Check out my new fanfic. A cote x hikigaya crossover.
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At 10 AM on August 2, 2000, at Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan, Nike once again held a grand new product launch for Clay Lee.
Hammerstein Ballroom typically hosts large events.
New album releases, boxing matches, and celebrations for famous companies all choose this venue.
Over 1,000 people attended tonight, mostly invited media and advertisers.
Nike, being rich, was the boss. If you wanted to get advertisements, you had to follow their lead.
When Nike founder Phil Knight and Lee, dressed in black casual formal wear, took the stage, the media and advertisers below began to cheer and applaud.
The lights started to focus on the center of the stage, and the large screen behind began to play Clay Lee's highlight reel and commercials:
"This is an exciting moment. In the new century, we will grow together with Clay!"
"In the Nike family, we have witnessed two legends. It is our greatest honor to trust each other and serve thousands of sports enthusiasts!"
Although both sides haggled repeatedly during negotiations, after signing the contract, the Nike team returned to their smiling state.
The curly-haired Phil Knight delivered a lot of inspirational speeches on stage, and Lee responded with a smile throughout.
With $15 million a year, he naturally had to earn his keep.
When Phil Knight had finished his boastful speech, Lee smiled and waved to the completely bald shoe designer Eric Avar in the audience:
"I love Eric's designs. He designed the world's best basketball shoes for me!"
"I hope everyone likes them. They are definitely our sincere work!"
Eric Avar, wearing a Nike white T-shirt, went on stage and hugged both of them.
When he was the only one left on stage, he immediately said excitedly:
"Thank you, Mr. Knight, and thank you, Lee. I am very happy to introduce this brand new signature shoe!"
"We have thoroughly improved the adaptive issues of the previous generation. While continuing with Foam material, we have further reduced the weight of the upper and increased the breathability of the shoe."
"Practicality is one of the characteristics of this shoe. Excellent torsional resistance and support will transform you into the next Lee on the court!"
.
The new shoes indeed solved many of the flashy problems that fans complained about.
Last year, the 'leeks' were cut too aggressively, so Nike's marketing department felt it was time to let them grow, immediately changing their approach and starting to promote practicality.
However, in Lee's opinion, the new shoes could be more practical.
The addition of Foam material, besides making the shoes shiny and adding some support, was mostly to increase the selling price.
The overall design was very similar to the future Nike Zoom Huarache, except that most of the woven straps were replaced with Foam material.
On stage, Eric Avar was enthusiastically introducing the various colorways of the shoes:
Primarily the Knicks' black, blue, orange, and white, blue, orange, with additional solid colors of purple, blue, white, black, and red.
The flamboyant colors indeed attracted more attention, and the sports media in the audience were captivated.
Phil Knight, who had returned to the front row, was in a great mood hearing the cheers from the audience.
He looked at Clay Lee beside him and chatted in a low voice:
"I like the Knicks' offseason moves. Grant is a good guy. All the fans like him!"
"Lee, can we still see you in the Finals next season?"
"I don't care about the amount of the bonus clause, but I want to say that we all need this biggest stage to show ourselves."
"Nike will communicate with the league, and the referees will protect your body. If Tim Grover's trainers are short-staffed, we can also provide assistance."
"We also have experts in physical conditioning and recovery, so you don't have to worry about any problems!"
Clay Lee leaned back in his chair, noticing Phil Knight's serious expression, and simply responded confidently:
"The Knicks are in the Eastern Conference. No one here is our opponent. Perhaps for the next few years, we won't have to worry about the Finals."
Phil Knight was slightly stunned at first, then smiled and nodded in agreement, feeling very satisfied:
"West strong, east weak? The situation is excellent!"
Starting in mid-July, many fans were passively subjected to Clay Lee's advertising bombardment.
The ESPY Awards took place in Las Vegas, where Lee attended along the way and received the Male Athlete of the Year award.
Team of the Year, Best Game, and Best Sports Moment were all awarded to the Knicks.
However, due to the trade, Lee was the only one to accept the awards at the time.
Lee left after receiving the awards, leaving the media empty-handed.
But in August, Lee's sponsors all made a strong push!
After the Nike new product launch, Depper Deck also began to preview Lee's player cards.
Two special series, "Breaking Through" and "The Show," will launch diamond cards, precious metal cards, and wooden cards made from basketball court flooring.
Rookie cards, three-peat series sets, animated cards, puzzle cards, autographed cards, and jersey cards will also go on sale.
To promote the products, the first batch of print magazines began to feature exclusive interviews with Lee, with SLAM and ESPN The Magazine directly publishing at the beginning of the month.
Sports Illustrated will feature Lee and the Knicks content for the next two weeks.
Soon, talk shows also began to follow suit.
With sponsor money paving the way, even the politically charged Today Show compromised.
NBC's The Tonight Show was an old acquaintance, with Jay Leno interviewing Clay Lee in various ways while also selling merchandise.
McDonald's and Pepsi also took advantage of the buzz to run advertisements, and the subtly present Spalding basketball also started spending money.
Time magazine's first dual-issue of the week reserved a cover for Lee, and Robert Frank of the Wall Street Journal, after Lee's exclusive interview, also took advantage of the buzz to deliver a dose of inspirational wisdom in his wealth column.
In August, various advertisements began to sweep across the United States.
On the morning of the 8th, the Knicks announced that they would send Larry Johnson and Chris Childs to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Grant Hill.
At the same time, the Knicks also announced the signing of free agent Chauncey Billups.
They sent away the core guard from their bench and chose a bust of a third overall pick.
This trade did not attract much attention.
Chauncey Billups had already entered wanderer mode, and his only advantage at the moment was a sufficiently low salary.
The "Jordan successor" officially arrived in New York, and the fans were, of course, the happiest.
On the morning of the 9th, at the Tarrytown training center, General Manager Grunfeld and Jeff Van Gundy both attended Grant Hill's press conference.
Despite being eliminated in the first round last season, such a record did not affect Grant Hill's popularity!
The New York Media looked at the graceful Grant Hill and immediately forgot about Gorilla.
General Manager Grunfeld was also beaming with joy beside him.
He had done his best to meet the owner's demands, while also upgrading the roster by signing the big fish of the off-season!
Grunfeld was very satisfied with these two trades. From a talent perspective, it was definitely an upgrade.
As for Chauncey Billups not fitting into the team's tactical system, at worst, he could be cut later.
Just the title of the 3rd overall pick in '97 was enough.
"The Knicks only need real talent!"
Grant Hill, dressed in a grey suit at the press conference, was also smiling broadly.
He had left some assets for his old team, which was a token of his appreciation.
As soon as Grant Hill took his seat, a New York Times reporter was the first to ask a question from the audience:
"Grant, it's a pleasure to see you chose the Knicks. Can you talk about your goals for the new season?"
It was a very ordinary question, and the New York Times clearly wasn't trying to make things difficult for Grant Hill, who immediately responded after hearing the question:
"Of course, it's the championship! From the moment I joined the team, the only thing I want to do is help the team win a championship."
Hearing such an answer, most of the New York Media then went into a frenzy of flattery, leaving Grant Hill somewhat dazed.
Jeff Van Gundy was also very satisfied with these two trades.
Chauncey Billups was someone he had his eye on, strong and capable of playing in a half-court offense, making him very suitable as a backup.
"Jeff, can you talk about why the team chose Chauncey Billups? We all know he's been on multiple teams over the past few seasons."
The New York Post reporter didn't hold back.
For Chauncey Billups, everyone had very little impression, only remembering that this Rookie, picked third overall in the first round, had already flopped.
Jeff Van Gundy had anticipated such a question and responded with a smile:
"I value Chauncey Billups's organizational and Defense abilities. I believe he will rediscover his form with the Knicks."
Many media reporters in the audience began to whisper among themselves, and many quietly shook their heads, not optimistic about the trade, as Chris Childs had performed exceptionally well in recent years.
The arrival of Grant Hill turned Grunfeld's reputation around.
If sending away veterans could bring in a star player in his prime, then this trade was certainly not a loss!
Larry Johnson, who was traded, was naturally very displeased.
When interviewed by a Yahoo Sports reporter on the afternoon of the 9th, the "Gorilla" once again blasted the team's decision:
"They completely disregarded the roster's compatibility. What I want to say is, I am the player who is more suitable for the team."
"Grunfeld has destroyed the locker room culture that the Knicks worked so hard to build, and he will regret it."
Chris Childs also didn't expect to be traded to Detroit.
He was still a bit dazed during the interview and could only mutter in the end:
"I'm not sure why the team chose to trade me. Since joining the Knicks, I've worked hard, and this isn't the reward I expected!"
"."
On the morning of the 10th, after the interviews with the two were revealed, most of the Knicks fans fell silent:
"It's not that you weren't good enough, but that the newly joined players have more talent!"
TNT media reporters had been trying to interview Ewing, but the Gorilla was nowhere to be found.
It happened to be Thursday, and the TNT program immediately began to comment on the trade.
After the freeze period ended, apart from the Hornets and Heat exchanging players, only the Knicks made quick and decisive moves.
Since the trade couldn't be undone, Kenny Smith could only discuss the facts on the show:
"I'd give this trade an A. Larry has indeed declined, and Grant is stronger."
"Even if Chauncey Billups can't adapt to the Knicks, they can still look for another backup guard before the All-Star Game."
Mike Fratello also did not stint on his praise:
"I think this is an A+ trade. Grant Hill can handle the ball, and Clay Lee can also play off-ball, so they have complementary attributes."
"Once they enter the playoffs, indiscriminately double-teaming Lee will come at a cost. Grant Hill can easily help the team play with a man advantage!"
"Grant Hill's impact on both ends of the court is huge. This is a massive improvement for the Knicks. Now they just need to add some more big men."
Ernie Johnson, hearing their similar opinions, immediately added with a smile:
"The freeze period has just ended, and I believe the Knicks will make more moves!"
"In Ewing's last season, perhaps we can still look forward to the veteran's performance."
Upon hearing this, Kenny Smith secretly grumbled about Lee's "ruthlessness".
The Knicks' big brothers were all being cleared out.
However, after the show was paid, the commentators wouldn't speak ill of Clay Lee.
Mike Fratello saw his co-host's thoughts and could only chuckle and tease:
"Considering the Knicks' current age structure and the strength of the Eastern Conference teams, perhaps they will maintain dominance in the Eastern Conference for the next 10 years!"
"."
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https://discord.gg/mjcCSyu7Yr
By the way, don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me :)
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Original Author note :
If you're interested in the protagonist's personality and some character relationships, you can watch American dramas to catch up~
I won't include any popular science about characters or events in the text~ because that would be too much filler~
For example, regarding the protagonist's personality and background, understanding Nacho from Better Call Saul is enough.
For example, his partner, Bobby from Billions, also has a distinct personality~
These characters are more memorable when seen in American dramas than when I write them, and most importantly, American dramas are free, ahem, you can watch them freely with resources~
Commercial aspects are the same. I won't include any popular science because Google search is free and has all information.
For basketball novels, many readers don't like to read about these things and only want to read about the game, but I feel uncomfortable not writing them, so I can only compress the word count.
Otherwise, just how Bobby helps the protagonist rake in more American dollars could be tens of thousands of words.
Their journey from distrust to trust could also be tens of thousands and the election and New York network could still be tens of thousands.
I really don't want to write scenes that just show off how powerful the sponsor's background is, how high their status is, and then sign an endorsement or appear on a show. It's too much filler.
Just like I rarely write about dark memes or player introductions, you can find a ton of that with a quick search.
There's so much to write about beyond basketball, but most readers don't like it, so I can only simplify.
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