Carrying an old science teacher with him

Chapter 15 Not Shaking and Speechless

What exactly is a labor dispute?

"Labor disputes are simply a matter of employees wanting higher wages, while those who pay wages want lower wages."

"I understand now."

In April 2005, Wang Kai was nearing high school graduation, and he turned down offers from as many as ten prestigious basketball colleges.

This includes renowned NCAA universities such as Syracuse, Duke, USC, and UCLA.

After Wang Kai made it clear that he would run for the NBA after graduating high school, the top NCAA schools stopped bothering him.

Following that, a large influx of agents arrived.

There's Yao Ming's American agent, Bill Duffy; LeBron James' current agent, Goodwin, who is about to be fired by James; and Leon Rose, the publicly known agent who is about to snatch James' agency contract on May 9th.

However, at Kobe's urging, Wang Kai did not have much contact with the aforementioned people; he was waiting for Kobe's current agent, Pelinka.

This is part of Kobe Bryant's many plans to save himself in the future.

Because the situation was changing too quickly, Kobe Bryant had to change his plans time and time again, which truly illustrates that plans can never keep up with changes.

Old Ke's current plan is not to contact the current Ke directly, but to reach out to the people around the current Ke to see if Wang Kai can give Old Ke the opportunity to say what he wants to say.

After helping Montverde win an unprecedented four-peat, Wang Kai's reputation had already grown to a certain extent in North America. Otherwise, so many prestigious universities wouldn't want him to join, and so many agents wouldn't want to represent him.

Yao Ming's success is right before our eyes. Bill Duffy and a certain team in Houston made a fortune from this center who couldn't even sell his shoes.

Now, there's a Chinese perimeter player who's under twenty years old, who hasn't proven himself in the NCAA but has already proven himself in high school. Who wouldn't be tempted?

Internationally renowned sports brand giants, including Nike and Adidas, are also preparing to actively communicate with Wang Kai.

It's easy to see that Wang Kai's popularity has increased significantly by this time, which is why Lao Ke (Old Ke) wanted to get close to the people around Xian Ke and subtly remind him.

However, what frustrates Kobe is that Pelinka, who currently only has Kobe and Fisher under his wing, doesn't seem to be very interested in Wang Kai and hasn't contacted him at all.

At the end of April, Montverde College held an early graduation ceremony for Wang Kai alone. This first foreign player to win the Best Player award in the school's history deserved Montverde's attention. It can be said that it was Wang Kai's arrival that led them to their glorious path.

The reason for holding an early graduation ceremony for Wang Kai is that the deadline for entering the NBA draft this year is May 14, while the graduation time for most high schools in Florida is in late May. So, in order not to delay Wang Kai's participation in the draft, Montverde held an early graduation ceremony for Wang Kai alone.

Almost everyone in the small town of Montverde attended Wang Kai's graduation ceremony. At the ceremony, the school wished Wang Kai a bright future, and Wang Kai also wished the school a bright future.

Montverde benefited from the "demographic dividend" from the East, so they have begun to build scouting teams, especially scouting teams in China, hoping to find a second or third Wang Kai from China's vast population.

Wang Kai never imagined that he would contribute to the future of Chinese basketball in this way.

The day after his graduation ceremony, Wang Kai announced his participation in this year's NBA draft.

By then, in 2005, as many as seven high school players had announced their participation in this year's NBA draft, including Martel Webster, Andrew Bynum, Gerald Green, CJ Miles, Monte Ellis, and Louis Williams, as well as Wang Kai.

After Wang Kai officially announced his candidacy, Kobe finally got Pelinka.

Pelinka came to Florida in person to see Wang Kai.

"Hello, Mr. Pelinka, it's a pleasure to meet you."

While receiving Pelinka, Wang Kai observed the movements of Old Kobe in the space.

This time, Kobe Bryant indeed stopped shaking.

"Yes, I knew it! Haha, this time it'll definitely work. Kid, talk to this guy first, then I'll tell you a secret. You tell him, 'Hello, Mr. Pelinka, the 'Secret Service Officer'."

"Hello, Wang, it's a pleasure to meet you too. Kobe watched your game and he's very optimistic about your future. Perhaps you two can work together in the future."

Pelinka didn't act like a traditional agent; instead of saying what he would bring to Wang Kai, he expressed Kobe's high regard for Wang Kai.

Kobe knew Pelinka better than his wife knew him; he knew exactly what kind of agent Pelinka was.

As Kobe Bryant said, Pelinka is actually a "secrecy officer" and "signing officer" with layers of packaging. He does not actively manage player transactions, but acts as a liaison between players and teams. He provides advice to players, but the final decision is up to the players themselves.

Compared to some other well-known agents, Pelinka actually finds it difficult to gain the favor of some players.

This is why Pelinka only had two players under his wing in 2005. Those players who are all brawn and no brains need agents to make decisions for them, and then they play, earn money, and spend it.

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Pelinka. I am also a Kobe fan, and I would very much like to work with Kobe if given the opportunity."

"Wang, what are your thoughts on the upcoming draft? Do you want to go to the East or the West? What kind of team do you want to join? I need to understand your thoughts in order to make a corresponding plan. This is what I can do for you first. If you are satisfied, we can sign a contract. If you are not satisfied, then I will not bother you anymore."

"Haha, this guy is still the same as always. Quick, ask him, about that secret service officer."

"Mr. Pelinka, I wonder if you know anything about 'insurance...insurance...', oh, I mean insurance, player insurance, this league should have that, right?"

"Yes, Wang, although you are young, your idea is good. Insurance is indeed very important, after all, your health is your asset."

Pelinka was still explaining insurance to Wang Kai, while in Wang Kai's space, Lao Ke had already sensed something was wrong.

"What's wrong with you? Why don't you tell me? If you tell me, this guy will understand what happened to you."

"Damn it, I suddenly can't remember that word. It's right on the tip of my tongue, but I just can't say it."

"Sigh, I've stopped shaking now, but you're speechless. This is terrible; the plan has to be changed again."