The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 1680 - 23: Flames of Victory

[In September 1999, Charles Barkley announced that the next season would be his last professional season, and that he would go to Portland to team up with his friend Sunny Gan, who was experiencing the espionage scandal, to pursue the NBA championship one last time.

In October, before reporting to the Trail Blazers’ training camp, Charles Barkley returned to his hometown in Alabama to play an exhibition game and set up a small training camp to prepare for the 1999-2000 season.

That evening, in the back corridor of the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center, Barkley had booked a conference room for family and friends who drove over 20 minutes from Leeds, the dining table filled with ribs, chicken wings, Italian salad, and cornbread, lavish like the last supper.

The mayors of Leeds and Birmingham stood at the entrance with Barkley’s cousin Michael Glenn and Barkley, eagerly awaiting the guests’ arrival.

Barkley’s grandmother and mother were present, and halfway through the banquet, Barkley gave a speech, thanking his grandmother and mother for raising him, expressing gratitude to Leeds and Birmingham, and announcing that this would be the last season of his basketball career, marking the end of sixteen years of hard work.

As Barkley sat down, smiling, he watched everyone enjoy the delicious food of the evening, while he didn’t take a single bite, only having some drinks and beer.

His mother asked him what was wrong, whether he wasn’t feeling well, or if he had no appetite due to his mood after making the announcement.

Barkley honestly replied to his mother, "Ah Gan wants me to lose weight, I’m afraid to eat."

His mother looked at her gluttonous son in disbelief and said, "Going to Portland is really good for you, you do need to control your weight, dear, there are people there who can help you lose weight."

The next day during halftime of the exhibition game, Barkley announced his retirement plans and told the over 10,000 spectators present that he would donate 1 million US Dollars each to his alma maters Leeds High School, Auburn University, and Alabama’s foundational education schools.

The total amount of these donations far exceeded Barkley’s salary for his final year, as he had signed only a veteran minimum contract with the Trail Blazers.

However, over the years Barkley earned substantial income through endorsements, advertisements, and television shows, and with the dismissal of a vampire agent, his financial situation was sound.

After the game ended, everyone wanted to take a photo with Barkley, he didn’t have time to drink water or eat, he was continually signing autographs, shaking hands, and posing for pictures.

In the past, he would always say no, but not this time, and until everything was over, Barkley almost fainted from hypoglycemia, something which had never happened before in his life - he hadn’t eaten last night, played a game, and was still starving, his body energy finally couldn’t hold up.

After eating a bit, Barkley sighed: "My first hunger fainting happened, hopefully my first championship will also arrive... okay, I can’t eat anymore, just a bit will do..."]

————Published in 2022, an excerpt from Charles Barkley biography "Barkley" by Mote Bella.

On October 1, 1999, a grand national parade was to be held in the capital to celebrate the grand occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the country.

As the country was about to enter the 21st century, this would be the last National Day parade of the 20th century, and thus it was also known as the century grand parade, with unprecedented grandeur.

The day before National Day, the sky over the capital was overcast, and by evening it began to rain, with the rain getting heavier with no sign of stopping.

Many people were worried about tomorrow’s parade, for although the ceremony would proceed regardless of the rain, the rain would certainly affect the presentation and leave room for ill-intentioned criticism.

Gan Guoyang watched TV in his room at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. He had been invited to ascend the city tower to view tomorrow’s celebration as a "member of various sectors of society," although those around him advised him not to return to the country for such activities, considering he had just finished the investigation hearing in Washington, which could have negative repercussions.

But how could Gan Guoyang refuse such an invitation, saying "Innocent people need not be overly cautious, excessive cautiousness would arouse suspicion," and thus he came with his wife An Ran to the hometown across the Pacific Ocean, waiting for the arrival of tomorrow.

Compared to Gan Guoyang’s calmness, Wang Fuxi was noticeably more anxious, frequently glancing out the window to the darkened skies and heavy rain, worried about tomorrow’s parade.

Compared to spring, she had lost a lot of weight, having shouldered the operation of the entire "Gan’s Empire" alone during Gan Guoyang’s immersion in the espionage scandal, suppressing the restless collaborators, advertisers, politicians, shareholders, etc., and mobilizing all forces to support her husband.

Such immense pressure, even the strongest nerves would be on the verge of collapse, and over the years Wang Fuxi had cultivated strong willpower and capability. She showed no significant flaws in the face of the FBI investigation, but internally her mentality shattered several times, suffering from insomnia, loss of appetite, and losing a lot of weight.

Under such circumstances, what she admired most was her own husband, his mental state remained consistently stable throughout, walking through trials and tribulations as if on flat ground.

As his confidante, she expected to witness a few moments of emotional exposure during Ah Gan’s breakdowns; she could then hug him in her arms, calming his frustrations with maternal glory.

The result? Gan Guoyang felt very little, now as the rain poured outside, he lay on the extended bed like nothing was happening, remote in hand, watching the TV series "Princess Pearl II," quite engrossed, with occasional goofy laughs.