Needed Conversation

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~~~(POV: Ulysses Kennedy)~~~

~~~(Date: October 9th, 2025)~~~

~~~(Time: 6:54 AM)~~~

~~~(Location: Favorite Park)~~~

Hannah tries her best to shoot the ball into the net, but she hasn't played basketball before. Amazingly, she wants to shoot around with me. "You make it look so easy!!" She tosses the ball up, and it air balls. Her form is funny to watch.

You can tell she's never shot a ball in her life. It's cute, in my opinion. I grab the rebound, and I look at her. I can see her determination. She's competitive by nature, and she does not like the fact that she has H.O.R.S in our game of horse. I dribble the ball and head back to the same spot she missed from.

This is the only spot we've shot from this game. I take another shot, and it easily goes in. "That'll be the last letter unless you can do something about it." Before she can retort, we hear the roar of a loud engine, and I've already heard it once today.

I look towards the road, and I see the SVJ parking near the court and Mr. Monroe getting out of the Lambo. I look at Hannah, and she knows that I'll need some privacy for this. She makes her way towards her car and gets in it. She starts it u and takes off. Kinda sad that the game never got to end, but I bet she's glad she didn't officially lose.

James enters the court and heads straight for me. "I'm really glad that you decided to meet with me. I'll answer any questions that you have, and we'll discuss what I can do for you as your agent." James gets right into it and asks me if I have any questions.

The main thing I want to know is why he should be my agent, there are plenty of agents out there that'll be able to represent me much better than him, but I like his energy and willingness to prove himself. The egos of the big-time agents aren't something I want to handle.

If James is not like that, then I can see us working together. "The main thing I want to know is how are your negotiating skills? The team that'll end up drafting me will put me on a cheap rookie contract. Something that I don't want. If you think you can get me a contract." James Monroe isn't a name I've heard of in the business of agents.

That means certain things, and one of them being that he can't keep his clients. That means his clients either leave him because he's bad at his job, or a better well-connected agent comes along.

He smiles and messes with his tie. "The reason why you should give Ulysses a better contract than the junk rookies get is because it'll show that you're interested in keeping him around. If you show him that you care, then it'll make your chances better when resigning comes along." Instead of telling me how he'd do it, he shows me.

I like it. He's using how valuable I am as an asset and using it to negotiate a better contract. That's the same thing James Howard did to get me to avoid the one-and-done rule for college.

I fold my arms and look him up and down. I'm much taller than he is so I have to look down the entire time. "I'll make a deal with you. If you can get me 25 million or more for my first contract. I'll sign you as my agent. That sounds good to you?" I watch his smile grow and he reaches his hand out for a handshake.

I shake his hand and that concludes the issue of who my agent will be. Now there are questions that I do want to ask. "Mind telling me why you're desperate to be my agent." He takes on a solemn expression and sighs.

He fixes his suit a bit and relaxes. "Other agents come along and take my clients. The best agents take care of more than 80% of the players in the NBA. It's been really hard for me to break through that. It's not because I'm a bad agent, it's because I'm not notable enough to stop my clients from getting taken." It's good to know it's not because he's bad at his job.

Which is an important thing to know. "Mind playing a one on one?" To my surprise, he asks if he wants to play. No reason I shouldn't I toss him the ball and I get on defense. He smiles and places the ball down and takes his jacket off. I'm starting to like this guy.