NBA's King of Talking

Jia Fei's performance was nothing compared to Linsanity's, so major sports media outlets across the United States did not give much coverage to his performance in the game.

He himself doesn't care about any of this; isn't it good to develop in a low-key manner? Those media outlets are masters at "praising to death," and if he gets arrogant, he'll have to bear the consequences of the backlash himself.

Let's take it one step at a time, before we have absolute strength!

The Thunder players stayed overnight in Philadelphia and set off for Orlando the next morning for a back-to-back game against the Magic.

Playing back-to-back away games is the most tiring. Not only do you have to play consecutive games, but you also have to stay in hotels you're not used to and endure long journeys. After the All-Star break, the Thunder will embark on a three-game road trip in the Eastern Conference before returning home for four more games.

Given that Sefolosha will miss several matches, Jia Fei will continue to play as a substitute in this game.

This isn't Jia Fei's first time in Orlando. Last month, he participated in the All-Star Slam Dunk Contest in the city and won the championship. Moreover, the venue for this away game is the same as the All-Star game venue.

At noon, Jia Fei received a call from his agent, Jeff Schwartz. He didn't expect to receive a call from him at this time and felt that his agent should have something to say to him.

After the call connected, Schwartz's calm voice came from the other end: "Hello Mr. Jia, this is Jeff Schwartz. Nike wants to work with you and has offered you an endorsement contract. I have sent part of the contract to your email. Please check your inbox!"

"Okay, okay, thank you for your hard work, Mr. Schwarz!" One thing Jia Fei liked about Schwarz was that he rarely talked nonsense, often got straight to the point, and spoke concisely without beating around the bush or rambling.

After ending his call with Schwartz, Jia Fei took out his phone, went to his email, and checked the contract. He had some questions in his mind: what was the deal with Nike hiring him as a spokesperson?

The contract was simple; it mainly involved him becoming a Nike spokesperson for a one-year term. During this period, he would receive sports equipment from Nike, including sneakers and socks, and the endorsement fee was $100 million.

Jia Fei suddenly realized, "Oh, it's this endorsement deal." These kinds of endorsement contracts are very common in the NBA. Big companies like Nike and Adidas will release signature shoes for superstars, but they also sign promising young stars in the league to endorse their products. The amount of the endorsement fee reflects how much they value you.

For Jia Fei, $1 million is a huge sum, but for many star players, this endorsement fee is just a drop in the bucket. Back in 2003, Nike offered LeBron James, who was then a rookie, a seven-year, $87 million endorsement contract, averaging over $10 million per year.

Jia Fei thought to himself that a major reason Nike had chosen him was because he had won this year's All-Star Slam Dunk Contest! This title was definitely a great selling point for shoes. Back in his junior high school days, Vince Carter's dunks and his top 5 plays were everywhere. Wearing a pair of Carter's Nike basketball shoes with air vents back then made you a king in your class.

But the All-Star Game ended several days ago, so why is an endorsement contract only being offered now? Jia Fei speculates that it might be related to his recent move into the rotation. Being in the rotation means he has more exposure in the league, which helps him survive in the league. If a dunk champion is always on the bench, even if he's signed, there's no economic benefit. Companies are profit-driven; few people will do things that don't generate profit. As an industry leader, Nike naturally wouldn't sign a dunk champion who could disappear from the league at any time.

As for why the contract is only for one year, it's easy to understand. Jia Fei's contract with the Thunder is only for two years, and next year is still partially guaranteed and is a team option. Theoretically, the team can cut him at any time.

Even so, Jia Fei accepted the endorsement contract without hesitation. "Your strategy of avoiding long-term contracts to mitigate risk seems like a safe one, but it's not entirely bad for me. Once I establish myself, the next endorsement contract with me won't be at this price!"

Jia Fei immediately called Jeff Schwartz back, telling him that he agreed to sign the contract and asked his agent to handle the signing process.

In the NBA, the reason why agents are so keen to find commercial endorsements and business collaborations for their employers is because they earn higher commissions in these areas.

Schwartz was pleased with Jia Fei's straightforwardness, which naturally made their collaboration even more pleasant.

That evening at Amway Arena, the Magic's home arena, the Thunder began practicing before the game.

Jia Fei had been observing Durant's pre-game training and noticed that Durant was very serious about both regular and pre-game practice. While he might not have Kobe's insane training regimen like "Los Angeles at 4 a.m.," he was still a truly exemplary worker.

In this respect, Harden, who is also one of the Thunder's "Big Three," is not as good as him.

The starting lineups for both teams were quickly announced. The Thunder's starting lineup was the same as in the previous game, with Daequan Cook continuing to start.

The Magic still have a lineup of one inside and four outside players, a lineup that helped them reach the NBA Finals back in the day.

After the game started, both sides played with high defensive intensity, making scoring difficult. While Howard may not be able to go up against Yao Ming, he can certainly dominate a short and stocky big man like Perkins.

On the Magic's side, no one can stop Durant.

During the official timeout in the first quarter, Jia Fei and Reggie were sent back onto the court together. At this point, the Thunder's lineup consisted of Mohammed, Collison, Reggie, Harden, and Jia Fei.

The Magic's lineup consisted of Dwight Howard, Glen Davis, Chris Duhon, Earl Clark, and JJ Redick.

Jia Fei was assigned by the team to defend against the opponent's sharpshooter, Redick.

The score at this point was 15-17, with the visiting Thunder trailing by 2 points.

Reggie dribbled the ball across half-court and passed it to Harden.

Harden used a screen to exploit Davis's slow footwork, but Davis immediately chose to double-team him!

Harden passes the ball to Reggie on the perimeter, and Reggie then passes it to Jia Fei in the corner!

Jia Fei received the ball and decisively took a three-point shot, but unfortunately it missed!

Howard easily grabbed the rebound and passed it to Duhon to dribble over.

Redick is making crazy off-the-ball runs in the half, like a rabbit from the top line to the bottom line, and then from the bottom line to the 45° angle.

But Jia Fei relentlessly pursued him, and he couldn't shake him off at all.

Earl Clark tried to overpower Harden in the low post, but he couldn't move him at all!

Harden is a guard, while Clark is a power forward; they couldn't even score against such a mismatch.