"Blake! This bag is so pretty~"
"Buy it!"
"Blake~ This dark green watch looks amazing. It makes you look so classy when you wear it."
"Buy it!"
"Blake~ You look really good in this suit. If you wore it on days when you weren't playing and sat on the bench in it, you'd look incredibly handsome."
"Buy it!"
"Mia, if you like something, just buy it. Forget about me for a second. You're a little millionaire yourself now."
"We can afford it."
"Oh, and remember to buy a few things for Aunt Charlotte and my mom. You know I'm terrible at picking out gifts."
"And get something for Yoona too!"
"Got it!"
Blake and Mia spent several hours walking through a number of large shopping malls.
Since they simply bought whatever they liked, they were actually fairly efficient.
Once they finished, Blake made a phone call and had a car take everything back for them. Carrying all those bags around would have been a pain.
"Hmm..."
After taking care of that, Blake rubbed his chin.
"Now, Mia, it's my turn. Come on, let's go buy a car!"
"Sure."
Mia nodded.
She knew perfectly well how much men tended to love cars.
Blake had already looked at several models online beforehand, so he headed straight for his first destination.
He went to a Mercedes-Benz dealership and picked out a new white Mercedes-Benz SL550.
He also had the convertible sports car fitted with every top-end option available.
Price: $850,000.
Outside the super-luxury segment, cars in the United States generally were not considered especially expensive.
Of course, that definition of "not expensive" only applied to someone as wealthy as Blake.
After buying the Mercedes-Benz SL550, Blake decided to use it as one of his daily drivers.
As for the Lexus he had endorsed the previous year, Blake had promoted it for almost an entire year and had already fulfilled his obligations to the brand.
If the Mercedes-Benz SL550 was going to be one of Blake's everyday cars for the near future, then the next luxury car that caught his eye was something different.
This one was for his collection.
What was it?
A black Maybach 62S Landaulet.
At the time, it was the top model in the Maybach lineup, with a price of $3.86 million.
But as the most expensive model Maybach currently offered, there was a reason it cost so much.
It was beautiful, high-end, luxurious, and undeniably stylish.
"Buy it!"
Blake did not hesitate.
And thanks to his enormous popularity in the basketball world, he ultimately received a discount and bought the car for $3.7 million.
Immediately afterward, Blake also bought Mia a red BMW 1 Series for $420,000.
It was a relatively compact sedan and suited her well.
Just like that, Blake bought three cars in a single day.
The Mercedes and the BMW were both excellent daily drivers, and on top of them he had added a top-of-the-line Maybach.
For countless people, buying either the Mercedes or the BMW would require serious thought and careful consideration of whether they could actually afford it.
The Maybach 62S Landaulet was on another level entirely.
For countless people, it was the kind of car they could only dream about and admire from a distance.
For Blake, however, buying it came down to a single sentence.
And he had not bought just one car.
He bought all three in one day.
That was rich.
Ridiculously rich.
Or, more simply, when you had money, you could do whatever you wanted.
After all, one of life's greatest tragedies was dying before you had the chance to spend your money.
...
The next day, at 9:00 a.m., the Suns gathered at the practice facility.
Led by Blake, Curry, and George, the entire roster was there.
It was worth noting that aside from Frye and Dragić, the Suns had not undergone many major roster changes.
Yao Ming had joined Phoenix on a two-year, $21 million contract.
Nash had re-signed with the Suns the previous year on a two-year, $22 million deal and was still under contract for the coming season.
At first glance, it might seem as though Nash should have been earning considerably more than Yao.
But Nash was already 37 years old.
At his age, getting that kind of contract was already quite good.
Then there was "Half Man, Half Amazing" Carter.
His contract had expired that summer; his previous deal had paid him more than $17 million a year.
But injuries and age had taken their toll on him.
In the end, the Suns re-signed Carter for three years and $9 million, an offer Carter was more than satisfied to accept.
He understood the condition of his own body better than anyone.
At this stage, he neither expected nor was able to put up huge numbers. He simply wanted to stay on the court for a few more years.
And after getting his first taste of a championship, he wanted to win a few more.
So staying with the Suns on a veteran-level bargain contract, remaining beside Blake, and taking things relatively easy was an excellent option.
George, Curry, and Thompson were all still on their rookie contracts as well, which meant their salaries were relatively low.
As a result, even Blake's enormous five-year, $200 million max contract did not prevent the Suns from keeping all of these players together.
After several months of training, with the preseason about to begin, Coach Gentry gathered everyone and announced the starting lineup for the new season.
Point guard: Nash.
Shooting guard: Curry.
Small forward: George.
Power forward: Blake.
Center: Yao Ming.
Carter and rookie Klay Thompson would both come off the bench.
No one had any objections.
"Hey!"
After announcing the lineup, Gentry clapped his hands.
"Guys, the new season is almost here, and I believe we're stronger this year than we were last year."
"Our opponents are improving too, but I have complete faith that we, the defending champions, can win the title again this season."
"Guys, are you confident?!"
"Yeah!"
The Suns answered in unison.
Blake shouted along with them, then raised his voice.
"Last season was probably the hardest season we'll ever have to go through."
"And we survived it."
"So starting this year, let's go out there and tear through the league!"
"Yeah!"
"Yes, boss~!"
The players roared again.
Blake was now firmly established as the leader of the team, and the others trusted what he said and followed his lead.
...
The next day was October 4.
The 2011-2012 NBA preseason officially began in the United States.
The preseason would last a little over half a month, with each team playing eight games.
Its purpose was partly to help teams build chemistry and readjust to the rhythm of competitive basketball, and partly to promote the NBA.
The exact scheduling was the league office's responsibility.
For the Suns and every other team, all that mattered was following the schedule, playing each game seriously, and getting accustomed to the new season as quickly as possible.
On the opening day of the preseason, the Suns already had an opponent waiting for them.
The Denver Nuggets.