/Shu/Hao, they are outsiders and trespassers, and on this continent made up of immigrants from all over the world, they need to constantly prove themselves and constantly face challenges.

"Lech, may I ask you a question?" Lu Ke cast his gaze, Lehe was slightly surprised, but he still put away his mobile phone and put on a serious listening appearance, "Why did Nike give up Yao and Stephen?" ”

This was a completely unexpected question, Lech adjusted his sitting posture slightly, facing Lu Ke, "Why did you suddenly get curious about this question?" ”

"Just had a chat with Stephen. Nike still had a chance to keep Stephen until he signed with Under Armour, but why did they give up on Stephen? Just like the signing negotiation with Yao at the beginning, they always took the initiative, but they refused to show more sincerity, why? Lu Ke did not bring personal emotions, but asked objectively and calmly as if he was studying an academic topic.

"Hmm......" Lech dragged out his last note, as if he was thinking about his answer, "You know, that's a very interesting question, in fact, I've been thinking about it lately, because I need to fight this tough battle with Nike and Adidas, and I have to make more preparations." ”

Hard war. Lech said it in a half-joking tone, and it can be seen that he is still relatively relaxed.

'I think there are similarities and differences between these two players, and they can find something in common with you, which is a very interesting question. Lech thought about it for a moment, gathered his thoughts a little, and replied without presumptuousness.

"Before we talk about them, do you know where in the NBA sneakers sell best?" Lech asked a question that Lu Ke was a complete layman, but he didn't need an answer, and then said, "Nike's sneaker series, the most expensive is always the player on the wing, Michael Jordan, the shooting guard; Kobe Bryant, shooting guard/small forward; LeBron James, small forward. ”

"They're the best sellers, and you can simply think of Bryant as Jordan's successor and James as Bryant's successor — at least in terms of Nike's sneaker market. So, they're Nike's signature, and they're also the core essence of Nike's summary of the market, and when Nike picks its official sign, they're more inclined to choose the same type of players because they can sell sneakers. ”

If you explain it in depth, the corners are bound to be more complicated, but Lech still summarizes it in a relatively simple way: for brand manufacturers, in the final analysis, what they need is interests, the image, ability, results, etc., if they cannot be converted into benefits, they are useless.

To put it simply, in a championship team, all the main players are championship members, but it does not mean that every main player can get a top contract. That's the rule of business.

"Nike didn't give up on Stephen Curry, but chose the latter between Stephen Curry and Kyrie-Irving, and it's that simple." Lech explained the ins and outs of everything in one sentence.

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