novelODS Chapter 65 A Fleeting Summer!
Chapter 65 A Fleeting Summer!
Looking at the bronze plaque hanging around his neck, Zeng Zhen seemed to be deep in thought.
For the Chinese men's basketball team, winning a bronze medal is the best result they can achieve at this stage.
This year's Dream Team was too strong; if it were one of the previous teams, they might have had a chance to compete.
"We must win the gold medal at the World Championships," Zeng Zhen emphasized to his teammates after stepping off the podium.
"good!"
"no problem!!"
The Chinese men's basketball team's cohesion is at its peak at this moment.
Winning medals at this Olympics left all the veterans with no regrets.
Now, with Zeng Zhen and Yao Ming as the two pillars, one on the outside and one on the inside, the Chinese team has become a world-class powerhouse.
"Control the ball possession and rhythm of the Chinese team, initiate pick-and-rolls, drive to the basket, and distribute the ball to connect the offense."
"Take over the Chinese team's offense under pressure, draw fouls, score three-pointers, and finish with drives."
"China's defensive anchor and core of the team's defense."
「8战场均 33分5.5篮板 10.5助攻2.7抢断，得分、抢断、助攻第一，三项核心数据位居所有球员之首。」
"His efficiency rating, usage rate, and round usage rate are all the highest in the team, making him the absolute tactical focus of the team."
"What's even more frightening is that Zeng Zhencai is only 19 years old and has never played professional basketball before, yet he has already shown the qualities of a core player for a team."
"I think many NBA general managers are regretting it right now. Zeng Zhen's performance was worthy of being the number one pick."
This year's Olympics, besides the bronze medal, the biggest gain for the Chinese men's basketball team was Zeng Zhen. When talking about Zeng Zhen and his statistics, Zhang Weiping and Yu Jia couldn't stop smiling.
Before this Olympics, the two commentators and many Chinese fans were worried about whether Yi Jianlian could become Yao Ming's successor.
Judging from both his personality and abilities, Yi Jianlian doesn't seem like the kind of leader who can take the Chinese men's basketball team to the next level. But now, fans and basketball professionals don't need to worry.
Zeng Zhen is a natural leader; even with Yao Ming on the court, his brilliance could not be overshadowed.
Fans at the Wukesong Arena were chanting Zeng Zhen's name.
At this moment, Zeng Zhen is like a ray of light in the darkness, helping to point out the future of Chinese basketball.
19 years old!!
This means that, barring any major injuries, the Chinese men's basketball team will officially enter the Zeng Zhen era!
"Zeng Zhen's achievements at this Olympics have shocked the basketball world." Zhang Weiping showered Zeng Zhen with praise, but even so, it still couldn't express the shock Zeng Zhen brought to people.
Zeng Zhen showed domestic fans the way a superstar guard of Asian descent plays.
After the awards ceremony, Zeng Zhen suggested to all his national team teammates that in the future, they should not walk into the locker room coldly in advance, but try to go to the sidelines to sign autographs for the fans present.
Zeng Zhen took the lead, Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian followed suit, and other national team members all followed suit.
The scene became lively once again.
Zeng Zhen discovered that the enthusiasm of domestic fans was no less than that of American fans; the fans were all very enthusiastic and screaming.
Fans and media at the Wukesong Arena noticed that the national team has been completely transformed.
They no longer had that aloof and cold demeanor they used to have; they seemed much more approachable.
Go China!
Go China!
"brush!"
"brush!"
"brush!"
Zeng Zhen, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, and Wang Zhizhi were all very popular, but Zeng Zhen's popularity was different from the others. He was surrounded by female fans. When he came out of the crowd of people signing autographs, his face had a lot of lipstick marks. Some female fans even tried to sneak up on him while he was signing autographs and taking photos.
In addition to national honor and local popularity, Zeng Zhen also saw a significant increase in commercial value.
Zeng Zhen returned to the locker room and received a call from Schwartz.
"Zeng, congratulations! You've made some money again. Two endorsements, one for Ping An Insurance and the other for Yili, both for three years at $9 million each." Schwartz said with a smile, "I've already confirmed the contracts with Elena. You just need to sign them and give them to Annie when you have time in the next couple of days."
"No problem," Zeng Zhen said. "Any new developments regarding the sneaker endorsement contract?"
"They've raised the price to $700 million per year, which is still a bit short of our target price. Do you want to sign?" Schwartz asked.
"I'm not in a hurry," Zeng Zhen said. "I'm very patient."
The Olympics further enhanced Zeng Zhen's reputation. He was not only a player who could perform well in college games, but also one of the best players on the world stage. At most, after a few games in the NBA, Zeng Zhen believed that some brands would be unable to resist and would reach his target price.
Zeng Zhen is gambling with these sneaker brands, betting on his future performance, and Zeng Zhen is very certain of his future; he will definitely become a superstar!
"Zhen, come celebrate!" Yao called to Zeng Zhen, who was on the phone. Upon hearing this, Zeng Zhen quickly hung up the phone, stood up, ran to the finish line, and formed a circle with his teammates to sing the national anthem.
Everyone's goal was the same at this point: now that they had won the bronze medal, the next goal was to have the national anthem played at a world championship!
.......
The 2008 Olympics concluded with China winning the bronze medal, thanks to Zeng Zhen's outstanding performance.
This is a perfect result for the Chinese men's basketball team. You have to understand that their goal before the Olympics was just to reach the quarterfinals. They never imagined that the men's basketball team could contribute to the country's medal count this year.
That evening, after signing two endorsement contracts, Zeng Zhen chose to leave the national team and did not attend the celebration banquet and commendation ceremony the next day. Instead, he took his parents on a trip.
Now Zeng Zhen has the confidence not to toast anyone.
He doesn't do things he doesn't want to do. Having been reborn, Zeng Zhen has a very thorough understanding of his own state of mind.
If other players did this, the CBA and some department leaders would get angry, but they didn't show off their power when facing Zeng Zhen. Everyone can see that Zeng Zhen will be the core pillar of the Chinese men's basketball team for at least the next ten years.
Furthermore, Zeng Zhen doesn't play domestically and isn't a player from within the system. If some formalism makes Zeng Zhen unhappy, and he refuses to be called up, then they will be the ones who suffer.
Over the next two weeks, Zeng Zhen accompanied his parents on a trip to several cities. In addition to traveling, Zeng Zhen also participated in a China tour organized by the brand.
Companies like Ping An Insurance and Yili, which recently signed contracts, organized several fan meet-and-greets for Zeng Zhen in several cities.
Even though Zeng Zhen has never played in the NBA, his status as the 8th overall pick in the NBA draft and his performance in the Olympic Games have attracted huge crowds to the event.
After this surge in popularity spread online, it further enhanced the recognition of Zeng Zhen's influence among major brands. During his trip to China, Zeng Zhen secured another endorsement deal with a watch brand – Rolex – for 3 years and $1000 million!
Zeng Zhen has achieved far more this summer than his fellow rookies, demonstrating the commercial value that Chinese players can generate.
After completing his trip to China, Zeng Zhen returned to Oklahoma City to resume training.
He needs to prepare for the start of the new season.