NBA's King of Talking

Jia Fei was selected for the Rising Stars Challenge, and Kemba Walker immediately sent his congratulations. He was also selected, so now that they were both chosen, they could play together again. Lamb and Reggie weren't selected, and they were quite envious.

Sharapova also sent a congratulatory message; she is currently playing in the Australian Open.

Jia Fei's selection didn't cause much of a stir in the US, and even less so in China. It's worth noting that he's not the first Asian to be selected for the Rising Stars Challenge; even among Chinese Americans, Jeremy Lin was selected before him! For Chinese fans, Yao Ming was already an All-Star starter, so being selected for the Rising Stars Challenge isn't surprising at all.

That makes sense. Chinese fans have a high threshold for recognition now. They don't really care about All-Star status anymore, since Yao Ming was selected multiple times. Championships aren't anything special either; Yao Ming and Sun Yue have both won them. If Jia Fei were to win a regular season MVP or Finals MVP now, they might be a little surprised.

Less than three hours after Jia Fei was selected, he received a call from his agent, Jeff Schwartz. He was curious as to why his agent was calling him at this time.

Schwartz was as direct as ever: "Mr. Jia, Nike wants to continue its cooperation with you."

"Oh?" Jia Fei was both surprised and unsurprised. He was surprised because it seemed that the one-year contract between the two parties had not yet expired, and talking about it now would be considered an early renewal negotiation; he was unsurprised because Nike, a company with deep pockets, could attract him with the labels he carried. The timing was quite intriguing, as he had just been selected for the All-Star Rookie Challenge in the middle of the season.

Being selected for the Rising Stars Challenge demonstrates his exceptional talent among second-year players. Even as a substitute, being a core rotation player on a championship-contending team carries more weight than many starters on weaker teams.

“They want to sign you to a multi-year contract extension!” Schwartz said.

Jia Fei smiled slightly. This was truly shrewd business acumen! He was currently in the rising phase of his career, but not yet a star player. Signing him a multi-year contract at this time was tantamount to securing his equipment endorsements for the next few years. If he developed into a star or even a superstar during the contract period, Nike would make a fortune. Of course, it was also possible that he would quickly decline, and they wouldn't be able to earn this money. But even if he quickly declined or even left the NBA immediately, his current title as the Asian Slam Dunk Contest champion and his selection for the Rising Stars Challenge would generate a surge in popularity. Plus, the endorsement contract was signed early, making it difficult to lose money.

"Mr. Schwartz, the contract renewal they've proposed shouldn't be too high, right?" Jia Fei asked.

"Yes!" Schwartz was somewhat surprised that Jia Fei, a young man who was not even 21 years old, could guess so accurately.

“Okay, Mr. Schwarz, you can help me negotiate the contract. I trust you, but I have one request: the contract should only be for one year!” Jia Fei said calmly.

“Okay, I’ll negotiate!” Schwartz agreed. Actually, from his perspective, he wasn’t too keen on getting Jia Fei to agree to such a long-term contract extension. He could see his client had great potential, and signing a child labor endorsement contract early would be more beneficial than harmful. But he hadn’t expected Jia Fei to be so confident, choosing to sign only for one year. This was risky, and in this league, many young people who hadn’t earned much money were unwilling to take such risks, even if there was a possibility of excess returns. Everyone wanted certainty, but certainty meant you couldn’t have excess returns; you can’t have your cake and eat it too.

After ending the call with his agent, Jia Fei remained calm as always. He couldn't just focus on immediate gains; he needed to think long-term. He was confident in himself; as long as he continued to perform consistently for the team, he wouldn't have trouble securing endorsement contracts. His goal was the playoffs—the higher-level stage. If he could deliver a stellar performance in the playoffs, next season's contract and commercial endorsements would be a piece of cake.

On January 21st, the Thunder suffered a last-second defeat to the Nuggets on the road, ending their winning streak. They then went on a three-game winning streak, defeating the Clippers, Warriors, and Kings. In their final game of the month, they lost to the Lakers on the road, concluding their month's games.

At the end of this month, their record stood at 36 wins and 9 losses, maintaining their position as the top team in the Western Conference.

There has been a lot of discussion about the Thunder... Last season they finished second in the Western Conference and made it to the NBA Finals. This season they have a good chance of finishing first in the West, which has made many people who were not optimistic about their prospects hesitant to talk too much about their pessimistic views.

Many still believe the Thunder won't go much further in the playoffs this season compared to last season. This view isn't limited to the media; many NBA legends, coaches, and players share this opinion because last season they had three young stars, while this season they only have two. However, some argue that young players like Jia Fei have matured this season, making the team's defense better than last season and giving them a stronger chance in the playoffs.

Jia Fei doesn't care what others think of them; as long as he's on the court, he'll do his best to help the team win. As for where the team can reach this season, he believes that results are earned through performance, not boasting.

Maria Sharapova was defeated by Chinese star Li Na in the Australian Open semi-finals, failing to reach the final.

The two were video chatting, and Jia Fei was comforting her...

"Do you know Li Na?" Sharapova asked.

“I know her, but she doesn’t know me…” Jia Fei joked.

Sharapova laughed... She thought Jia Fei was really quite humorous.

"I really like China. The food there is so delicious that I can't help but eat more, but my coach won't let me eat too much. It's really a dilemma!" Sharapova said, sticking out her tongue playfully.

This action made Jia Fei's heart skip a beat.

"Have you ever been to China?" Sharapova asked.

Jia Fei didn't know how to answer this question. He was a time traveler, having always lived in China and never left the country. But now, he was a Chinese American, living in the United States and never having been to China.

"No!" Jia Fei shook his head again. This couldn't be considered a lie; there really wasn't one.

"If possible, let's go together sometime!" Sharapova said with a smile, her eyes filled with anticipation for the future.

"Okay, sure!" Jia Fei certainly wouldn't refuse. Why would he? If he refused to go out with a girl like that, he would be going against his original intention, which would be wrong.

February has arrived...