For Belinda, the previous days are complicated. First, her injury and bad news have fallen: she is about to be cut by her team. The WNBA is even more ruthless than the NBA.
Many young players only last a short time in the WNBA, the fault of a very questionable system. The No. 1 pick in the same draft as Belinda, Charli Collier, was cut a few hours before the start of the season.
Their situations are much talked about, but only the tree hides the forest. The WNBA has 27 seasons under its belt and has only 12 teams and 12 spots available on each roster.
With a maximum of 144 players in the league, franchises regularly cut players to enter the quota of 12 placers available on the roster, and even the most talented pass by, like Belinda.
Some teams even opt for 11 players to give their stars a little more while not exceeding the salary cap. An extension of the league could solve the problem, but above all, the players demand 15-place rosters as in the NBA.
The cut players have nowhere else to go since there is no equivalent of G-League for women. Belinda, fortunately, has a rich husband with reliable investments.
"Hector, I don't want to play basketball anymore, but I don't want to leave basketball. I want to live with our children at home but don't want to stay inactive."
Belinda is depressed, and that's understandable. In her head, she dreamed of being MVP at the same time as Hector. She didn't doubt herself or him, but reality hit her. Not everything can go as planned when things don't depend on you.
"I have several contacts who can afford to bring you into the sphere. There's a position available on my team that the entire NBA envies, and you're my wife, so I have no problem leaving you behind. »
Hector is a rarity in the league. He is one of the few players, if not the only one, who does not have an agent. His business was delegated to his father, a lawyer turned businessman, but he is not an agent.
His father takes time in his calendar to handle his various contracts, but he has other things to do.
"I don't have an agent, and I can't let Dad take care of everything. Know that you have my full support no matter what happens to you. »
He took the tender hand of the woman of his life and looked at the ring. He is not worried, though, because Belinda is a genius. This kind of person succeeds in everything they take seriously, and it is of that kind.
"But honey, I'm not ready for that yet."
She lacked self-confidence. She has just been cut, and it is expected at the moment to doubt her skills. No one has the morale after a failure, especially when it is not his fault. Belinda did a good job in Minnesota, but the executives decided otherwise.
"The NBA world is small. I'm not asking you to become Rich Paul, but like him, you can use me as a gateway to the circle of the NBA. And you have two years to learn the trade, and you already have two clients waiting. And above all, unlike Rich Paul, you can enter the football world directly thanks to Santo Laguna. »
Belinda blinked. That's right, her husband Hector owns a football club and is an NBA All-Star level player without any possible dispute. He has total control over this team, and the NBA is small. Creating relationships is easy if you have the right contacts.
Rich Paul did it that way. With the support of LeBron James, he trained with Leon Rose, a very influential agent. Then he flew independently and founded his agency: Klutch Sports Group. His first client? LeBron, who was the best player in the world.
Belinda may find herself directly in a similar position and call on Hector's father to handle the legal issues surrounding signing new contracts. It's a win-win for both her and Hector's father.
But one question needs to be included.
"But who is the other customer?"
"Alejandro."