Of course, Phil Knight did not come to watch the game alone. His assistants and security guards were all in the back row. When Phil Knight stood up, they followed him and hung out with Su Feng's parents.
As the founder of Nike, he has the authority to enter anywhere in the Rose Garden Arena using his face.
They flow unimpeded.
Phil Knight also introduced Su’s father and Su’s mother in detail.
During the conversation, Phil Knight's evaluation of Su Feng's parents became higher and higher.
Father Su is very aristocratic. Although he doesn't know much English, it can be seen that he is not a stingy person who has never seen the world. Mother Su, on the other hand, is very cultural, her words are elegant, and she is proficient in many English allusions.
This shows that Su Feng comes from a very good family.
This is very important for brands to choose spokespersons. A child from an excellent family is definitely more worthy of investment than a child from a bad family. At least there will not be a lot of messy social relationships and negative news.
You must know that many NBA stars were dragged down by their original families.
Nike is more selective in this regard. Jordan was born in a black middle-class family, Tim Hardaway's family conditions are also good, Kobe Bryant is from a black elite family, and LeBron James's family conditions are not good, but he grew up in a good family. The atmosphere is much better than other stars, and he has no intricate connection with the streets.
After walking around the Rose Garden Arena, Ms. Huang Qiaoyun said to Phil Knight in elegant words: "Mr. Knight, you are a very talented gentleman, and we are all lucky to meet you today. If you have any requests or wishes for my son, we will be more than happy to help you if it is within our 'authority'."
"But, you also know, my son is now an adult. The education we gave him since childhood and the education given to him by famous schools in China and the United States have made him a person with clear values, firm stance, and strong self-awareness. .So, maybe you can go and talk to him directly, he won’t refuse a gentleman’s request.”
Mother Su's words were very tactful.
She didn't want Phil Knight to waste any more time and energy on her, and he wouldn't interfere in her son's career.
Phil Knight smiled slightly awkwardly, and then he naturally took out his business card: "I am the founder and chairman of Nike. This is my business card. As you can guess, I hope that Su Feng will become our product We have had some chats and negotiations before, but have not officially signed a contract."
Mother Su translated this sentence to her husband.
Then Su Jianjun stretched out his hand and shook hands with Phil Knight. He said, "We are colleagues. I also make shoes. But I am more into the leather shoe business. But now the sports shoe business is very good, and many of my colleagues are doing it." The production line was changed to sports shoes.”
Phil Knight seemed surprised when he heard Su's mother's translation.
Unexpectedly, Su’s father was still half an insider.
This time, it was even more careless.
He shook hands with Su's father.
Then it becomes an industry exchange.
Dad Su talked to Phil Knight about the current domestic market, saying that the domestic consumer groups have changed, and young people are increasingly pursuing fashionable and dynamic designs. Foreign brands are very popular in the country, and there are also some domestic brands, but the prices are usually fixed. Very low.
Then he asked Phil Knight a very important question: "If you need to expand production capacity in China, can you cooperate with me? I can OEM for you."
This question stumped Phil Knight. He didn't expect Su's father to talk to him about cooperation first.
"Our OEM standards are very high and our requirements for the production chain are very strict. Although we also have some measures to support the supply chain, if your factory does not have much previous experience in producing sports shoes, this... will be more difficult."
Phil Knight was talking about business and said it very honestly.
Frankly speaking, if it weren't for the identity of Su Feng's father, it would be almost impossible for him to talk to Su Jianjun about such things. Because this kind of downstream foundry matters are usually not his responsibility, and those factories will rush over to curry favor with them.
Su's father didn't bother, nodded, and politely ended the conversation.
The second half of the game also started.
After the game started, Su Feng continued to play, and he increased his aggressiveness.
Under the defense of Reuben Patterson, he broke into the penalty area, then took off and smashed the basketball into the basket with one hand. Randolph, who was standing on one side, was obviously a beat slower and had no time to react.
This ball made Phil Knight quite emotional: Why were the shoes on his feet covered with tape? What a great promotional material if he was wearing a Nike.
The game continues.
The Bulls continued to maintain the lead under the leadership of Su Feng, and the Trail Blazers were generally out of shape.
Su Feng became more and more courageous as he played without any signs of fatigue. He kept getting past the defense, getting inside, and using his exquisite layup skills to put the basketball into the basket.
Phil Knight already understood one thing very clearly at this time: the previous physical fitness report was wrong, and Su Feng's physical fitness was much better than the report.
He already understood why Su Feng rejected the contract.
Su Feng's immediate combat ability is indeed the best among the 2003 rookies.
If he still has a lot of room for growth in the future, then this offer is indeed slightly low.
But, what price does he want?
Or rather, Adidas had already given him a price he couldn't refuse.
At this moment, he heard Father Su and Mother Su talking next to him. Although they were speaking in Chinese, there were words in Chinese that he could understand, such as: Adidas, Nike, Reebok.
These brand names are all transliterated. Although the emphasis is a bit strange, in this case, the connection can be understood clearly.
Su’s father also saw tape on Su Feng’s sneakers. When Su Feng jumped up and dunked, it was hard not to notice the shoes in the air.
He asked his wife: "Why are the shoes on Xiaofeng's feet covered with tape? Does that vague hook look like Nike?"
"Your eyesight is really good. I can't tell. But didn't Xiaofeng like to wear Adidas running shoes in the past?"
"It's Reebok, right? The pure white pair was stained within two days of buying them, and you even scolded him."
"Husband, why do you think your son refused Nike's sponsorship?"
"Why else? Maybe it's to compare prices. When we buy something, we have to shop around, and the one with the highest price will get it. However, I think the boss of Nike is quite rich. He must give Su Feng at least 1 million a year."
"How many?"
"One million yuan, if not fully guaranteed, it may still be in US dollars."
"How can it be so high? I heard in the news that Su Feng's current salary in the NBA, after tax is deducted, is only 4 to 50 million. Is the endorsement higher than the salary? The side business exceeds the main business?"
"For the uninitiated, this is called advertising effect."
The two of them were chatting happily, but Phil Knight was frightened as he listened to keywords being repeated one after another.
He thought to himself: Could it be that Adidas and Reebok really paid a high price?
Otherwise, the couple would not be so calm and happy.
During the timeout of the third quarter, Phil Knight suddenly turned around: "Mr. Su, regarding...the foundry matter, I think we can try to get in touch, in case there is a possibility of cooperation."
…
