Chapter 412 411. The new season is coming!

The national flag flew for the first time at the award ceremony of the Olympic basketball game. Although it was not in the middle and there was no national anthem to listen to, there was a little regret in it, but it was only a little bit. This Olympic journey was very dreamy for Zhang Yang.

Every player of the Chinese men's basketball team was in high spirits. They were certainly unhappy about losing, but the overall strength gap was too big. Although Zhang Yang scored 33 points, his dominance from the outside could not be compared with that in the opening game. He was almost "killed without injury" by Wade, Anthony and Kobe, and only lasted half the game. With such a defeat, they only needed to be sad for a few seconds when the final whistle sounded.

Throughout the Olympics, he and his teammates enjoyed flowers and applause. Even though they collapsed in the second half and lost without any suspense tonight, the fans kept cheering for them.

Tears of excitement had already been shed the night before after we beat Greece and advanced to the finals, and now everyone was enjoying the joy of winning the silver medal.

Today is not only the last competition day of the basketball tournament, but also the last competition day of the entire Beijing Olympics.

The next day, Zhang Yang attended the closing ceremony with the Olympic delegation.

At the Olympics held at home, the Chinese Olympic team won first place in the gold medal list for the first time, and everyone was proud of it.

In the past, Chinese men's basketball players were all "cheerleaders", but this time it was different. Although they did not win a gold medal, they also helped the Chinese Olympic team add a medal, bringing the total number of medals to 101.

This Olympic Games is not only a significant chapter in the history of Chinese sports, but also a very important turning point for the new China. Zhang Yang feels very honored to have participated in it personally.

The Olympics are over, but the men's basketball players' work with the national team has not yet ended. In the last few days of August, Zhang Yang was running around with the team, accepting awards, attending events, and doing promotional activities in the schools that were arranged...

Zhang Yang also had his own endorsement activities to do, and he was busy for about ten days. It was not until September 9 that he finally finished all his chores.

However, the Olympics have ended for more than ten days, and his popularity is still high!
In this Olympics, the Chinese men's basketball team stole the limelight. They defeated the Dream Team 8 in the opening match and have always been more talked about than the Dream Team 8. From the beginning to the end of the Olympics, they continued to attract the attention of sports fans and have always been the most talked about team, without a doubt.

In the end, the Dream Team 8 won the championship, but its influence was far less than that in the original time and space.

Because they lost a game, their opponents found that even with Kobe joining the team, the Dream Team was still not an invincible team like the Dream Team I with Magic Bird and the Dream Team III with four centers, and they could be defeated.

As for Zhang Yang personally, the Chinese men's basketball team's fantastic performance in this Olympics has greatly increased his popularity and influence around the world.

Of course, it has something to do with his personal performance - he became the best scorer since FIBA ​​allowed professional players to participate in the Olympics!

He scored a total of 8 points in 210 games, averaging 26.25 points per game, both of which are new highs since professional players were allowed to participate in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

The last time someone scored higher than him was in the 88 South Korea Olympics, when Brazilian star Oscar Schmidt averaged... 42.3 points per game.

His 43 points in a single game is also the highest since 1992. The last time he scored higher was... Oscar Schmidt, who scored 1988 points against Spain in the 55 South Korea Olympics and set a record in the history of Olympic men's basketball.

Before 1992, professional players were not allowed to participate in Olympic basketball events.

However, the definition of "professional players" at that time was different from what it is now. It was purely to restrict players from a few leagues with too high a level from participating in the competition, such as the NBA, La Liga, Bundesliga and other leagues.

Like Oscar Schmidt, he played in major leagues in South America for 29 years and scored more than 92 points in total, but before , he was not considered a professional player in the FIBA ​​player classification.

When the restrictions were lifted, the German men's basketball team, the Spanish men's basketball team and the Argentine men's basketball team, which have a large number of players in La Liga, and the Greek men's basketball team, which has a large number of players in major European leagues, became top teams that could compete with Yugoslavia in the 90s.

Entering the 21st century, after the US team's dominance declined and Yugoslavia disintegrated, the Argentine men's basketball team, the Greek men's basketball team, and the Spanish men's basketball team have become the strongest teams in the world basketball in the past few years.

The most direct manifestation of Zhang Yang’s growing popularity and influence is his sneakers are selling like hot cakes!

After the opening game of the men's basketball tournament, the sales of his sneakers skyrocketed from the already high levels. The specialty stores in major cities across China were basically sold out as soon as the shoes were put on the shelves. Fans lined up to buy them, and the shoes were also out of stock in many cities in the United States.

Even in Europe, where basketball is very popular, such as Spain, Greece, Germany and France, there is a shortage of supply.

The top executives of Hook and AJ were delighted looking at the sales report and the soaring stock price. They felt a little bit sad about giving Zhang Yang the highest-priced endorsement contract in history. They cursed Tellem countless times for taking advantage of the situation before and after signing the contract, and for taking a big bite out of them when the Olympics were approaching. Now they don't feel sad anymore. The president of AJ even made a joke during an interview, saying that he wanted to kiss Zhang Yang's ass. Zhang Yang responded that his yard was big enough and he would buy a donkey when he got home.

But there was one thing that bothered Hook and AJ’s top management - the pair of marquee-style sneakers that Zhang Yang wore in the finals became an overnight sensation!
That pair of shoes was a "special edition" that was temporarily added by the head of AJ when he met with Zhang Yang in early June to discuss the arrangements for promotional activities during the Olympic Games. The head of AJ could not convince Zhang Yang.

The shoes on sale at the time included the Zhang Yang III 'basic model' and 'Olympic model', and the newly added 'special model' only had 2008 pairs made by the OEM factory.

The materials of the sneakers are the same, but the 'Olympic Special Edition' costs a little more and has an additional push-type sensor light strip, but the price is 20 US dollars cheaper than the regular version. It is only sold in Charlotte and BJ where the Olympics are held, and the color scheme is specially made to be different from the 'Basic Edition' and 'Olympic Edition'.

Before the finals, because this pair of shoes had not been promoted, very few were sold in a dozen stores in two cities, and AJ was ready to put them in the bottom of the closet, but it was originally done to appease Zhang Yang, so they didn't care about this, it was just two thousand pairs.

But after the finals, the next morning, the special edition sneakers were out of stock! And after learning that only 2008 pairs were available, the price on the second-hand market skyrocketed. The pair of sneakers with the number "2008" printed on the tongue of the sneakers sold for a whopping $8 in an online auction on August 31.

What is most frustrating for Hook and AJ's top management is that, according to the report feedback from major stores, customers who bought the 'special edition' did not stop buying the 'basic edition' or 'Olympic edition' because they bought the 'special edition'. Most of them bought the one they liked among the latter two while buying the 'special edition', and even made a fuss if they didn't get it!
There are also a lot of videos online showing people shooting and dunking in the "special edition" sneakers.

There are also some fans who are good at hands-on work. They disassembled the "basic" or "Olympic" sneakers, added running lights, shot videos and posted them online. Even other sneakers have been modified, and a large number of copies have appeared in the counterfeit market.

However, after discussions between Hook and AJ's top executives, they decided not to increase the supply of the 'special edition', allowing traffic to continue to soar.

When there is a need to rehash something old in the future, we can launch a replica version to maximize profits. Given Zhang Yang's current popularity, he does not need a 'special edition' to increase sales.

But they decided to listen more to what they previously thought were Zhang Yang's weird sneaker design ideas.

...

On September 9, Zhang Yang, his parents, and his younger brother appeared at the Los Angeles airport.

The whole family went back to their hometown to rest for a few days... Mainly Yang Jing, who was very concerned about her reputation, showed off for a while when she returned home.

As a son, Zhang Yang naturally had to help his mother to support her and take a rest at the same time. He was indeed very busy in the ten days after the end of the Olympics.

It’s okay to participate in commercial activities with fans, as there is some money to be made and there are fans who truly support him, but official activities are really tiring.

Without stopping at the airport, he went straight back to his villa in the Tianyuan District of Yinshan City. The people he had hired had already cleaned up the house.

Zhang Chen bought this house at the beginning of the year.

Affected by the subprime mortgage crisis, US housing prices plummeted, but housing prices in Yinshan City remained strong. After all, it is one of the largest wealthy areas. It’s just that some houses have changed owners, like the house bought by Zhang Yang’s family.

In the evening, DeRozan and Harden drove to Zhang Yang's home. Tatum had already returned to school. North Carolina started school in mid-August.

After the summer league, the two had already gone to Indiana and New York. After knowing the time Zhang Yang would return, they flew back specially to meet with Zhang Yang. The next time they meet, they will be opponents on the court.

After entering society, you will have less and less time for yourself.

After the three met, Harden chattered about the Olympics and said how popular Zhang Yang's performance in this Olympics was in the United States.

Zhang Yang was puzzled and asked: "James, I defeated your country's team, why do you seem happier than me?"

Harden: "I'm from California. That's Washington's Dream Team. What does it have to do with me?"

Zhang Yang looked at DeRozan, and DeRozan nodded in agreement with Harden's statement.

Harden continued: "If I was a member of the Dream Team, it would be different."

DeRozan nodded again.

Zhang Yang made a sound, "Bulk America, it's really different, Californians are like this, and Texans...

From a college student to an NBA player, Harden seems to have not changed much and is still as silly as ever.

DeRozan has changed obviously, he no longer has the worried look on his face as before.

The main reason is that his parents' condition has improved significantly. They were discovered early and started treatment early. Now that they have money, they have increased their investment in medical care... DeRozan no longer worries about this matter every day.

But that’s all, he still speaks the least among the three brothers.

Zhang Yang held on until 9pm before going to bed, and then he went into jet lag mode again...

The three brothers stayed in Yinshan for three days, fishing, playing golf, bowling, riding horses, this is the life Zhang Yang lives every time he goes back to Yinshan, Harden and DeRozan are learning from him, so as not to look too rustic the next time they go out with their teammates. However, what Big Ronaldo and Erha don't know is that there are very few NBA players who play as "elegantly" as Zhang San during the offseason. Spending money in nightclubs is the norm, and drinking and promiscuity are the basics.

It's just that what they met were "highly educated" sports figures like Zhang Yang and Okafor; players from middle-class families like Felton and Paul, who currently mistakenly believe that this is the life of wealthy players...which is actually a good thing.

On the 15th, the three brothers said goodbye reluctantly. The next time they met, they would be opponents on the court. DeRozan flew to Indianapolis, Harden flew to New York, and Zhang Yang's family flew to Charlotte...

After returning to Charlotte and resting for a night, Zhang Yang came to the Turkish Airlines Arena early the next morning. He hadn't trained here for more than two months, and it felt quite fresh.

Seeing the brand new facilities in the stadium, which were the same ones used in the Beijing Olympics, Zhang Yang met Boss Qiao when he went to burn incense to Guan Erye. He gave him a thumbs up and praised him for his generosity. He mentioned it at the beginning of last month, and when he came back he saw that the facilities had been replaced with new ones.

Jordan smiled so hard his teeth were exposed when he heard this. Yesterday he received a message from his secretary saying that Zhang Yang had an appointment with the trainer for training this morning. He came early just to see Zhang Yang's reaction after seeing the new facilities.

It is so expensive to replace new facilities during the Olympic Games, when sports are at their peak. Many things are shipped from China, the world's factory...

However, AJ sales have increased significantly recently, so he will definitely get more money this year. It's worth it to spend this little money and see Zhang Yang's thumbs up!
Zhang Yang practiced for a while, and at 9 o'clock, he saw an acquaintance!
Zhang Yang walked up to him and hugged him, then asked in surprise, "Jarrett, why are you here? Don't you work at Stanford?"

This acquaintance was Jarrett Young, who had always taken care of him in his childhood.

Two years ago, after graduating from college with a degree in sports medicine, Jarrett Young found an internship as a physical trainer for the Stanford University basketball team. With his serious and hard-working attitude, he was successfully hired as a full-time employee and brought his mother over to work there. Zhang Yang's mother even held a celebration party for her good friend.

Jarrett Young: "Jordan found me and gave me a new job. I can work for an NBA team and have more room for development... The main thing is that the salary of this job is higher than the salary of my three jobs combined."

Zhang Yang was stunned: "Three jobs? Are you trying to save your life? You can't do this if you want to make money!"

Jarrett Young smiled bitterly, "I bought a house in San Francisco because I saw the house prices were falling. But then Stanford University cut their salaries, so I had to work part-time. I couldn't sell the house to the bank. My mom was very happy to see me buy a house in a big city. I felt very proud. I couldn't let her down."

I also feel like I can't hold on any longer, but luckily I have you. If it weren't for you, Jordan wouldn't even know who I am. My current salary is enough for me to pay my mortgage and even get a loan for my mom to buy a new car. She's never driven a new car in her life."

Is this the legendary case where one person's success brings prosperity to the whole family?
Zhang Yang was naturally happy about this, but he still said: "Since you are working in the NBA, you have to work harder. I hope that one day you can become a world-class trainer like Englander and Grove. Then your income will be different. You don't need a loan to buy a house or a car. Englander's annual salary is higher than many head coaches... I am so happy to work with you, Jarrett. Come to my house for dinner tonight!"

Zhang Yang's previous words made Jarrett Young feel some pressure. He felt the changes in Zhang Yang after he entered the workplace a few years ago.

But then Zhang Yang changed the subject and returned to his familiar self, which made Jarrett Young feel very familiar, and he happily agreed.

Jarrett Young was not angry because Zhang Yang used a "warning" tone, mainly because Zhang Yang spoke to the heart of his heart - if you do a good job, you can get a raise!

This is exactly what he meant by 'greater room for development'.

He responded, “I will definitely work hard. I have more rest time now than before. I have signed up for a further education course at North Carolina, where the sports-related majors are ranked higher than those at USC. I want to further improve my professional skills and gain a foothold in the NBA team with my own abilities…”

The two chatted for a while, and after Englander, who was in charge of the training department, arrived, Jarrett Young got down to work.

Zhang Yang also returned to the court to continue training. He gained a lot from this Olympics. In international competitions, the two-man defense is everywhere, and the offensive players with the ball are always facing double-teaming. They need a stronger ability to break double-teams. Improving related abilities will not only help him in future national team games, but also in the NBA. The team that ranks first in both offense and defense efficiency, and a deluxe version of the team, may soon come...

If the 03 generation still chooses to stick together in the future, James and Wade's outside pressure defense will be a great test of his ability to break double-teams!
After the morning training, Zhang Yang received an invitation from Jordan to have lunch together.

When he was first selected, Zhang Yang was reluctant to eat with Jordan, as he felt that the other party was too picky. But after playing in the NBA for three years, he felt that it was a pleasure to eat with such picky people as Jordan, Paul, Okafor, Kobe, and Nash, and that most NBA players were too unrefined.

But Jordan talked a lot today. After chatting for a while, he mentioned Jarrett Young.

Boss Qiao, please be more cunning...

Zhang Yang naturally knew why Jordan recruited Jarrett Young as his trainer - to use "outside tactics" to speed up the progress of his contract renewal.

After mumbling for a while, Zhang Yang said: "Jarrett has good professional ability. If he works hard and his performance meets the requirements of our team, I definitely hope he can stay for a long time."

Jordan smiled when he heard this. The purpose of hiring a new employee was achieved, and he was very satisfied with Zhang Yang's answer. He valued feelings, but also had the qualities that a professional player should have.

In response to Jordan's efforts in updating the stadium facilities and recruiting Jarrett Young, Zhang Yang called Tellem after lunch and told him that the contract extension could be moved forward.

It's not just because of these, the time has indeed come. The Olympics have been over for more than half a month, and the popularity boosted by the Olympics has already been reflected in the business sector, and the initiative in negotiations is firmly in our hands.

If the contract extension is completed before the start of the season, it will also be good for the team's stability.

...

During the afternoon training, Zhang Yang met his new teammate Ibaka. A few days ago, in mid-September, his teammates had already started to return to the team one after another, but not everyone would come to training every day before the team training camp started.

In early July, after Jordan paid the buyout fee to La Liga team Manzare, Ibaka immediately flew to Orlando to represent the Bobcats in the summer league. He performed well, playing 7 games, averaging 8 minutes per game, scoring 17 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6 blocks. But it was not as good as expected. He committed more fouls, with 1.6 fouls in each game despite such a short playing time.

When Zhang Yang watched Ibaka's training, he felt that the rookie's basic footwork was rather rough, so it was normal for him to commit many fouls in the summer league.

However, his advantages are also particularly prominent. His ball sense is very good for an inside player, and he is accurate in mid-range and close-range spot shots. After all, he is playing in La Liga. If he is not tall and has no ability to shoot, he will definitely not be able to play.

Ibaka's current strength is a little weaker than Zhang Yang expected, but it doesn't matter much. After all, the original Ibaka played in Europe for one more year. When he joined the Thunder in 09, he was just a substitute who played for more than ten minutes per game and committed fouls all the time. After two years of training, he took off in the 11-12 season. It is normal that Ibaka is weaker now than in 09.

The three main rotation players in the interior next season will definitely be Okafor, Millsap, Brad Miller, and Perkins, the big meat shield. Ibaka, as the fourth or fifth interior player, is barely enough.

That’s right, Ibaka, who is said to be turning 19 in a few days, doesn’t look like 19 at all…

Zhang Yang's impression of Ibaka's subsequent growth experience is that Ibaka at that time did not look like he was less than 20 years old. Instead, he looked like an inside player who would enter a period of rising strength after the age of or .

But that doesn't matter. No matter if Ibaka lied about his age or if he doesn't even know what year he was born like Mutombo, as long as he can play well, that's fine.

After the afternoon training, Zhang Yang took a shower with Ibaka and compared them. He was a little disappointed... but also a little happy. It was not as exaggerated as the legend said. Under static conditions, he was about the same size as Ibaka. As for other shapes, there was no way to compare.

Zhang Yang also met another new teammate.

During the Olympics, management was involved in a multi-party transaction, and Cardinal was taken away by the Knicks.

Cardinal's big contract expires in 10 years, and the Knicks' purpose of letting him go is obvious - to prepare for the big year of free market in 10.

The Bobcats got in return was former All-Star center Magloire.

This cannot be considered as a signing. Magloire, who turns 30 this summer, is no longer as strong as he used to be. He collapsed last season, averaging only 1.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, and his salary is only the minimum wage.

Zhang Yang learned from Bickerstaff that the purpose of trading him back was to take advantage of the Knicks' desire to free up space by exchanging long-term contracts for short-term contracts, get rid of the space occupied by Cardinal, and free up a position to sign a third center in case of emergency. It happened that the Nets included Magloire in the multi-party transaction, so they took him back.

Magloire gives Zhang Yang a feeling very similar to that of the Kings' top scorer Kevin Martin - simple.

The total value of all his clothes was no more than 200 US dollars. He did not own any big gold chains or diamond watches. The car he drove was a second-hand car he bought after arriving in Charlotte and was making do with it. The address he filled in was also an ordinary apartment, not even the high-end apartment that Zhang Yang had lived in before.

It is hard for Zhang Yang to say about other things, but as for his future life in middle and old age, Zhang Yang feels that as long as Magloire is not unlucky enough to be cheated by professional managers, he will live a more comfortable and prosperous life than 99% of black athletes, even if he retires directly after retirement.

The next day, Okafor and Felton also returned to Charlotte together.

After the Olympics, the two stayed in China for a while, traveling around... basically around BJ.

When they went to Zhang Yang to inquire about tourist spots, they heard Zhang Yang say, "He who has not been to the Great Wall is not a true man." The two wanted to prove that they were men, so they went to experience the joy of being crowded with people.

Three days ago, the two of them ended their trip and flew to Los Angeles. They calculated the time when they came back today. In order to show the team's humanistic care and promote communication among teammates, Felton helped Ibaka hold a 19th birthday party and invited the whole team to participate.

At the party, Ibaka, as the protagonist, did not have a strong presence, as his teammates all surrounded the "Three Young Masters". However, Ibaka did not care about this. He was not only mature in appearance, but also mentally. He followed his teammates to surround the Three Young Masters and asked about the Olympics.

The "hostility" at the Olympics did not affect Zhang Yang's relationship with the two men. In Felton's words, this time it was a "tie."

The record is 7 wins and 1 loss, and both teams only lost to the opponent.

This party can be regarded as a signal from the fat boss to his younger brothers - get ready, the new season is coming!
(End of this chapter)