Chapter 31: I Only Want a Short-term Contract!
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Never underestimate the influence of an agent’s character. It matters greatly in a long-term partnership; an agent with integrity will not stoop to harming his client for personal gain.
But if you end up with an unscrupulous agent, then it would not matter whether you had worked together for ten years—even brothers could be betrayed by such a person. They had absolutely no bottom line.
Pelinka’s commission was quite reasonable: three percent of the player’s salary and ten percent of commercial endorsement income.
The reason Pelinka kept his demands so modest was that he was very optimistic about Li Rui’s future.
Given his recent momentum, Li Rui was bound to earn substantial money, both in salary and future endorsement contracts. Becoming his agent was practically a guaranteed source of profit.
After finishing his steak, Li Rui made up his mind. He rose, extended his right hand, and said with a smile, “Rob, then I’m looking forward to a pleasant partnership.”
“Likewise, Li.” Pelinka quickly wiped his hand before shaking Li Rui’s. Then he said, “Although I’m only your agent, if you trust me, tell me about any trouble that happens off the court before you tell anyone else. Remember, I mean any kind of trouble. I’ll do my best to take care of it for you.”
“Uh… What kind of trouble could I possibly get into off the court?” Li Rui asked, puzzled.
“That’s hard to say. Just don’t do what Kobe did, and you’ll be fine.” Pelinka shrugged.
“Haha, you were the one who handled Kobe’s trouble two years ago, weren’t you? How much did Kobe pay to make it go away?” Li Rui asked curiously.
“Hey, I’d rather not say. Ask Kobe yourself…” Pelinka chuckled.
“Haha, Rob, you’re quite a character.” Li Rui patted Pelinka on the shoulder.
Pelinka was not trying to take responsibility for every off-court problem his players might encounter. He simply had little choice.
Most NBA players had impressive physiques but painfully unimpressive judgment. Once they had money and fame, they often let themselves go. Getting women pregnant, smoking marijuana, and drinking heavily were all commonplace.
They were not very good at handling such conflicts themselves. Something that could have been resolved with a minor expense and a small sacrifice could easily spiral out of control and end up exposed in the media, creating an even bigger hole for them to fall into.
If an agent did not step in early, the player could easily face a collapsed public image, terminated endorsement contracts, compensation claims, and a whole chain of other problems.
Li Rui looked like a respectable young man, but one could never be certain about anyone. After all, even Kobe had done it.
Before Kobe’s scandal, no one would have imagined that he could get himself into such a mess.
Pelinka hoped that if Li Rui ever encountered a similar problem involving a woman—or a man—he would notify him immediately. The media could not be the ones to tell him; by then, everything would already be out of his hands.
“Okay!” Li Rui nodded.
An agent who had handled Kobe’s sexual-assault scandal was certainly different. His awareness of risk was exceptionally strong.
After reaching a verbal agreement with Pelinka, Li Rui handed over to him all the brands that had contacted him through Twitter, asking Pelinka to follow up and take over the negotiations.
As Li Rui’s influence soared, countless brands began reaching out to him. Even more messages had arrived that morning.
Sneakers: Adidas, Nike, Xtep, Anta, and Li-Ning.
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Automobiles: Volvo, BYD, and Geely.
Milk: Mengniu and Yili.
There were also several well-known brands from other industries.
It was impossible for him to sign with all of them. These brands usually had exclusivity clauses preventing them from working with competitors. In most industries, a celebrity could sign with only one major brand; he could not endorse Adidas while signing with Nike at the same time.
Pelinka watched as Li Rui took out a sheet of paper and wrote down the contact information of the many brands that had approached him. He gave a wry smile.
“Li, your commercial value far exceeds anything I imagined.”
Li Rui smiled. “Work hard. We’ll all make money together.”
Damn, if it weren’t a huge amount of work, why would I have hired you?
Now that he had finally caught himself a workhorse, of course he had to make good use of him.
Of course, Pelinka did not handle everything alone. He had a company, with employees responsible for much of the basic work.
Pelinka asked, “Do you have any particular restrictions or sensitivities regarding the brands you’re willing to sign with?”
Li Rui thought for a moment before replying, “First, political considerations. We cannot sign with brands that have harmed our country or its people.”
Pelinka nodded. “Yes, you’re right. Anything else?”
Pelinka admired Li Rui’s maturity. Few stars were capable of considering such matters instead of looking only at the money.
If a brand carried political risks, it could have a tremendous impact on a player’s image.
Li Rui continued, “Also, I want to sign one-year contracts whenever possible. No long-term deals.”
Pelinka frowned. “Li, I don’t quite understand that. Can you tell me why?”
Role players almost always wanted long-term contracts, since they meant more guaranteed money.
Li Rui replied, “I’ll become an All-Star very soon, and my endorsement value will rise accordingly. Short-term contracts will keep me from suffering unnecessary losses.”
Pelinka immediately withdrew his earlier judgment of Li Rui’s maturity.
He asked, “Aren’t you worried about failing? A long-term contract also provides security in its own way.”
How could he be so certain that he would become an All-Star?
The NBA was highly fluid, and Pelinka had seen too many prodigies fall by the wayside.
He felt that Li Rui was overly confident.
Li Rui shook his head. “I have confidence in my abilities. Can you make it happen?”
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Li Rui could hardly tell Pelinka that he had a cheat on his side. His improvement was only a matter of time, and short-term contracts would allow him to maximize his earnings.
There was no way to make Pelinka completely believe that.
Seeing how firm Li Rui was, Pelinka could only say, “Okay. I’ll do my best to negotiate short-term contracts, though the brands may not agree.”
“Then approach their competitors and offer the original brands the first right to renew on the same terms.”
Pelinka nodded. “All right. I understand what you mean.”
After their entire conversation, Pelinka once again felt that Li Rui was not an unreliable person.
…
After finishing his instructions to Pelinka, Li Rui returned to the hotel for an afternoon nap.
After a brief rest, he boarded the team bus and headed for Madison Square Garden.
Kobe was still sitting beside Li Rui on the bus. Li Rui thanked him.
“Kobe, I signed with Rob. Thanks for helping me out. I’ll buy you dinner when we have time.”
The boss might have enjoyed showing off, but he had certainly done more than enough behind the scenes.
Li Rui had mentioned his agent troubles to Kobe only yesterday, and they had already been resolved today.
Kobe’s expression did not change in the slightest, as though helping Li Rui had been nothing worth mentioning.
“Hmm. Have you read the scouting report on the Knicks?”
“I have.”
Li Rui nodded.
Kobe said nothing more and simply closed his eyes to rest.
…
Led by Isiah Thomas, the Knicks had posted a record of ten wins and twenty-five losses so far that season, placing them eleventh in the Eastern Conference.
Overall, the team could be summed up in one word: chaotic.
Eddy Curry: As the Knicks’ leading scorer, he averaged 19.5 points and 7 rebounds per game while shooting an impressive 57.6 percent from the field. His low-post offense and mid-range jump shot were the team’s primary offensive weapons, but his slow movement on defense made him easy for opponents to target.
Jamal Crawford: The team’s most dangerous perimeter scorer. His style was flashy, and he could both drive and shoot. He was averaging 17.6 points per game that season.
Stephon Marbury: Averaging 16.4 points and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 35.7 percent from three-point range. Although his individual numbers were respectable, his conflict with head coach Thomas had become public, creating a tense atmosphere in the locker room.
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