Basketball Fanatic: Genius Is on the Left

In a Kaifeng restaurant in Manhattan, the briefcase is on the side, Rich Paul is eating hamburgers and fried chicken, Zuo Li looks out the window, Christmas Eve is coming, even the bustling Manhattan seems to be a little depressed, and the shops on the street are closed. 90% of the total, even this Kaifeng dish was hard to find.

"Slow down, man, it's not enough." Zuo Li has never eaten Kaifeng food when he came to the United States. In America, a fast food country, the quality of Kaifeng food is the worst. Except for the large quantity and cheap price, you won't find any of his food. advantage.

But Rich Paul still ate deliciously. He made a hamburger in three bites and swallowed a chicken leg in two bites. He looked really hungry.

While Rich Paul was in a hurry to fill his stomach, Zuo Li also recalled the memory of Rich Paul in his mind.

When he passed through in the last life, Rich Paul seemed to be one of the most influential agents in the NBA industry. He was the apex of the pyramid. Many people compared him to Mendes in the basketball world, which shows his influence.

Zuo Li knew him naturally because he was the agent of LeBron James. In 2012, James fired his second agent, Leon Rose, who was influential in the industry, and then worked with Rose for many years. Rich Paul of the partnership opened a player agency.

With the help of James, he constantly signed some new stars and superstars. In the era when Zuo Li passed through, he owned more than 20 stars, including many big names such as James, Simmons, Davis and Thompson, according to the annual 2.5% -4% commission share, Rich Paul earns at least about $6 million a year in brokerage alone, not including his other properties.

And James' success is inseparable from the help of Rich Paul. Rich Paul, as James' big housekeeper, not only handled James's off-court trivial matters well, but also helped James recruit a lot of reliable helpers.

In the business map of James in later generations, Rich Paul is full of figures in all aspects. It can be said that he is a rare talent, so that when James is mentioned in future generations, it is difficult not to mention Rich Paul, just like C Lo and Mendes.

It is said that the encounter between the two is quite legendary.

The two met next to an airport in Ohio in 2002. At that time, Rich Paul was a vendor selling retro jerseys near the airport. By chance, the two met at the airport.

Instead of his usual polo shirt that day, Rich Paul wore a jersey of legendary NFL quarterback Warren Moon. And James, was wearing another famous quarterback Michael - Vick's jersey. The end result is that James bought the jersey from Rich Paul, and Rich Paul and James left contact information for each other.

It is said that Rich Paul took out the jersey that James wanted on the spot.

After that, James introduced Rich Paul to his second agent Leon Rose's company, CAA, to learn experience and accumulate contacts.

By 2012, Rich Paul set up his own agency, KlutchSports, and of course, James became his first client.

Everyone knows the story after that.

This made Zuo Li think of poaching. He has been struggling to find a suitable agent. In the NBA, a good and suitable agent is not easy to find. Of course, he can learn from most players and rely on a well-known agent. broker, but what guarantees you can expect from there, it's hard to say.

For example, the Thunder's Noel rejected the Mavericks' offer of 70 million for 4 years and insisted on asking for a maximum salary of 130 million for 4 years.

As a result, the Thunder can only sign a minimum salary next season, and as the season progresses, Noel still has signs of falling out of the team's rotation.

This was all based on the advice of his agent at the time.

A suitable agent is more important than everyone imagines. The NBA is both a sport and a business.

After Zuo Li crossed, of course, he also thought of Rich Paul, but in Zuo Li's impression, Rich Paul met James in 2002, and he should be by James's side now, he has missed the best time, Zuo Li Never thought about it again.

Unexpectedly, I will meet here unexpectedly today, which makes Zuo Li think of poaching. Of course, he still needs to confirm some things.

"Sorry, I'm so hungry. I only drank a glass of ice water from Los Angeles." Rich Paul put down his bones embarrassedly, took out a tissue and wiped his hands, looking at Zuo Li's half-smile expression, Chi Paulo scolded himself for being useless, and almost forgot his business. If he couldn't get it right this time, he would have missed the best opportunity.

"Mr. Zuo Li, I am here on behalf of CAA, and I invite you to join us. We will provide you with the best help. Whether it is the draft or the endorsement, I believe we are your best choice."

Rich Paul was about to take out the information in the bag as he spoke, but Zuo Li stopped him.

"Dude, did LeBron let you come or Leon Rose?"

Rich Paul was shocked: "How do you know that I know LeBron?"

It is only 2004, UU reading www. uukanshu.com He is just a nobody. James is already a famous little emperor in the United States. He even went to Athens in the summer. Although he was beaten up, how could he be compared to a little guy like him, although he was indeed introduced by James. He went to CAA to work for Leon Rose, but he usually had little contact with James. After all, Leon Rose was not James' agent at this time.

"I'm also a player. For a guy like James, of course, the information will be very complete." Zuo Li shrugged. How reasonable is this reason? Which of those people around the great players will not be found by the pervasive media: " You just need to answer the question, I have to know who is recruiting me."

"It's Leon Rose. You should have heard of him. He is one of the biggest agents in the NBA right now. We are owned by CAA. You should also know that CAA is the biggest acting agency..."

"So it is..." Zuo Li was calm on the surface, but he was already laughing in his heart. It turned out that Rich Paul had entered CAA and worked with Leon Rose, and if Zuo Li remembered correctly, James' current agent It was still Aaron Goodwin, the guy who helped him sign super contracts with Nike and Coca-Cola.

That is to say, the current Rich Paul and James are far from the indestructible alliance of later generations, and the opportunity for Zuo Li has come!

But it's not easy.

Think about it, Zuo Li is still in high school. Although he is famous, he is far inferior to James at this moment. Although Rich Paul is still down, as long as he hugs the big tree of James, sooner or later There is a chance to soar.

Zuo Li, what does Zuo Li have?