“Now that you have received your advance from the 76ers, what are you planning to do?” Jeff asked later that night.
The 76ers have advanced 50% of Julius's salary in the evening in order for him to settle down in Philly. Jeff had already taken his cut and was currently in a good mood.
“Get back home. There are still 4 months before the season begins. I need to settle my affairs in Brooklyn,” Julius spoke nonchalantly.
“That's right, but make sure to buy a house here. If needed, you can bring your family over. In fact, it is better if you do so. I don't think I should remind you about what happened to Jordan’s father. So, better play it safe.”
“I will see if I can get you any endorsements. With your draft pick, it will be somewhat hard. But, there is hope for some local companies in Philly as the 76ers have only chosen two rookies this season. Until the 76ers choose to bring in someone famous from the free market, there is some hope.”
“Don't worry, the 76ers are rebuilding currently. So, they wouldn't sign any big names anytime soon. They will probably continue this trend for a few years,” Julius shook his head and replied.
“That's good,” Jeff nodded. “This way, there is still some hope. If you perform well in this season, you will probably get more exposure at least locally.”
Julius nodded and looked away.
It was the norm for newly joined players to appear in some endorsements in the city where each NBA team hailed from. But if a big star transferred or a hot rookie appeared, the chances for ordinary newcomers to get some endorsements would be gone.
Sharone Wright may be a #5 pick from the draft. But, he wasn't a hot rookie like Glenn Robinson, Grant Hill, and Jason Kidd. So, there are still some chances for Julius to land an endorsement. As for the possibility of a star player being brought to the 76ers, the possibility was close to zero. If Julius remembered the timeline right, the 76ers will be a non-factor in the next two seasons until Allen “The Answer” Iverson joined.
So, Julius still had some hope for landing some endorsements. This will be Jeff's primary task in the next few weeks, along with searching for a suitable home for Julius in Philly.
Since Jeff's departure from Philadelphia was delayed due to these matters. Julius was scheduled to depart for New York the next morning. They were currently discussing some details that they needed to iron out before Julius leaves for Brooklyn.
“Nike, Adidas, and Converse are willing to offer you a sponsorship contract. The details are similar, so there is no difference in choosing any of them. You can buy any of their products for under $50,000 and wear them on the court. However, you can only wear their products after choosing a brand. So, choose carefully.”
“Let's go with Nike. Since there is no difference, let's not waste time. Moreover, I kinda love the jumpman logo on their new shoes,” Julius replied immediately.
Choosing a brand is not a small thing. Sometimes, the equipment one wears on the court will affect their performance. Most ordinary shoes are not built to withstand the wear and tear of high intensity games. Using ordinary shoes would sometimes make one more prone to get injured. The constant jumping, running around, and the sudden breaking, if the shoes of the player was not equipped to deal with these constant abuse, then a mishap occurring is entirely possible. So, it was better to go with established brands.
“All right. The training camp will begin at the start of October. Exact date is yet to be finalized. I will inform you once it is confirmed. Make sure you arrive on time. And maintain your fitness in the meantime.”
“Got it” Julius nodded.
Julius didn't plan to slack off in the next three months. It was July now, he still had three months to hone his skills to a higher degree before the training camp begins. It would also make it easier for him to impress the coaches and staff and enter the rotation lineup sooner.
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“That's about everything you need to k…”
The phone in the hotel room began to ring interrupting Jeff's words. Jeff frowned a bit, bit took the call. His impatient expression morphed into surprise, then shock, and finally turned into anger.
Jeff slammed the phone down and breathed hard.
“Bastards, I knew something wasn't right when they urged to sign the contract as soon as possible. I should have delayed,” Jeff spoke angrily and started pacing the room in agitation.
“What happened?”
“We got played by the 76ers,” Jeff spat. “If we have waited for one more day, the situation might have changed. We could have negotiated a better contract for you. Sigh!”
“What's the matter?” Julius asked already having an inkling of an idea what this was all about.
“Glenn Robinson's contract will probably become the biggest rookie contract to be signed in the history of the NBA. He and his agent are asking for a 13 year, 100 million contract. If it is signed, it will be the biggest rookie contract to be signed in history,” Jeff said, his face turning grim.
“Also, we can use that as a standard and negotiate for better conditions if we hadn't just signed the damn contract today,” Jeff grit his teeth. He looked ready to murder someone.
“That's a damn big one. Are you sure that the Bucks will even pay that much?” Julius asked curiously.
“Who cares!? That's not the important factor. Once the news breaks, the standard for a rookie contract will become higher. We could have demanded some better terms for your contract using this news. Alas, unfortunately, we signed the contract already,” Jeff lamented a little.
“The 76ers must have known. The news will break tomorrow. That's why they rushed to sign the contract today. Conniving bastards,” Jeff cursed.
Julius didn't speak. In a way, he was glad that he signed the contract today. Because, from tomorrow onwards every media interview would be accompanied by a question about the big contract. It would be hard to not step on any toes while answering them.
“Heh, we are not even the worst ones,” Jeff chuckled a little evilly. “Sharone Wright's agent must be writhing in pain now. If Wright had not signed today, he could have definitely asked for a better contract tomorrow. As a #5 pick, he has the capital to bargain for more. Wright must be pretty mad at his agent right now…”
Jeff trailed off a bit at the last moment. There was an evil sparkle in his eyes at the moment. It really made Julius a little uncomfortable.
“Whatever, what's done is done. Let's not waste time on it. Don't dwell on it much. You have a flight to catch tomorrow. Go and have a good rest,” Jeff spoke in a hurry and ushered Julius out of his room, urging him to rest up early.
Julius first thought that Jeff was not in the mood to talk after hearing the news about The Big Dog's contract demands. So, he didn't mind it much and took his leave. But, right when he was unlocking the door to his room, the evil sparkle in Jeff's eyes flashed across Julius's mind, causing him to pause in his actions.
It made him a bit uncomfortable. He was worried that Jeff would do something crazy and affect him. But after laying on the hotel bed and thinking about it a bit, Julius figured it he was worrying needlessly.
The contract was signed. So, no matter how Jeff raged, the 76ers wouldn't pay any attention. As for the future, there wasn't much Jeff needed to do for him in the next four years. He wasn't a hot rookie. So, the demands on his end weren't big. If Jeff played some tricks, Julius could always fire him and sign another agent.
After realizing that the impact on him wouldn't be big, Julius relaxed and went to sleep. He was already determined to cut ties with Jeff. That evil eye sparkle only reiterated that belief a bit more. So, Julius wasn't disturbed on that night.
However, a fire soon raged through the entire NBA that night. Everyone who received the news was stunned at first. Then, they began to discuss it with their colleagues in a spirited manner. The veterans who received the news scoffed at Glenn Robinson's naivety.
However, it was the management personnel of the NBA teams that had a big headache. They all knew that negotiating rookie contracts have become a big issue following this news. They were incredibly dissatisfied with this situation.
Phone calls were constant throughout the night. The league was under tremendous pressure to take action. But, their hands were tied as the contracts were strictly between the team and the player. So, the pressure transferred to the Bucks management. No one wanted to see such a contract come into existence as it would break the balance that was established.
When Julius woke up the next day, the entire NBA was raging.