Chapter 832: Chapter 832

From the moment people are born, life is unfair, but death is the only fairness; no matter how wealthy or powerful you are in life, you can’t take anything with you when you die.

"Is Jason doing well?" But at this moment, Hughes suddenly changed the topic drastically.

Amid Hansen’s confusion, Hughes explained his relationship with Tatum.

In the NBA here in the United States, many players have a ’godfather’ figure before joining the league.

These godfathers are their guides in professional basketball and provide them with a lot of help throughout the process. Get full chapters from 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝓷𝓮𝓽

They might be relatives who love basketball, youth basketball coaches, or directly professionals in the sport.

Tatum’s godfather is Hughes.

Tatum’s father, Austin, and Hughes were high school friends, played ball together, and even formed a band during high school.

Afterwards, Austin became ordinary, but Hughes made it to the NBA and naturally became Tatum’s godfather, guiding him onto the path of professional basketball.

At this moment, the things Conningham mentioned earlier made sense.

Hughes played several seasons with the Cavaliers, and back then, Tatum should have had free access to the arena. In a place like Cleveland, just like Tony the security guard in Sacramento, it’s normal to work there for many years, so it makes sense that they’d be familiar.

"He is a hardworking player." After thinking for a while, Hansen replied.

Because of Tatum’s ’unique behavior’ in the Kings, Hansen knew the least about him among the rookies, and the biggest impression he had was just Tatum’s hard work.

Tatum usually arrives at the arena an hour before the team’s official training to start his own training, much like Hansen did during his rookie season.

"He has the purest love for basketball, the type who would do anything to win." Hughes also praised Tatum.

Hansen nodded, not in agreement but as if he’s listening to someone boast about how great their junior is.

After returning from Chicago, Hansen needed to deal with the new agent issue.

In fact, after the news of Thomas’s death came out, famous agents had already contacted Hansen in various ways.

Hansen is one of the greatest players in history. Being Thomas’s successor would be the highlight of their agent careers.

These actions from the agents make no issue because someone has to take that position, and the sooner it is filled, the better chance they have.

However, Hansen didn’t intend to choose from among them, not because he’s disgusted by the agents’ actions, but because he has already prepared for this.

After many years in the NBA, he certainly has some "insiders".

Among those whom he trusts most and who keeps the closest contact with him is Rondo.

Besides, Will Atkinson and Aaron O’Neal from Barry University’s initial team have gradually come into play later.

Atkinson, being quite smart, was positioned by Hansen on UA’s side to work and learn about business operations, having been involved in a lot of Hansen’s commercial contracts over the years;

O’Neal, being relatively stiff but very responsible in doing things, was arranged by Hansen to learn under Thomas, preparing for his own agency company in the future.

In fact, before Thomas fell ill, O’Neal was already helping in dealing with some matters.

Now, with the sudden passing of Thomas, letting O’Neal succeed is the best choice.

Once the news got out, it immediately caused an uproar.

"Han is a successful player, but he won’t be a successful businessman."

"Thomas provided Han with too much protection, and Han’s influence will weaken with his passing."

"Han is no different from Michael; they both only appoint people they’re close to."

These discontented famous agents, who lost their chance, were ranting about Hansen in private.

Some of these comments reached Hansen’s ears, but he didn’t pay much attention to them.

The old saying goes, like how the greatest requirement for the ancient Imperial Guard was not martial prowess but loyalty. Hansen’s choice for an agent was under the same rule.

Given his standing in the league, even if you let O’Neal’s grandmother be the agent, it’s no problem.

When it comes to big endorsement contracts, Hansen would personally vet them.

Under such circumstances, choosing someone he trusts is more important than someone more capable.

Just remember that recently Duncan was swindled out of 25 million US Dollars by his agent.

The fact that O’Neal is a newcomer is not an issue. Back when Rich Paul was starting, he was entirely new too.

When a player’s stature reaches a certain level, even a newcomer can quickly become the hottest ticket.

In fact, not long after O’Neal took over, he secured an endorsement deal, with Hansen becoming TikTok’s spokesperson in North America.

TikTok is a subsidiary of Byte, originating from East University Country’s short video platform company. It launched this new product this year after acquiring Musical.ly, a local short video platform in the United States.

Before launching, they had sought collaboration with Hansen.

After all, no one was more suitable than Hansen to be the spokesperson.

However, due to Thomas’s health condition and Hansen continuously seeking equity, the negotiation process lasted quite a while.

Eventually, after O’Neal took over, the two parties formally signed the contract. Hansen not only signed a 5-year, 50 million endorsement deal but also received 2% of TikTok’s shares.

Compared to the endorsement contract, the 2% equity is obviously the more crucial part.

TikTok is a stock-based company, with Byte as the parent company holding around 40% of the shares, and the rest are some investment companies, the smallest having only about 0.2% or more.

So, this 2% is not insignificant because it’s actual dry stock, allowing Hansen to earn dividends from it each year as long as he doesn’t sell it.

This endorsement contract is the same in nature as when Jordan endorsed Nike and Hansen’s drawer agreement with Vivek; essentially, it’s a cooperative relationship.

The bigger TikTok grows, the more income Hansen will earn.

Originally, if they negotiated a bit longer, Hansen might have gained more, but he chose to agree when O’Neal first took over, as it was an entry point for O’Neal.

After completing the signing, Hansen also registered his personal TikTok account, starting to post mainly about his daily life.

During his time in Cleveland, Hansen interacted with fans via radio.

But as times have changed, that method is evidently outdated.

And this move instantly brought enormous traffic to TikTok.

After all, this is the part that fans are most concerned about, and they simply need to download a new app.

Or rather, many of them had long been tired of features still stuck in last century, unable to interact instantly on Facebook and Twitter.

With TikTok’s emergence, the algorithms for them are akin to opening a door to a new world.

Hansen’s existence is the greatest publicity machine, quickly letting more people know about the platform.

It seemed like overnight, TikTok became the most downloaded app across the United States, and Hansen’s influence was maximally demonstrated.

Of course, all of this was just a small episode for Hansen after returning to Sacramento.

Compared to off-court matters, Hansen now focuses more on the situation with the Kings.

While he was absent, the Kings lost to the Jazz 103 to 113.

Mitchell had an average performance, contributing 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, but only made 5 of 17 shots.

His consistency was an issue even last season, and it’s something he needs to continue improving.

Tatum, however, showed a significant rebound compared to the last game, making 8 of 15 shots, achieving the team’s highest with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Because it was a back-to-back game, Hansen played against the Blazers the day after he rushed back.

Led by the backcourt duo of Lillard and McLum, the Blazers were strong, and the game was fiercely contested.

Ultimately, led by Hansen’s 47 points, the Kings defeated the Blazers 126 to 121 for the victory.

Mitchell rebounded in performance, making 9 of 14 shots for 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

However, Tatum, who performed well in the last game, only made 3 of 7 shots for 9 points and 6 rebounds.

After playing three games this season, an unexpected situation emerged.

Originally expected to play off the ball and suit Hansen better, Tatum struggled significantly when playing alongside Hansen.

It seems as if he and Hansen can’t generate any chemistry.

This situation was something even Hansen never anticipated.