NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 662 Nike's Triggering Terms

The Clippers also received good news: their new home arena, IntuitDome, has been renovated and inspected, and will be put into use in the new season.

Although the name of the new arena has not yet been announced to the public, the Clippers already know about it. The Chinese name for "IntuitDome" is "Intuition Dome," and Jia Fei thinks it's actually a decent name.

With their own arena, the Clippers no longer need to share a home court with the Lakers at Staples Center, nor do they need to keep changing the floor. They can comfortably and openly hang their championship banners above the arena.

Located in Inglewood, southwest of downtown Los Angeles, the arena can accommodate over 18000 fans. Its most distinctive feature is a 51-row home fan section behind one side of the basketball hoop, where wearing opposing jerseys and supporting the opposing team are strictly prohibited.

After the arena was completed, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invited Jia Fei to visit the new venue. Ballmer was very happy and had a smile on his face the whole time, as if he were introducing his masterpiece.

Jia Fei knew that building such a venue would cost a lot of money, which would be a huge sum for ordinary people, but for Ballmer, it was just a small amount of money.

The NBA business is a major source of revenue for the Buss family, but for Ballmer it's just a hobby.

Although Ballmer spent a lot of money after acquiring the Clippers, the team's value has increased several times over since he took over. The Clippers are now among the league's most valuable teams, a far cry from their previous state.

"Jia, I really don't like celebrating victories in other people's arenas. Next season we'll have our own arena, and I want to see you all standing on the highest podium again!" Ballmer said with a smile as he looked at Jia Fei.

"I really look forward to that moment. Thank you for your trust and support, boss!" Jia Fei said solemnly. Indeed, it is rare to find a boss like Ballmer who unconditionally trusts him, gives him so much autonomy, and supports them.

"Not at all, it's my greatest fortune to have you join us!" Ballmer smiled and gave Jia Fei a big hug.

The scene was somewhat homoerotic, and even the assistant standing nearby got goosebumps.

The Clippers' new arena will be ready for use before the season opener, meaning they can hold their third championship ring ceremony in the new arena.

However, due to a severe cold, it's highly likely that Clippers fans will be unable to attend games to cheer for their team next season, which is somewhat disappointing. Building a dynasty is usually a grand event for both the team and its fans, but the championship parade has been cancelled, and fans may not be able to attend the ring presentation ceremony, which is naturally a bit of a letdown.

But there's nothing we can do. For everyone's safety, even if we can only see this exciting moment on TV in the end, many Clippers fans will be content. The virus may take away some of our freedom, but it can't take away the honor the Clippers have earned or the joy of their fans.

On the other hand, Jia Fei's shoe endorsement contract is being negotiated between his agent Jeff Schwartz's team and Nike, and the negotiations are now at the final stage.

Nike's lifetime contracts were agreed upon from the beginning; the only difference is the addition of clauses.

Jia Fei's lifetime contract is similar to Jordan's Running Man contract; he doesn't receive endorsement fees but instead receives a share of the sales revenue from his personal brand.

Jordan's lifetime contract is a 5% perpetual profit-sharing right to the AJ brand, while Running Man's lifetime contract is a 5% profit-sharing from the sales of his personal product line.

Unlike Jordan, Jia Fei doesn't have a dedicated AJ platform. His personal product line consists of his signature shoe series, which currently brings Nike at least $10 billion in revenue annually.

If we calculate based on a 5% profit-sharing ratio, his annual profit-sharing would be at least $5000 million. That's no small sum; most NBA stars wouldn't earn that much in a single year on a contract.

However, Jia Fei seems to be dissatisfied with this plan; he doesn't want to be like the Running Man cast.

Ultimately, Nike compromised and proposed a new plan. The new plan followed the same principle as the previous one: no endorsement fees, but a share of the sales revenue from their personal product line. However, the share of revenue was not a uniform 5%; it varied.

The specific change is that the basic profit-sharing ratio is also 5%, but if Jia Fei meets certain requirements, he can trigger new terms and the profit-sharing ratio will reach 10%!

The trigger requirements are as follows: 1. Win your 6th regular season MVP.

2. Won their 7th championship

3. Received his 7th FMVP award

The new clause can be triggered if any two of the above three conditions are met.

In short, Jia Fei needs to surpass Jordan, it's that simple.

For many star players, these clauses are simply impossible, god-like clauses, but for Jia Fei, they are not impossible. In fact, he is currently the only active player in the league with a chance to surpass Jordan; there is no one else.

他目前是5MVP4冠4FMVP，他需要再拿1MVP3冠（或3FMVP），就可以触发了。

Although it wasn't easy, he did have a chance.

Moreover, even if it doesn't trigger in the end, he can still get a 5% base dividend rate, and he can still get more than $5000 million in dividends every year (assuming his equipment sales do not increase in the future).

Nike did offer Jia Fei other options; one option was a base profit-sharing percentage of 6% with no additional terms.

Jia Fei chose the former without any hesitation. He was confident in himself and wanted to obtain high returns because it was a lifetime contract, which would not only affect his present but also his income after retirement.

Just think of Jordan. He's been retired for many years now, but he still gets a lot of money from Nike's revenue sharing every year.

Don't underestimate this money; its advantages become apparent when your income drops after retirement.

Another reason Jia Fei made this choice was to give himself a goal and some pressure, otherwise he would really lose his pursuit.

Year after year, season after season, even with continuous success, one can get tired. Jia Fei hopes this clause will give him another goal to pursue, so that he won't end up like Jordan, who chose to retire for two years after winning three consecutive championships.

Due to the impact of the severe cold, the NBA canceled its regular media day this season, and teams went directly to training camp.

The Clippers' training camp has begun in full swing, and they ultimately did not make any further trades, sticking with the same 15-man roster. Two two-way contracts have also been finalized, one for a center and one for a point guard, both undrafted players.

This decision was made after Jia Fei and the "Logo Man" (a nickname for a player with a prominent logo) discussed it, because the team had the fewest players in those two positions. Although there would definitely be no shortage of players during regular time, players on two-way contracts are meant to be a backup plan, so that if injuries do occur, at least there are other options.