Choosing sneaker designs is obviously not an easy task, but picking your favorite sneakers is fun.
Lu Ke and Curry stayed in the office for nearly an hour, completing communication with the designer, discussing their preferences and habits, and then made some modifications to the design. After confirming that both parties had reached a consensus, this morning's The work has finally come to an end for the time being.
After the meeting, Curry did not stay too much in San Francisco because they will host the Los Angeles Clippers tomorrow and have regular training this afternoon.
Compared with the NFL, the NBA has a full 82 games in a season, which is not only long but also intensive. Sometimes, three games are scheduled in a week, which is a severe test for every player of every team. The NFL's regular season is over, but the NBA's regular season won't end until April.
However, Lu Ke didn't have time to rest. Yesterday was the only relaxing holiday between the regular season and the playoffs. Starting today, he had to get into the preparation process for the next game. After upgrading to the ultimate plug-in, he now still has a lot of game video summary materials to browse and study. No time to be lazy.
After getting back into the car, he left the office and headed towards downtown San Francisco. Looking at the scene outside the window, Lu Ke recalled the story of Curry and Nike again, because Chris mentioned Yao Ming just now, and now he returns Suddenly, Lu Ke remembered that Yao/Ming originally signed with Nike, but later switched to the Reebok camp.
This matter has been discussed repeatedly in major media.
In 1999, Nike had a keen eye and signed a four-year, $200,000 contract with the 19-year-old Little Giant who was still working hard in the CBA. With Nike's encouragement, the Little Giant decided to go to the NBA to participate in the draft, and successfully After becoming the No. 1 pick in 2002, Nike immediately launched his exclusive sneakers.
However, at that time, Yao Ming was a pioneer in making history in North America. He was the first to do so. Therefore, many Nike executives were doubting whether the big man's sneakers could be sold. The center's sneakers were originally There is a lack of market, and there is only one year left before the contract expires, and it is unknown whether the contract can be renewed.
Therefore, although the little giant was the spokesperson of Nike at the time, he basically did not appear in any advertisements. Nike was worried that after investing too much in advertising, it increased its popularity but failed to renew the contract, which was a waste of initial investment, so it chose to slow down and wait and see what happens.
In May 2003, the contract between Little Giant and Nike expired, and the two teams negotiated. Nike offered a four-year contract of US$1.6 million, and also guaranteed that advertising would be launched immediately after the signing was completed to increase exposure. In fact, as early as a year ago, after the draft, Nike had already offered this contract, but the Little Giant team did not choose to sign it, but waited for the end of the rookie season before waiting and watching.
But now, the rookie season is over, and Nike still has no idea of giving him a big contract.
At that time, Nike had just signed LeBron James for seven years and 90 million, and Kobe Bryant had signed a contract of 45 million for four years. There were also countless big-name basketball players. By comparison, the Little Giant's contract was It seems trivial, and Nike's sincerity is really unsatisfactory.
Little Giant's team expected a quote of between 1 million and 5 million per year, but the reality was 400,000 per year, a huge gap; Little Giant himself said that if the difference in contract value between Reebok and Nike was less than 5 million a year, then He will choose Nike. After all, Nike still has the kindness to give him great help.
Later, Reebok and Adidas both joined the competition, and Nike also realized the crisis and subsequently raised its offer, but it was still lower than Reebok's seven years and 50 million.
However, this time Nike showed enough sincerity and handed the contract directly to Little Giant. Little Giant almost nodded and signed, but noticed serious problems with the details of the contract before signing. This became the last thing that broke the camel's back. Straw.
The little giant agreed to Reebok's offer. Reebok also had additional clauses. In the next seven years, he needs to appear in the All-Star game at least three times. If it is reached, his contract will become like Iverson. into a lifetime contract.
Little Giant informed Nike of the signing result. Nike executives were surprised and immediately made a third-round offer. The contract was up to seven years and 120 million US dollars, and there were no additional terms like Reebok; but Little Giant responded, "This is not a number. You can give me less money, but you have to be honest with me."
Everyone knows what happened later. Little Giant became an important member of the NBA, and his contract with Reebok also successfully evolved into a lifetime contract. Even though Adidas acquired Reebok in 2005, they still maintained their relationship with Little Giant. A good cooperative relationship with the Giants, this also became a decision-making mistake by Nike.
Of course, for Nike, they will never lack superstars. Even the top superstars are countless. They will not be too heartbroken if they lack a Yao Ming or Curry, because there will always be the next superstar waiting. . It can also be seen from the side that Nike has countless choices, and they are the one who takes the initiative in front of the players.
As an aside, tennis superstar Roger Federer has a long-term cooperative relationship with Nike. It started when he was a teenager in 1994. Nike has accompanied the former to grow into the best number one seed player in history. The relationship between Federer and Nike is like LeBron James' lifetime contract with Nike is general and indivisible. Federer even has his own registered trademark and entire series of products in Nike.
However, in 2018, Federer said goodbye to Nike, which had been with him for 24 years, and chose to sign a contract with Uniqlo. The ten-year, US$300 million contract shocked the entire tennis world.
In the past, people thought that it was impossible for Federer to leave Nike, and it was impossible for Nike to let go of Federer; now, people realize that in the shopping mall and on the court, nothing is absolute. Nothing is ever impossible.
So, if Lu Ke chooses Nike, can he become an indispensable member of Nike's superstar family?
Lu Ke has always maintained a relatively normal mind regarding matters related to sponsoring brands, and has not worried too much about gains and losses, because he knows that his only job is to go on the court and play well, and what should come will eventually come. What doesn't belong to him will eventually leave, so just leave those off-field matters to Leh.
But now, from Yao Ming to Curry, Lu Ke has begun to think about this issue head-on for the first time.
Lu Ke is the same as Yao Ming and Lin Shuhao. They are outsiders and intruders. On this continent composed of immigrants from all over the world, they need to constantly prove themselves and constantly face challenges.
"Leh, can I ask you a question?" Lu Ke cast his gaze. Leh was slightly surprised, but he still put his phone away and pretended to listen carefully, "Why did Nike give up on Yao , also gave up on Stephen?”
This was a completely unexpected question. Laihe adjusted his sitting posture slightly and faced Lu Ke, "Why are you suddenly curious about this question?"
"I just had a chat with Stephen. Until Stephen signed with Under Armor, Nike still had the opportunity to keep him, but why did they give up on Stephen? Just like the original signing negotiation with Yao, they always occupied the Taking the initiative, but refusing to show more sincerity, why?" Lu Ke asked objectively and calmly, without bringing in personal emotions, more like studying an academic topic.
"Well..." Lech protracted, seeming to be thinking about his answer, "You know, this is a very interesting question. In fact, I have been thinking about it recently because I need to work with Nike and Nike. Adidas will fight this tough battle and I have to make more preparations.”
Hard fight. Laich said it in a half-joking tone. It can be seen that he is relatively relaxed.
"I think there are similarities and differences between these two players, and you can find parts in common with you in them. This is indeed a very interesting question." Lech thought about it seriously. , collected his thoughts for a moment, and answered without rashness.
"Before talking about them, do you know which position in the NBA has the best sales of sneakers?" Lech asked a question that Lu Ke was a complete layman, but he didn't need an answer, and then said, " The most expensive sneakers in Nike’s shoe line are always wing players, Michael Jordan, shooting guard; Kobe Bryant, shooting guard/small forward; LeBron James, small forward.”
"Their sneakers are the best-selling. You can simply and crudely think that Bryant is Jordan's successor, and James is Bryant's successor - at least in terms of Nike's sneaker market. Therefore, they are Nike’s signatures and the core essence of Nike’s market summary. When Nike chooses official signatures, they are more inclined to choose the same type of players because they can sell sneakers.”
If explained in depth, the twists and turns will inevitably be more complicated, but Lech still summarized it in a relatively simple way: For brand manufacturers, in the final analysis, what they need is interests, the player's image, ability, performance, etc. , if it cannot be converted into benefits, it is of no use to them.
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-level contract. These are business rules.
"Nike didn't give up on Stephen Curry, but chose the latter between Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving. It's that simple." Leh explained the ins and outs of everything in one sentence.
