One Thousand and Fifteen: Wedding Gift List

"I'd like to invite you to be the brand ambassador for my sports drink."

Sure enough, as Link expected, this was the business cooperation that Kobe and he were talking about.

In 2014, Kobe, who was still playing at the time, had begun to expand his business empire and prepare for retirement.

Although the sports drink market at that time was almost occupied by Gatorade, Kobe believed that the market potential of sports drinks was still huge.

So at that time, he invested US$6 million to buy a 10% stake in BodyArmor sports drink, preparing to get a share of the Gatorade pie.

After Bryant was added to the sports drink, the brand quickly captured the attention of fans due to his historic place in the NBA.

This sports drink has also opened up a new world under the dominance of Gatorade. This year, BodyArmor sports drink sales were US$280 million, accounting for 6% of the US sports drink market, second only to the giant Gatorade!

People believe that in a few years, Gatorade’s position as the leader will definitely be threatened.

In order to achieve the goal, Kobe Bryant, the major shareholder, naturally has to take some promotional measures.

If he can sign a superstar like Link to endorse the drink, there is no doubt that the sales of the drink will increase exponentially!

In the past two years, Link's jersey and sneaker sales have ranked first in the league. Last season, even after the joke changed the All-Star voting rules, Link still topped the All-Star votes.

All these facts indicate that Link has extraordinary market leadership, high popularity and a huge fan base.

If Link becomes the spokesperson for BodyArmor drinks, his influence will definitely greatly stimulate sales and further threaten Gatorade's position.

Besides, Kobe and Lin Keqiang joined forces, which is very topical.

One is a superstar who has just retired, and the other is a superstar who is still in his prime. Fans will naturally buy into this combination.

"How about it? Think about it. You don't have to give me an answer right away. You can ask your manager to talk to me when you get back. One code equals one code. Link, I know we are friends. But business cooperation still requires business It looks like cooperation. So, you'd better go back and discuss it with the manager." Kobe patted Link on the shoulder.

If Kobe hadn't said that, Link might have agreed to it directly.

I can't play alongside Kobe on the basketball court, but it's a great experience to be able to build a business empire with him.

"I'll ask Jeff to contact you as soon as possible. If I endorse your product, will I be able to drink it for free in the future? I know that BodyArmor's drinks are not cheap."

"Hahahaha, don't worry, it's enough!"

At this time, Vanessa and Kobe's daughters came out of the bedroom. They were all dressed up and ready to welcome the guests.

Kobe looked at the time, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon. It was almost time for all the guests he invited to arrive.

So Kobe stood up, looked at Link and Rachel, opened his arms, "Then, let's enjoy today's banquet."

※※※

Ten bedrooms, an indoor cinema, a games room, billiards room and two four-car garages, plus an oversized luxurious outdoor swimming pool and a ridiculously large courtyard.

Don't get me wrong, this is not some luxury resort hotel. Such a mansion belongs to the recently retired Kobe Bryant and is worth US$13.5 million.

When Link originally bought his small villa near the lake in Memphis,

It just feels luxurious enough.

But after staying at Kobe's house for two days, Link realized what it means to be a little dwarfed by a big witch.

When it comes to spending money, Link is indeed a younger brother to most stars.

Therefore, although Kobe invited many people to his home today, it did not seem crowded at all.

There is no way, the house is big, you can do whatever you want.

Kobe was right. This banquet was not attended by the media or the management of the league or the Lakers. There was not so much posturing and hypocrisy. It was purely a private party, and all the guests were friends.

Among them are many stars such as O'Neal, who has settled the feud with Kobe, and many of his friends in the entertainment industry.

Here, if you don’t know a few people in the entertainment industry, you would be embarrassed to say that you live in Los Angeles.

But among all of them, the one Link was most familiar with was Wade.

Therefore, Link also chatted with Wade the most.

However, Link could clearly feel that Wade was not in a high mood today.

"Dwayne, what's the trouble?" Link thought there was no need to beat around the bush between him and Wade.

"Trouble? No trouble. It's just that Kobe is leaving the league, which makes me a little sad."

"Come on Dwayne, no one told you to stop darting your eyes around when you lie?"

"When did you become a psychologist?" Wade shook his head.

"Always, by the way, this is for you, Dwayne." Link took out a delicate white envelope from his suit bag and handed it to Wade.

Wade was stunned for a second, but he still reached out and took it, "What is it?"

Wade said, directly opened it and looked at it. In the eyes of Americans, it is not impolite to open things given by others in person.

"As for the wedding invitations, Rachel and I are getting married in July this year. We were busy playing in the playoffs some time ago, so we just started sending the invitations now. Since you are also in Los Angeles now, I will hand them to you directly. I will definitely do it. Come on, Dwayne. I didn’t invite too many people, but you’re one of them.”

Wade looked at the invitation, then looked at Link in front of him, smiled and patted Link's arm, "Congratulations, man. Don't worry, I will definitely be there! Haha, I am still worried about having nowhere to go this summer. Now. Now, you have helped me solve a big problem."

"Then let's just say it. By the way, Dwayne, I will make a list of wedding gifts for you later."

"roll!"

Wade laughed and cursed, raised his glass and clinked it with Link, sending his blessing in advance.

Afterwards, Link continued to chat with other people and send invitations. Wade was left standing there, smiling silently.

Unknowingly, Link, the fledgling brat, was now going to be a husband.

Yes, Link is also a Bensan person. In the world of competitive sports, although 28 is not old, it is definitely not young.

Wade shook his head. Even Link was no longer young, let alone himself.

No wonder the Miami Heat are hesitant to renew their contract this year...

Link was right, Wade did have something on his mind. His contract with the Heat is expiring this summer. After James left in the summer of 2014, the two-year contract he renewed with the Heat was completed in the blink of an eye.

In the blink of an eye, the omnipotent Dwyane Wade, the lightning-fast "Flash", is 34 years old!

Kobe Bryant of the 1996 golden generation retired, and everyone in the 2003 Super Platinum generation has also reached the end of their respective careers.

Wade originally wanted to live his whole life and retire in Miami like Kobe.

But until now, there is still no sign of his contract extension with the Heat.

It's not because Wade doesn't want to renew his contract, but because Pat Riley is actually considering whether to renew his contract!

In Wade's view, this is really nothing to consider.

Last season, the Heat had 48 wins and 34 losses, still ranking third in the Western Conference.

Last season, the Heat played the young Raptors in the Eastern Conference semifinals until the tiebreaker before losing. If Whiteside is not injured in the playoffs, the Heat might be able to compete with the Cavaliers for the Eastern Conference championship!

Last season, Wade was still able to play 74 games efficiently and averaged 19 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.

In the playoffs, he averaged a four-year high of 21.4 points per game, and his three-point shooting percentage in the playoffs was as high as 52.2%.

He is still the starting No. 2 pick on the Eastern Conference All-Star team.

All this shows that Wade is not so old that he is completely useless!

Of course, those are not the most important.

The most important thing is that Wade thinks he belongs in Miami! He started his career in Miami, where he won the only two championship trophies in team history. He gave his all to this team and had the best years of his career.

People say he is the soul of the Miami Heat, equivalent to what Duncan is to the Spurs, Kobe is to the Lakers, and Dirk is to the Mavericks.

Even if such a player is really old and his abilities have deteriorated, the team will try to keep him as much as possible.

Because as long as he stays, the soul of this team will still be there.

But to Wade's great disappointment, Pat Riley was actually considering whether to renew his contract!

Wade felt betrayed and abandoned.

He thought he belonged in Miami, and he thought he had a lofty status in the Heat.

But in the end, I realized that I was completely overthinking it.

At this time, Kobe invited everyone to gather in the living room. He would cut a large cake in the shape of the Lakers No. 24 jersey and bid farewell to his career in this festive way.

Wade looked at Kobe with envy on his face. It’s not that I envy Kobe Bryant for having five rings, but that he can cut a cake in the shape of the Lakers’ No. 24 jersey...

Wade is wondering, if it were him, would he be able to retire wearing the Heat's No. 3 jersey?

At this time, Wade's cell phone vibrated. He came to his senses, leaned towards the living room, took out his cell phone and looked at it.

It was Link. He sent Wade a text message. The content of the text message was simple, but it made Wade fall into endless reverie.

"Wedding gift list: Overall champion. If you are interested, let's do it together."

Of course Link knew why Wade was troubled, but he just didn't mention it clearly.

But what Wade will choose in the end is up to "The Flash" himself...