"Hello, are you a fan of the Cavaliers? What do you think of China Tang's performance in this game? What are your thoughts on Tang Long taking playing time away from Big Z and suppressing his teammates' performance?"
The Cavaliers no longer accept interviews from Katherine. For the sake of traffic, Katherine can only interview fans outside the arena and, incidentally, badmouth Tang Long.
The excited fans' expressions immediately froze upon hearing Katherine's words.
Fans watching the game in Phoenix all knew that Big Z high-fived Tang Long when he left the court, and their relationship was very good. Katherine's words clearly aimed to create conflict within the Cavaliers.
"Hey, how can you say that? You're not worthy of being a sports reporter. China Tang is the key player in our winning streak. He's as important to us as LeBron. How can you slander our hero?"
"I'm just reporting the news as I see it. You're too blind. If no one else steps up for the Cavaliers, it will be difficult to achieve honor in the playoffs."
Katherine retorted defensively.
"Look, this female reporter is slandering our hero."
The fans simply didn't answer Katherine. They pulled over a Cavaliers fan who had just come out of the stadium and pointed at Katherine, saying, "Buddy, this reporter is slandering our hero."
Hearing someone slander Tang Long, the fans became angry and began to accuse Katherine.
"You fans are just as rude as that Tang. I'm a girl, you know."
Seeing herself being criticized, Katherine unleashed her ultimate move.
"I remember, isn't she the reporter Tang refused to be interviewed by?"
Soon, someone recognized Katherine.
"First of all, I want to declare..."
As soon as Katherine opened her mouth, the fans' angry expressions turned to surprise: "Look, isn't that Xiao Gen?"
"Yes, it's Xiao Gen. It looks like Xiao Gen is also interviewing fans. Let's go and see."
The fans who were arguing with Katherine now ran over to Xiao Gen's side, leaving Katherine standing there, holding the microphone, utterly bewildered.
When many fans were being interviewed by Xiao Gen, they still managed to show their humorous side, making the other fans laugh heartily. Meanwhile, her side was deserted, with only the cameraman holding the equipment and looking at her in a daze.
"Xiao Gen, Tang..."
Jealousy and anger made Katherine almost go crazy.
...
"Tang, guess who contacted me?"
As soon as he returned to the locker room, Tang Long received a call from his agent, Bill Duffy, whose tone sounded very excited.
"Who? Adidas or Nike? It couldn't be Peak, could it?"
"Uh, Tang... that's not it." Bill Duffy, who was still excited, suddenly felt a bit awkward. "It's not them."
"Then what is it?"
Tang Long was also taken aback.
If it wasn't for these big brands, why was his agent so worked up?
"Tang, how did you know it was an endorsement deal?"
"Because I can already smell money from your flamboyant mouth."
Agents in the United States have similarities to agents in China, but also differences.
In the United States, agents generally take a commission. For example, if Tang Long's contract is seventy million, he can get about 30 million after taxes.
The agent's commission ranges from five to ten percent. Agents like Mendes can get more than ten percent.
China has professional agents, but not many. There are even celebrities who pay their agents ten thousand yuan a month.
For agents who are with celebrities day and night, this salary is vastly different from what they can get elsewhere. Many third-rate minor celebrities have even been blacklisted because of their agents.
Moreover, some people are not worthy of their positions. After becoming popular, they become arrogant and treat their staff as servants.
They might be arrogant for a few days, but once they are targeted, their downfall is not far off.
Because agents in the United States receive high commissions, they naturally hope that the players' careers will be long, and they even plan for the players' commercial development after retirement.
"CK Men's Brand!" Bill Duffy said excitedly. "Although it's a bit different from what we expected, this is a luxury men's brand established in the United States over a hundred years ago. As long as we go further this season, I can potentially secure several endorsements I'm currently discussing, such as Nike and Bulgari. If we win the championship, the money will flow in faster than the bank prints it."
As an agent, Bill Duffy was undoubtedly very responsible.
"If you want me to win the championship, then you'll have to work harder. Contact the agents of those celebrities more often and occasionally invite them over for a dinner party."
"Tang, you should focus on playing right now."
Bill Duffy thought for a moment and decided to try to persuade Tang Long.
This guy was being a bit unprofessional.
Although Tang Long didn't party like other players, his constant dinner parties, inviting people to eat dumplings, would brand him. How could he mingle in high society later?
"Trust me, the more celebrities you invite, the better my playoff performance will be."
Having only the template attributes of Murasakibara Atsushi was certainly enough to dominate the NBA, but that required playing team basketball.
If he had the template attributes of Aomine Daiki as well, he could sometimes decide the outcome of the game by himself and would have a better chance against teams like the Big Three.
Besides, he couldn't always be the second option.
"Alright."
Seeing that Tang Long had made up his mind, and at this stage, it was just about networking with star players, Bill Duffy felt it wasn't a big deal.
Bill Duffy paused and then added, "Tang, I agreed to what you said. So, you'll agree to the endorsement deal for me, right?"
"Didn't I already agree?" Tang Long asked with a smile.
"Perhaps... I didn't explain it clearly enough. This endorsement deal is for... underwear."
"What?"
Tang Long thought it was for some kind of clothing, but he didn't expect it to be underwear.
How embarrassing.
Hearing Tang Long's annoyed tone, Bill Duffy quickly explained, "Tang, this is a hundred-year-old luxury brand in the United States. Many famous people have endorsed for them. Take soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, he has endorsed underwear too. Let me tell you, this is a huge sum of money. The endorsement fee for one year is ten million US dollars."
"No way."
Tang Long refused immediately without thinking.
Having to face so many cameras wearing nothing but underwear, and reciting cheesy advertising slogans, sounded like a creepy experience.
Bill Duffy continued to persuade, "Tang, this is a good start. If we cooperate smoothly, you'll be endorsing CK's apparel and men's fragrances in the future. Tens of millions in income per year will be no problem. Plus, endorsing luxury goods for high society brings many benefits you can't imagine!"