One Year Left to Play-Chapter 125 - 40: Everyone Boards the Pirate Ship Together
Zhang Hao found it hard to believe in their abilities if they lacked vision in this area.
Even though his selection strategy had already ruled out a large number of people before the Starbucks collaboration exposure, leaving no agents to approach him, he didn’t care, because those who did weren’t doing well in the first place.
To attract agents based on commercial value, one must find capable agents. Those without sufficient ability would bring potential pitfalls, and he didn’t have the time to manage those issues.
Others couldn’t understand his confidence, but he was indeed confident in this respect.
On the other hand, Henry Thomas noticed a change in Zhang Hao’s gaze—it became serious instead of just polite—indicating that there was an opportunity!
"Aix, you might consider working with me. I’ll tell you something that’s not public yet: Falcao is ready to dissolve the Falcao Talent Agency, only needing time as he has other matters to attend to. He has already notified me to establish my own studio, and I’m preparing to go solo at any time..."
Henry Thomas was diligently promoting himself, recognizing this as an opportunity—an opportunity to bind oneself to a player with unlimited future commercial value like David Falcao did.
David Falcao became a wealthy millionaire by riding on Jordan’s success and is now preparing to retire. Henry Thomas also aspires to become such an agent.
He’s not adept at salary negotiations but is skilled in using player contracts to impact the free agent market, striving to get players big contracts or facilitate star collaborations. For instance, creating a big free agent summer where multiple star players have expiring contracts simultaneously, compelling teams to create salary cap space. Once the stars find homes, teams left with space may sign ’backup plans,’ often securing big contracts on the pretext of a bigger offer from a different team.
He felt quite defeated—being a savvy person in his forties, yet unable to persuade Zhang Hao with gains. Zhang Hao seemed completely uninterested in those aspects.
But amidst defeat, he felt excited!
After receiving David Falcao’s directive to investigate the Chinese market and Zhang Hao following the Starbucks collaboration news exposure, his excitement grew.
On the China market side, after Henry Thomas’s investigation, he was astounded by China’s ever-evolving development, a knowledge he had never possessed. Zhang Hao’s popularity within China’s sports circle also exceeded his expectations.
The reason he felt this was an opportunity was mainly due to the latter—investigating Zhang Hao.
The basketball arena at Inglewood High School was open to outside visitors but didn’t disrupt Zhang Hao’s training.
Occasionally, people would watch from outside the training area when Zhang Hao was practicing.
This was one of the recruitment strategies for Inglewood High School—their student sources primarily came from the Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. After Zhang Hao was selected, he naturally became a well-known figure among students in Los Angeles and even California, making his training a live advertisement for the school.
Henry Thomas, pretending to be a school assessors’ student parent, had witnessed these events. As a professional agent, he noticed that other than appearance and physique, Zhang Hao didn’t resemble an eighteen-year-old kid.
Using subtle tactics, he gleaned details about Zhang Hao’s training from companion Jason Hart, learning about the terrifying improvements during Zhang Hao’s training...
Jason Hart, seen as a promising prospect by agents, had minor fame during junior high in California. Currently part of the powerhouse basketball team at Inglewood High School in California, he had limited performance opportunities in his freshman year. With Zhang Hao and Pierce graduating, Jason Hart became the absolute core, undeniably bound for NCAA, with potential NBA prospects.
However, compared to Zhang Hao, Jason Hart fell far short.
Being selected at eighteen naturally meant possessing talent.
From detailed investigation, Henry Thomas confirmed Zhang Hao’s talent further. The former Inglewood High basketball team head coach Scott Collins brought a child back from China was guaranteed to have exceptional talent; otherwise, it would be simpler to find a local high school student without any hassle.
When Zhang Hao showcased his athletic ability at the McDonald’s dunk contest and his shooting talent at the Adidas Training Camp, he immediately possessed draft projections from late first-round to early second-round—this wasn’t bad for a player just graduating from high school! Eventually, a team selected Zhang Hao with the ninth pick, betting on talent.
With such talent and a disciplined character, the probability of Zhang Hao becoming a star was higher! An agent’s largest income comes from player salary commissions. Currently, over 600 registered NBA agents exist, with only about 100 having NBA players under them, and only less than 70 earn more than 10 thousand US Dollars annually; many agents merely make enough for sustenance while still needing multiple jobs. Numerous agents who signed players never saw them drafted.
It’s a case of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer—Jordan’s agent, David Falcao, doesn’t take much in salary commissions but annually receives over 10 million US Dollars from Jordan’s sneaker earnings. As for Henry Thomas, although not too badly off, he earned only around 200 thousand US Dollars last season; not poor, but not deeply affluent either—and he was already in his forties. If he doesn’t seize a chance now, he’d have to accept his mediocrity.
