New Badge — [Contested Drive] Introduction:
1. When the player drives to the basket, Ball Handling base attribute +3, Strength base attribute +2, and Speed base attribute +1.
2. To upgrade to the next stage (Silver), 30 effective Contested Drives must be completed.
The improvements in Ball Handling, Strength, and Speed allow Link to better lean into defenders and carve his way into the paint during breakthroughs when faced with tight coverage.
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[Moment of Domination: Gods Weapon] Lv1:
1. After entering the Dominance Moment, Mid-Range base attribute +2%, Shot IQ/Contested Shooting +10%.
2. Stamina consumption reduced by 5%.
3. Player Takeover can be activated freely, lasting 2 minutes each time, with a cooldown of 23 hours and 58 minutes.
4. To level up Player Takeover, a takeover of the same level and type must be fused.
This is the second Player Takeover Link has obtained.
[Moment of Dominance: Sharpshooter] and [Moment of Domination: Gods Weapon] will yield unexpected results as long as they are paired correctly. For example: first activate the Sharpshooter takeover to force the opponent to lock down the Three-Point Shot line, which will inevitably leave the mid-range area open; then, immediately activate "Gods Weapon" to catch the opponent off guard.
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The date arrived at May 22, 2001, and Link participated in a private workout for the Los Angeles Clippers.
The workout team consisted of the coaching staff, trainers, and management.
The contents of private workouts are not disclosed to the public.
It generally consists of the following three segments:
First, repeating some items from the Draft Combine. With the Los Angeles Clippers holding the 2001 number two overall pick, Link re-measured his static talents like height, weight, and wingspan under the supervision of the coaching staff.
Uh... right, they wanted to verify if Link had really grown taller.
This was extremely important for Link, whose athletic talent was otherwise unremarkable.
Besides that, there were tests for Speed, vertical leap, and the like.
The results were naturally identical to those from the Draft Combine.
Second was targeted training and scrimmages to test whether Link, as a point guard, could demonstrate pick-and-roll coordination or safely and accurately deliver the ball to the interior players.
In 2001, during this era where the interior was king, low-post isolation was a fundamental tactic. But for a guard to get the ball inside was no simple matter; it required reading the "help defense" on the Passing lane, as well as dealing with fronting or three-quarter fronting defense, ensuring the big man could catch the ball without being forced out of position.
Many powerful big men would call for the ball in the "deep post," but some players with poor Passing quality would throw it poorly. A big man who already had deep position might have to take a step forward to catch the ball, thus losing that deep post advantage.
One must know that once deep post position is established, a catch can lead directly to an attack on the rim.
Finally, there was the team interview segment.
The General Manager asked Link about his upbringing, his original motivation for choosing basketball, and his plans for his NBA career.
Link's answers were textbook-perfect.
Polite, refined, and elegant, he allowed the GM to sense his incredibly high IQ and EQ.
Overall, the Los Angeles Clippers were quite satisfied with Link, but he wasn't necessarily their top choice.
However, Link's feelings toward the Los Angeles Clippers were mediocre. If he really joined the Los Angeles Clippers, the team would likely try to make him play shooting guard or even small forward. Although Link could play off-ball, it would be difficult for him to exert 100% of his strength.
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At 4:30 PM, just after finishing his workout with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Link reached an agreement with Aaron Goodwin, who became his player agent.
Aaron Goodwin would also be LeBron James' agent in the future. Although the two would eventually fall out, Aaron Goodwin played a vital role in LeBron being able to sign a 7-year, $87 million endorsement deal with Nike as a high school player.
Currently, there were too many brands and companies wanting to sign Link. While being pursued so aggressively felt great at first, as his fame grew and the draft drew closer, it was starting to distract Link's energy.
After signing Aaron Goodwin, Link continued to immerse himself fully in training...
However, he wasn't training alone; he was using the private workouts with NBA teams as his training sessions.
This attitude of total immersion in training drew nothing but praise from the coaching staffs that worked him out.
Two days later.
Link headed to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a workout.
Hmm...
That's right.
Because of the Joe Smith under-the-table contract, the Minnesota Timberwolves had been stripped of their first-round picks from 2001 to 2005 by the league, and they didn't even have a 2001 second-round pick. However, even without draft picks, a team could still issue invitations for private workouts. (Reference: Guo Haowen working out for the Los Angeles Lakers when they had no picks.)
For a lottery pick, this was usually unnecessary, but the reason Link went was because he heard Kevin Garnett would be there in person. His friend Chris Bosh was a fan of the Big Ticket and had always wanted his autograph; Link spoiled Bosh a bit, and that was one reason.
Secondly, Link wanted to feel the defensive intimidation of a future DPOY.
During the workout, Link and the Big Ticket were at each other's throats, trading trash talk.
"Kid, if nobody sets a screen for you, do you even know how to play?"
"Shut up, KG! Tim Duncan is ten thousand times tougher than you."
The two barked at each other.
Competing intensely.
Even though Link got dominated, after the private workout, the Big Ticket wanted the team to get him even more.
Damn!
He was exactly his type of player.
Actually...
Link also wanted the Big Ticket; after all, he was the perfect second option for a team. Cough, of course, he was thinking a bit far ahead right now.
After finishing the Minnesota Timberwolves workout, Aaron Goodwin told Link with a look of joy that they had received endorsement offers from three sports brands.
Reebok re-offered: 7 years, $60 million, a fully guaranteed contract.
Nike offered: 7 years, $96 million, plus a $20 million signing bonus, a non-guaranteed contract. Link would need to make at least 2 All-Star games and 2 all-nba team teams during the contract to get all the money.
Adidas offered: 7 years, $88 million, plus a $10 million signing bonus, a non-guaranteed contract. Link would need to make at least 1 All-Star game and 1 all-nba team team during the contract to get all the money.
Regardless of which sneaker brand he signed with, Link could complete [Chosen One] by exceeding Kobe Bryant's endorsement earnings before entering the NBA.
Looking at it comprehensively, signing with Adidas was undoubtedly the safest plan. The endorsement fee was high, the brand was more influential, and the additional conditions weren't particularly harsh.
But Link ultimately chose Nike.
The reason was simple: more money. Also, these endorsement fees weren't paid all at once, but after signing with Nike, he could immediately get the $20 million signing bonus to buy a luxury car and a mansion.
As for the incentive clauses...
Those were just motivation to get stronger.
"Ding, congratulations to the Host for completing the main quest — [Chosen One]."
"Quest Rewards: 2000 Goat Points; Superstar (Kevin Durant 13-14 Season) sparring partner card x1."