He Xi Meng had no time or standing to concern himself with the upheaval on the Lakers' side. After delivering his statement of departure from the Lakers, He Xi Meng attended a press conference specifically held for him by the Spurs, officially completing the signing ceremony.
"The Spurs possess the best team basketball atmosphere in the league, and I am honored to become a member of the Silver and Black, to fight for San Antonio..."
He Xi Meng's speech was brief and low-key, just like the Spurs' style.
Duncan spoke on behalf of the Spurs players at the press conference.
"Welcome to the team, Simon! As everyone knows, Simon and I are college alumni. We played well together in the NCAA and won the championship that year. Then, Simon participated in the '96 draft, and I participated in the '97 draft. But don't misunderstand, I'm not Simon's junior, but his senior! Just as I arrived in San Antonio before him, my tenure here should be longer than his. So, don't worry about Simon. I swear on my senior status that I will help him integrate into the Spurs' system as quickly as possible, making him an important part of the Silver and Black..."
This was the most words Duncan had spoken at a press conference since joining the Spurs in 1997! Even at his own press conferences, he hadn't said this much. This illustrated how genuinely and heartily Duncan welcomed He Xi Meng's arrival...
After the official signing ceremony, He Xi Meng did not rest but prepared to fly to Italy in his capacity as a special envoy of the Spurs, granted by the Spurs management, or more accurately, by Popovich, to bring Ginobili from Virtus Bologna to the Spurs.
"Are the round-trip tickets reimbursed?"
Popovich didn't understand why He Xi Meng asked this, but he still answered earnestly, "Yes! Not only will the team reimburse your plane tickets, but also your hotel accommodation, and you'll receive a per diem for business travel..."
"Wow! Who said the Spurs were poor? The benefits and treatment are quite good..."
"Uh..."
Popovich hadn't expected He Xi Meng to be waiting for him, teasing him about complaining about financial hardship when discussing contracts. However, Popovich was remarkably thick-skinned. He understood the implication of He Xi Meng's words but pretended not to.
"Can I bring my girlfriend?"
"Yes! But you'll have to cover her expenses!"
"Oh~ I take back what I just said, the Spurs are indeed quite poor..."
Popovich's forehead darkened with lines, and he waved his hand, quickly dismissing He Xi Meng.
As He Xi Meng left Popovich's office, he called Kayla to ask if she wanted to take a romantic trip to Italy.
Kayla's current filming schedule had just concluded, so she took a week's leave. She flew back to the United States overnight and then, together with He Xi Meng, flew to Italy for a European trip.
Popovich, through his persuasive eloquence, had negotiated Ginobili's buyout clause down from 10 million to 4 million. He Xi Meng's task was to convince Ginobili to accept the Spurs' offer, where the Spurs would cover half of the buyout, 2 million dollars, and Ginobili himself would cover the other half, also 2 million dollars.
In addition, the Spurs were prepared to offer Ginobili a two-year contract worth 2 million dollars for his first deal.
"Are you kidding me? So, I travel all the way from Italy to San Antonio to play, not eat, not drink, and not only do I not keep a cent of my earnings for two years, but I also have to cover my living expenses for these two years?"
Ginobili, holding the contract the Spurs were prepared to offer, asked He Xi Meng with a bewildered expression.
"Aren't you being shortsighted? Although you'll live a bit frugally for these two years, you'll establish yourself in the NBA sooner. When you get a multi-million dollar contract in the future, it will be advanced accordingly! This is like investing in a business, paying tuition for studying abroad... If you play in the NBA, you'll make a name for yourself within three years, and your next contract's annual salary will easily exceed 2 million. Isn't that better than saving hundreds of thousands each year in Italy?"
In fact, before He Xi Meng flew to Italy, Ginobili had already considered the various difficulties of entering the NBA. Otherwise, why would he have participated in the 1999 draft?
"That being said, where am I supposed to come up with this 2 million buyout?"
He Xi Meng smirked, "It's far away but also right in front of you! Have you heard of angel investing?"
"Yes!"
"I'm willing to be your angel investor. Are you willing to accept my investment?"
"Uh... Isn't angel investing for companies? Can you invest in people too?"
"Everything can be invested in! People are also everything, so why can't they be invested in?"
"Hmm... I feel it's not very reliable... How is the interest calculated?" Ginobili suddenly thought of this question and asked cautiously.
"20%! 20% of your future contract amount belongs to me! For example, your current first contract, 20% of 2 million, which is 400,000, belongs to me, and the rest is yours!"
"20%? That's too much!"
"Then how much do you propose?"
"10% at most!" Although Ginobili shrewdly realized the issue of interest, he still couldn't escape the trap meticulously laid by He Xi Meng. The real problem was whether he had to hand over 20% or 10% of his future contract earnings.
If He Xi Meng remembered correctly, Ginobili's total career salary was around 130 million dollars. If He Xi Meng took a 20% interest, that would be 26 million, and if he took 10%, that would be 13 million!
Currently, Ginobili's NBA career started three years earlier, and his total salary would likely be higher, if not more.
Exchanging a 2 million dollar investment for a return of 13-26 million dollars was a successful investment no matter how you looked at it. But for He Xi Meng, the joy of making money was secondary. He could earn money through many other channels, but the joy of being an angel investor to Ginobili and receiving a certain return as Ginobili grew was something that couldn't be compared to the growth of numbers in his account.
"10% is too little, add a bit more, at least 15%?"
"Deal!"
Honestly speaking, Ginobili had just begun to show his talent in the European League, had not yet helped his club win the Italian League championship, nor had he become the MVP of the EuroLeague...
Besides visiting ancient architecture, the two also toured several renowned companies in Bologna, such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati...
Fortunately, Kayla didn't seem very interested in sports cars, otherwise, when He Xi Meng and Kayla returned to the United States, they might have brought back a world-class sports car as their Italian souvenir...