Training Camp

After that, Lian Dao returned to Los Angeles.

When he went to New York, he was alone, but when he came back, there were two people: Lian Dao and his junior sister, Guo Yuwei.

Lian Dao also moved out of the University of Southern California and returned to Atherton, a wealthy area in the South Bay. This is the house that Lian Dao's parents bought after they moved here, and the price has now reached eight figures. The 1,021-square-meter single-family building includes a garden, swimming pool, indoor and outdoor basketball courts, and a gym—everything you would expect.

Before, his parents returned to China, and when he went to college, they were a little far away, one in Los Angeles and the other in San Francisco. Atherton is located near Silicon Valley, so most of the people who buy houses here are internet upstarts. Rich people living in Atherton include Microsoft's co-founder, Paul Allen; Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman; and Google Chairman Eric Schmidt. There are also many mysterious Asian billionaires living here. Therefore, both the security and the living environment are at the highest level in California.

This time, it was also because of his little sister that Lian Dao hired a housekeeping company to clean the villa again. Guo Yuwei also leveraged her connections to hire two reliable Asian nannies and two bodyguards. Otherwise, with just the two of them living in such a big house, it would feel really empty. The main concern is that cleaning would be a problem with only two people living there.

With the living situation solved, it was time to officially begin training!

Next, Lian Dao enlisted Chris Brickley as his personal trainer.

Chris Brickley would eventually become JR Smith's personal trainer and was later introduced to LeBron James by Smith. James also praised Chris Brickley's abilities.

At this time, Chris Brickley was far from being as famous and experienced as he would be in the future. But Lian Dao didn't need an overly experienced trainer right now; he could create training plans himself.

A large part of why Lian Dao recruited Chris Brickley was the benefit of an outside perspective.

Lian Dao knew the direction of his current training but recognized that there might be gaps in his plans. A professional's input can often fill in those gaps and make a plan more comprehensive.

Lian Dao's primary goals were to improve his physical conditioning, develop his footwork in the paint, and enhance his mid-range shooting.

Improving his physical conditioning would help him adapt to the NBA, while refining his footwork and mid-range shooting would diversify his scoring options.

With these objectives in mind, Lian Dao collaborated with Chris Brickley to develop a detailed training plan through ongoing discussions.

...

Back in Los Angeles, Lian Dao learned that DeMar was still searching for an agent. Wanting to help his friend make the best choice, Lian Dao recommended Bill Duffy, a well-respected name in the industry.

DeMar was aware that Lian Dao had signed with someone outside the traditional sports agency sphere, so he decided not to follow the same path. Instead, trusting Lian Dao's recommendation, he chose to sign with Bill Duffy.

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Bill Duffy quickly demonstrated his strong business acumen by securing two lucrative endorsement deals for DeMar, capitalizing on his growing popularity. One was for a chocolate brand, and the other was for Native American Milk. These endorsements significantly boosted DeMar's finances, easing some of his immediate financial pressures.

Meanwhile, Lian Dao was not in a hurry to accept endorsements. Guo Yuwei, his representative, found several attractive offers, but Lian Dao only accepted one from Gucci for their sunglasses line. He turned down the others, much to Guo Yuwei's frustration as she watched him pass on easy money.

Lian Dao chose Gucci primarily because it offered the shortest contract period. The two-year endorsement deal was worth $2.2 million, inspired by the buzz created when Lian Dao wore Gucci sunglasses to a press conference. The sales of those sunglasses had soared in both the U.S. and China, prompting Gucci to seek a partnership.

The ad campaign was shot over three days, efficiently capturing Lian Dao's charisma and style, which Gucci hoped would translate into further sales success.

Lian Dao and DeMar embarked on an intense training regimen, using the USC gymnasium as their base. Initially, it was just the two of them, but they were soon joined by Gibson and Vucevic, who wanted to take advantage of the focused environment.

Chris Brickley, who had been Lian Dao's personal trainer, found himself transitioning into the role of trainer for the entire group. Recognizing the increased workload, Lian Dao offered Chris a raise to compensate for the additional responsibilities.

News of the training camp spread, and before long, James Harden showed up, eager to join. His enthusiasm was driven partly by the presence of free trainers, which was too good an opportunity to pass up. Lian Dao welcomed him, though Chris Brickley started feeling the pressure of managing so many athletes.

To address the growing needs of the camp, Lian Dao invested in hiring additional trainers to support Chris. This included specialists in nutrition, physical therapy, and technical skills, transforming the group into a more professional setup. However, the USC gymnasium soon became too crowded and inadequate for their needs, especially with the university's schedule.

Lian Dao decided to rent a nearby facility that included a gym and accommodation, providing an ideal setting for their training sessions. The improved venue attracted even more talent, including Klay Thompson, who brought along his teammate Aaron Baynes.

Seeing the potential for serious competition, Lian Dao asked James Harden to invite his teammate Jeff Ayers, who was also entering the draft this year. With the departure of Harden and Ayers, the Arizona Sun Devils would face a challenging season.

Gibson reached out to Nick Young, whose team, the Washington Wizards, had finished their regular season with 20 wins and 62 losses, missing the playoffs. Curious about the training camp, Nick flew in from Washington, D.C.

The biggest surprise was Danny Green's arrival. He had heard about the camp through the grapevine and decided to join, much to Lian Dao's delight.

With these additions, the training group expanded to include Lian Dao, DeMar, Gibson, Vucevic, James Harden, Klay Thompson, Jeff Ayers, Aron Baynes, Nick Young, and Danny Green. They split into two teams, red and blue, for full-court scrimmages, providing valuable real-game experience.

Chris Brickley, despite his youth, demonstrated excellent professional acumen. He crafted individualized training plans for each player with the help of the assistant trainers. The combination of personalized training and actual gameplay allowed everyone to identify their weaknesses and measure their progress.

Nick Young, in particular, found himself tested by this group of future NBA stars. He quickly realized the level of talent and determination required to compete at this level. James Harden, DeMar, Gibson, Vucevic, Klay Thompson, Danny Green, and Lian Dao all pushed Nick, showing him the gap between aspiring players and established NBA talent.

This training camp became a proving ground, earning high praise from everyone involved. The experience highlighted the benefits of focused training and competitive practice, but Lian Dao also recognized the financial demands of maintaining such an intensive camp.

In the end, the camp's success was clear, fostering both individual growth and camaraderie among the players as they prepared for their future careers in the NBA.