When the Demon Deacons returned from St. Louis triumphant, every player unconsciously puffed out their chests, watching the students and townspeople on both sides of the street waving and cheering at them along the pre-arranged bus parade route.
However, on the day of the parade, every time Zack high-fived the pretty college girls around him, he felt a pair of intensely murderous eyes staring at him.
"I'm just expressing my joy to my supporters," Zack said righteously, turning to look at Rachel, who was standing right behind him.
But the next second, Rachel mercilessly tore off his mask. "Great Final Four MOP, if you're expressing joy to your supporters, then why are you only high-fiving the young and pretty girls?"
Seeing this, Zack didn't bat an eyelid and said, "You know, I've always been good at finding beautiful things... just like right now, I only have eyes for you."
Hearing that, Rachel playfully punched Zack, then suddenly whispered, "Lynn Merritt wants to meet with you."
Zack nodded. "I definitely need to meet this important figure who's been pushing me from behind."
After March Madness concluded, since both Zack and Paul publicly announced their intention to declare for the draft this year, the NCAA's various regulations regarding college players naturally became void. Of course, before proceeding to hire an agent, Zack could still choose to stay in college for another year.
However, considering the NBA teams' current eagerness to acquire him, Zack absolutely wouldn't choose to imitate his senior. Zack knew very well how difficult those years were for tanking NBA teams from 1995 to 1997. In short, it was a tough period where half the league was praying for Duncan to enter the NBA quickly and stop torturing each other.
Moreover, compared to continuing to hone his skills in college basketball, having already tasted the sweetness of a championship and showcased his potential as a franchise cornerstone to NBA teams, Zack currently had an urgent need to enter the NBA and continue improving himself. Because in the visualized data of the [Summit] System, there was a clear prompt:
As the host's current ability value continuously increases, only higher-level games and training can help the host better realize their potential.
On the 14th, Zack, gradually settling down from the joy of winning the championship, met with the Nike executive who had been secretly building hype for him, at a coffee shop in Winston-Salem. Although this was Merritt's first official meeting with Zack, Merritt had already established a partnership with Zack last year through Rachel, his "undercover" contact.
Therefore, at the beginning of the meeting, Merritt, skipping the pleasantries, went straight to the point. "We hope you can become a Nike endorser."
Since Zack hadn't yet hired an agent, Merritt didn't discuss too many specific details about the partnership with Zack during this meeting. Instead, he directly showed Zack Nike's sincerity.
On the coffee table, a pair of red-and-white sample shoes with-style patterns embedded on the side of the sole immediately caught Zack's eye. This was a tactic Professor Vacarro had given Merritt: when recruiting a sure-fire money-maker like Zack, don't just talk about future promises; put genuine sincerity directly in front of him.
"I haven't thought of a name for these shoes yet, but I believe they will definitely become an excellent aid for you in the future," Merritt told Zack.
It truly was an excellent aid. Zack knew very well that at the end of his sophomore year, when he was just a lottery pick in mock drafts, the reason he became viewed as a potential No. 1 pick at the beginning of the 2004-05 season was definitely due to Nike's relentless promotion behind the scenes.
Through Rachel, this "undercover" channel, Nike first had Ira Berkow, a highly influential New York Times reporter, create an image for him as a "prodigal son" who had turned over a new leaf, with immense untapped potential. Then, as the season progressed, the numerous news reports that praised him to the high heavens gave Zack a momentum comparable to Duncan's back in the day.
Although, based purely on his on-court performance, Zack absolutely deserved the "potential No. 1 pick" title, Nike's behind-the-scenes promotion greatly accelerated this process, giving him commercial value comparable to star players even before entering the league.
Yes, a "son of ###" with extremely high commercial value before entering the league was Nike's ideal partner. Especially after experiencing the loss of Yao Ming.
Historically, to remedy the consequences of losing Yao Ming, Nike almost always included agreements requiring their NBA star collaborators to promote products in market. For example, LeBron James, whom Nike signed for an exorbitant price in that three-way battle, accepted this agreement when he signed with Nike (Note ①).
"I really like these shoes, but right now, I still need a reliable agent. Do you have any good suggestions?" Zack asked Merritt that day.
Hearing this, Merritt initially wanted to recommend Aaron Goodwin, who had always maintained a good working relationship with Nike. However, recalling LeBron James' recent complaints about Goodwin's overly controlling nature, Merritt, knowing that Zack had already started planning his future through people around him since his junior year, immediately thought of another excellent agent.
"How about Jeff Schwartz? He just recently went solo and started a company called Excel Sports."
Jeff Schwartz? Perhaps he wasn't famous yet, but Zack knew that in fifteen years, he would become the most powerful agent in the entire NBA.
As an articulate agent who was extremely skilled at marketing his players' images, Schwartz's future classic achievements included marketing Anthony Bennett as a No. 1 overall pick and convincing all NBA management that James Wiseman was the undisputed second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Indeed, those NBA general managers who were sweet-talked by Schwartz probably wished they could skin him alive afterward. But for players, a talent like Schwartz was absolutely a rare and valuable mentor and friend. Moreover, despite hating Schwartz's manipulative tongue, many teams still had to be grateful to him. For example, in the future, after the Lakers and Russell Westbrook had irreconcilable differences, Westbrook was able to escape Los Angeles through Schwartz's maneuvering. Furthermore, knowing that Westbrook at the time desired honor more than salary, Schwartz never demanded excessive amounts from teams that wanted him.
"Whatever my clients want, I give them. If they want a big contract, I'll fight for it. If they want to compete for a championship on a minimum salary, I'll immediately help them contact teams that can contend for a championship."
In this life, Zack indeed planned to build his own team in the NBA. However, for now, both Rachel and Evans needed time to grow. So, shortly after Merritt introduced Schwartz as an agent, Zack immediately decided to interview Schwartz.
Although Schwartz wasn't as well-known at this time as he would be in the future, having worked as a sports agent since 1992, he was no longer a novice. Having a good relationship with Merritt, he had already accumulated a certain network within the industry.
"If I sign with you, what can you give me?"
"I can't take care of your every need like some player managers do. But when you need me, I will always stand behind you."
With that, Schwartz directly presented Zack with his past success stories.
"Many NBA teams currently want me to accept their tryouts. What do you think about that?"
"Reject them. Reject all of them."
"Why?"
"Because we'll only try out for the team that gets the first overall pick."
It must be said that Schwartz truly left an excellent impression on Zack during this interview. Throughout the interview, Schwartz was logical and never made empty boasts. Additionally, judging by the existing successful cases he presented, he had already established good working relationships with several media outlets. For Zack, who was about to enter the commercial league that is the NBA, this was definitely a plus.
So, after asking Schwartz about his future business plans for him, Zack successfully reached an agreement with Schwartz. The two signed a four-year contract. In it, Schwartz would collect 4% of Zack's player contract as compensation. As for commercial endorsements, Schwartz would take 10% of Zack's commercial contracts as his fee.
Overall, it was a fair and equitable contract where the player and agent were on equal footing at the time. Although Schwartz would deduct the highest percentage allowed by NBA regulations (4%) from Zack's player contract, in reality, given Zack's current commercial value, his commercial contracts were clearly the larger portion. According to industry standards, Schwartz could have demanded a maximum of 20% of the commercial contract remuneration.
But Schwartz, believing in earning his keep, felt that since Zack's current commercial value had nothing to do with him, and it was their first collaboration, he didn't want to leave Zack with the impression of being a leech.
"In the future, if I successfully elevate your commercial value, then in our next collaboration, I will definitely demand higher commercial remuneration, but that is not now," Schwartz said after signing a series of agreements with Zack and obtaining his relevant authorizations.
"Ronnie is my close comrade-in-arms from college. Next, I plan to have him shadow you and handle my affairs during NBA games. What do you think about that?" Zack asked Schwartz.
Hearing this, Schwartz smiled. "That's a good thing. Your foresight fully demonstrates that you're ready for the NBA. Once you're drafted, your friend can not only learn from me, but I'll also help him apply for a Player Liaison position with your team. This way, he can make all the arrangements for you when you're playing or traveling."
Unlike Goodwin, who always disdained the people around his star clients, Schwartz knew very well that with changing times, every NBA star needed a few absolutely trustworthy people around them. Since Evans was someone Zack trusted, Schwartz naturally found a way to help Zack train Evans.
"Regarding your media liaison, do you also want to arrange someone you trust?"
"I already have someone in mind for the media liaison, but she won't graduate until next year."
"Then, before she graduates, I'll select a reliable assistant from my company to help you deal with the media."
Since the internet had already become a crucial platform for NBA stars to promote themselves, even though Zack trusted Schwartz's marketing abilities, he still needed Rachel, who was close to him, to oversee things. This summer, Zack planned to have Rachel intern at Nike headquarters again. After all, when it came to promoting and building sports and images, Nike headquarters was the best "university."
However, that day, when Rachel saw the media liaison Schwartz had arranged for Zack, she, who was still wondering how to "educate" Zack that evening, was suddenly dumbfounded. The beautiful young lady, with Slavic ancestry and a striking resemblance to Marina Aleksandrova, the actress in Catherine the Great from Zack's memory, had a pair of "peaks" on her chest that Rachel couldn't hope to match, no matter how much she tried to "turn over" them.
Honestly, Schwartz, true to his word, indeed arranged a very "reliable" assistant for Zack. Hearing this, Rachel, having swallowed a whole jar of jealousy, sighed and said, "This is the most complete defeat I've ever had."
Hearing this, Zack chuckled. "Who says you lost? How do you know I only like the big ones and not the cute ones?"
Seeing his expression, Rachel blinked her big eyes and asked, "Really?"
"Really," Zack said without batting an eyelid.
With the agent confirmed, the details of Zack's collaboration with Nike would now be handled by Schwartz. As for tryouts? Before the lottery results were announced on May 25th, Schwartz had already officially announced that Zack would not participate in this year's NBA Draft Combine or accept individual team workouts.
At this moment, Zack didn't need physical test data or game performances from the Combine to prove himself. Historically, many future No. 1 overall picks would make the same choice. For example, Victor Wembanyama, famous before Zack's transmigration. Of course, compared to Ben Simmons, who was so arrogant that he even rejected all team tryouts before his draft, Schwartz still hoped Zack would accept the invitation to try out for the team holding the No. 1 pick after the lottery results were out, as was customary.
In short, Zack's current reputation and popularity dictated that he would be the one interviewing the team that won the No. 1 pick, not the other way around.
May 25th. ESPN had been hyping it for almost a month as the Day of Destiny. That day, the teams with a chance to win the No. 1 pick were quietly waiting for the answer to be revealed. And Zack, Rachel, and Evans were eating hotpot while waiting for the team that would win the No. 1 pick.
Before the lottery ceremony began, Evans asked curiously, "Which team do you hope wins the No. 1 pick?"
Hearing this, after scanning the teams that had a chance to win the No. 1 pick, Zack replied, "Would you believe me if I said none of these teams are to my liking?"
Evans nodded. "Of course, I believe you. But that's how it is for NBA players; you don't have a choice, or rather, you can't decide which team you play for early in your career."
Zack, who didn't deny this, mused, "So, let's see which team will be the lucky one to take my 'first blood' in the NBA..."