One Year Left to Play

Chapter 546 - 166: He Really Should Come to Los Angeles (Part 3)

Actually, this price can rise in the future, but the managers of these Ferrari test drive stores know very well that the current price, within 2 million US dollars, is already the maximum that people who really want to buy a car can accept. Even if it hypothetically rises to 3 million or 5 million, it’ll have the price but no market; no one will buy it, which equals zero.

The feeling of showing off wealth is just delightful. After Anfernee Hardaway bought a car he probably won’t drive himself, he went to look at other cars, led by the beautiful store assistant.

Why not drive it?

Other sports stars have their famous rides, and he just won’t drive it; it’s just to prove he also has one.

On the other side, O’Neal silently watched Anfernee Hardaway show off his wealth. After Anfernee Hardaway left, he said to the manager, "I want an F50 too. I want two!"

"Ah? Sure!" Although not understanding why someone would buy two, the manager was naturally happy; there’s big money to be made!

O’Neal circled the test drive F50 and suddenly said, "Cut my two cars from here, here, and splice them together! You guys should offer modification services, right?"

"Well, the F50 has a horsepower of 520, a racing engine, 4.7 displacement. For safety considerations, it’s not suitable for modification. We’re already doing our best to push the performance to the extreme, easily reaching speeds of over 200 miles per hour..."

"Safety is not important. I won’t drive it out anyway. Just deliver it to my yard after it’s modified!"

"..." The manager felt his worldview getting scrambled...

Anfernee Hardaway and O’Neal brought him over 5 million US dollars in sales in one day; this wasn’t what surprised him the most, but rather the amount of joy he felt.

But buying it as a toy to slice up and play with?

Despite having seen so many wealthy people, O’Neal still refreshed this manager’s worldview!

...

Los Angeles, Entertainment Capital, on the morning of March 20th, Zhang Hao had just arrived at the arena and heard something.

"O’Neal spent 3 million US dollars making a splice toy?"

Zhang Hao looked at the news with O’Neal standing next to a cutting machine, giving a thumbs up to the modification master for cutting precisely with a less than a millimeter error. There was also mention of Anfernee Hardaway buying an F50, and both of them buying villas last year...

Yesterday, after O’Neal bought the car, reporters quickly gathered at this test drive store. O’Neal gladly accepted being photographed and even went together to the modification factory.

Zhang Hao looked at the newspaper Jason Williams handed him and was suspicious that the reporters were called by O’Neal himself.

Even so, watching these two guys spend nearly 5 million US dollars to compete over who’s wealthier, Zhang Hao couldn’t help but comment, "It’s a shame O’Neal isn’t hanging around in Los Angeles!"

Several teammates at the training ground chimed in, indeed feeling envious, jealous, and grudging.

Like Campbell, who’s played for almost 6 years; his total salary summed up to 7.74 million US dollars, and with no other income, he had two endorsements as a potential star earning 50 thousand US dollars each year. Later on, except for occasional local events in Los Angeles earning thousands or tens of thousands in cash, that was it.

He worked hard for 6 years, and the money he pocketed was less than these two’s show of wealth!

Only the Magician didn’t mind, having been a big spender himself, but he knew how to make money.

However, when nearby staff heard Zhang Hao’s comments on O’Neal and Anfernee Hardaway’s show-off event, they quickly contacted the journalists they worked with...

These intelligence sources, in NBA teams, usually come from these regular staff who work hard but earn relatively little. The teams know their staff make extra cash from things others can’t hear, yet they don’t stop it.

It’s unstoppable anyway, and it’s not illegal. One being replaced just means there’ll be another.

Plus, it counts as a way to increase exposure.

...

...

When the media reported Zhang Hao’s evaluation of O’Neal’s double showing-off event, it interpreted his comment as "Zhang Hao believes O’Neal is just putting on a show."

It didn’t cause much of a stir because there were many calling O’Neal a showman. It was only relevant because it involved Zhang Hao, and tonight the Lakers face off against the Magic, so the Los Angeles television news had some viewers.

After a day of preparation, at 6:40 in the evening, the players of Lakers and Magic entered the court.

When O’Neal appeared, there was a joking chant of "and-zero" from the scene.

O’Neal didn’t mind; more than a month had passed. In the last 17 games, he took 331 free throws and made 155. The laughter from fans here was mild. In Chicago, fans directly called out "Shoot free throws, Shark, we need you"... He’s become accustomed to it.

And he genuinely regrets being bad at free throws; if he’d been better at free throwing, during his second year in the league, he would have scored half a free throw more per game, with a sixty percent free throw rate, he would’ve won the scoring champion... Regret is regret, knowing mistakes are knowing mistakes, but he doesn’t want to change.

Too tiring!

But seeing Zhang Hao coming out from the players’ tunnel, O’Neal gritted his teeth in frustration!

It was this guy who let him surpass Jordan in the short span of a month, becoming the average free throw... attempt king!

Though recently opponents made fewer intentional fouls on him, it was still a lot. He still averaged 15+ free throws in recent games...

Anfernee Hardaway, seeing Zhang Hao enter, didn’t have the same indifferent attitude as he did at the All-Star Weekend, where being in the spotlight didn’t suit his personality.

But when it comes to official games, and the opponent is West’s first, that’s a different story!

Though, he wasn’t pleased with O’Neal spending 1.69 million US dollars and not getting headlines! The spotlight was completely stolen!

Off the court, when Zhang Hao and his Ferrari F50 were concerned, O’Neal did it better, finessing the hype, being grander, and stealing the show, but on the court, he must outshine O’Neal as Penny!