The gorgeous turn of the "Master of Absurdity": From an NBA role player to an internet celebrity with tens of millions of dollars a year

His basketball career is like a black humorous movie full of dramatic tension, from the streets of Los Angeles to the NBA championship podium. He covered up the trauma of fate with his iconic smile and wrote the most unique chapter in modern basketball history with "unreasonable" shooting choices. He is Nick Young.

Arenas once commented on Nick Young: "He can replicate all Kobe's moves. He is a pure scorer, but sometimes he is stupid like a stone. If he has a brain, he can become Kobe."

Like the general, this is also what most people say about Nick Young. He was labeled as "bad spirit" and "too low in ball quotient", which led to his career wandering. He basically faded out of the league at the age of 33. But in fact, Nick Young is not only very smart, but also has a business acumen. He is one of the most successful role players in retirement and transformation in the NBA so far.

Nick Young was born in a slum in southern Los Angeles. He has three children in his family. He is the youngest. Although his life is poor, he is quite calm. Until he was 6 years old, two "bullets" changed his life. The eldest brother Charles was accidentally killed because of a gang fight. Not long after, his second brother's mental problems broke out again and had to be sent to a mental hospital by his father. The lively family instantly became deserted. Looking at the increasingly depressed Nick Young, his father Willie felt distressed. One day, he took a basketball back and stuffed it into his son's arms, 'Come on, let me see how powerful you are.'

Robertson Park Stadium witnessed the growth of Nick Young. Basketball became his only way to fight fate. His natural ball sense and excellent physical flexibility allowed him to transform into a stadium elf. Just watch it once, you can learn difficult and complex movements. When he used Jordan's movement to shake his opponent and hit the buzzer-beating kill, there was a thunderous applause from the outside of the court, and his teammates surrounded him in the middle. This made Nick Young, who had been suppressed for a long time, feel reborn. Gradually, he began to be keen on developing difficult technologies.

The viewing ability is naturally unspeakable, but in the regular court, practicality is the king. Therefore, after entering high school, Nick Young was treated completely differently from that on the wild court. No coach liked him. In 4 years, he transferred three times. It was not until the last year that Nick Young made a name for Cleveland High School. He achieved double harvests in personal data and team record, averaging 27.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, and shooting percentages reached 57.3% and 46.8% respectively, leading the team to 25 wins and 4 losses. Many media have listed him among the top ten in the United States.

But when choosing a school, Nick Young chose the University of Southern California. The school's strength is football, and basketball is very mediocre. No one understands why he went to USC. Perhaps, only the desert can highlight the value of the oasis. Seeing this, do you still think Nick Young is a "stupid"?

In the second year of college, Nick Young completely took over the team, averaging 17.3 points and 6.6 rebounds. He is the team's scoring and rebounding champion. With his outstanding report card, he was finally defeated by the Wizards at the 16th pick in the first round. However, in the NBA, Nick Young was once again experienced in high school. The coach would be furious because of his reckless shot, and his teammates would also accuse and alienate him for his mistakes. Fortunately, Nick Young met Arenas.

Arenas likes this little brother very much. He will protect him like his own brother, speak for him, pay fines, etc. As his substitute, when Nick Young feels hot, Arenas will even take the initiative to tell the coach, 'I feel a little uncomfortable, let him play for a while'. In the 10-11 season, the "gun gate incident broke out", and Arenas was suspended, which also gave Nick Young more opportunities to show himself. He became the team's scoring leader with an average of 17.4 points per game.

Although the data is dazzling, his game content does not satisfy the management. For example, in the game with the Kings, he made 17 of 29 shots and scored 43 points, but in overtime, Nick Young faced multiple double-teams and failed to make a series of strong attacks, which eventually led to the team losing. The coach looked at him helplessly and demanded, with resentment in his eyes. After the game, the reporter surrounded Nick Young, "Why don't you pass the Kobe-like key ball?" The latter shrugged and returned with disdain, "Kobe? I'm Kobe."

This game also became a microcosm of the entire season. Nick Young can score many fairy goals, but can also lose the chain at critical moments. After the season, the Wizards only provided him with a one-year, $3.4 million contract. Not long after, Nick Young was traded to the Clippers again. He was extremely uncomfortable here. Then the classic saying came out, "The tactics here are too complicated, all I need is the basket." The ending is also obvious, Nick Young was abandoned again.

After playing for the 76ers for a short time, the Clippers' city rival Lakers threw an olive branch to Nick Young. At this time, their top card Kobe is in the recovery stage of Achilles tendon. The Purple and Gold Army needs a new player with strong scoring methods to join, averaging 17.9 points per game. Nick Young once again proved that as long as the ball is sufficient, the score is like taking a picture. But unfortunately, the legendary Staples Center will always welcome a new owner, and this person will never be Nick Young. With the influx of geniuses one by one, he gradually became the marginal person on the team.

In the summer of 2017, at the warm invitation of Durant and Curry, Nick Young came to the Bay Area. Although the tactics here are more complex, their team culture is full of tolerance. They will not discriminate against Nick Young's "absurdity" and the slightly casual personality in freedom. In the finals, they swept the Cavaliers to win the third championship in four years.

The story is basically over here. Nick Yang, who holds the ring, also loses the goal of continuing to strive for. His mind is more about being off the court, managing his IP and brand. After playing for 4 games for the Nuggets, Nick Yang Guangrong "retired" without any ceremony, turned around and left with great ease..

Although the personal honor database is scarce, Nick Yang's straightforwardness and relaxation have made him gain a large number of fans. The global use of question mark face emoticons exceeded 8.6 billion times. Nick Yang also smelled business opportunities and began to build a personal IP, making his image and spirit gradually become a trendy culture. He registered multiple social platform accounts and shared his personal life. While he was sharing his personal life, he also produced short dramas with his wife. In addition, Nick Yang frequently participated in various Internet celebrity activities, boxing competitions, talk show competitions, etc. During this period, he also briefly joined BIG3 to maintain his popularity with the competition.

After several years of development, Nick Young's income has even exceeded his NBA salary. The annual sales of the personal brand "Most Hated" has exceeded US$12 million. Not only that, he has also become the general manager of the MHP team of the Drew League. Through his personal influence, the league's exposure has increased by several levels, becoming the most popular summer IP in the United States. The invested e-sports club and fried chicken brand have gradually grown under his management, and the market value has increased several times.

So, is Nick Young really stupid? His absurdity is more like a defensive humor to cover up the trauma of fate. When his basketball career has been labeled as an "inefficient single player" and a "ball rights black hole", he simply carried this image to the end and then made a bloody path in the business world. As its social media signature: "They hate me cause they ain’t me" - this is perhaps the best annotation of Nick Young's business philosophy.