Hongxing, this sports brand, is an anomaly.
Because the company's products are of good quality and low price, but have too many domestic elements, many young people don't like it.
Deng Huasheng is also stubborn and doesn't want to imitate foreign designs.
If it's said nicely, it's imitation; if it's said nastily, it's plagiarism.
Many other domestic brands are copying, and their sales are not bad.
This made Deng Huasheng feel helpless.
However, he is a person with great vision and broad mind, and he has been sticking to his own path.
He loved playing basketball when he was young, so he has always followed the NBA.
Some domestic brands also want to sign a few NBA players, but NBA players simply don't think highly of Chinese domestic brands.
Even if they do sign, they are basically minor players with little fame, which does not significantly improve brand competitiveness.
Deng Huasheng also thought about signing NBA players, but he only wanted to sign Chinese players.
Unfortunately, Da Yao has already signed with another brand, and Yi Jianlian has also signed with another brand.
Deng Huasheng knows that his Hongxing Sports has too little influence and doesn't have the courage to proactively contact other stars.
"Li Feng, I saw your brilliant performance at the Olympics, which made my eyes light up. At that time, I had an urgent idea to cooperate with you."
"Unfortunately, you were still in college at the time, so I could only wait."
Li Feng nodded slightly, seeing the sincerity in Deng Huasheng's tone, which was rare.
"Mr. Deng, let's be direct... In fact, many sports brands want to cooperate with me, but I only want to cooperate with Chinese brands, so I chose your Hongxing Sports."
Deng Huasheng repeatedly said excitedly, "Then I am truly fortunate... Don't worry, I will definitely offer the most sincere price."
Li Feng shook his head and said in a deep voice, "The signing price can be discussed slowly. I don't value money too much, but I have my principles."
Seeing Li Feng's seriousness, Deng Huasheng also straightened his body and nodded, "Please speak, I am all ears!"
"It's like this, I don't consider myself a big star, but I must adhere to my principles!"
"First, the product quality must be up to par. If there are problems, I will terminate the contract immediately!"
Deng Huasheng extended his right hand and replied seriously, "You can rest assured about this. I, Deng, will never engage in fraudulent activities! If there are quality issues, you don't even need to say it, I won't forgive myself!"
Li Feng was satisfied with Deng Huasheng's answer. He had learned before that Hongxing Sports' product quality was indeed good, with first-class materials and workmanship in China.
"Second, I will do my best to help the cooperating brands shoot commercials and other promotional activities, but I must review the scripts and proposals in advance. If I am not satisfied, I will absolutely not cooperate!"
Deng Huasheng replied with a smile, "No problem at all. To be honest, I have also learned about your character. You are an extremely patriotic player, and this is what I value the most!"
Seeing that Deng Huasheng agreed without hesitation, Li Feng continued, "Good, the third condition is to develop the international market as soon as possible, especially in the United States, by building factories and speeding up supply."
At this point, Deng Huasheng did not immediately answer; he was hesitating.
"What's wrong, Boss Deng? Do you lack confidence in building factories overseas?"
Deng Huasheng sighed and explained, "It's like this, the styles of our Hongxing Sports have a very obvious imprint of Chinese style. Young people abroad probably won't like it, so..."
Li Feng smiled, "No, as the saying goes, what is ethnic is also global! As long as the marketing is successful, Chinese style will definitely be accepted by foreigners!"
Deng Huasheng still lacked confidence, lowered his head in silence, and tapped his right hand on the table.
Li Feng frowned, "Boss Deng, since you are sincerely cooperating with me, you don't just want to grab a share of the domestic market, right? Then your ambition is too small."
Deng Huasheng gave a bitter smile, "Alas, you don't know, it's not that my ambition is small; the sales in recent years have given me little confidence..."
Li Feng leaned forward, stared into Deng Huasheng's eyes, and raised his voice, "Boss Deng, I know it's difficult, but since you've signed me, you have to believe me. I will sell your products worldwide."
"Don't let it be too late if you still have to ship from China!"
Although Li Feng didn't understand business much, he knew the impact of shipping speed on customer experience.
Seeing Li Feng's certainty, Deng Huasheng took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind.
"Okay, then I'll go back and discuss it with the management. I personally trust you!"
Li Feng knew this was not a small matter. Deng Huasheng was the company's helmsman and could not agree easily; he definitely needed to discuss it further with his think tank.
"Alright, these are my three conditions. You can go back and discuss them carefully. I'll wait for your news!"
"No problem, thank you, Mr. Li Feng, for your frankness. I will give you a reply as soon as possible."
The two shook hands. This was a historic moment. An international brand would be born in the near future!
Bill Duffy had been listening quietly. Seeing that the two had basically reached an agreement, he came out to lighten the mood.
"Haha, you are both straightforward people. Now that the important matters are discussed, let's eat something!"
The three of them put aside work matters and began to feast like old friends.
The Chinese restaurant had a very good and authentic taste, unlike some Chinese restaurants that claimed to be Chinese but had mediocre flavors.
...
The next day, Li Feng trained as usual, not distracted by the signing.
The Knicks' next regular season game was at home against the Hornets.
The Hornets were Michael Jordan's team, but his judgment was average, and the players he selected seemed to have little potential.
The Knicks won easily at home without much effort, defeating the Hornets.
Li Feng played only 24 minutes, scoring 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists.
It could be seen from this game that Li Feng was not someone who cared about statistics; as long as his teammates could win the game, he was content to cheer for them from the sidelines.
The next game was another major NBA showdown!
That was the Knicks going on the road to challenge the Los Angeles Lakers!
The Lakers were the defending champions and were in strong form!
Kobe, with four championship rings, looked down on everyone and was the hottest star in the league.
Although Li Feng had been on fire recently, he was still young and had not achieved any substantial honors or achievements.
Therefore, many people who were jealous of Li Feng were waiting for this game, hoping Kobe would teach this top pick a lesson!
Li Feng was also looking forward to this game because the team had already won nine consecutive games.
If they could achieve a ten-game winning streak against the Lakers, it would be a great boost to the morale of the entire Knicks team!
...
The Knicks team arrived in Los Angeles two days in advance.
While watching the Lakers' game footage, the entire Knicks team was very focused, as they were facing the defending champions and felt a lot of pressure.
The Lakers had a record of 6 wins and 3 losses this season, and their form was not too good.
Defending champions were usually like this because after playing in the finals, the players were tired and needed to adjust during the offseason.
Also, teams that had won championships didn't pay too much attention to regular season records.
Because winning a championship was a huge attraction for a player.
The Lakers had a well-balanced roster, with Bynum and Gasol in the interior, Odom and Metta on the wings, and Kobe, Fisher, Shannon Brown, Farmar, Vujacic, and others in the backcourt.
From a roster perspective, the Knicks' chances of winning were almost zero.
However, the NBA had never been a league that only looked at book strength; upsets often happened.
Moreover, the Knicks, with their nine-game winning streak, were the number one team in the league. Even if they won, it wouldn't be considered an upset.
During pre-game practice, interior defense became the focus of the Knicks' training.
With Li Feng on the perimeter, the Knicks would not be too far behind the Lakers, but the gap in the interior was truly too large.
Bynum was known as the "Little Shark," and his strength alone could wreak havoc under the Knicks' basket.
Pau Gasol's playmaking and post-up skills were very suitable for the Lakers and would make the Knicks' interior players very uncomfortable.
Therefore, during practice, Li Feng took on the role of an assistant coach, providing guidance on interior positioning, box-out techniques, and defensive habits.
...
This heavyweight matchup became the focus of media hype over the past two days.
Kobe had a huge number of fans, and they took this opportunity to attack Li Feng.
Li Feng also had a considerable number of fans, and the sheer volume of Chinese fans led to counterattacks.
The forums were very lively, with arguments and flame wars everywhere.
The media naturally did not miss the opportunity to interview the parties involved.
During pre-game practice, reporters wanted to conduct interviews, but coach D'Antoni refused them all.
By the time of the pre-game press conference, there were a large number of reporters, filling the interview hall.
Li Feng had considerable experience dealing with the media, but even he was somewhat surprised by the scene today.
A reporter quickly asked, "Mr. Li Feng, the Knicks have won nine consecutive games. Do you think the Lakers will break your winning streak?"
Li Feng shrugged and replied with a smile, "I have never thought about winning streaks; they are not important. What I need to do is give my all in every game!"
Another reporter asked, "Kobe has expressed to the media that he will wait for you in the NBA and will teach you a lesson in his own way. What do you think?"
Li Feng magnanimously replied, "Kobe is my idol, and I do have a lot to learn from him, so I have been looking forward to this game for a long time!"
Seeing Li Feng's composed answers, the reporters were a bit disappointed.
"Mr. Li Feng, in your last game, you scored 78 points, just 3 points shy of Kobe's personal scoring record of 81 points. Do you think you will break his 81-point record in the future?"
Li Feng replied with a serious expression, "I have never taken this record lightly. Of course, Kobe's 81 points are a testament to his scoring ability, and I admire him very much!"
The reporters were in an uproar, thinking that this rookie truly had a great mindset.
Little did they know that Li Feng was a transmigrator with a very mature mindset. His goals were ambitious, so why would he be arrogant and complacent about this data?
Another reporter asked, "The Lakers are the defending champions, but their start to the regular season hasn't been very good. Do you think the Knicks have a chance to win?"
Li Feng pondered for a moment and replied, "I think there's a chance, but not a big one. The Lakers, as defending champions, are a strong team. We just need to execute our game plan. The outcome isn't that important; it's just the regular season."
...
The Lakers' press conference was also very lively.
Kobe looked stern as he faced the reporters.
"Mr. Kobe, the Knicks have won nine consecutive games, and Li Feng's stats are also explosive. Do you think the Lakers can win?"
Kobe sneered, "I won't let the Knicks win ten games in a row. I will show Li Feng what the defending champions are capable of!"
Seeing Kobe's confidence, another reporter pressed further, "Li Feng scored 78 points in his game against the Celtics. Did you watch it?"
Kobe nodded, "Of course. That was a remarkable game. Li Feng played very well, not like a rookie at all."
The reporter then asked, "Do you think Li Feng will break your 81-point record one day?"
"Of course!" Kobe said confidently, "He is still a freshman rookie, still growing. 78 points is definitely not his limit!"
"But then again, if he is only satisfied with regular season statistics, he will not become a superstar!"
Kobe's advice was very reasonable and sincere.
"Mr. Kobe, the Knicks are currently dominating, and they have a good chance of reaching the Finals. Have you studied their playing style?"
Kobe nodded, "We have studied it. The Knicks' play style is clear and team-oriented, making them a strong opponent. Frankly, I am also looking forward to this game."
"Because I met Li Feng at the Olympics and witnessed his strength, and he is constantly evolving, which is terrifying!"
This was the first time Kobe had described an opponent as "terrifying" in an interview.
Reporters familiar with Kobe knew that Kobe held Li Feng in high regard.
However, no matter how highly Kobe evaluated a player, he would go all out on the court, even playing harder.
It was even possible that Kobe would engage in trash talk on the court.
...
During pre-game warm-ups, Kobe did not greet Li Feng, nor did Li Feng greet Kobe.
But they exchanged glances from afar.
The reporters carrying cameras promptly captured this moment.
...
To prevent his teammates from being nervous, Li Feng kept joking with them.
But the other Knicks players were still very nervous; it was evident from their expressions.
Li Feng had a vague feeling of unease but had no good solution; he could only hope to boost morale during the game.
...
At 8 PM, Staples Center.
Lakers versus Knicks.
The Knicks' starting lineup was Li Feng, David Lee, Gallinari, Duhon, and Jeffries.
The Lakers' starting five were Kobe, Bynum, Gasol, Fisher, and Metta.
At the tip-off at center court, Bynum easily secured the ball for the Lakers.