Chapter Seventy-Three: Officially Joining the National Team

As the global spokesperson of Hummer's reboot plan, Zhang Kong took the lead in obtaining a top-of-the-line Hummer HZ, signing this endorsement, Rich Paul is not only to earn some endorsement fees, but most importantly, he believes that cooperating with a large group like General Motors will help to enhance Zhang Kong's influence as soon as possible.

What's more, he thinks that the appearance of the Hummer fits Zhang Kong's image very well.

For a player, as long as he has extremely strong ability, if this is not counted, then it is enough to add all kinds of honors. But for an idol, that's not enough.

After joining CAA, Rich Paul did not stop learning, but instead absorbed all kinds of experience and knowledge, and he deeply understood how important it is for an idol to maintain a positive and very characteristic image.

Rich Paul has always been committed to helping Zhang Kong build his own image business card, and in Rich Paul's view, Zhang Kong's joining the national team and signing with Hummer are both important parts of it. The tough characteristics of the Hummer fit the tough guy image that Zhang Kong showed on the field.

Making Zhang Kong the spokesperson of a new generation of tough guys is what Rich Paul is aiming for now. Joining the national team is a top priority, and national team honors are a very important part of personal honor for any player. No matter how good a player is, if he can't achieve great things at the national level, his glory journey will be a little incomplete after all.

Of course, he will not give up any interests because of this, and when he received a phone call from Zhang Kong asking him to discuss the matter of joining the national team with the representatives sent by the Chinese side to enter the national team, he completely put himself in the position of Zhang Kong's interests.

The final result was very satisfying to Rich Paul and very satisfying to Zhang Kong. According to Rich Paul's request, Zhang Kong has the right to refuse to participate in the Asian Championships and warm-up matches, commercial competitions that consume a lot of physical strength but have little meaning. Originally, this was enough for Zhang Kong, he is not the kind of training maniac who has no way to live without basketball, and he is also ready to use the NBA vacation to enjoy life.

Now that everything is more or less discussed, the two sides have also met under the arrangement of Rich Paul. The person in charge sent by the Basketball Association this time is still Li Changwu, and Zhang Kong's feeling of Li Changwu is quite good, and it can be said. In addition, Li Changwu also called Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian to meet together.

In fact, there is nothing important to discuss when they meet, just to confirm Zhang Kong's participation in the national team, and to communicate by the way. Yao Ming knew about this matter for the first time, and also knew that the negotiations had been going well, and congratulated Zhang Kong on joining the national team.

In fact, he is very excited in his heart, Zhang Kong's strength, his performance in the NBA is obvious to all, such a powerful figure has joined the national team, which will inevitably bring earth-shaking changes to the national team, Yao Ming is also full of expectations for this summer's Olympic Games, and even shouted the slogan of competing for the gold medal after drinking a few more glasses of wine.

Of course, he is not worried about Zhang Kong affecting his status in the national team, first of all, although Zhang Kong is the center forward position when he is registered, but on the field, more often he is in the position of power forward, and he can play both positions, and he has no conflict with himself in the position.

Second, Zhang Kong is only twenty years old after all, and he has just entered the national team, and Yao Ming has spent more than ten years in the national team, and his foundation is extremely deep.

Moreover, he also knows that he is 27 years old this year, as a center forward, 27 years old is the peak of his golden years, Yao Ming is very clear about his body, frequent injuries and heavy game tasks will definitely lead to him after this peak period will begin to decline rapidly, at that time it is not a big deal for him to hand over the national team flag.

Yao Ming thought that after playing this year's Olympic Games and the London World Championships for another 10 years, it would be time for him to hand over power.

As for the so-called 'winning gold', it is not just a drunken gaffe, Yao Ming really has some ideas about this year's Olympic Games, originally thinking that as long as he reaches the quarterfinals, even if he completes the goal and advances to the semifinals, it is to exceed the task. However, since Zhang Kong has joined the national team, this goal should also be transferred, the top four is basic, and the gold medal may not be able to fight hard!

has been working hard in the NBA for several seasons, and Yao Ming himself can feel that with the Rockets' lineup and urine nature, in this era when superstars have begun to huddle, there is almost no possibility of competing for the championship. The only honor he can win is at the national team level, if he can win an Olympic gold medal in his career, even a bronze medal, and complete the breakthrough of zero medals in the national men's basketball team, his career will be complete.

Zhang Kong couldn't hear Yao Ming's thoughts, after all, he didn't have that kind of experience. And Yi Jianlian probably couldn't hear it, he was too introverted, and he didn't intervene next to him when the three of them were chatting hotly, just sat like that, and I don't know how he could sit still.

But Li Changwu heard the meaning of Yao Ming's words, and immediately smiled and said: "Da Yao, don't worry, this national team is the one that our country hopes for the most, and there is absolutely no one to engage in partisan selection in terms of player selection, and they are definitely the best ones selected, I can give you a ticket here, absolutely no one in the whole country can hold you back, you just put down your burden." ”

"Haha, Director Li, what are you talking about, let's work together, aren't we?" The topic was diverted with a smile on his face, but Yao Ming's heart was really relieved, the water of the national team is very deep, and if you don't wade in it yourself, you will never know how many unspoken rules are hidden here, and the selection of national team members is one of them.

If the men's basketball team really made any great achievements in the Olympic Games, not only China's face is bright, but the provinces themselves are also cheap, in this case, each province will want to send its players to the national team, once it is done, the benefits and influences of all parties are not a word or two can be said lightly.

And for the sake of balance and interests, the team side often chooses a policy of compromise and equalization. For example, Guangdong Province has three players in the national team, and when the players are selected, they can't be selected from Guangdong, even if the player in this position is obviously the best in Guangdong, they can't be picked from there, and they have to take care of other regions......

It's a fuck-up thing, but it's also a rule. If you are in this system, you have to follow this rule, and if you don't follow this rule, we will kick you out.

Isn't society formed under the constraints of all kinds of rules?

However, now with Li Changwu's assurance, Yao Ming knows that the country is ruthless in the Olympic Games and the men's basketball team this time, and he is determined to produce results.

In fact, the Basketball Association and the Basketball Management Center also have their own considerations in this regard. Football is the world's number one sport, but football has been completely stinky in China over the years, and in the domestic football world, there is really no one who can be a signboard.

In the past, there was also a 'Chinese Sun' Sun Jihai, who could still hold on, and the 2002 South Korea-Japan World Cup finals reached a peak. But now the national football team is not as good as a year, Sun Jihai is also in his thirties, and his position in Manchester City is gradually unstable, and it is no longer enough to be a signboard.

On the contrary, it is basketball, a few years ago, there was a Yao Ming, who gained a firm foothold in the NBA, not to mention, this year there are Sun Yue, Yi Jianlian and Zhang Kong, at a glance it is really vibrant, and there is a faint meaning of suppressing football. The meaning of the basketball management center is to take advantage of this Olympic Games to overpower football in one fell swoop.

If football continues to lose at the Olympics, basketball can win medals for the first time. From now on, the position of the largest ball in China will fall on the head of basketball, and the status of the basketball management center and the basketball association will naturally rise. There are countless considerations for this......

But no matter what, this time the Basketball Association and the Basketball Management Center are stiff in their necks to support the National Olympic Team, for which I don't know how many people have been offended, this time the Basketball Association and the Basketball Management Center are betting very big, and more importantly, he Li Changwu gambled very big, this time he did not hesitate to bump into Xin Lancheng to ensure that the situation of the national team is not wrong or missing, if it fails, although you can use the old excuse of feeling the stone to cross the river to prevaricate, but in the future, you will definitely have to eat and hang down, wear small shoes, but if it happens, then he is far-sighted, Great work.

The position of the chairman of the Basketball Association, after this session, I can't say that I can't let myself go up and sit. Li Changwu is also a very ambitious person, he is only in his forties now, in the officialdom, this is the time when he is in the prime of life, if he does not climb up at this time, when his hair is gray and he is old, there will be no chance to climb up.

For this reason, he can be said to have gambled most of his chips on this Olympic Games, and only hopes that the national team combination of Zhang Kong and Yao Ming will not let himself down when the time comes.