The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 924 The Future Is Yours (2.0)
When the competition ended, the buzzer sounded for an exceptionally long time.

The championship is no longer that important to Portland; they've won too many.

Forrest Gump was the most important person. He got up from the bench, raised his hands, both to accept the cheers and to say goodbye to the fans.

This was the grandest championship celebration in NBA history, with red and white ribbons falling from the sky and a massive number of balloons being released to the ceiling.

Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, and many other celebrities and superstars from the world of sports and entertainment came to the venue to shake hands and hug Gan Guoyang, celebrate his victory with him, and say goodbye.

Gan Guoyang's old friend, John Stockton, along with his college coaches, teammates, and classmates, all came to the event to congratulate the legendary ten-time champion on his birth and retirement.

Gan Guoyang's family members—his father, wife, son, and daughter—all came over to hug him.

Even the young Celtic players, guided by Bellman, came one by one to offer their congratulations.

Gan Guoyang hugged Behrman tightly, and Behrman patted Gan Guoyang's shoulder hard, tears welling up in his eyes.

At this moment, he was not saddened by the team's defeat, but rather by the loss of a great player.

Gan Guoyang also hugged Tim Duncan. Duncan played better and better in each game of the series, and by Game 5, Duncan was able to subtly suppress Gan Guoyang at certain stages.

Unfortunately, he lacked experience and luck, and ultimately, he wasn't as perfect as Gan Guoyang in terms of ability.

Gan Guoyang patted Duncan on the head and said firmly, "The future is yours, Tim."

Amidst repeated farewells, a nearly 20-year basketball career, countless honors, and untold legendary stories are about to come to an end.

When everything had calmed down a bit, Gan Guoyang took the microphone from Lao Tang and gave a brief farewell speech.

The scene fell silent, and even the whole of Portland, the whole of Oregon, and even the countries across the Pacific Ocean fell silent for a time.

Gan Guoyang's speech was not overly emotional; he didn't say many farewell or sentimental things, nor did he repeatedly express his gratitude or say goodbye to the fans.

Instead, he encouraged Portland fans, saying, "My departure is just the calming of a small ripple in the river of time. It will leave a few ripples, but soon, you will have new waves, a new world. The Trail Blazers are still here, they will continue to be with you. Kobe, Jermaine, Ben, these excellent young players will create many more wonderful nights and history, becoming a part of our memories. So, everything is fine, don't be sad, don't cry for me. I love seeing your cheers and smiles; that's my biggest motivation to keep winning. So, go home, say goodbye to tonight, get a good night's sleep, and tomorrow, the sun will rise as usual."

After speaking, Gan Guoyang waved goodbye to the fans, who applauded, cheered, and tried their best to smile, but many still couldn't help but shed tears.

Forrest Gump accompanied them for a long time, a really long time, from 1984 to the present, 16 years. It may be insignificant in the grand scheme of history, but for a person, it may be the most beautiful period of their life.

Ten championships, countless victories, countless Forrest Gump nights, countless spectacular goals—you don't know which championship, which game, which goal became an important chapter in someone's life.

Many people have been moved by Forrest Gump's spirit, inspired by his courage, and moved by his amazing performance, making it an extraordinary part of their ordinary lives.

Gan Guoyang dislikes sadness, so he tries his best to maintain a smile. He hopes that his optimistic and courageous spirit can remain in Portland, which will be his greatest legacy.

At the championship award ceremony, David Stern, with a forced smile, handed the championship trophy and the Finals MVP trophy to Gan Guoyang, then took the microphone and expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Gan Guoyang.

The fans in the stadium immediately booed, because rumors had been circulating that it was David Stern, the "delicious food guy," who had half-forced Gan Guoyang to retire; otherwise, Gan Guoyang could have played for at least another four or five years.

Gan Guoyang still gave David Stern face and did not interrupt him. In the end, he thanked him and hugged him tightly.

Although Stern was dictatorial, ruthless, and profit-driven, at one point he did touch one of the few softer parts of his heart, and he took off his glasses and wiped his eyes.

In terms of their careers, Forrest Gump single-handedly made Stern and the NBA what they are today, expanding the NBA's influence to the whole world. As rivals and friends, they worked together to push the league to its peak.

Emotionally speaking, Forrest Gump and his generation of golden generation entered the league together with Stern, growing up together and witnessing history together.

From being a promising young man in his prime to now, as the player reaches the end of his career, the president has also become gray-haired.

Even though he was instrumental in Gan Guoyang's retirement, Stern was still overwhelmed with emotion at this moment and couldn't help but shed a few crocodile tears.

After the on-site celebrations ended, the Trail Blazers players returned to the locker room, opened champagne, and began their eleventh championship celebration in history.

After taking a few sips of champagne, Gan Guoyang finally lost control of his emotions, locked himself in the shower room, and started showering.

He rushed for nearly half an hour without anyone disturbing him. He just wanted to be alone and didn't want to show any of his vulnerability or sadness to anyone.

Half an hour later, Gan Guoyang came out of the shower room. He looked normal and said, "I won too many championships and sweated too much, so I needed to shower for a while. I'm finally clean."

No one exposed him; the music and dancing continued, and it was a sleepless night.

These nights continued for a week, with all of Portland in a frenzy.

It started as a tribute to Forrest Gump's retirement, but later it became a celebration for the sake of celebration.

With workplaces and schools on holiday, young people gather on the streets to find an excuse to have fun, businesses launch all sorts of activities, and the Portland government announces that the day Gan Guoyang retired will be designated as "Forrest Gump Day".

The Memorial Gymnasium hosted a three-day "Forrest Gump Exhibition," which displayed over 500 items, including photos, jerseys, shoes, championship trophies, and other commemorative items from Gan Guoyang's high school days onwards. It was comparable to a medium-sized cultural relics exhibition.

This is just a part of the exhibition showcasing Gan Guoyang's illustrious basketball career. Local schools in Portland organized special trips for students to visit the exhibition, giving children a more direct understanding of the greatest NBA star in history.

In addition, Gan Guoyang's wax figures, statues, short films, advertisements, etc., all seemed to have been prepared in advance and appeared all at once.

Gan Guoyang originally wanted to spend a peaceful and comfortable time after retiring, spend more time with his family, and not have to worry about the next season.

In fact, it's simply impossible; there are just too many favors to be done.

Many shopping malls, restaurants, car dealerships, and hotels in Portland have brand partnerships with Gan Guoyang.

Many of these businesses were local companies that signed cooperation agreements with Gan Guoyang when he first joined the Trail Blazers. However, as Gan Guoyang's achievements and fame grew, these businesses became increasingly unworthy of this superstar.

Gan Guoyang did not find it offensive and continued to cooperate with them, allowing them to use his image as brand ambassadors.

For example, the car dealer who gave him the car back then still displays Gan Guoyang's photo at the entrance of his store, and changes it every now and then.

Local chain fried chicken restaurants and supermarkets have been cooperating with Gan Guoyang for more than ten years. They are staunch fans of Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers.

As Gan Guoyang was about to retire, they launched promotional activities and invited him to participate.

Gan Guoyang could decline some events from big brands, but he really couldn't refuse the invitations from his local friends and relatives. Since he was retired anyway, he might as well go. No matter how small the shop or how ordinary the brand, as long as they were still cooperating, he had to go.

Therefore, Gan Guoyang was even busier this week than when he used to play. He had no time to savor the glory of his tenth championship, nor did he have time to have some peace and quiet.

Throughout the streets and alleys of Portland, you can see things related to Gan Guoyang everywhere, especially posters and stickers, which are practically ubiquitous.

Gan Guoyang remarked, "It feels like I'm running for mayor; my photo is everywhere..."

Even more outrageous, one night during a citywide lantern parade in Portland, someone made a plaster statue of Gan Guoyang in the center of the parade, and people stuck dollar bills on it, as if it were Jesus being worshipped on St. Carlos Day.

After seeing the news, Gan Guoyang felt dizzy and said, "I've retired, not died. Why are they still treating me like Jesus?"

At this point, a week had passed since his retirement, and he knew he couldn't continue like this. He left in search of peace and a fresh start, not to dwell on the past.

So, after discussing it with his family, Gan Guoyang decided to go to San Francisco with Gan Youwei and Gan Guohui for a while, while Wang Fuxi stayed in Portland to take care of the children and handle many business matters.

Gan Guoyang was worried about leaving his wife alone in Portland, but Wang Fuxi said, "It's time for you to take a good rest. You still have the Olympics to worry about. I'll take care of the rest for you. Also, we're going to New York in July to settle the spy case as soon as possible, and then we can discuss our future path."

Over the years, apart from her two children, Wang Fuxi has single-handedly managed the family business and investments; she is a remarkably capable woman.

Gan Guoyang looked at Wang Fuxi's once fair and tender face, which was now showing some fine lines, and sighed at how fast time flies.

However, it was definitely the right decision for the two to get together. Gan Guoyang's stable output on the court is largely due to a solid defensive presence.

Gan Guoyang took his father back to San Francisco and spent half a month living peacefully in the seaside villa they had just bought last year.

Although the San Francisco media didn't let Gan Guoyang off the hook either, with paparazzi taking photos and harassing him from time to time, they were clearly not as crazy as the Portland media.

For half a month, Gan Guoyang relaxed and enjoyed life while accompanying his father through treatment, and at the same time, he pondered what path to take in the future.

The impact of the espionage case is obvious. Retirement is a respectable thing for Gan Guoyang, and he now has a large sum of money at his disposal.

A significant portion of these funds will undoubtedly flow to the other side of the ocean to contribute to the vibrant socialist market economy construction of the motherland, which is a reward for Gan Guoyang.

Domestically, all sectors were eagerly awaiting his investment, and the higher authorities had given him the green light long ago. Except for a very few industries involving military secrets and the lifeline of the nation, Gan Guoyang could invest in any of them he wanted.

While people assumed that Gan Guoyang would invest all his funds in the sports industry and build a sports business empire in China with Gan Guoyang as the brand, Gan Guoyang defied public opinion and refused to do so.

During an internal discussion, Gan Guoyang said that Avia has done a very good job in the sports products industry. Although Nike is a competitor, they are not bad either, and they can provide enough products for sports fans in China.

Why bother trying to grab market share when you can just leave your own brand and products, especially Skyscraper, to Avia?
"There are still many backward areas in China that need a lot of funding to support them, which is more important than sneakers and jerseys."

After rejecting numerous industries that promised easy profits, such as real estate, trade, and energy, Gan Guoyang made an important investment decision, a decision that had been discussed with the capital city long ago.

In July, quietly and without anyone noticing, a huge sum of money from the United States was injected into SMIC, a Chinese company that had just been established in April 2000.

Gan Guoyang invested half of his funds in the semiconductor industry, which had long been neglected in China but is now being revitalized with the support of higher authorities.

This sum of money totals around $8 million, exceeding the total national investment in the semiconductor industry over the 20 years from 1980 to 2000.

However, this was done in a very low-key manner, with funds gradually being raised through multiple official and unofficial channels, and without any major publicity in the news.

In addition to receiving a large number of shares and profits that would come at any time, Gan Guoyang also received a valuable inscription that read:
"After hardship comes happiness; a pillar of the nation, a phoenix rising from the sun, unparalleled in the world."

Anyone else would have hung this calligraphy in the most conspicuous place in their home, but Gan Guoyang simply kept it carefully, placing it with his championship trophy, MVP trophy, and other trophies as a memento of his life.

In mid-July, Gan Guoyang went to New York to attend another hearing, but this time it was just a formality.

After the hearing, the committee informed Gan Guoyang that his next hearing would be held on August 21.

That will be his last hearing, and the committee will give its final conclusion. This arduous and dark road is about to see the light of day.

After the hearing, Gan Guoyang was finally able to focus his energy on the next important event – ​​the Olympics.

Eight years have passed since the exciting Barcelona Olympics. Gan Guoyang did not participate in the 1996 Olympics due to his long retirement.

This time is different. Gan Guoyang has just retired, is still in good condition, and is not too old. He can definitely play in the Olympics.

As early as last year when the Basketball Association was formulating the 2000 Olympic preparation plan, it took the initiative to contact Gan Guoyang, who readily agreed to participate in the competition.

Subsequently, starting in April 2000, the Chinese men's national basketball team was assembled and began a long period of intensive training and preparation.

The national team head coach was still Jiang Xingquan. The silver medal match in 1992 made Jiang Xingquan famous and he became a well-known coach.

1996 was originally a great opportunity for the Chinese team to make great strides, if Gan Guoyang had been there.

The group of young people from 1992 reached maturity in 1996. Hu Weidong, Li Xiaoyong, Zheng Wu, Sun Jun, Liu Yudong, Gong Xiaobin and others were all at the best age.

Moreover, the 96 batch also introduced several strong and promising young players, such as Li Nan, Wang Zhizhi, and Battulga, who all made their mark in this national team.

At the Atlanta Olympics, the Chinese team still managed to achieve a top-eight finish even without Gan Guoyang.

It's easy to imagine that if Gan Guoyang were in his prime, the team would definitely be able to compete with the US Dream Team.

After all, the Dream Team no longer has Michael Jordan, and Hakeem Olajuwon is no longer the Dream in his prime.

Unfortunately, at that time, Gan Guoyang had just decided to make a comeback, and his physical condition did not allow him to participate in high-intensity competitions.

His focus was on recovering his form and negotiating with labor, leaving him no time for the Olympics, which caused the golden generation to miss the opportunity to win gold medals.

Now, Gan Guoyang feels quite carefree. He has no regrets in Portland. If he can bring an Olympic gold medal to the Chinese team, it will be a new peak in his basketball career.

This is why, on the day of his retirement, Gan Guoyang was sad but remained optimistic and positive, because he knew he still had unfinished business and a promising future.

(End of this chapter)