Basketball Terminal

Chapter 17 Salary
Just as Li Wei stepped out the door, his phone vibrated again. He took it out and saw several missed calls and text messages, all from Scott Mitchell. Seeing so many calls, Li Wei suddenly had a premonition and quickly called back.

"Hey, this is Victor. Sorry, I just got home for dinner and left my phone in my room."

"Damn it, where do you live? I've been looking for you for ages! You're not answering your phone or replying to your texts!"

“Hong Le Laundry Shop, I’m at the door.”

Five minutes later, Scott Mitchell's Saturn SUV pulled up in front of the laundromat. Mitchell complained, "I should have taken you home; you had to get out halfway." Levi said, "I wanted to buy a roast duck. What's up with calling me? Is it good news?" Mitchell laughed and said, "Get in, I'll tell you."

"Did I pass the trial? Are you trying to tell me this good news?"

"Oh, please, sometimes being too smart isn't a good thing."

From Scott Mitchell's tone, Li Wei's guess was confirmed. He clenched his fist secretly; his efforts had finally paid off, and he had taken a crucial step! Joining the Long Island Nets officially launched his professional career. Li Wei also thought that if he could get a decent contract, his financial problems would be solved, and he wouldn't have to help collect debts anymore. However, Li Wei still didn't know the specifics of the contract, how much he would get, or when he would be paid.

Thinking of this, Li Wei opened the car door, sat in the passenger seat, and said, "Let me buy you a cup of coffee."

Actually, I'd rather visit your home.

"When I have the chance in the future, I'll go out anyway, let's go."

Mitchell wanted to learn more about Levi's family and other personal information to prepare for his later feature article. Levi, on the other hand, wanted to know about the contract and his time playing for the Long Island Nets. Mitchell knew it was a bit early to go to Levi's house; he had enough patience to follow this lead. He had spent a long time loitering around the area trying to tell Levi about his successful tryout, and the police were watching him.

The two found a Starbucks in a shopping mall and sat down. The area had regained its nighttime liveliness and prosperity, with mostly Asian faces coming and going, and occasionally a few white and black people.

If a Chinese person were to arrive here without any preparation or prior notice, they would likely assume it's a commercial plaza in a third- or fourth-tier county town.

Mitchell described the news he had just received over the phone to Levi, explaining that the Nets would send a notification tomorrow, at which point his professional career would begin. Although he had already guessed it, Levi was still very excited to hear it from Mitchell himself, and he thanked Mitchell.

"What achievements have you had before? Playing in the NCAA, or... some other league?"

"Without results, my performance in the NCAA was terrible."

"So how did you improve to this level and pass the Nets' tryout?"

"Hard training, diligent study, and... a bit of luck."

Could you elaborate?

While chatting, Mitchell took out a small notebook to make some notes, and in his mind he was weaving an inspirational story about how a young Chinese-American from a humble background gradually made his way to a professional basketball career through hard work, and this story had only just begun.

Li Wei tried to make the story more plausible. He recounted his experience of being bullied in high school, how he found redemption through basketball, and how he underwent a complete awakening, experiencing a physical and mental transformation. Mitchell was excited by this storyline, especially the trope of finding a way out and redemption through basketball after being bullied in high school. This is a popular narrative template today—the struggle of marginalized minorities against fate—and this subject matter is definitely not problematic.

After giving Mitchell the story he wanted, Levi asked about his biggest concern: contract salary. Mitchell told him that the starting salary in the Development League was $3.7, with contracts typically lasting one to two years, offering little security and low pay, making it a poor value proposition.

"If we're talking about salaries, overseas leagues like those in Europe, China, and the Philippines offer much higher salaries. They range from hundreds of thousands to millions, making the G League seem rather low. But it's still one of the highest-level leagues outside the NBA, for reasons you understand. People come here not for the money, but for a chance to succeed and make it to the NBA. Everything in the G League is modeled after the NBA, from its management system to its rules. Everyone playing here is a potential NBA player, with only one goal: to be noticed by an NBA team and reach the highest stage."

Li Wei nodded in agreement. Joining the Development League was not the end, but a beginning, a beginning that might never reach the end, because most players in the Development League couldn't even get a 10-day contract in the NBA.

But for that seemingly unattainable dream, many people are still willing to strive here, and Li Wei has now become one of them.

Afterwards, Li Wei asked some more detailed questions, such as how the salary was paid, how much tax and insurance was required, etc. Mitchell answered them one by one, saying that the Development League was similar to the NBA in every way except for the salary level. The salary was paid monthly, twice a month, once on the 1st and once on the 15th.

Of course, you can choose either the 12-month disbursement or the 6-month disbursement, depending on your own financial situation.

Mitchell also made a prediction: for players like Levi, whose resumes aren't impressive and who were selected through local player trials, their first contract will definitely only have a basic salary, which is $37,000. After deducting 15% income tax and some insurance fees, they will get a little over $30,000.

"If you choose to receive all the money in 6 months, with paychecks twice a month, you will receive... $2580 each time."

Mitchell pulled out a calculator and showed Levi the basic guaranteed salary for a G League player. $2500 for half a month was a considerable sum for Levi, enough to cover his daily expenses and training.

Thinking about this, Li Wei felt much better, and he ordered another coffee for Mitchell.

"You'll have to cover a lot of your own expenses at work; the team won't reimburse you. You'll have to pay for your own meals outside the stadium, and if you go to the gym or training facility, you'll have to pay for your own transportation and training fees. Medical care, hiring trainers, etc., will all be charged separately. Oh, of course, this G League will be held at Disney, so you don't have to worry about transportation and accommodation."

Scott Mitchell had spent many years in the lower leagues and had written numerous feature reports and popular science articles about lower-level players. He was very knowledgeable about these things, so he didn't hesitate to tell Li Wei so that he would have a general idea. Li Wei, of course, knew the hardships of playing professionally at the bottom. He had experienced these things firsthand when playing in China and the Philippines, and they were all pretty much the same.

However, he still expressed his sincere gratitude to Mitchell, as he would need Mitchell to help him gain fame in the future; adults can only become friends if they have mutual benefits.

After chatting for more than half an hour, Mitchell offered to take Levi back to Hong Le Laundry after leaving Starbucks. Levi, however, said, "No need, I have some things to do here, you go ahead and do your work." Mitchell didn't stand on ceremony, said goodbye and left, telling him to keep in touch if anything came up.

Li Wei took out a stack of receipts from his bag, each marked with an amount, phone number, and name. Although he was about to sign a contract with a monthly salary of 5000, he still wanted the money back, though he wasn't in such a rush anymore.

After browsing for a while, Li Wei saw a receipt for "Young and Beautiful Women's Clothing and Makeup Store" for $2000. The debtor was Kim Mi-won. Li Wei remembered seeing her in the store before. She was a tall and beautiful Korean woman who stared at him seductively when he signed for the payment, her eyes practically radiating charm.

Unfortunately, Li Wei was too timid at the time and immediately lowered her head, not daring to look. As a result, when they checked the accounts later, they found that she had shortchanged her by $150. Li Wei was afraid of being scolded and slowly made up the difference with her own pocket money.

"Alright, I'll start with you."

(End of this chapter)