The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 381 - 2: Thinking of Rebelling Again

After the championship celebration, Gan Guoyang went to Rogue Valley in southern Oregon to attend John Stockton and Nada’s wedding.

The wedding was held at a chapel near Crater Lake in Medford, and on the evening before the wedding, relatives and close friends of the couple gathered at a bar called "Sandpiper Lounge" to drink together and warm up for the wedding.

As soon as Gan Guoyang and Wang Fuxi arrived, they immediately became the center of attention, with everyone screaming and flocking towards the superstar who was at the height of his popularity.

The bar owner got a photo and autograph from Gan Guoyang and offered a 50% discount on all purchases for the evening, after all, this was Oregon, Gan Guoyang’s territory.

Gan Guoyang tried to keep a low profile, and after greeting everyone, sat down in a corner with Stockton and Nada to quietly have a drink.

Soon, Nada dragged Wang Fuxi to get some food and check out how the wedding dress looked, leaving Stockton and Gan Guoyang to chat alone.

"Sorry for stealing your thunder," said Gan Guoyang to Stockton.

"You didn’t do it on purpose, you easily steal the spotlight wherever you go," Stockton was already used to it.

He certainly didn’t mind Gan Guoyang being the center of attention; in fact, Stockton felt honored that Gan Guoyang was attending his wedding, it brought prestige to his family.

In America, marriages also consider matching social status, and speaking from a social status standpoint, although Stockton was an NBA player, he wasn’t exactly a star.

And while Nada was ordinary, her father was a former governor, and her mother’s family was a notable European lineage. Nada’s maternal relatives came from all over, from London, Alaska, Washington D.C., Croatia, Slovenia; all were people of considerable renown and social status.

Stockton’s father, Jack, had sternly warned the playful boys in the family to behave properly before and during the wedding, not to disgrace the family.

Gan Guoyang attended the wedding as a VIP guest of the Stockton family, making Jack Stockton feel very honored, proud to stand tall in front of the governor’s family.

"How does it feel to be about to get married, John?" Gan Guoyang asked Stockton, "It’s not too late to have regrets now, is it?"

"I have no regrets, I’ve waited for this day for a long time... Sonny, what does it feel like to win the championship?"

"Feels... like I haven’t won at all, I haven’t even had the chance to properly savor it. So, one is too little, you have to win more to truly appreciate the taste."

"You’re still so greedy, if I could win one NBA championship in my life, I wouldn’t have any more extravagant hopes."

"Why don’t you come to Portland, I’ll lead you to a championship," Gan Guoyang joked.

"No, what would be the fun in that?" Stockton flatly refused; a championship had meaning only if it was earned through one’s own efforts.

"Of course, if I get traded to the Trail Blazers, then there’s nothing I can do," Stockton added quickly, just in case.

Most of the time where a player goes isn’t something they can decide for themselves, an off-season passes, and many players change teams.

Steve Colter, for example, was sent to Utah.

Gan Guoyang said, "Colter has been traded to the Jazz, I guess he’ll be your backup. Take care of him a little in Utah, he’s a decent point guard but his style of play doesn’t quite fit the team’s needs and expectations. By the way, this guy has a history with banned substances, just keep an eye out for him, remind him a bit. He’s a good fella."

Colter’s performance in the 1985-1986 season had some highlights. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

At the beginning of the season, he was consistently the team’s first substitute, but later on, and during the playoffs, was replaced by the taller and stronger Terry Porter.

With the team having picked Hornacek and Dell Curry, Colter no longer had a place on the Trail Blazers.

Stockton nodded, took a sip of his beer and said, "Getting hold of banned substances in Salt Lake City isn’t easy. Plus, after that incident, the League is definitely going to clamp down hard; if he wants to stay in the League, he absolutely can’t touch that stuff again."

What Stockton referred to as "that incident" was the tragedy that occurred after the draft.

Len Bias, the star small forward chosen second overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in the draft, was found dead the day after the draft.

The Clippers’ first-round draft pick had been acquired from the Celtics in a trade involving Marques Johnson.

The Celtics’ pick, in turn, had been obtained in a 1984 trade with the Seattle SuperSonics in which Henderson was exchanged.

Since the SuperSonics had a terrible record in the 1985-1986 season, landing in the lottery, they secured the second overall pick in the draw, which then went to the Clippers.

As Brad Daugherty was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Clippers picked Len Bias, the talented small forward from the University of Maryland.

After the draft concluded that day, Bias left New York for Los Angeles, signed a contract with the Clippers management, and immediately secured a one million US Dollar endorsement.

The successful Bias returned to the University of Maryland and immediately went off campus to celebrate with his friends. He returned to the dormitory in the early morning and spent over four hours snorting cocaine with his teammates.

As a result, Bias suddenly had a seizure, passed out, and it was around 6:30 a.m. at this time. His teammates called 911, and the paramedics came to perform CPR but were unsuccessful. After being rushed to the hospital and despite efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead at 8:55 a.m. The doctors openly stated that his death was related to cocaine consumption.

Once the news broke, it immediately shocked the whole of America, and the NBA was greatly impacted. The issue of drug abuse in the League was once again thrust into the spotlight.

It was from that season that Stern made up his mind to completely eradicate the cancer of drugs.

Prior to that, the League had always downplayed the drug problem, not wanting to draw attention to it, to prevent damage to the League’s image.

Privately, everyone knew that the number of players using banned substances was astonishing; it was just something that everyone kept quiet about.

The Trail Blazers and Jazz were among the few teams in the League that were clean; it was always better for Colter to go to the Utah Jazz than some den of drug users.

The evening’s reception went very well, and the next day, Gan Guoyang accompanied Stockton through the wedding rehearsal.

Gan Guoyang was originally going to be Stockton’s best man, but Stockton’s father wouldn’t allow it. He said Ah Gan was a distinguished guest, how could they make a guest work as a best man?

After the preparations for the rehearsal were completed, they began to wait for the bride, who didn’t appear with her sisters until five o’clock in the afternoon, having kept them waiting since two.

Nada’s sisters demanded that Stockton loudly announce his wedding vows in the church for everyone to hear.

Gan Guoyang could tell just by looking at Stockton’s expression that trouble was brewing; the guy wrinkled his nose, turned his head, and fell silent, pretending not to hear anything.

Gan Guoyang knew Stockton well; he wasn’t the lively type and was very stubborn—pressuring him into doing something would only ensure that he wouldn’t do it.

Fortunately, with Nada’s gentle persuasions, Stockton agreed to make his commitment to marriage public, but the lengthy vows were reserved for the two of them alone.

During the rehearsal, Stockton cleared his throat and tremulously said, "I promise, my love and unfaith..."

Everyone burst into noise; oh boy, the guy started with a bang, straight away saying, "I promise, my love and infidelity..."

Obviously, Stockton was too nervous and had confused "infidelity" with "fidelity".

The bridesmaids and groomsmen were in despair. How could this guy mix up the two words?

Gan Guoyang held his forehead and sighed. This kid really wasn’t reliable; he only seemed to be.

Come the evening when the actual wedding began, Gan Guoyang and Wang Fuxi sat in the front row of the church and observed the entire process of the wedding. To be honest, Gan Guoyang was a bit nervous himself.

Before Stockton made his entrance, Gan Guoyang kept reminding him not to mess up the words again, or there would be real trouble.

During the wedding, Wang Fuxi tightly grasped Gan Guoyang’s hand. Her eyes were as clear and gentle as a volcanic lake, occasionally shimmering towards Gan Guoyang, making his heart pound.

"Damn it, Fuxi wouldn’t propose to me, would she? Should I accept it?" Gan Guoyang thought to himself.

Eventually, the wedding was successfully completed and the celebration on the green that night was grand, with over four hundred people attending the banquet, including Beelman, Fitz, and other teammates from Gonzaga University, as well as Stockton’s Jazz friends.

At the banquet, there was an array of delicious foods, as Nada’s relatives from Croatia brought a pig and a sheep to roast on spits, and there were Alaskan salmon, steaks, shrimp, turkey, salads, and a whole table of Chinese food.

The Chinese food was prepared for Gan Guoyang and Wang Fuxi; without a doubt, it was a very grand wedding, with Stockton and Nada busily attending to guests.

Gan Guoyang met Mr. Beelman again. While other people brought wives, girlfriends, and family, Beelman came alone; he had been solo without a female companion for years.

The two inevitably talked about basketball, and in the conversation, Beelman remarked, "Sonny, I think there are some areas where your team’s defense needs to be strengthened."

Gan Guoyang gave Beelman a cold look and said, "Mr. Beelman, are you still thinking of defecting?"