Chapter 756: A 100,000-Person Commercial Event

Chapter 756 -681: A 100,000-Person Commercial Event

The first day of training was closed to the public.

However, quite a few people were still gathered on the sidelines.

It was Song Jun and his group, along with Gong Luming and other basketball coaches who were studying at the training base.

An internal NBA team training scrimmage—this was a rare sight.

“Brother Song, will we get a chance to ask for autographs later?” Zheng Zhun asked, turning his head to Song Jun.

After more than half a year, Song Jun was still the leader of the pack.

“Pathetic.”

Song Jun shot Zheng Zhun an annoyed glare and said, “What do you want autographs for? Can you eat them? Can you drink them? Who are we? We’re future players for the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team. They are our opponents, our enemies. Asking for an enemy’s autograph—are you trying to be a traitor?”

Zheng Zhun’s face fell, and he didn’t dare say another word.

Sun Zhiying, still Song Jun’s most loyal follower, watched for a moment before asking, “Bro, do you think we can beat them?”

Song Jun curled his lip. “They’ve all got one head and two arms, just like us. Why shouldn’t we be able to beat them? Anyway, you all better just train your asses off. Train like your lives depend on it. I refuse to believe we can’t crush them when the time comes.”

The crowd of kids nodded in agreement.

On the other side, Han Zhilu was also watching the spectacle with a group of his own, having clearly overheard the ambitious declarations.

Sun Keming raised his voice. “Song Jun, you talk big! Sounds like you want to be number one in the world. If you ask me, we’re the ones who will beat the United States Team.”

Beating the United States Team in basketball was a long shot, but in soccer, there was still plenty of hope.

“Tch!” Song Jun wasn’t angry.

Right now, basketball and soccer were their own separate worlds.

The two sides didn’t get along.

“With your skills? You want to play against the United States Team? First, you should think about how you’re going to deal with South Korea and Japan. You even lose to Japan. How disgraceful,” Song Jun sneered.

At the mention of South Korea and Japan, Sun Keming instantly saw red. “Song Jun, you have the guts to say that again?!” he cursed.

In Asia, China was the undisputed hegemon of basketball.

Beating South Korea and Japan was like child’s play.

But soccer…

Losing to South Korea in the 2000 AFC Asian Cup, and then to Japan last year—it was a heart-wrenching blow that left fans across the country devastated.

It was a taboo topic, something you just didn’t mention.

Song Jun, completely unfazed, continued to sneer. “The country spends a fortune on you lot, letting you eat and drink the best, only for you to turn around and lose to Japan. If I were you, I wouldn’t even bother coming home. I’d just find a stinking gutter, stick my head in, and drown myself.”

“You…”

Sun Keming was trembling with rage.

The other kids around him were also seeing red, itching to rush forward.

But they held back.

Because they couldn’t win a fight.

Those guys were all two-meter-tall giants. How could they possibly fight them?

“Enough!”

Han Zhilu’s sharp rebuke silenced everyone.

“Song Jun, don’t get carried away with trash talk. The days are long. We’ll see who has the last laugh,” he said with a smile, his words laced with threat.

Song Jun snorted coldly and shut his mouth.

He knew Han Zhilu was a ruthless person—ruthless to the bone.

Chen Yu didn’t notice the commotion among the kids. He was still standing with Skiles, his eyes fixed on the team’s practice.

The increased training intensity had the players, fresh off a long vacation, groaning endlessly.

Mo Ke, in particular, felt like he couldn’t run anymore.

He still couldn’t quite keep up with the NBA’s training intensity. It wasn’t just a matter of racial differences; Chen Yu felt it was more that his fundamental conditioning wasn’t solid enough.

‘The body needs a long time to adapt, and it’s best to start that adaptation from a young age.’

‘That was why he was looking for young kids like Song Jun’s group.’

‘If you don’t start training from a young age, how can you handle high-intensity workouts when you’re older?’

Of course, Mo Ke was diligent and worked extremely hard. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even qualify to be the team mascot.

Chen Yu silently activated a Silver Level training effect.

With the increased investment this year, they needed to produce results. Some resources just had to be used.

The system’s effect wouldn’t kick in immediately, so the players who were supposed to be tired were still tired.

A panting Clifford Robinson passed by Chen Yu and couldn’t help but complain, “Chen, the season has just begun. Is it necessary to train this hard? Are we actually planning to contend for the championship this season?”

He really had thought returning to the Phoenix Suns was a retirement gig.

But this current situation made it clear they were planning to use him as a key part of the rotation.

It was because Mo Ke couldn’t step up; his skill level was limited.

“Why? Is that not allowed?” Chen Yu shot back with a smile.

He didn’t lower his voice, and his words likely reached the ears of most players nearby.

Which was precisely his intention.

Robinson froze and immediately fell silent.

Not far away, Nowitzki, who was drenched in sweat while practicing his post moves, narrowed his eyes. His movements immediately became much more serious.

He was still young. Even though the trade hadn’t been his choice, he didn’t want to waste his years away on the Phoenix Suns.

He wanted a championship!

The training camp proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Chen Yu also found the time to head to China.

The Chinese Super League had been suspended to make way for the National Games. The remaining five rounds of matches would resume on October 22nd.

And during this break, Baggio would be arriving in China to participate in some promotional events.

The previously arranged schedule also happened to coincide with the NBA China Games.

This year’s NBA China Games, like last year’s, would consist of two matches.

It was a high-profile event, featuring the Lakers and the Magic.

They were old rivals from the Finals!

It was essentially a reenactment of the Finals in China.

There were two games in total: one in the Capital, and one arranged in Guang City, Yuehai District.

The Capital was a must, and the other game was mainly to develop the southern market.

Chen Yu had told Stern that Guang City had a developed economy, a large fanbase, and a high willingness to spend money.

The game in Guang City was set for October 13th, which happened to clash with Baggio’s event on the very same day.

Moreover, this China Game was scheduled to be held at the Tianhe Gymnasium.

Baggio’s fan meet, on the other hand, was scheduled at the adjacent Tianhe Stadium.

They were right next to each other.

It was due to a lack of communication.

After Chen Yu discussed it with Stern, they decided to reschedule.

But after further discussion, they abandoned the idea of rescheduling.

In Stern’s words, even though the events were on the same day and at the same location, the times were staggered.

Baggio’s fan meet was in the afternoon, while the China Game was in the evening.

Furthermore, he proposed that they could do a crossover.

For example, take Kobe. He loved soccer and grew up in Italy. Could anyone really say he didn’t know Baggio or like Albertini?

So, when the time came, NBA stars like Kobe could go over to the soccer stadium and participate in the commercial activities there as well.

And after the soccer event concluded, legendary stars like Baggio and Batty could head next door to the Tianhe Gymnasium to cheer on the China Game.

A win-win!

Since he’d put it that way, how could Chen Yu refuse?

Besides, in China, the fanbases for soccer and basketball had a large overlap. This was a chance to leverage each other’s resources and influence.

So, after their respective marketing teams discussed it, a new event plan was drawn up.

They would hold them together, on the 13th.

Their plan was wonderful, but it created a massive headache for the Guang City government, especially the police department.

They estimated that nearly 100,000 people would flock to the Tianhe Sports Center.

With so many people, the pressure on security would be immense.