The entire league witnessed the passion of Chinese fans for the first time!
Along with it, O'Neal and Kobe's votes also rose to 700,000 and 660,000 due to Chinese fans' affection by association!
He Ximeng, O'Neal, and Kobe monopolized the top three spots in the Western Conference fan voting!
Marlon and Garnett were unaffected due to their positions, but Payton was miserable!
With the dual rise of the Lakers' twin stars, Payton's starting spot slipped away...
After experiencing the power of Chinese fans, O'Neal directly begged He Ximeng to teach him Chinese...
Even the cool Kobe took the initiative to ask He Ximeng about the pronunciation of the Chinese word "hello"...
He Ximeng's successful All-Star selection also triggered the addendum clause with Nike. The "Ximeng Dynasty One · Tang" shoe, originally planned to be released under the Nike brand, had its ownership urgently changed. "Ximeng Dynasty" would be promoted and sold as an independent sub-brand, similar to the "Jordan Series."
The Ximeng Dynasty One was an instant global bestseller upon its release!
Of course, to adapt to China's national conditions and explore the Chinese market, He Ximeng suggested that Nike lower the retail price from $149 to $99!
$99 converted to RMB was over 700 yuan! Yet, this still couldn't stop the enthusiasm of Chinese fans.
Riding the wave of He Ximeng's All-Star appearance, "Ximeng Dynasty One · Tang" sold 100,000 pairs in China in its first month!
In North America, approximately 100,000 pairs were also sold in the first month!
Outside of China and North America, other regions combined sold 50,000 pairs, totaling 250,000 pairs globally!
Keep in mind that last year, the Air Jordan 11, upon its release, sold 500,000 pairs in its first month!
The Jordan series was already on its 11th installment, while the Ximeng Dynasty series was only on its first. Yet, it achieved half the sales volume of the Jordan series, indicating a future prospect no less than that of the Jordan series...
When the first month's sales data was transmitted back to Nike headquarters, the old guys on the board cheered in unison! The last time they received such treatment was when the Jordan series began operating independently...
Clark and Tinker, who strongly recommended Nike's senior management to sign He Ximeng, both received bonuses. As for their positions... both had essentially reached the highest level in their respective roles, with the next step being the board of directors...
Joining He Ximeng in the Western Conference starting lineup were Lakers teammates O'Neal and Kobe, Malone of the Jazz, and Garnett of the Timberwolves.
The Western Conference reserves included Eddie Jones of the Lakers, David Robinson and Duncan of the Spurs, Kidd of the Suns, Payton and Schrempf of the SuperSonics, and Richmond of the Kings.
The Lakers were the biggest winners this year, boasting four All-Stars.
The Spurs followed closely with two All-Stars, one of whom was this year's top draft pick, rookie Tim Duncan!
Duncan's performance of 21 points and 12 rebounds immediately shocked the entire league! He received recommendations from almost every head coach in the league and was selected as an All-Star as a freshman!
In addition, the SuperSonics lost Kemp in the summer but acquired Schrempf from the Bucks. Schrempf's partnership with Payton kept them playoff contenders.
Eastern Conference All-Star starters: Jordan of the Bulls, Hill of the Pistons, Kemp of the Cavaliers, Mutombo of the Hawks, and Anfernee Hardaway of the Magic!
Eastern Conference All-Star reserves: Reggie Miller and Rik Smits of the Pacers, Glenn Rice of the Hornets, Antoine Walker of the Celtics, Tim Hardaway of the Heat, and Jason Williams of the Nets.
Pippen withdrew from this year's All-Star due to injury.
Iverson lost to Anfernee Hardaway by 10,000 votes in the fan balloting. Furthermore, in the selection of reserve players, Iverson's playing style did not receive the approval of most coaches in the league, thus he ultimately did not make the cut.
On February 6, 1998, the All-Star Weekend was held at Madison Square Garden in New York!
The first event, of course, was the Rookie Challenge.
The Eastern Conference rookie team included Van Horn, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Ron Mercer, Tim Thomas, Chauncey Billups, Tracy McGrady, Brevin Knight, and Cedric Ceballos.
The Western Conference rookie team included Antonio Daniels, Glen Rice, Bobby Jackson, Morris Taylor, David Wood, Michael Cage, Danny Fortson, and Alvin Williams.
The strongest rookie of '97, Duncan, did not participate with the rookies as he had been selected for the main All-Star game.
Ultimately, the Eastern Conference rookie team defeated the Western Conference rookie team 85-80.
Indeed, watching this game indicated it was a lackluster affair. With Duncan absent and McGrady and Billups not yet heavily utilized, a group of second-rate rookies were playing against each other... In any case, He Ximeng left the arena with Kayla after watching less than half the game.
He Ximeng was not participating in the Rookie Challenge this year but was invited to compete in the Three-Point Contest and the main All-Star Game on the final day.
After winning the Dunk Contest last year, Kobe declined the invitation to participate again this year, focusing on preparing for the main All-Star Game.
In this year's All-Star Game, Kobe would directly face off against the great Jordan, and he was ready to make a big statement!
In contrast, He Ximeng focused his attention on the Three-Point Contest!
As one of the league's latest rising sharpshooters, He Ximeng indeed needed a notable honor to solidify his reputation!
Last year's Sixth Man of the Year award was barely sufficient, but it didn't align with He Ximeng's positioning.
Assists leader and three-point king should be the labels that best fit He Ximeng's identity.
Therefore, compared to his performance in the All-Star Game, He Ximeng was more interested in whether he could contend for the three-point king title in the Three-Point Contest!
He Ximeng considered Hornacek, Miller, and Glenn Rice to be his biggest threats among the invited players for this year's Three-Point Contest.
Others such as Hubert Davis, Dale Ellis, Sam Mack, Tracy Murray, and Charlie Ward were essentially just participants...
To cheer for He Ximeng, Kayla wore a Chinese red qipao to the VIP section today, instantly outshining everyone and astonishing the foreign audience with their "titanium alloy dog eyes"!
The inherent qualities of the Chinese qipao sculpted Kayla's devilish figure into a captivating form, making one's mouth water...
Furthermore, with Scarlett busy filming her new movie during this year's All-Star Weekend and unable to cause trouble, no one could compete with Kayla for the spotlight...
Under Kayla's victorious blessings, He Ximeng blazed through the competition, eliminating a series of opponents and advancing to the final round alongside Hornacek and Miller!