The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 941 New Team Name
The news of Gan Guoyang's second comeback quickly spread throughout the United States and then the world via television broadcasts and online news.

It is now 2001, and the Internet is profoundly impacting human society. The network's zero-delay information transmission speed allows people to receive major news from all over the world in real time.

During this period, 9/11 was undoubtedly the most talked-about major event in the world, and the name Gan Guoyang, combined with the news of 9/11, became one of the most frequently mentioned and well-known names in the world during this time.

He just gave a televised address yesterday announcing the establishment of a new team in Las Vegas, and the very next day he announced his second comeback. This has truly stirred up a huge wave of discussion in the sports world.

"Forrest Gump will make a second comeback, joining the team he founded."

"The arrival of Return 2.0 has become a shot in the arm for the world at this special moment."

"In this new era of the 21st century, we still need the shoulders of the old era to carry the ship forward."

The media and websites reacted quickly, with all sorts of headlines and reports spreading online, and television broadcasting news briefs everywhere.

It is foreseeable that, for a long time to come, Gan Guoyang's second comeback, like the 9/11 attacks, will become a public event that people continue to pay attention to.

In Las Vegas, after Gan Guoyang announced his comeback, people certainly had a lot of questions to answer.

Reporters kept trying to get firsthand information through various channels in order to find out the inside story of Gan Guoyang's second comeback.

Soon after, Cherry Hansen, head of media at Gump Sports Asset Management, stepped forward and convened a media briefing, inviting reporters from major television stations, online media, newspapers, and magazines to attend and answer questions that were of most concern to everyone.

Cherry Hansen worked for the Portland Trail Blazers as a public relations assistant from 1974 until 1988 when Larry Weinberger sold the team to Tang Jianguo. At that time, Cherry Hansen left the Trail Blazers to work for the Seattle SuperSonics.

Hansen has always worked in public relations and media promotion, responsible for connecting with major media outlets and fans, and handling various public events for the team. He has a wealth of experience and a wide network of contacts.

In 2000, Hansen ended his contract with the SuperSonics, and Gan Guoyang recruited him to Las Vegas to serve as the head of the media department of a sports asset management company. His job was to promote the size and quality of the new arena.

This didn't feel like a job at all, and Hansen knew that his purpose in coming here wasn't to promote the new arena, but to deal with the public opinion issues surrounding the new team.

Finally, after a year of waiting, Hansen and his team had a chance to prove themselves. After a short period of preparation, he was fully prepared and answered every question with ease at the briefing.

"According to NBA rules, players cannot own any shares in a team, and similarly, if someone owns shares in any team, they cannot play for an NBA team. So, how will Forrest Gump circumvent this rule? He won't own shares in the new team, right?"

"Here's the situation: Agan will not directly own shares in the new team. However, the new team will be funded and built by our Gump Asset Management company, which will hold a majority stake. As the controlling shareholder of the asset management company, Agan will indirectly control the team's shares. From a collective bargaining agreement perspective, this is completely compliant and there are no issues; it's just that no team has been able to do this before."

What will the new team be named? What color scheme will it use?

"We will be holding a vote among basketball fans throughout Nevada to name the new team. We already have many candidates, and we will try our best to respect the fans' wishes. Of course, the owner's decision is also very important. The color scheme, logo, and other details will be announced in the future."

"Does this count as an imperial decree?"

"As I said, we will respect the wishes of the fans, but the owner has the final say. Please don't overinterpret this or try to create a big news story."

"I heard that Michael Jordan is also thinking about a comeback. Could he come to Las Vegas to play?"

"Oh, you should ask Michael Jordan's team about that. Vegas welcomes any player who wants to join, just like welcoming any tourist. It would be an honor for the team if Michael could come. He and Forrest Gump were very, very good friends."

Hansen answered a series of detailed questions from reporters and fans, basically saying everything he could, and admitting that he didn't know the answers to the questions he couldn't answer and that time would be needed to find out.

At the end, a reporter asked Hansen which department he was in, the new team's media department or the media department of Gump Sports Asset Management.
Hansen laughed and said, "Right now, a group of my colleagues and I are still employees of Gump Sports Asset Management, but when the new team is formed, we will fill in the team, become the skeleton and flesh of the team, and make it stand up quickly."

Through this question, the reporters learned that Agan had been preparing for a long time, and had already set up the framework of the new team in various ways, just waiting for the franchise to be obtained so that he could simply change the skin and start operating immediately.

Brilliant, truly brilliant! The efficiency is astonishing, as if every step was meticulously planned.

He even planned the 9/11 attacks, a fact that has been questioned by many.

In fact, conspiracy theories about Gan Guoyang and the 9/11 attacks quickly appeared on the market.

Since Gan Guoyang became famous in American high school basketball in 1981, various conspiracy theories about him have never stopped.

As his achievements grow and he experiences more events, his conspiracy theories become increasingly rich, with one book after another being published. This year, he added even more groundbreaking content, keeping publishers busy once again.

Especially with the previous espionage case, "Forrest Gump's Vow," and the 2000 Olympic gold medal, all of these combined have given the authors an extremely rich space for imagination, and it can be said that the bestseller list is already a sure thing.

The story of Gan Guoyang seems to never be outdated and will never disappear from people's sight.

Of course, after announcing his comeback, Gan Guoyang returned home and first had to bear his wife's anger, because he had not discussed his comeback with Wang Fuxi beforehand; he had acted first and informed her later.

Of all the major matters, this was the only one that Gan Guoyang did not discuss with his wife, because he knew that Wang Fuxi did not want him to return to playing.

Gan Guoyang is willing to discuss and share other matters with his wife, but he has his own ideas about this one thing.

On the way home after everything had settled down, the atmosphere in the car made Quentin, who was driving, feel suffocated, and he didn't dare to say a word more than necessary.

Once home, Wang Fuxi found a place to sit down, crossed his arms, turned his head away, and remained silent for a while.

Gan Guoyang wanted to explain, but Wang Fuxi waved his hand and said, "You don't need to explain. Once you've said it, you can't change it. I'm just thinking about how to arrange things later, the lives of my father, the children, and myself." Gan Guoyang's return to the professional arena meant that he would once again live that nomadic life of spending half his time at home and half his time in hotels.

"Actually, I've been used to it for a long time. Didn't we agree when we started dating that if I wanted to be your wife, I would have to get used to and adapt to your lifestyle? It's not easy being the other half of a celebrity. I just didn't expect that you would become such a big and famous celebrity. I guess it's all worth it."

Upon hearing Wang Fuxi's words, Gan Guoyang knew things were going to get bad. Men aren't afraid of their partners throwing tantrums or threatening suicide, nor are they afraid of them wanting everything. What they fear most is when their partner starts bringing up the past and trying to settle old scores with them.

At times like this, coaxing is unlikely to work, and giving her things usually won't satisfy her needs. The only thing you can do is sit down and listen to what she really wants.

Gan Guoyang went to the liquor cabinet, poured a glass of sherry, handed one to his wife, and said, "I did intentionally keep this from you. Before, I directly announced in my speech that I was going to build a new team, and this time I directly announced my comeback at the press conference. I didn't discuss it with you at all. Because when it comes to basketball... I'm a conceited person."

Gan Guoyang has always been an honest and straightforward person, and he is even more straightforward with his wife. He is arrogant, and he doesn't want to communicate. There is no need to hide anything from her.

Wang Fuxi took a sip of wine, then turned to look at her husband, this magnificent and extraordinary man, who was worth giving her all for. At the same time, being with him had profoundly changed her and her destiny.

“I know, I know you’re arrogant. But let me tell you, I put in just as much effort as you did to create this new team. My contribution may not be as great as yours, but everyone will come to watch the games because of you. I’ll always be there behind the scenes. I don’t object to your return as a player, but that means you can’t be the team owner or hold any position. You can only control the team indirectly through the company. In that case, I’ll be the team owner! I want to be the owner of you, and the entire team, and I want to be the first female owner in the NBA.”

The two sat on a luxurious leather sofa in the spacious living room of their Las Vegas mansion. Gan Guoyang looked at his wife with a determined light in his eyes. She was no longer the little girl who looked a bit like Joey Wong and hopped around playing ball. Instead, she was another pillar of the family and a trustworthy queen.

"Okay, here's a toast to the boss. I hope you'll take good care of me in the future."

"Then I'll take care of you tonight~ I wonder what it feels like for the boss to sexually harass his own player."

After finishing their drinks, the two went upstairs together. Wang Fuxi muttered, "I want to be upstairs..."
-
Time is extremely tight for Gan Guoyang's new team in Las Vegas.

October is fast approaching, and Osama bin Laden delivered a televised address on Al Jazeera, formally declaring responsibility for the 9/11 attacks.

This incident was neither a random attack nor simply a premeditated conspiracy, but rather the culmination of long-standing conflicts between the United States and the Middle East.

When the media traces the clues of a series of past events, they can see that many things have clues and signs have been there for a long time.

This event had a significant impact not only on the United States but also on the world order. It can be said that from this moment on, the United States, which once had classical liberal characteristics, has entered ruins along with the collapse of the Twin Towers. It is now a new country, and no one knows what it will be like.

The post-Cold War landscape has also undergone a major shift. The United States, which has been searching for a new Cold War adversary, now has a new target and adversary: ​​terrorism. This has given the other side of the Pacific a precious breathing space.

Meanwhile, the new team that Gan Guoyang created is also racing against time to get everything ready before the start of the regular season in November.

This is simply an impossible task.

Even though Gan Guoyang had laid the groundwork and made preparations for a year, it still seemed incredible that he could establish an NBA team in just over a month.

From the moment Gan Guoyang announced his comeback, all departments under Gump Asset Management began to operate at high speed. The first thing they did was change the brand name. Then, in accordance with the team's requirements, they re-planned their work, arranged new work schedules and content, and contacted the NBA to prepare for the new season.

There was no other way but to work overtime. All departments started working around the clock, constantly handling all kinds of tasks. From the boss to the managers to the supervisors to the employees, everyone started working at full capacity.

On September 16, Wang Fuxi convened the team's founding meeting and held the first board meeting, bringing together all investors and executives to establish the team's name, logo, jersey colors, and other identifying elements, aiming to showcase the team's brand.

They had made preparations well in advance, collecting more than 300 new team names, logos, and mascots from all over Nevada in three days, and then selecting from them.

Among them, the most frequently submitted names, and the most suitable for the Las Vegas style, are more than a dozen, including Gambler, Sin, Avenger, Raider, Desert Knight, Venom, Viper, Golden Dice, Golden Snake, Golden Lion, Storm, Thunder, Ace, Ace of Spades, Vulture, etc.

These names are mostly related to iconic objects in Las Vegas and Nevada, such as gambling, desert, snakes, etc. Some suggested Hoover because of the nearby Hoover Dam.

The board of directors didn't have time to slowly gather more opinions from fans, so they decided to hold an internal meeting to decide on the name of the new team.

At the meeting, names related to gambling were ruled out, even though they were fitting, because the new team did not want to have too much of a connection with gambling.

Secondly, some relatively negative team names were also excluded, while some were indeed quite good, such as Venom, which starts with the letter V and goes well with Vegas, and the word also has the connotation of revenge.

However, after repeated discussions, the board of directors felt that the name was still too dark, and some good names, including Avengers, were also ruled out.

Furthermore, some names that received support were vetoed by Gan Guoyang due to his personal preferences.

For example, the Golden Snake was an option that many directors supported, but Gan Guoyang was unwilling because he was worried that he would have multiple nicknames, such as "Golden Snake Gentleman".

He also excluded Golden Lion, also because he didn't want to be called the Rising Antivirus team.

After several rounds of selection, the remaining names were Thunder, Ace, Storm, and other catchy and fitting names.

At the final decision-making moment, Gan Guoyang gave the decision-making power to the "big boss," Wang Fuxi.

Wang Fuxi hadn't expressed much opinion but had been silently contemplating; in reality, she had already reached her final answer and made her final choice.

"I've decided on the name of the new team: Las Vegas Light. 'Light' has two meanings here. One is the most famous neon lights in Las Vegas. When tourists see the neon lights, they know they've arrived in Las Vegas. The other meaning is light itself. God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. Right now, America needs light and guidance the most. We are their guidance, their source of light."

(End of this chapter)