The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 265 - 7 Busy

After the Western Conference Finals ended, Guoyang was busy with various activities.

He went to San Francisco to receive an award, returned to Beiqiao High School to give lectures and participate in events, and attended the opening ceremony of the San Francisco Chinese basketball training camp, where Avia provided all the equipment and gear.

He visited Mr. Kap, seeking advice on his future tactics and playstyle—Mr. Kap suggested Guoyang could benefit from shedding some weight to maintain agility, "on the condition that Portland finds a reliable backup center."

He learned how to make Southern barbecue from Nate-Sermonde, who had an idea to open a restaurant; however, he was still very happy working with The Warriors.

Dragged by Gan Youwei, Guoyang was taught two additional Gan’s cuisine dishes, one soft-shell turtle and one lotus-leaf chicken. Guoyang had learned many Gan’s dishes but still couldn’t figure out which cuisine their family’s dishes actually belonged to.

Gan Youwei said it was a collection of the best features, absorbing elements from all over, just like how Guoyang played basketball.

When Guoyang asked if he could make a "fish-flavored hamburger," he almost got smacked on the head with a frying pan by Gan Youwei. Yet, Guoyang thought about trying the dish on Barkley first.

Although his son had become successful and Gan’s Restaurant had started a chain, opening a branch in Chinatown, Gan Youwei always kept a low profile. He insisted on pursuing his promising career as a chef, battling at the front lines in the kitchen at an advanced age and continuously developing and improving various Chinese dishes to suit the tastes of American customers.

However, the recipes Gan Youwei taught Guoyang were quite authentic and traditional Chinese dishes because he hoped his son would not forget his roots.

Guoyang asked Gan Youwei if he wanted to join him on the trip to China, to visit their hometown. After a long consideration, Gan Youwei declined, saying he did not want to interfere with his son’s work, nor did he want to give others the impression of a nouveau riche returning to his hometown in ostentation.

Later, when Guoyang went to China, the usually frugal Gan Youwei called him international long-distance several times to inquire about the changes and situations in China, clearly very concerned.

Before the trip to China, Guoyang took a trip to Los Angeles where Wang Fuxi’s father, Wang Zhengmin, complained to Guoyang that his continuous victories in Los Angeles were bad for business, even attracting hoodlums who threw stones at the shop.

Guoyang bought his future father-in-law an Indian motorcycle, which cheered Wang Zhengmin up, and no longer worried about the small troublemakers.

The trip to China required two weeks of preparation and travel. By the time he returned to America, it was already July. Guoyang first went back to Spokane to celebrate "Guoyang Day," then he headed to Las Vegas to play in a summer league, where after two days he was expelled by the competition committee for being too skilled.

Afterwards, he visited Bernard King and waited for the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team to visit. He spent the entire month of August in New York, staying at the Intercontinental Hotel near the Knicks’ training facility, using Ewing’s newly purchased Mercedes Benz for transportation, and looking for places to play and train.

In August, Ewing hadn’t signed with the Knicks yet, but the economic value of New York was immeasurable. Ewing and his team were seeking to sign a 10-year super contract for the first year’s salary of $750,000, with a total of around $30 million.

The lion-like demand of Ewing astonished New York media, and Guoyang’s presence in New York offered the media a target to criticize Ewing: Ah Gan signed a 4-year contract worth $4 million with a first-year salary of only $600,000, so how could Ewing dare to ask for 10 years and $30 million?

But league superstars were rare, and most of the superstars rarely switched teams. Once they were drafted and signed a contract, they usually played for that city for life.

Except for the "Basketball Emperor" Chamberlain, who frequently changed teams and the colors of his crown, others like Jabbar, Moses Malone, and Irving changed teams during their peak years for special reasons.

Jabbar’s decision was due to a religious murder incident, Moses Malone’s was because the owner who wanted to keep him at the Rockets passed away, and Irving’s was due to the league’s merger, and so on.

Players like Bird, Johnson, Guoyang, and Olajuwon were indeed exceptional, but had nothing to do with New York.

Auerbach was supposedly not going to let Bird go, Johnson had signed an even longer 25-year contract, and it would be unthinkable for the Trail Blazers and Rockets to let go of Ah Gan and Olajuwon, assuming they had normal intelligence.

So, New York won a lucky draw, but the ticket read: Can only redeem Patrick Ewing, and additional fees required, amount unspecified.

Ewing would certainly become a millionaire, and when Guoyang borrowed his vehicle, Ewing even consulted his agent Falk, who immediately said, "Lend it, lend it to him right away!"

Falk was afraid that New Yorkers would use Guoyang to drive down Ewing’s price. As long as this specter lingered in New York, Ewing and Falk had to be careful.

So when the Knicks were playing a warm-up game against the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team, Ewing was surprised to see Gan Guoyang on the sidelines because the team didn’t want Ewing to go head-to-head with Guoyang.

Once the New York media got hold of any sign of weakness during the confrontation, they would inevitably create a hype, diminishing Ewing’s bargaining power in negotiations.

Guoyang was aware of this but didn’t care; he and Ewing were friends, and he wouldn’t dream of cutting off Ewing’s financial opportunities. It was just that he had a bit of an aversion to agents like Falk, who were purely commercial and overly shrewd.

As the commercialization of the NBA continued to accelerate, the value of star players would only increase, earning more and more money.

Larry Flesher told Guoyang that signing a four-year contract was a wise decision because the salary cap would visibly continue to rise.

But for Guoyang, troubles followed. During his time in New York, aside from playing basketball, his daily life was almost constantly surrounded by the attention of fans and the media.

It wasn’t too bad when he was alone, but when Wang Fuxi came to try to live a little world of two with Guoyang, they found that as soon as they left the hotel room, they were under the scrutiny of the world.

The city of New York wasn’t as aloof and composed as Portland; wherever Guoyang went, he was recognized, and people everywhere would ask him for autographs. In some places, he even caused disturbances, necessitating police assistance to maintain order.

Guoyang was heading towards treatment befitting Michael Jackson; he wasn’t far from hiring his own bodyguards.

When Michael Jordan and the Bulls came to New York for a game, the two could no longer go to McDonald’s together like before.

Any occasion they both appeared would inevitably attract a large crowd; Jordan always had a group around him—his team who had been with him since his North Carolina days.

Like Rod Higgins, North Carolina teammate Adolf Sievers, the three Fred brothers: Fred Whitfield, Fred Grover, Fred Karnes—three guys with the same name, plus Gus Wright, George Keller, and others.

These people constantly revolved around Jordan, serving as both his friends and his entourage, responsible for socializing, driving, security, accompanying services and, of course, companionship.

Guoyang was different from Jordan in this aspect; he didn’t like having a bunch of hangers-on, but Jordan wasn’t wrong, "One day you’ll need people to handle miscellaneous affairs and security matters for you. Basketball is everything, and you can’t afford to be distracted."

Guoyang was already looking for financial personnel, thinking that he might as well find a bodyguard at the same time. Larry Flesher couldn’t be like Falk, constantly around Guoyang; Guoyang needed a professional for legal advice.

After bidding farewell to the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team and secretly learning from Bernard King, Guoyang decided to take a break from his hectic life, leave the bustling and noisy New York, and return to the tranquility of Spokane, back to Gonzaga to clear his mind.

He wanted to visit classmates, coaches, and the Stockton family at school, and before the Trail Blazers’ training camp started, carry out the final systematic training. He needed a quiet time to find his best state; there was no better place than Gonzaga University. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The rain in Portland is relentless during September and October, making it unsuitable for training and recuperation. Spokane is not far from Portland and Seattle, the two Rain Cities, but as it’s a bit further inland, it receives much less rainfall—less than half of what Portland gets.

Most of its precipitation falls as snow during winter, while the summer and autumn seasons are very dry, good for grape cultivation and wine production, also suitable for sports, outdoors, and adjusting physical condition.

In September, when Gonzaga University was starting its school year, Guoyang returned to Spokane. Stockton picked him up at the airport, still reluctant to buy a car, driving his dad’s pickup truck.

No sooner had they got the luggage into the truck than Stockton said to Guoyang, "Ah Gan, there’s something I want to tell you."

Looking at Stockton, who was hesitating to speak as if constipated, Guoyang asked, "John, you’re not thinking of getting married, are you?"

Joe was surprised and said, "How did you know?"

Gan, covering his face, replied jokingly, "With that hesitating look and a touch of intoxication in your eyes, you must be crazy enough to want to get married!"