novelhk Chapter 30: The Fermentation Continues
Chapter 30: The Fermentation Continues
The exposure of his nightclub hookup incident wasn't a big deal for Du Xiaoshuai. After returning to his long-abandoned rented villa and dealing with his nagging mother on the other end of the phone, Du Xiaoshuai called his agent, Rich Kleiman, back.
Currently, Durant's endorsement contract does not contain any clauses restricting him from going to nightclubs, so this gossip will not have a significant impact on his economic career and basketball career. However, Rich Kleiman still advised Durant to tone it down over the phone.
Du Xiaoshuai stated that he couldn't restrain himself any further and would refuse any endorsement contracts that required a positive image of him; otherwise, he wouldn't accept the contract.
This Life is Beautiful Card, Only for Freedom!
After several days of exhaustion, Du Xiaoshuai took a fragrant bath, lay down on the bed, and fell into a deep sleep, oblivious to the raging flood outside.
On America's premier online fan community forum, posts about Kevin Durant were once again featured on the homepage, and many local newspapers and weekly magazines followed up with reports on this sports gossip overnight in their sports columns.
Doutzen Kroos, another party involved in the gossip, is also a very influential model and actress. If she weren't a non-American celebrity, the whole of America would probably be in an uproar right now.
Durant himself probably doesn't even know how influential he is in the American basketball world.
Fans who were still awake or from different time zones flocked to the NBA's official website forum to discuss the issue.
The alliance network's public relations team, based in New York, was in a real bind when they received the news.
At this time, Stern had finally fallen asleep. The old man was a light sleeper, and who would dare to wake him up because of a player's gossip?
As for the issue of having a romantic encounter while going to a bar, it's not a big deal, but it's not insignificant either. It's not exactly terrible, but it's certainly quite negative. Who knows what the league's higher-ups think about it?
The league spends a lot of money every year on specialized training for rookies, covering topics such as social etiquette, financial management, self-care, and legal and ethical behavior. The hope is that players can enter high society as civilized gentlemen, at least be worthy of their status, and get rid of the stereotypes of American elites and middle-class people that NBA black players are depraved and barbaric. However, the results have been minimal.
Durant put up phenomenal numbers as soon as he entered the league this summer, and his record is almost undefeated. With the promotion of the league and Nike, he is gradually being recognized as the next rising superstar in American basketball. Especially after the defeat at the 04 Olympics, many people placed their hopes for the US men's basketball team on him.
Since the retirement of Shaq, the league has been without a true star for the past few years. Shaq is getting old, Duncan is keeping a low profile, Kobe has a criminal record, Iverson is a troublemaker, Nash relies on the system, Nowitzki is soft, Garnett is greedy, Wade is injured, LeBron is inexperienced, McGrady is fragile, and Anthony is a hater... It can be said that many heroes have emerged, but it is also an inevitable star-making strategy.
If the league wants to continue to expand its influence, it really hopes to have a figurehead like Michael Jordan. That's why a representative figure is necessary.
Starting from this season, after accumulating points in the previous two years and with the support of Gasol, the Black Mamba gradually ascended to the throne and took up the mantle of the league's best player.
In this life, Durant's rise has been a huge surprise to the league. He broke all sorts of ancient records as soon as he entered the league, his personal statistics are explosive, and he is currently leading his team to a perfect record. It's a perfect start for a protagonist!
Even though his stats gradually returned to normal after his regular season debut, he still delivered the performance of a top superstar in the league.
As long as he stays healthy, given the NBA's ability to create stars, Kevin Durant will most likely become another historic international superstar, bringing countless fans and revenue to the NBA.
As potential international superstars, a player's image is of paramount importance; no matter how well a star-making process is implemented, it cannot cover up a player's own reckless and self-destructive behavior.
In this respect, the league is quite helpless regarding Black players.
Leaving aside the legendary Zhang 20,000, even after Stern took over the league, several generations of Black stars had moral flaws to varying degrees. The first generation, Magic Johnson, was the most outrageous, even contracting AIDS from gambling. The second generation, Old Rogue, was the most successful, but also notoriously addicted to gambling. The third generation, Black Mamba, faced sexual assault charges and remained stubborn.
But there's an old Chinese saying that goes: "A perfect person is not employed."
If a person doesn't have any major flaws, it's actually harder to control them. LeBron James will use his perfect persona, which he has maintained for twenty years, to teach the Jews the so-called art of personnel management.
The current discussion among fans is brewing on the NBA's official website forum. The images and discussions are not considered outrageous, so whether or not to delete them is a question.
The forum maintainer thought about it and decided that it shouldn't cause a major incident, so he decided to let things play out for a while.
As the originator of the message, the blogger who started it all also described in detail the specific times when Du Xiaoshuai and Du Chen struck up a conversation, chatted, kissed, and left that night, and even how many bottles of wine they drank.
Many enthusiastic fans quickly realized that Du Xiaoshuai's age might not be within the legal drinking age in Washington State.
In other words, Du Xiaoshuai broke the law.
This is a bit of a problem—they might face a $1000 fine!
Although there are quite a few people who secretly drink before the age of 21, they usually only drink at family or friend/classmate gatherings. Going to a bar so openly—well, there are many too—is not good if it is exposed as a public figure.
However, the incident did not end there. Around midnight, on another online sports media community, SB Nation, a passerby who was in Seattle on a business trip uploaded a video of Durant and Doutzen Kroos saying goodbye at Tacoma International Airport.
The video quality is clear. The two people in the video look like newlyweds bidding farewell to each other, as if they want to meld each other into their bodies. Their young and tall figures stand out in the security checkpoint. Their lips biting each other and their arms embracing each other are clearly defined, creating a strong visual impact.
On camera, both seemed a bit carried away. Du Xiaoshuai was seen roughly stroking the woman's back with his large hand, and his actions of pinching her buttocks were somewhat rough. Fortunately, the United States is a self-proclaimed open world, and as long as they weren't naked, it was their freedom.
With the pre-release buzz from the news about Du Xiaoshuai visiting a bar late at night, his video, which was almost an R-rated prelude, was shared over 1 million times on the SB website in less than 8 hours, and the total number of reposts on other platforms far exceeded 10 million!
In this era of burgeoning online media, online resources are not yet as abundant as they would be in the short video era, and people's threshold for entertainment is still relatively low. The crossover between the entertainment and sports industries, with Du Xiaoshuai's impromptu and heartfelt farewell, attracted the attention of countless young internet users, instantly reaping the benefits of online traffic.
After watching the video, netizens across the internet were instantly outraged.
Du Chen is an international supermodel! She's just over twenty years old, has participated in two Victoria's Secret Fashion Shows, recently graced the cover of VOGUE magazine twice, and starred in an art-house romance film last year. She's really on the rise!
Nine heads tall, with a fierce chest, a beautiful face, and shapely legs! Dutch tulip charm, Nordic romanticism—how could a supermodel goddess fall for a loser like Du Xiaoshuai!
If Du Xiaoshuai knew what these Americans were thinking, he would definitely scoff at it.
Mr. Du's aesthetic is based on ancient Eastern style, and this foreign woman is just my least favorite girl!
Many people questioned Du Chen's taste: Could this be the legendary beauty who likes the beast?
Some people speculated jealously: Perhaps it's because Black people have a natural talent?
Many netizens left envious comments: Durant is eating too well!
Some white men sourly remarked: "Good cabbage has been eaten by a pig!"
WarnerMedia's online media outlet BR published a lengthy article overnight, harshly criticizing Durant for his lack of focus and passion for basketball. The article accused Durant of only playing two games in the Summer League, neglecting his offseason training by spending two months enjoying himself overseas, padding his stats in the preseason, and not giving his all in later games...
In short, they contradict themselves repeatedly, nitpicking and ultimately concluding that Durant will be another example of a talent squandering his potential, just like his SuperSonics predecessor, Shawn Kemp. They even cite examples of his record-breaking performance at the start of the new season, followed by a gradual decline in his stats, as proof of their point.
These remarks are indeed alarmist, but they still have an audience.
People are always skeptical of the unknown. Du Xiaoshuai, who just debuted, has soared too high and too fast, and his data is too dreamlike. There have always been doubts. The reason he hasn't been widely discussed is simply because no flaws can be found. Moreover, many ordinary people think that he might be a member of the league and Nike's star-making campaign.
After all, there's precedent for this in the league, right, number 23?
The SuperSonics only have one nationally televised game this season, meaning at least half of Americans haven't watched Durant's game in its entirety. Aside from SuperSonics fans and a few knowledgeable football observers who consistently follow Durant, most people are easily swayed by public opinion. Even with Durant's explosive stats, rumors of inflated numbers and accusations of rigged performances persist.
The following afternoon, TNT, also owned by WarnerMedia, discussed Durant's off-court affairs in its basketball segment.
During the Summer League, Durant and his aunt's close interview was controversial because the content discussed in the live broadcast was too lewd. Both Barkley and Smith, the two clowns, received complaints from female fans afterwards. Therefore, this time the topic did not have much erotic extension or imagination.
Charles Barkley feigned indifference in front of the camera, saying, "It's just a one-night stand. I don't understand why everyone's so excited. Basketball players are human too; we have the right to pursue love."
For Fei Zhu, a former player, there is no right or wrong in his mind, only his stance!
"Yes, but he drank!" Kenny Smith said. "He's still a child."
"Many ordinary people or celebrities drink alcohol when they are eighteen or nineteen years old. Our sweetheart Lindsay Lohan was just exposed for drunk driving not long ago," Barkley said with a wink.
"We're talking about athletes, you know, alcohol is very harmful to athletes," Ernie Jensen said.
"Oh, really? You didn't secretly drink alcohol when you were a kid, Kenny? Answer me honestly!" Barkley, setting a trap for Smith, said, "In your wife's name!"
"No, I've always been a law-abiding citizen," Kenny Smith quickly stated, then turned to Barkley and asked, "Charles, so you're saying you secretly drank alcohol when you were a kid?"
"Of course—no, Sir Charles has always been a moral role model among players in the league. How could I possibly do something illegal?" Barkley said casually without even looking up. "However, Shaq did."
"What?" Kenny pretended not to understand.
"Shaq did it too, Kobe said so," Barkley said seriously.
"Oh—Charles, just wait to receive O'Neil's lawyer's letter!" Kenny Smith exclaimed dramatically.
......
The SuperSonics' seventh game is on the road against the Atlanta Hawks, starting on November 14th, with a three-day break in between.
Of course, the team can't give the players a break; they have to train their physical fitness and tactics every day.
The next morning, Du Xiaoshuai, who had gone to bed at midnight the night before, seemed to have had a long rest. He got up and stretched, feeling refreshed.
After washing up, Du Xiaoshuai ordered Chinese takeout and lay back on the bed to prepare for the fan card raffle.