Su Xi’s signature shoe logo was a stylized, horizontal S. It looked a bit like half of an infinity symbol, or perhaps a goat’s horn.

On the evening of May 2nd, Eastern Standard Time (EST), Su Xi’s first Nike commercial aired on all major sports channels across the United States, including ESPN, ABC, TNT, and NBC.

The commercial was exquisitely produced. Nike specifically brought in a top-tier Hollywood film crew and a leading visual effects team, spending millions of USD on this single ad alone.

If James found out, he would surely be overcome with jealousy. He was already so angry about Su Xi making an All-NBA Team and getting a ten-million-USD bonus that he couldn’t eat. He would be even more upset if he knew how hard Nike was pushing this promotion.

However, he had no reason to be sad. For him to be able to share the Rookie of the Year award with Su Xi, Nike had invested considerable resources. Otherwise, even with the league heavily promoting James, calling him the "Chosen One," and despite his historic 20+5+5 season, Su Xi’s 16+9+7+3+1 stats and the team’s second-best record in history would have absolutely crushed him.

Nike didn’t want to see their ace in the hole go to waste. If James couldn’t even secure Rookie of the Year in his first season, how could he live up to the title of the ’Chosen One’?

Furthermore, according to Nike’s plans, James’s target audience was more sports-focused. Their expert analysts had run data models, and their conclusion was that James possessed a massive long-term advantage in talent, meaning his future on-court achievements would surely surpass Su Xi’s. Moreover, James was self-disciplined, hardworking, and relatively mature in handling the media. Most importantly, he was an American. Therefore, the resources Nike was currently investing in James far exceeded those for Su Xi.

But more often than not, investing more resources doesn’t guarantee one’s fame will definitively overshadow another’s.

The commercial opened with Su Xi in the back seat of a car. A classic rap song by Snoopy, "The Next Episode," was playing as the car sped along. Suddenly, it made a sharp turn... and outside the window was a billboard featuring a high school team poster of Reggie Williams, Su Xi, and Scott.

The screen abruptly cut to black. The shot pulled back from a dark players’ tunnel. Out of the darkness, a pair of white and blue shoes stepped into the light. The camera slowly panned up, revealing Su Xi walking onto the court in his No. 33 Syracuse University jersey.

As he walked, highlight clips from his time at Syracuse University appeared around him, finally freezing on the moment he lifted the MOP trophy.

Su Xi turned around on the court, and a spotlight hit him. All his honors from the season materialized around him: a massive quadruple-double, Player of the Week, Rookie Challenge MVP, All-Star MVP, All-NBA Team, All-Defensive Team, Rookie of the Year, Steals Leader... Highlight clips from Su Xi’s season flickered continuously in the surrounding darkness.

Su Xi kept his eyes closed the entire time, until all the dazzling images and raucous cheers came to an abrupt halt.

Su Xi’s eyes opened. With a faint, almost imperceptible smile, he stared into the camera. "You think this is all I’ve got?"

"The fun is just getting started."

The scene shifted, and Su Xi’s signature shoe logo appeared.

In 2003, this was a very trendy and creative commercial. Su Xi only had two lines, and both were delivered in a neutral, unexcited tone.

But everyone who saw the commercial felt a sharp, menacing aura from it.

This was consistent with Su Xi’s established public persona. Everyone knew he was ruthless; for the past year, he had been an unstoppable force, cutting down anyone in his path. Moreover, he never showed the slightest deference to any superstar. He was the first super rookie in NBA history to perfectly embody the attitude of "back down from no one."

Su Xi watched the commercial on TV.

He was very satisfied.

He was also grateful to Nike for keeping the opening scene, which hadn’t originally been in the script.

Su Xi had specifically requested it be added.

It was Su Xi’s tribute to his friends.

This was his way of commemorating Scott and Wimms.

This commercial didn’t just air in the United States. Nike invested even greater resources in Asia as part of a clear strategy, hoping to reap huge rewards in the region.

And in fact, they succeeded.

As the commercial aired, Su Xi’s shoes were simultaneously released worldwide.

The frenzy for them in Asia far exceeded Nike’s expectations, and they became the best-selling signature shoe of all time at launch.

They weren’t just a hot seller in Mainland China; a pair was nearly impossible to find in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan as well. Some household-name celebrities even joined the buying frenzy, and everyone felt a sense of pride in getting their hands on a pair of Su Xi’s signature shoes.

A similar buying frenzy was sparked in countries like Japan, South Korea, and Singapore.

Su Xi’s success in basketball also inspired fans in these regions, who all took pride in his shared ethnicity.

His domineering attitude and off-court tabloid scandals were particularly appealing. They had rarely seen an Asian person act so brazenly—and be so successful—in front of their "American daddies," all while effortlessly sweeping Hollywood actresses off their feet.

Another thing Nike hadn’t expected was that first-day sales of Su Xi’s signature shoe in North America surpassed those of LeBron James’s debut signature shoe, the Air Zoom Generation.

Particularly in the Los Angeles and New York areas, sales of Su Xi’s shoes were unbelievably high.

This meant Su Xi had astonishing drawing power in these two huge basketball markets.

LeBron’s influence, in fact, had not yet fully penetrated these two super-metropolises. The fans in these big cities weren’t really buying into the whole ’Chosen One’ narrative.

So, how did Su Xi do it?

Nike’s marketing department held meetings all day, finally concluding that Su Xi was more popular with the youth. He was handsome, had more personality, and was more rebellious. Most importantly, his good looks were a clear advantage; in Los Angeles, his tabloid scandals had benefited him greatly. He enjoyed a similar advantage in New York. And on top of that, he was Syracuse University’s MOP.