The Whip of the God of Basketball

Rich Paul's experience is also quite legendary. Because of a chance encounter, he met LeBron James. From then on, he entered the circle where black people can rise to the top in one step, and began a life completely different from the past. He used to be nothing more than a hawker selling jerseys.

After James unexpectedly fired his agent Goodwin and switched to Leon Rose, Rich Paul served as James's assistant and became a member of his negotiation think tank.

In the summer of 2006, James signed a three-year, $60 million contract. James could have signed a longer and bigger contract, but the kid clearly had longer-term ideas, and Rich Paul was one of the people who helped James plan his ideas.

Of course, after spending more than a year in the NBA, Rich Paul found that this circle is far more narrow and closed than he imagined. Fairness and justice simply do not exist here. The NBA pursues the most naked law of the jungle. The strong take all, the weak get some scraps, and the weakest are eliminated from the circle and go to make a living elsewhere. Everyone from coaches to players to agents must abide by this rule. If you can't do it, just walk away.

As a half-way agent, Rich Paul currently does not have any resources except for the big tree of James. He wants to take the path of an agent, and now James has signed with CAA. Under the leadership of Leon Rose, Rich Paul himself and several other friends of James have opened a marketing company to specifically serve James.

Rich Paul wants to learn how to be an agent, but you can't make it in this world if no one wants to play with you. CAA has its own unique features in management, but it is very unfriendly to people like Rich Paul who are halfway around the world. It is not easy for him to get into CAA.

Therefore, on the one hand, Rich Paul must continue to hold James' thigh tightly and hope that James will continue his magical performance on the court and grow into a true superstar; on the other hand, he needs to continue to expand his Personal connections, lay your own foundation of connections in the NBA circle.

And now, under the dim light of the bar room, more than one meter away from him, sat a unique boss in the industry, a true legend. In fact, when this man approached Rich Paul a few days ago and said that he wanted to meet in Los Angeles, Rich Paul felt a little excited. After all, from an experience point of view, this man has a lot to learn and learn from, although there are some There are things that he can neither learn nor do in his lifetime.

The lighter's flame burned for more than ten seconds, and finally the Cleopatra was ignited, and light blue smoke began to rise and fill the air.

Leon blew out a smoke ring. He felt a sense of relief and relaxation after not smoking a cigar for a long time. He took another one out of his pocket and threw it to Rich Paul, saying: "Light it."

Rich Paul was more respectful than obeying the order, and also lit a cigar for himself. Now the distance between the two people was suddenly shortened. In Rich Paul's impression, Fox Leon has always felt cold and ruthless, but now it seems that he is still very humane and very understanding.

Think about it, in the NBA circle, Fox Leon may not be well-known among coaches, top stars and fans, but in the eyes of agents, ball managers, reporters, ordinary players, employees and scouts, this guy is It's literally everywhere. He is well-informed, powerful, omniscient, and omnipresent. And these people are actually the cornerstone of the operation of this alliance. Without a superstar, the league can create another one. Without a magical coach, there are many great guys in college, but without those unknown scouts, workers, and managers, the NBA cannot even hold a draft.

This is the real power of Fox-Leon, and why he can help the aging Boston Celtics regain their glory without high-end connections.

Of course, Rich Paul knew that this meeting was not to praise Fox-Leon. He took the initiative to come to the door, and there must be something to discuss. Although Rich Paul feels that, as things stand, nothing is operational. James still has two years left on his contract. He just wants to play well in the Cavaliers and strive to bring a championship to Cleveland.

As for business cooperation or anything else, according to Rich Paul's understanding, Fox-Leon has no interest in business investment. He only knows that this guy has amazing gambling skills and is very good at financial investment. James doesn't like gambling. People who have long-term plans rarely like gambling. As for finance, this thing has never been something black people like to touch.

Therefore, Rich Paul didn’t know what Leon wanted to do.

Taking one step at a time, the two started chatting while smoking cigars. Rich Paul was a familiar guy, and Leon was very knowledgeable. There was nothing he couldn't talk about. As a result, the two of them were in the private room of the bar, smoking cigarettes, without women and without alcohol, chatting for nearly an hour. They chatted and talked nonsense. Rich Paul discovered that Leon was actually different from those elite NBA coaches and managers. He was born on the streets of South Boston and had the experience of being in jail. Many of the things he said made Rich Paul understand. They felt the same way, so the two of them got along very well.

After the conversation, Leon no longer needed to say he wanted to meet LeBron James. Rich Paul called James directly. The two met directly and started drinking, smoking and talking in a private room. Rich Paul wanted to invite some girls to come over to accompany him, but Leon refused. He bluntly said that his wife was pregnant now and he was not interested in such things. The same is true for James. He is one of the few black players who has strict requirements on his own style.

James is only 23 years old this year. What a terrifying young man. Whether it is his ability on the field or his maturity off the field, Leon admires him very much.

What’s even more frightening is that such a terrifying young man currently seems to have no chance of winning an NBA championship, because Leon knows that with the Cavaliers’ lineup and operational capabilities, their team building and tactical guidance will not be the best in the Eastern Conference. He can't beat the Celtics. Not only can they not beat the Celtics, but they may also be no match for other emerging strong teams.

And this is the terrible and valuable thing about the NBA. No matter how good you are, you will still not achieve true success without the strength of the team.

Of course, the most terrifying thing is the operation of the Cavaliers. This team that once changed the league's trading rules is always suffocating.

This 23-year-old league superstar looks a little shy in front of Fox Leon. He doesn't talk much. He listens carefully to everything Leon says. But that doesn't mean he's obedient. Leon told a lot of interesting things about the league, and also told him some tactical tips on how to defend against him during the game, which was very useful to James.

From the beginning to the end, until the three people left the bar, Leon did not express any opinions on James' future plans. He just said, "Phoenix will enter the finals this season. If possible, I hope to wait for you in the finals." Obviously, this is not a negotiation, but a meeting that enhances the relationship between the two parties and is the beginning of people in the circle becoming friends. .

By the way, he also mentioned short selling U.S. real estate. James's attitude towards this was that he could give it a try because he believed in this super gambler, although he himself didn't know much about financial real estate. James left Leon the phone number of his good friend Carter, who was in charge of business, and then the two parted ways and went back.

This was the first time James had met privately with the legendary coach since he entered the league. Although he felt that he had an agenda, he felt that there was no trace to be found. On the basketball court, James will remember him firmly because he made himself suffer a lot when he was with the Celtics. Now, he remembered him even more because he realized that this person might be able to help him fulfill his ultimate dream in the future.

However, it is still unclear who helped whom.