Chapter 1022: The Exclusive Series

Running shoes, cross-training shoes, and football cleats.

This essentially covered every part of Lu Ke’s daily life, a comprehensive package! It’s worth noting that running shoes and cross-training shoes are different. The more professional an athlete is, the more attention needs to be paid to the details. Running is running, training is training, and on-field training is another thing entirely.

Originally, Lu Ke thought Under Armour would only design football cleats for him, but it seemed the plan was far more extensive than he imagined.

Lu Ke looked at Leigh, who raised an eyebrow, seemingly a little surprised himself.

In the past few years, Under Armour has been on a continuous rise, but its main market was still limited to apparel, especially professional moisture-wicking sportswear. They had already made a name for themselves, and both Nike and Adidas had started to imitate them. However, in terms of technology and professional image, Under Armour was still in the lead and continued to widen the gap.

But Under Armour was also well aware that the main market share was still in footwear. If they wanted to compete head-on with Nike and Adidas, shoes were a necessary step. Now, basketball shoes have become a part of street fashion, gradually losing their original meaning and becoming a fashion statement. Their importance in the market is becoming more and more prominent.

By signing Stephen Curry and Lu Ke, Under Armour had already set its sights on conquering the footwear market. They had been planning this for two years, just waiting for the right moment to start a new era.

And that moment is now.

This season, Curry, who had overcome his injury, has become the core player of the Golden State Warriors. He is currently averaging 22.2 points, 8.1 assists, and 2.14 steals per game, putting him in the top tier of the league. Two months ago, on November 1st, the Golden State Warriors officially announced that they had agreed to a four-year, $44 million contract extension with Curry.

Similarly, Lu Ke had also created his own glory with the San Francisco 49ers, truly becoming a top player that the entire league had its eyes on! It’s no exaggeration to say that his rise was so rapid that it caused many to exclaim in surprise. People generally didn’t expect his second year to be his breakout season, which was a pleasant surprise.

Under Armour realized that the time was right and decided to move forward with the plan.

It may still be a little aggressive, but Nike, Adidas, and Puma were all eyeing Lu Ke’s sponsorship contract like a pack of wolves. Under Armour realized that if they hesitated any longer, they might miss the best opportunity, so they decided to execute the plan immediately.

Even if it was a risk, it was a risk worth taking.

You can still see from the details that Under Armour’s marketing plan was well thought out.

They didn’t heavily publicize Lu Ke and Curry’s friendship, but they didn’t hide it either. Curry went to Candlestick Park to watch games many times, and Lu Ke also appeared in the VIP box at Oracle Arena. News about them could be seen everywhere.

In addition, in the offseason last year, Curry and Lu Ke trained together at UCLA. Not many people in the industry knew about this, but Under Armour was one of them. Curry, who was at a low point due to his injury, even lived in Lu Ke’s apartment during that time. It was with Lu Ke’s company and help that Curry got back on track.

Their close friendship was undeniable.

Nike could pick up on Lu Ke’s emphasis on family and friendship, and so could Under Armour. But Under Armour had an advantage over Nike: Curry was already their sponsored athlete. This meant they could use this to their advantage, making things much simpler.

Today, Curry not only showed up, but he was also getting custom-made shoes. Under Armour wasn’t hiding its intentions.

Of course, Under Armour customizing shoes for Curry was a honor he earned with his own performance and had nothing to do with Lu Ke. But by arranging the meeting this way, Under Armour was trying to create a family atmosphere or a friendly party. In the fierce competition for brand endorsements, they were trying more and more methods and strategies.

From Shaun to Curry, Lu Ke was slowly feeling the unseen tension. Even though competitors like Nike and Adidas weren’t in the room, the competitive spark was everywhere.

"Of course, we will keep a consistent design style for all the different shoes to ensure that every fan who buys the ’Lu Ke 1’ will be satisfied! Oh, by the way, we’re discussing the name for the shoes. Should we go with the ’Lu Ke 1’, the ’Bambi 1’, or maybe just the ’Lu 1’? Or how about the ’Skywalker 1’? But we would probably have to buy the copyright from ’Star Wars’ for that, ha!"

"You know, ’Lu Ke’ and ’Luke’ sound similar. Generally, when we name a shoe series, we use the last name because first names are often duplicated. ’Luke’ is more of a first name than a last name."

Although Chris didn’t mention it in detail, Lu Ke understood.

Eastern and Western cultures have many differences, and names are one of them.

In Western culture, the first name is a title, while the last name represents the family’s legacy. This is especially true for noble families. In the beginning, most first names came from occupations or the Bible, so they were used very frequently. That’s why you often see "the second" or "the third" after names. The last name is the core of distinguishing class, status, and power. Some ancient last names are even unique. You only need to say the last name to distinguish a person, and the duplication rate is relatively low.

In Eastern culture, it’s the opposite. The last name comes from the "Hundred Family Surnames," and even though there are some uncommon ones, last names like Zhao, Qian, Sun, and Li are incredibly common. The full name is the key to distinguishing people. For those from scholarly or wealthy families, there is also a courtesy name, which is further used to define a person’s identity, status, upbringing, and character. Many courtesy names are almost unique.

Someone once discussed why in the Western world, families like the Rockefellers, Murdochs, and Kennedys name their companies or businesses after their last names, while in the Eastern world, you rarely see names like "Li Group" or "Zhang Group." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

This is the reason.

The same principle applies to naming shoes. "Luke 1" sounds too vague and difficult to market effectively.

Lu Ke shrugged. "You can choose to use Chinese characters, ’陆恪一代,’ or maybe ’Bambi 1’ or ’Lu 1.’ Those also seem like good options. I have no problem with any of them."

Chris thought about it for a while. "Good. Good! Chinese characters. That’s a unique idea. Alexander, when Yao first came into the league, if I remember correctly, what was the code name for the exclusive shoes Nike made for him? Was it ’YAO11’? Or was there a Chinese character series?"

Yao Ming?

Lu Ke suddenly thought of this pioneer who first made a name for himself in the four major North American sports leagues. If it weren’t for him carving out a path in the NBA with his own strength, Lu Ke’s situation in the NFL would have been much more difficult. All the benefits and ease he enjoys now were made possible by Yao Ming, who took it one step at a time.

Compared to Lu Ke, he was the true pioneer!

However, Lu Ke couldn’t remember. Did Nike have a partnership with Yao Ming? Why did he only remember Reebok? His memory seemed a little inaccurate.

The point is, Chris wasn’t talking to Lu Ke. He had turned around and started talking to the designers.

Lu Ke and Curry were left to their own devices. But at least it was quiet. "Come on, come on! I was just looking at the designs. Now that you’re here, let’s check them out together!" Curry enthusiastically draped his arm around Lu Ke’s shoulder and walked toward the other side of the conference room, muttering, "Some of the designs are so weird, but I can’t put my finger on why."

Under Armour’s advantage lies in its technology and materials, but they don’t have many advantages in design.

"So far, your record and performance are great. What do you think? Are you confident you’ll make the playoffs this year?" Lu Ke didn’t rush to look at the designs and instead started chatting with Curry.

This season, the Golden State Warriors are finally on the rise, with a 21-10 record, which is a significant improvement over the past two seasons. This is great news. Especially for Curry, who went through a long and difficult slump in the offseason. It’s truly amazing that he’s on the rise again.

"Our season is so long. We’re only a third of the way in. It’s not like you guys with only 16 games," Curry complained with a childlike expression. "But... we’re on the right track now. I’m telling you, watching the game film feels different now. The whole feeling is different. But we have so much film to watch. I’m thinking of coming to you again for training in the offseason."

As he spoke, Curry playfully bumped Lu Ke with his shoulder and smiled suggestively. "So, what’s it like to go undefeated all season? That day, I was yelling so loud at home that Ayesha got really mad at me, haha!"

"Honestly, it felt surreal right after the game, but after that, it didn’t feel real. It felt like a dream, and then I had to start preparing for the playoffs. I can’t describe it accurately, but... I did it, haha!" Lu Ke, for a rare moment, got excited and shared his feelings with him.

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