On June 28, a day destined to be remembered by the basketball world, the NBA Draft, which attracted global attention, finally came to an end.
For China's Cui Yongxi, the day was one of disappointment, as he failed to emerge from the heat of the draft. But this is just a small twist and turn in the journey of his basketball dream, and it is by no means the end.
At 9:30 a.m. on this day, ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony brought us the exciting news that Choi Yong-hee had signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Trail Blazers.
The signing of this contract undoubtedly opened a new door for Choi Yong-hee's basketball career. It means Choi will have the opportunity to play with the Trail Blazers in the NBA Summer League and is expected to attend the Trail Blazers' preseason training camp after the summer league is over. This is undoubtedly an important opportunity for Choi Yong-hee to continue to pursue his basketball dream.
You may be wondering, what exactly is an Exhibit 10 contract? Let's find out. This type of contract is valid for one year and comes with a unique Exhibit 10 clause.
In terms of bonuses, it only covers the amount specified in the contract itself, and there are no other additional bonuses. It is worth mentioning that this contract will not be counted towards the team's salary cap, which provides the team with some flexibility in salary management.
More importantly, if a team wishes to do so before the start of the regular season, it can be converted to a two-way contract. Of course, if a player is cut, he or she can receive between $5,000 and $50,000 if he stays with a team affiliated with the Team Development League for 60 days.
In fact, this is not the first time that Choi Yong-hee has signed an Exhibit 10 contract. Looking back at the 2022 offseason, Zeng also signed a contract of the same nature with the Pacers, but after playing in the summer league, he chose to return to China.
And in 2018, the Mavericks gave Ding Yanyuhang an Exhibit 10 contract, but unfortunately Ding Yanyuhang was unable to play in the Development League due to injury.
In order to impact the NBA this time, Choi Yong-hee can be said to have gone all out and made extremely adequate preparations. In this year's offseason, he was in the United States, while actively participating in various trial activities, constantly improving his skills and competitive form;
While studying English diligently, I worked hard to overcome the language barrier in order to better adapt to the basketball environment in the United States. In order to be able to obtain more valuable opportunities, he was even more discerning and signed with Jeremy Lin's American agent, Roger Montgomery.
He bravely participated in the elite training camp of the Development League, but unfortunately, in the face of extremely competitive conditions, the brutal rule of only 5 out of 45 players made it to the Chicago Union tryout.
Not only that, Choi has also tried out for as many as 6 NBA teams, including the Nets, Grizzlies, Jazz, Trail Blazers, Pacers, and Knicks. Sadly, no team was willing to select him with a second-round pick.
Faced with the defeat of the draft, Choi Yong-hee showed extremely firm determination, and he said undiscouragedly: "As long as there is a little possibility, I will stick to it here." This perseverance and courage are touching, and it also shows us his ardent pursuit of basketball dreams.
Born on May 28, 2003, Choi Yong-hee has excellent physical condition, with a barefoot height of 2 meters, an arm span of 2.06 meters, a weight of 92 kg, and a vertical jump of 71.1cm on the spot and a running vertical jump of 90.2cm. These outstanding physical talents have undoubtedly added more possibilities to his basketball dream.
Netizens also expressed their views and support for Cui Yongxi's dream-chasing journey. Some netizens said encouragingly: "Come on Cui Yongxi, the defeat is only temporary, and everyone sees your efforts." ”
Some netizens said with great anticipation: "It's already great to be brave enough to pursue his dreams, and I look forward to his wonderful performance in the summer league." Some netizens sighed affectionately: "Cui Yongxi's persistence has shown us the power of dreams, and I believe that he will be able to break out of his own sky on the road of basketball in the future." ”
Choi Yong-hee's persistent pursuit of basketball dreams is truly admirable. Although he was not selected in this draft, he managed to secure an Exhibit 10 contract with perseverance and unwavering belief, earning himself more development opportunities.
We have reason to believe that in the coming days, he will continue to forge ahead, without flinching, with tenacious perseverance and fighting spirit, and continue to move towards his basketball dream.
Dear readers, Choi Young-hee's basketball journey continues, and his future is full of endless possibilities. What do you think of his experience? What are your expectations and blessings for his future development? Come and leave your valuable comments in the comment area, and let's cheer for Choi Yong-hee together!