The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 779 To Be Or Not To Be
Gan Guoyang spent the last few days of 1996 in Los Angeles.

After playing the Lakers, the Trail Blazers stayed in Los Angeles to continue their road trip against the Clippers, and then headed to San Francisco to play the Warriors.

After playing the Phoenix Suns on the first day of 1997, ending their road trip, they returned to Portland for a rest.

Gan Guoyang was suspended for all three games, so he simply stayed in Los Angeles and didn't travel around with the team.

Firstly, as a veteran, he can avoid some of the hardship of traveling and take advantage of the suspension to allow his physical strength to recover and accumulate.

He rented a gymnasium and fitness center for himself to train and stay fit every day.

Because after the suspension ends on January 4th, the Trail Blazers will host the Chicago Bulls.

Another highly anticipated showdown between Gan and Joe awaits him, and the suspension gives him the perfect opportunity to prepare meticulously.

Secondly, Gan Guoyang needs to negotiate film collaborations with Hollywood film distributors and directors.

The film company is preparing to make a basketball movie based on his story, telling the legendary story of how he led the Waterbell high school team to victory.

Thirdly, Gan Guoyang wanted to see his old friends and catch up with them.

The day after the game against the Lakers, Gan Guoyang joined his teammates for shooting and tactical training in the morning.

Despite losing the game, the Trail Blazers were in high spirits, and the players were still talking about Forrest Gump's two punches.

The young players, including Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal, and Ben Wallace, looked at Gan Guoyang with even more admiration and longing.

He knocked down Shaquille O'Neal, the league's number one monster, with one punch, so easily that no one doubted he could knock down a bull with one punch.

Gan Guoyang did not feel smug. Instead, during the tactical meeting, he reminded everyone not to fight and not to act impulsively, because impulsiveness is the devil.

Kobe was a little unconvinced and asked, "You finished your own game and then told others not to play?"

Gan Guoyang said, "I'm Forrest Gump, I can fight. Can you, Kobe?"

Kobe fell silent. Despite his fierce competitiveness on the court, he's actually not good at fighting.

At most, he would secretly elbow his opponent a couple of times, and even then, the elbowing was poor and his technique was crude.

The level of basketball in the NBA is getting better with each generation, but the level of fighting is definitely declining.

Most of the fights in the 80s were just weak and pretentious, which has been called iron-blooded and tough by later fans.

In reality, it's incomparable to the 60s and 70s; it's just that there were too few video resources available earlier, so fans couldn't see them.

Gan Guoyang is the last big name in the NBA's brawl scene. After him, no players, especially star players, would actually fight on the court.

By the 90s, the competition had become more intense, but stadium violence had decreased, and the days when there were violent clashes every match day were gone forever.

The main reason is that everyone's status has changed. Even role players now earn hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, which was definitely a high-income group in the 90s.

A group of wealthy people are playing ball on the field. Fighting would be beneath their dignity and could easily affect their income. What if they lose their jobs in the fight?
In 1996, the average annual income of urban residents in China was over 6000 RMB, which was about 700 USD at the exchange rate at the time. It would take hundreds of years of working without eating or drinking to earn the same amount as an NBA role player in a year.

Even in the higher-income American society, NBA players are no longer the "laborers" of the past. Through repeated labor-management negotiations, they have become a wealthy class that shares profits with capitalists.

Superstar athletes own their own brands and companies, frequent high society, and live a life of luxury and extravagance. They are definitely part of the rentier class. They should just focus on playing basketball and not get into fights.

A superstar like Gan Guoyang, who has reached such a position and received so many honors, still fights against others on the court. He truly hasn't forgotten his original aspirations and keeps his mission in mind.

After the morning training session, Gan Guoyang drove to an apartment building in the Inglewood district at noon to visit Hu Weidong, who was recuperating from an injury there.

Hu Weidong officially joined the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 96, becoming a member of the Purple and Gold Army and the third Chinese player to enter the NBA.

In 1992, Jerry West noticed Hu Weidong's talent during training with the Chinese national team and never forgot him.

Upon returning to the Lakers, West believed the team lacked a shooting guard with long-range shooting ability and offensive dynamism off the bench.

So they acquired Hu Weidong at the talent show, and after more than a year of negotiations, they finally brought Hu Weidong to the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

However, in 1992, Hu Weidong was 22 years old and still had some potential and training value. By 1996, Hu Weidong was already 26 years old.

Moreover, there is a long-standing bad tradition of falsifying ages in Chinese basketball. When Hu Weidong participated in the youth competition, his birth date was changed to 1972, so he would have looked 20 years old in 1992.

But he was actually born in 1970. He later changed it back, so when he arrived at the Lakers, he was already an older player and it was difficult for him to make any major breakthroughs.

Even so, Los Angeles fans showed great enthusiasm, and Hu Weidong's No. 8 jersey sold very well in Los Angeles.

During the summer league match between the Chinese national team and the Lakers in the United States, Hu Weidong performed exceptionally well, scoring 30 points and giving Lakers fans much to imagine.

After the Olympics ended, Hu Weidong stayed in Los Angeles and officially became a member of the Lakers, participating in preseason and regular season games. Only then did fans realize that not every Chinese player is Forrest Gump.

There was only one Forrest Gump; the original socialist bio-engineered human project must have only given him the drug.

As the Lakers' head coach, Berman gave Hu Weidong a lot of care, providing him with opportunities in both training and rotation.

Hu Weidong performed admirably in some matches, but as the season progressed, he soon encountered the same problem as Song Tao back then: injuries.

The intensity and frequency of NBA games are incomparable to those of domestic games. Hu Weidong worked very hard after coming to the United States. He followed the advice of his coach and nutritionist, eating and training hard to gain weight and improve his competitiveness.

However, blindly and rapidly increasing weight can lead to increased pressure and wear on the joints.

Lao Hu has played many games for the national team and Jiangsu team, and his training volume is also very large. He has many injuries.

At that time, China's sports medicine level was very underdeveloped. When Gan Guoyang led the national team to Portland for training, he examined everyone and found that everyone had some old injuries and had missed the best treatment period.

Hu Weidong, a guard who could fly high and dunk in his youth, has spent a lot of time running and dunking on hardwood floors, and his knees are now in a high-risk condition.

After arriving in the United States and facing further pressure, coupled with high-intensity training, weight gain leading to a heavy workload, weekly commutes, and the loneliness and hardship of living abroad, Hu Weidong finally collapsed during a training session in December.

His injury is the same as Petrovic's before: a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.

Conservative treatment or surgery was an option, but Hu Weidong didn't want to miss the rest of the season, so he opted for conservative treatment and recuperated in his apartment.

Hu Weidong was in a completely unfamiliar place in faraway Los Angeles, with no familiar relatives or friends around him, and no one to take care of him when he was injured.

After learning the news, Gan Guoyang called his friend Daxiong, who works in Los Angeles, and asked him to help find a domestic caregiver to take care of Lao Hu's life.

Later, Hu Weidong's mother rushed to the United States to take care of her youngest son. With his mother and caregiver there, Hu Weidong's life was able to ease up.

Gan Guoyang brought a lot of things for his visit: food, drinks, daily necessities, and two souvenirs.

However, when he entered Hu Weidong's rented apartment, he still felt that he hadn't brought enough things.

The apartment was furnished too simply, even appearing empty, with nothing but some daily necessities and basic appliances.

Hu's mother said that this was the result of her shopping spree after arriving in the United States; otherwise, Hu Weidong's place was not an apartment, but a prison.

Although Hu Weidong had been in the United States for some time, he was still a traditional Chinese man of that era, very frugal, content with just enough to eat and use.

At that time, the concept of "consumption" and the market economy were just emerging in China. Consumerism was in its infancy, and thrift and making the most of resources were still deeply ingrained in the Chinese people.

In 1996, the United States' GDP had reached an astonishing $8 trillion, ten times that of China at the same time. Meanwhile, the United States had a population of less than a quarter of that of China. Such a small population and such a high GDP were largely supported by massive production and consumption.

In the United States at that time, even the poor often had refrigerators and storage cabinets that were always full.

All kinds of daily necessities are available; if you can think of it, you can buy it.

From large items like houses and cars to small items like razors and toothbrushes, there is a wide variety of products, and they are constantly being replaced.

Traditional Chinese people like Gan Youwei can use a towel for several years, and they won't throw it away even when it has holes.

In the US, people either replace their tissues every few months or simply use disposable paper towels. If something breaks, they don't repair it; they just throw it away and replace it with a new one.

Many Chinese who came to the United States at that time were shocked, suffering both material and spiritual impacts.

Little did they know that one day China would follow the same path, and go even further.

After staying in the apartment for a short time, Gan Guoyang invited Hu Weidong and his mother out for dinner.

Hu's mother insisted on eating at home, saying she wasn't used to the food outside, so Hu Weidong went out with Gan Guoyang.

Hu Weidong, wearing knee braces and using crutches, went downstairs to get into the car. Gan Guoyang casually remarked, "You should buy a car."

Hu Weidong smiled and said, "I can't drive at all... Who in our area can drive?"

Back then in China, driving was definitely a skill, unlike in the United States where it was an essential skill, like being able to ride a bicycle.

"Don't you want to consider learning it?"

"Hmm... I didn't think that much about it."

Hu Weidong is introverted and doesn't talk much. He is very grateful for Gan Guoyang's care, but doesn't know how to express it.

Gan Guoyang didn't care. He realized from Hu Weidong's answer that it seemed that Lao Hu lacked confidence and preparation for staying in the United States for a long time.

Just like Song Tao back then, going to the US to play basketball seemed wonderful, and Gan Guoyang's success was even more dazzling, but they only realized how difficult it was to survive in the NBA after they actually arrived.

For Chinese players of that era, the most difficult thing was overcoming injuries.

The NBA has extremely high physical requirements; surviving in the NBA is a classic case of having to have both.

It needs to be powerful, wear-resistant, have long standby time, and have instantaneous burst power.

Hu Weidong's physical attributes are already top-notch in China, but due to limitations in nutrition and medical technology, his foundation is not as good as that of European and American players, making it quite difficult for him to survive in the NBA.

Gan Guoyang watched Hu Weidong's match videos and found that he could fight very well in some rounds, and that he had made significant progress in the past three months.

But when the weight and the competition come, the body can't handle it and collapses. Without a healthy body, everything is in vain.

Other issues such as cultural barriers, psychological obstacles, and language problems are merely the straws that broke the camel's back, not the root of the problem.

The two didn't talk much on the way. After arriving at the restaurant they had booked, they immediately started ordering and ate to their hearts' content, even though they were hungry.

Gan Guoyang displayed his amazing appetite. Hu Weidong originally had little appetite, but seeing Gan Guoyang eating so heartily, he also started to eat with gusto.

"You must not neglect your diet. Eat more and rest more so you can train more and recover sooner."

Halfway through the meal, Gan Guoyang wiped his mouth and asked directly, "Old Hu, what are your plans for the future? Tell me the truth. Do you want to stay, or do you want to go back?"

Hu Weidong put down his chopsticks, his eyes thoughtful. This was a problem that had been troubling him recently.

To stay or to leave? Life's choices are perplexing and disorienting.

The high income was one reason why I was willing to come to the NBA, but the bigger reason was that I was attracted by the brilliance of the NBA and the honor of the highest basketball hall.

Gan Guoyang's experience gave many Chinese basketball players the dream of playing in the NBA, while also creating the illusion that playing in the NBA is quite easy.

Look at Forrest Gump, he beat all those black and white guys in the NBA to a pulp, they had no way to stop him, and his seven championships were unparalleled in their dominance.

When Hu Weidong finally arrived in the NBA and the United States, he discovered that things were not simple and the difficulties were multifaceted.

In terms of the intensity of training, the NBA is not necessarily more demanding than the national team, so physical fatigue and injuries can be tolerated.

But the greater challenge lies in the loneliness of the spirit, the lack of encouragement, and the constant feeling of being suppressed.

In the national team, especially in the Jiangsu team, Hu Weidong is the absolute leader, and everyone revolves around him to develop tactics.

When he joined the Lakers, an NBA powerhouse with formidable strength and superstars like O'Neal and Kidd, Hu Weidong suddenly became a marginal player, like a "little Karami".

Fortunately, West and Bellman, out of consideration for Forrest Gump, took good care of Lao Hu and gave him opportunities and resources.

But the NBA is a very realistic place. The so-called "development" is only given to a very small number of geniuses. For others, once you take the money, you have to make a difference.

Hu Weidong's current strength and role are not outstanding, and he is also injured, so he is naturally neglected. Whether he can stand up again depends entirely on himself.

After thinking for a while, Lao Hu simply said, "I'll think about it some more and focus on healing my injury first."

Gan Guoyang sensed hesitation in Hu Weidong's tone. He handed Hu a beer and said, "Whether you go back or stay, it's your own choice. Just think it through. Staying is indeed difficult. If you go back, you can bring back some of what you learned in America. I won't say more. Whatever decision you make, just let me know, and I'll help you handle many issues."

Hu Weidong nodded. He wasn't very good at expressing his emotions, so he drank the beer that Gan Guoyang handed him in one gulp to show his gratitude.

After finishing the beer, Hu Weidong felt that the taste was familiar, as if he had drunk it somewhere before.

Gan Guoyang said, "Does it taste familiar? It's our Tsingtao Beer."

"Tsingtao Beer? Tsingtao Beer is even sold in the United States."

"Yes, Chinese wine sells well in the US too. And do you know who introduced this wine here?"

Hu Weidong shook his head. Gan Guoyang kept him in suspense, saying he would introduce him to a senior figure that evening.

In the afternoon, Hu Weidong went back to rest, while Gan Guoyang went to the gym and trained for two and a half hours.

He filled his schedule to the brim, and then in the evening, he would pick up Hu Weidong to have dinner together.

Hu Weidong had no friends in Los Angeles and was bored during his recovery period. He was happy to go out to eat with Agan.

Gan Guoyang chose a Chinese restaurant, and Hu Weidong wondered with curiosity which senior he was going to meet.
Upon arrival, it was discovered that the senior Gan Guoyang was referring to was none other than Zhang Weiping, a former forward for the national men's basketball team.

Zhang Weiping and Hu Weidong belong to two generations of national men's basketball players, while Zhang Weiping and Mu Tiezhu are from the same generation.

When Zhang Weiping retired, Hu Weidong was only 11 years old.

After retiring, Zhang Weiping worked as a coach for the national team, but later left the national team and went to the United States due to differences in philosophy and factionalism.

In 1988, when Gan Guoyang won his first three-peat, Zhang Weiping was working at the University of Chicago.

Despite his privileged background and past as a member of the national team, he ended up working odd jobs at an American university.

I've worked as a nurse for sports teams and as a librarian and bookstore manager, and I've endured a lot of hardship.

Later, due to family and relationship problems, he left Chicago again in 1992 and went to Los Angeles alone to make his way in the world.

That year, Zhang Weiping was 42 years old.

Starting from scratch in Los Angeles, he became a salesman for a beer sales company, responsible for the sales of Tsingtao Beer in the United States.

With his exceptional abilities and through several years of hard work, he became the deputy sales manager for the western region of the company, and promoted Tsingtao Beer to the United States.

After retiring and moving back to California, Gan Guoyang coincidentally met this former national team player who later became a famous figure in the basketball commentary world, but at the time was still selling beer.

Gan Guoyang has had a good relationship with the national team since the 80s. Zhang Weiping was also a member of the national team that visited the United States in 85, so the two knew each other.

But after Zhang Weiping left the national team and came to the United States, he never tried to contact Gan Guoyang for help. Instead, he made his own way in the world—a world completely unrelated to basketball.

His tenacity and stubbornness are evident.

The meeting between the two generations of national team players was somewhat awkward for both of them.

Zhang Weiping left the national team because of factional infighting, and he was the loser in that infighting.

Hu Weidong was a young player promoted to the national team by the winning team, so to put it bluntly, the two are not on the same side.

Moreover, Zhang Weiping left China for the United States in 88, which means he was no longer part of the national basketball system.

Hu Weidong's move to play for the Los Angeles Lakers was a major basketball event known throughout the country. Zhang Weiping, who had been in Los Angeles for so long, had not tried to contact Hu Weidong.

Because there's still a hurdle in my heart that I can't get over.

However, with Gan Guoyang acting as an intermediary, this awkward situation quickly disappeared.

Despite the generational difference, meeting a basketball player you can talk to in a faraway foreign land feels like finding water in the desert—you definitely have to drink it down. The usually taciturn Hu Weidong suddenly became more talkative, while Zhang Weiping, after years of ups and downs and the trials of life abroad, had come to terms with the struggles of the past.

After all, the national team is developing in a positive direction. The victors of the struggle did not achieve satisfactory results. Instead, they retired early due to illness, which benefited the successors.

When it comes to interesting stories about the national team, the two have their own perspectives and opinions.

Speaking of his experiences in the United States, Zhang Weiping spoke with even greater depth and sorrow, while Hu Weidong recounted his unique experiences in the NBA.

When the topic turned to their distant hometown, they both drank a glass of wine and sighed softly.

“It should be snowing in BJ by now,” Zhang Weiping said, noting that there is no snow in Los Angeles.

When talking about the future, both of them couldn't help but feel pessimistic; they both missed home.

Hu Weidong goes without saying, and Zhang Weiping was also wondering if he was really going to spend his whole life selling beer in a foreign country.
Although he did an excellent job and the company gave him a high enough position, Zhang Weiping, who once dominated the national team, still has his soul on the basketball court.

Zhang Weiping said, "I did have an opportunity before, CCTV invited me to go back and do basketball commentary. But to be honest, there are quite a few young people doing basketball commentary, and I'm already in my late 40s or early 50s. I really don't have much confidence to go back and compete with them."

The NBA has cultivated a large following in China for many years, starting to broadcast game recordings in the 80s and by the 90s cultivating a large number of loyal NBA viewers, which in turn nurtured China's first generation of sports commentators.

Back then, the best sports commentators on TV were all from basketball channels. There was no other way; there were many viewers and high demand, so a group of people were trained.

With Gan Guoyang's return to the court, NBA viewership in China has reached another peak, leading to a continuous increase in demand for commentators and reporters.

CCTV wanted to emulate American sports channels by inviting retired professional basketball players as commentators, and Zhang Weiping was one of them.

However, Zhang Weiping is not very confident about appearing on television. His current career is going smoothly, which he has worked hard to achieve. Is it worth giving it up and going back to being a commentator?
Although commentary is related to basketball, Zhang Weiping is unsure whether it's the life he truly wants.

Like Hu Weidong, he was filled with hesitation about whether to return or stay.

The two men looked at Gan Guoyang simultaneously, hoping that this basketball icon would give them a definite answer like a bodhisattva.

But Gan Guoyang couldn't give them an answer. Even if he knew Zhang Weiping would have a place in the commentary world, who knew what would happen now? Would it be better for him to stay in the United States?

Ultimately, the choice between being or not being is a choice only you can make.

Before parting, Gan Guoyang reminded the two to remember to watch his match against Jordan on TV on January 4th next year.

"Basketball will eventually give you the answer," Gan Guoyang said.
-

The Trail Blazers defeated the Los Angeles Clippers on the road on December 27, despite the absence of Gan Guoyang.

This game was of great significance to Bird because the Clippers' head coach was his mentor, Bill Fitch.

Veteran coach Fitch took over the Clippers' coaching position in 1994. This time, Sterling was quite patient, allowing Fitch to coach the team for two seasons.

By the 1996-1997 season, the Clippers had developed a certain level of competitiveness and made it into the playoffs.

However, the team has acquired a series of high draft picks over the years based on poor performance, but almost none of them have been developed into promising talents.

They either get traded away or they're wasted; for over a decade, countless young players and stars have squandered their potential here.

The Trail Blazers proved that they are still a force to be reckoned with even without Gan Guoyang.

After a strong performance in the previous game, Ben Wallace received significant playing time again in this match and made an impact.

Wallace was slowly moving forward from the very edge of the bench.

After the game against the Clippers, the entire Trail Blazers team left Los Angeles for San Francisco, while Gan Guoyang stayed in Los Angeles alone.

On December 31st, the last day of 1996, Gan Guoyang went to Neverland Ranch to spend New Year's Eve with his good friend Michael Jackson.

Jackson was very happy to see Gan Guoyang, but Gan Guoyang was worried about him because his vitiligo looked even worse.

Moreover, he seems to be addicted to plastic surgery; his facial features, muscles, and especially his nose, are becoming increasingly unnatural and strange.

However, his personality and voice remained as gentle as ever. After a sumptuous dinner, Jackson and Gan Guoyang took a walk together at Neverland Ranch.

Many children still live in the manor. Jackson did not heed Gan Guoyang's advice to completely sever ties with those people, but he did install surveillance cameras in many places and upgraded the security system.

Over the years, Jackson has endured no less rumors and attacks, and these have intensified since his divorce from Elvis's daughter.

“Sonny, you’re right. There are no heroes in marriage. Everyone is just an ordinary person, so ordinary that… it makes people feel alien and hateful.”

Jackson reflected on his 18-month marriage, saying he was unable to balance his life, relationships, and career.

He admired Gan Guoyang, who had lived a stable life with his wife for so many years.

Gan Guoyang said, "The sacrifices she made are unimaginable, and of course, what she gained is also unimaginable. Marriage is about interests and economics, which should outweigh feelings, and the balance must be perfectly maintained. Michael, you're not good at these things."

Jackson said, "Yes, but I really want to have a child of my own."

Gan Guoyang said, “This is not a difficult thing for you, right? You can put an ad in the newspaper saying ‘Michael Jackson is looking for a son for a large sum of money,’ and the women in line could stretch across the United States hand in hand.”

"Stop joking, Sonny. I have something serious to tell you, and it's a secret."

"What secret? You actually have a child?"

"Shit, how did you know?"

"Brother, don't you read the newspapers? There are rumors flying everywhere. They say you got divorced because of the child, and then had your child through IVF. Michael, do you think you still have any secrets? I don't know how long your penis is anymore, you have no secrets from me. Let's take a shower together sometime, and I'll uncover even your last secret!"

Michael Jackson was surrounded by paparazzi almost every moment, and every aspect of his life was violated, which was one of the reasons for the failure of his first marriage.

Almost no woman could tolerate having her private life constantly scrutinized, even if she was Elvis's daughter.

Besides the paparazzi, Jackson was surrounded by liars and traitors who approached him with the sole purpose of exposing his secrets and obtaining valuable gossip.

So Jackson envied Gan Guoyang, but he couldn't do what Gan Guoyang did, because to a certain extent, Jackson enjoyed this kind of life and relied on these paparazzi and traitors to make his fame grow bigger and bigger.

"Sonny, tell me... should I marry the mother of my child?"

"Shit, I'm not a fortune teller, why are all these people coming to me for advice and directions?" Gan Guoyang muttered.

"what?"

"Oh, I say, that's a decision you should make yourself. But as usual, I must remind you to be careful in everything you do. Of course, as usual, you won't listen to me. If you get married, remember to invite me."

“I will listen to you, Sonny, really. Looking back, so many of what you said was so right. Your investment advice was excellent, and I made a lot of money.”

Gan Guoyang thought to himself, "I'm from another time, so investing is no problem for me. But whether you get married or not is none of my business."

The two talked for a long time, and in the last minute of the last day of 1996, beautiful fireworks lit up the sky above Neverland Ranch.

In 1997, Gan Guoyang stayed an extra day at Dream Manor to facilitate negotiations with Hollywood film companies regarding film and television collaborations.

In the restaurant, a producer handed the script to Gan Guoyang. The script was called "The Gump" and it told the story of Gan Guoyang's high school years.

Gan Guoyang glanced through it briefly, shook his head, and said, "The story is too clichéd and thin. The box office won't be high, and I doubt we can find an actor to play me."

“You can act in it yourself.”

"Oh, forget it, I can't play a high school student. But if I really had to play one, I do have a good story..."

So Gan Guoyang revealed his entire idea for "Sky Dunk," leaving the producer completely stunned.

After listening, the producer scratched his face and said, "Um... this story seems... pretty bad too?"

"Yes, it's terrible, but it will be more successful than my high school biopic. Especially since I'm the lead, and I can get my friends Ewing, Barkley, and Jordan to make cameos. That'll be a huge selling point."

The producer was persuaded and threw the script for "The Gump" into the trash, preparing to work on the "Space Jam" project.

Gan Guoyang firmly believed that the film could be made and released, and that it would make a fortune. All he had to do was convince his good friends, such as Jordan and Barkley, to play the villains.

Barkley and Ewing are definitely not the problem, but whether Jordan is willing is the question. Would he be willing to play the villain in Gan Guoyang's movie?

After discussing the movie, Gan Guoyang's short suspension was finally coming to an end.

Michael Jackson personally drove Gan Guoyang to the airport. Before parting, Gan Guoyang told Jackson, "Remember to watch my game against Jordan on the night of the 4th."

Jackson nodded and said, "Sonny, should I get married or not?"

"How about this, Michael? If I win, we'll get married; if I lose, we can take it slow. How about that?"

Gan Guoyang was just joking, but unexpectedly Jackson agreed, saying, "Okay, I'll marry you if you beat the Bulls! Seriously Sonny, the Bulls are really strong right now, and I think the situation is dangerous. Michael Jordan is amazing; in the last two years, besides me, he's the most famous Michael."

"So, do you want me to win, or lose?"

"I don't know either, it's up to you."
-

On January 1, 1997, the Trail Blazers played against the Suns in Phoenix.

In their previous games against the Clippers and Warriors, the Trail Blazers won both games despite missing Gan Guoyang.

This greatly boosted the confidence of the Trail Blazers. It turns out that even without Forrest Gump, we are still very strong.

However, the game against the Suns immediately brought the Trail Blazers back to reality. Facing a relatively weak Suns team, the Trail Blazers suffered a defeat in their opening game of 1997.

In poor form, they were soundly defeated by the home team, suffering a crushing defeat and losing by 21 points, their worst loss of the season.

At this moment, the Trail Blazers began to miss Forrest Gump. If Forrest Gump were there, even if they lost, they wouldn't have lost so badly. Forrest Gump would have been there to save the day.

Kobe scored his first 20 points in this game, coming off the bench to score 21 points, grab 5 rebounds, and dish out 2 assists.

Of course, his small milestone did not bring victory, but rather the bitterness of defeat. Kobe still has a lot to learn in terms of how to lead a team to victory.

Back in Portland, the team got two days of rest, but Kobe didn't want to rest because the Trail Blazers would be playing the Chicago Bulls at home on January 4th.

After a two-season hiatus, the rivalry between Gan and Joe has returned to the NBA, marking the most anticipated regular season matchup in the league since 1984, bar none.

Times have changed. The Trail Blazers, who were once the dominant force, are now challengers, while Jordan and the Bulls, who once struggled, have become the league's dominant force.

After winning the championship in 1994 and then winning it again in 1996 with a regular season record of 72 wins, Jordan was considered the best player in the league at that time, and the Bulls were the best team.

Even if Gan Guoyang returns, his advantage over Jordan will no longer be as one-sided and overwhelming as it used to be.

The All-Star voting results show that Jordan slightly outperformed Gan Guoyang in the 1997 All-Star Game voting.

Of course, this battle on January 4th will definitely have a significant impact on the two candidates' votes.

Gan Guoyang definitely didn't want to lose in the long-awaited Gan-Joe showdown. He knew that the Trail Blazers' overall strength was not as good as the current Bulls, so he prepared carefully for a week in Los Angeles.

On January 3, Gan Guoyang and his teammates met at Willamette University's gymnasium for a full four-hour training session.

The players were all very serious because they were going to play against the Bulls. No one was talking; they just practiced silently.

Halfway through training, Gan Guoyang and Bird said, "I don't like this atmosphere. Everyone is on high alert. You know, this is how it used to be when the Bulls played against us, not when we played against them."

Bird said, "Times change, the world is always changing, you have to accept that, Sonny."

"No, I will not accept it, never."

"Then let's win the game and take the championship."

"Then why didn't you win more championships before?"

"Go run ten more rounds, and be quick, quick!"

On January 4th, around 1 PM Pacific Time, the Rose Garden Arena in Portland was already packed with people.

Three years later, the epic battle between Gamchai and Joe Biden is about to begin again.

Before the game started, Gan Guoyang and Jordan had a world-renowned handshake on the court, and cameras captured this important moment.

There was no ignoring, no enthusiastic embrace, but a perfectly timed handshake that precisely conveyed their current relationship—friends, but also rivals.

They used to be friends more than rivals; they were inseparable and talked on the phone almost every week.

Later, friends became rivals. They fought fiercely in the finals, drifted apart, yet remained connected.

Now, rivals outweigh friends. They admire each other, but it's hard for them to have any open conversations anymore.

Jordan ultimately did not follow the path Jackson hoped for—"hating Forrest Gump"—he couldn't bring himself to hate him.

But he embarked on a different path of his own: the path of Forrest Gump, which left him with nowhere else to go.

During the two years that Gan Guoyang was away from the league, Jordan became the representative of the league and the face of the NBA.

Although they lost to the Heat in 1995, Jordan's triumphant return in 1996 proved that he was the best player in the league.

He received the most attention, the best endorsements, and the greatest brand influence.

Sports Illustrated stated, "When Forrest Gump left, Michael immediately and perfectly filled that void."

Standing before Gan Guoyang, Jordan no longer felt any fear or trepidation. He smiled, chewed his gum casually, and said calmly, shaking hands, "Welcome back, Sonny."

Gan Guoyang shook his head slightly and said, "Michael, you're really annoying."

Jordan's smile widened, and he said, "This is what you used to be like."

"I'm not as annoying as you."

"Yes, there are some who are even more annoying than me."

The two bumped fists and returned to their respective halves of the court; the match was about to begin.

At the same time, in an apartment in Los Angeles, Hu Weidong finished eating the noodles his mother had made for him and sat on the sofa waiting for the match to begin.

Hu's mother kept nagging in his ear, saying that if it didn't work out, he should go back. The family had introduced him to someone, and it was time to get married. Besides, playing basketball in China was much better than in the United States.
It doesn't matter if the money is less, as long as it's close to home and everyone helps each other, life will be much better.

Hu Weidong remained silent, simply staring at the television screen and waiting quietly.

Meanwhile, at the Barton Beer office in Los Angeles, Zhang Weiping had just finished working overtime.

The boss invited him to a bar for dinner, and also to check out the bar's alcohol sales.

Zhang Weiping did quite well at Barton Beer, but he was unwilling to leave Los Angeles for San Francisco, otherwise he could have achieved a higher position.

The TV in the bar was on; tonight was the Gan-Qiao battle, and many people had come to the bar to watch the live broadcast and enjoy this sure-fire epic battle.

The boss again urged Zhang Weiping to go to San Francisco, saying that if Zhang Weiping was willing to take charge of the entire western region, he could give him a share of the company and allow him to expand the market in East Asia and become the president of the Greater China region.

While drinking and making perfunctory remarks, Zhang Weiping kept his eyes glued to the television, saying he wanted to watch the entire match.

Michael Jackson has left Neverland Ranch in Los Angeles for Honolulu, Hawaii, where he will officially kick off his 1997 History World Tour.

The concert will be held at the Aloha Stadium, which has a capacity of 35000 spectators.

The performance on the 4th starts at 7:30 pm. Due to the time difference, it is three hours different from Los Angeles.

The game started in Portland, but it was only 4:30 pm here, so while Jackson was rehearsing and preparing, he had his assistant turn on the radio to broadcast the Bulls vs. Trail Blazers game.

"Will I win or lose? Will I win or lose?" Jackson kept asking himself this question. He really placed his decision about marriage on the game.

"To be or not to be...that really is a question."

(End of this chapter)