novelODS Chapter 49 Becoming a Millionaire and Recruiting Team Members!
Chapter 49 Becoming a Millionaire and Recruiting Team Members!
This Lancôme endorsement, in addition to the two endorsements Schwartz had previously negotiated for Zeng Zhen.
Sprite, $4 million over 400 years.
McDonald's China, $3 million over 300 years.
Even though he hasn't entered the NBA yet, Zeng Zhen has already started to generate income.
Zeng Zhen's average annual salary for commercial endorsements is 100 million yuan, which is at the All-Star level. Many rookies, apart from shoe contracts, cannot get this price. For American rookies like Westbrook and Love, apart from shoe brands, most industries offer between 20 and 50 US dollars.
Zeng Zhen was able to sign these endorsement deals largely due to factors related to the Chinese market behind him.
Zeng Zhen spent three days signing these three endorsement deals, and after deducting agent commissions, taxes, and Schwartz's loan, he received $140 million.
Once the money arrived, Zeng Zhen immediately transferred US$30, equivalent to about RMB 200 million, to his family. He instructed his parents to settle their previous debts as soon as possible and to buy a new house. Investing in real estate in 2008 was a sure way to make a profit.
Zeng Zhen didn't intend to let the remaining money sit idle. Instead, he registered a company called "Zhenxing Capital" to prepare for investment.
Zeng Zhen also asked Schwartz to assign people to his team.
As Zeng Zhen's needs for business collaborations, media receptions, social media platform operations, financial management, and legal consultations increased, Schwartz, being the owner of a brokerage firm, had many other clients and couldn't possibly revolve around Zeng Zhen indefinitely.
Through a series of referrals from acquaintances and recruitment efforts, Schwartz and Zeng Zhen quickly assembled a team within a few days.
Zeng Zhen found three people.
Personal Bodyguard: Marcus Coleman, 38 years old, 1.88 meters tall, African American, former Marine Corps Military Police Corporal, participated in overseas peacekeeping missions, specializes in close combat, crowd control and risk assessment, entered the private security field after retiring from the military, has a calm and taciturn personality, keen observation, strong principles but knows how to be flexible, and understands Chinese.
Financial Officer: Elena Rodriguez, 32 years old, Latina American, graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Certified Public Accountant, meticulous and logical, a typical female professional elite.
She previously worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers for five years, specializing in tax planning and asset allocation for the sports and entertainment industry. She will be fully responsible for Zeng Zhen's financial affairs, including accurately calculating Zeng Zhen's future NBA salary and endorsement income, optimizing the tax structure, and avoiding the risk of asset devaluation caused by dollar fluctuations. On the other hand, she will strictly implement the investment projects selected by Zeng Zhen, plan charitable donations for Zeng Zhen, submit financial reports to Zeng Zhen regularly, and interpret professional data in plain language to prevent Zeng Zhen from neglecting financial issues due to his focus on the game. She will also take on some legal work for Zeng Zhen's team.
Assistant: Jerry Anne, 25 years old, white American, graduated from UCLA with a degree in financial management a year ago, worked for a large company for a year, 1.75 meters tall, sweet-looking, cheerful and flexible, familiar with the rules of basketball, and able to quickly handle various tasks.
Annie and Zeng Zhen are university alumni. Zeng Zhen had met her at a campus event before and knew that she was very capable in many ways, but the two were not very familiar with each other.
Annie's work covers everything off the field. In addition to coordinating the time for commercial endorsement shoots, media interviews, and charity events, she also manages Zeng Zhen's private life, such as booking flights and hotels, purchasing daily necessities, and managing social media.
Currently, the team's main task is to assist Zeng Zhen in participating in the talent show. For now, three people are enough, and more people will be added later when Zeng Zhen's career develops further.
Although Zeng Zhen doesn't play the stock market, as a time traveler, he still knows the future development trend of the world. As long as he chooses the right direction and invests in the leading companies in the relevant fields, he will have good returns.
Besides the talent show, Zeng Zhen is currently simultaneously engaged in numerous photo shoots, magazine interviews, and negotiations for new commercial endorsement contracts.
Regarding the shoe contracts, since none of the manufacturers have significantly increased their prices, Zeng Zhen has chosen to put them on hold for the time being. If the prices remain the same, he would rather postpone them for a year and wait until he has fully established himself before signing a contract next year.
6 month 27 day.
Draft day.
In the morning, Zeng Zhen gets up from his double room at the New York hotel, has breakfast, washes up, and then goes to the gym to work out for a while. Even during his rest time, Zeng Zhen remains very disciplined.
In the afternoon, Anne brought Zeng Zhen a custom-made Armani suit to wear, and then Zeng Zhen, along with Schwartz, Anne, Coleman, Elena, and others dressed in formal attire, boarded a luxury van and headed to Madison Square Garden.
Today, Madison Square Garden is a basketball mecca, where countless young basketball players aspire to be selected. Even Zeng Zhen, who came here, was somewhat nervous.
Of course, his team members were even more nervous. Coleman was constantly observing the surrounding traffic and crowds to avoid any unexpected accidents.
Schwartz, meanwhile, was constantly making and receiving phone calls to inquire about Zeng Zhen's draft prospects.
Annie bent down and meticulously straightened Zeng Zhen's collar. She looked up slightly at Zeng Zhen's handsome face with her bright eyes and said, "When you get off the car later, remember to raise your head a little and keep smiling. That way, I'll make sure your photo in the newspaper doesn't look bad."
"No problem." Zeng Zhen nodded.
Outside the stadium, fans had already gathered in large numbers, and media reporters were well-prepared.
Zeng Zhen was invited into the "Green Room," and he was among the most watched players.
When Zeng Zhen's car arrived, the media erupted in excitement.
"ever!"
"Did you come here before?"
The moment Zeng Zhen stepped out of the car, the flashbulbs went off instantly, and the surrounding fans erupted in cheers.
The NBA is really good at this; they even set up a red carpet.
Zeng Zhen walked the red carpet first, followed by the rest of the team.
Some fans were chanting "Go Zeng Zhen!" in Chinese, while others were shouting, "Zeng, welcome to the New York Knicks!" Enthusiastic female fans were yelling, "Zeng, I love you!" and "Zeng, you're so handsome!"
"Click click click!!"
Led by the staff, Zeng Zhen and his team arrived at the Green House.
The NBA Green Room is not a room in the traditional sense, but a private VIP area directly in front of the stage at the NBA Draft. It is located in the center of the court and separated from other areas by a low fence. To the side is the ESPN broadcast booth and behind is the media work area. This is the core focus of the broadcast cameras. This year, 18 invited players came here, each with their own round table, which can seat up to 6 people. Everyone was dressed in various formal attire with their own personal style.
After Zeng Zhen took his seat, the players in the Green Room all focused their attention on him.
Zeng Zhen won the NCAA championship and the Most Outstanding Player award this year, which means he is the biggest success story in college basketball this year, having defeated many players here.
Zeng Zhen saw many familiar faces, including Mayo, Beasley, Love, Rose, and the Lopez brothers.
The moment Mayo and Beasley saw Zeng Zhen, they immediately pretended to chat with their families.