Chapter 917: 916 Strong Alliance

Li Wei. Nike.

No one will forget the epic collaboration between Li Wei and Nike, the second professional athlete in history, after Michael Jordan, to earn dividends.

At the time, Li Wei was just “the Sun Wukong who sprang forth from a crack in the rock,” and Nike’s contract was ridiculed by everyone as “insane and irrational.”

So, what about now?

Not long ago, major companies began releasing their 2018 financial reports, and after compiling the data, Forbes listed a ranking–

The annual revenue of exclusive series collaborations between professional athletes and sports brands, providing a direct focus on the market influence of top athletes.

“Air Jordan” series, three billion US dollars, still the most successful and glorious product line in sports history, unmatched to this day.

LeBron James series, Nike, six hundred million US dollars.

Kevin Durant series, Nike, one hundred seventy million US dollars.

Kyrie Irving series, Nike, one hundred million US dollars.

Stephen Curry series, Under Armour, sixty million US dollars.

Kobe Bryant series, Nike, fifty million US dollars.

James Harden series, Adidas, forty-five million US dollars.

Numbers don’t lie–they are crystal clear.

Over the years, Nike’s insistent hold on LeBron James is plain to see. Undoubtedly, his market appeal is right there for all to witness; yet at the same time, the gap between LeBron James and Michael Jordan is significant, a key factor Nike uses to constrain contractual terms.

Within this ranking, Li Wei’s name is also visible–

Li Wei series, Nike, five hundred million US dollars.

A single set of figures is already enough to stir up a storm, monumental and world-shaking.

Reportedly, even Nike’s internal teams were stunned.

The reason is simple.

First of all, Li Wei is a football player. He cannot sell sneakers the way basketball players do.

Strictly speaking, it isn’t that he can’t sell; Nike has indeed released Li Wei’s series of running shoes and basketball shoes. The issue lies in the fact that these shoes fail to evoke the “step onto the court in these shoes, and I become Li Wei” sensation that basketball shoes inspire, and sales often fall short–a reality already affirmed by football players’ product lines.

Second, Li Wei is a rookie. Even including NCAA exposure, he’s only been in the public eye for three years.

When you consider Li Wei alongside the other names on this ranking, the connection between athletes and the masses–this requires time, seasoning, and the forging of bonds over games played. Gradually influencing the market through steady progress cannot be achieved by one or two advertisements alone.

Nevertheless, Li Wei effortlessly overturned those rules.

In just his second year of collaborating with Nike, Li Wei reached staggering heights, rocketing upward to challenge LeBron James’ position with formidable momentum.

Unstoppable!

Thus, it becomes easier to understand an industry rumor.

The rumor states that two years ago, Nike signed a five-year agreement with Li Wei, including a priority matching option for the fifth year. Now, even though the second year of the agreement hasn’t yet concluded, Nike has seriously begun discussions about whether they should sit down with Li Wei to draft a new contract and show increased sincerity.

The reason is straightforward–look at LeBron James’ ups and downs over the years. Despite this, Nike continues to hold tightly to his contract.

And now, with market influence comparable to LeBron James’, Li Wei gives Nike no reason to let go.

Furthermore, the key lies in Nike needing to act preemptively. Before Li Wei’s value continues to skyrocket, they must seize the opportunity to demonstrate sincerity; otherwise, if competitors appear, even if Nike retains Li Wei later, the cost could be astronomical.

In the blink of an eye, Li Wei and Donald seem to hold the reins, calm and composed. After Li Wei crowned himself as regular season MVP and Super Bowl MVP, they show no urgency in renewing the Nike contract. Confidence and unyielding poise subtly shift the balance of power in the partnership.

Unsurprisingly, Nike’s attitude is proactive and unwavering.

The entry of Louis Vuitton happens to occur at a sensitive moment.

Unable to immediately persuade Li Wei to renew the contract and temporarily lacking a better, longer-term offer, Nike refuses to allow competitors like Louis Vuitton to disrupt their collaboration.

The answer is plain to see.

Win-win cooperation.

No need for internal conflict or malicious competition. Instead, join forces, earn money together, and elevate the Li Wei brand on a global scale.

Consequently, a remarkable scene unfolded.

“Nike X Li Wei X Louis Vuitton,” a wave of crossover collaboration aggressively arrived, sweeping globally with unstoppable momentum, rocketing to the top of worldwide trends in an instant.

Shocking!

Impactful!

Adrenaline-charged!

Eardrums shaken, an overwhelming roar of voices surged and burned, spilling over from social media platforms into real life.

Despite the surprise, reality speaks volumes–after entering the offseason, Li Wei’s headlines seem to have only increased.

After all, during the season, it’s all training followed by games, and games followed by training, with bustling news revolving entirely around the field; the offseason is different. Freed from constraints, a new world opens, with various headlines cropping up, as if unleashed in a frenzy.

Amid the flood of news mania, some noticed a tiny, seemingly inconspicuous detail–a very, very minor detail that brought shockwaves anew:

Endorsements. Endorsements. All endorsements. Creative collaborations.

One wave after another, unstoppable.

So, how about Li Wei’s income?

Last year, as a rookie player, Li Wei already broke into the top five of the NFL player salary ranking with endorsement income as his driving force.

Whether as a rookie or as a running back, Li Wei’s meteoric rise has become the league’s most dazzling spectacle–impossible to ignore.

At the same time, his success inevitably attracted endless animosity, yet Li Wei smashed through the hatred, continuing to climb higher, even surpassing the brilliance of his rookie season, leaving detractors in the dust.

This year, the ranking hasn’t been released yet, as the free market hasn’t opened, and player-team negotiations have only just started.

But that hasn’t stopped sharp observers from prematurely declaring the champion of this ranking, likely heralding a historic moment–

Li Wei.

Obviously, the answer couldn’t be more apparent–who else could it be if not Li Wei?

Armed with magnifying glasses, netizens channeled their inner Holmes, piecing together information from news reports:

Endorsements signed last year, endorsements signed this year, player wages, bonuses, Nike product line dividends, and more.

Although many endorsements did not publicly disclose contract figures, leaving only speculative data, the final numbers still await Forbes’ confirmation and may not be entirely accurate. However, based on current deductions, netizens have drawn an irresistible conclusion–a jaw-dropping conclusion:

Li Wei’s annual salary is estimated to be between one hundred million and one hundred thirteen million US dollars.

Witnessing history–

Once confirmed, Li Wei will become the first NFL player in history to achieve an annual salary exceeding one hundred million US dollars.

A groundbreaking, first-ever achievement.