If there’s a terrorist attack like the Munich massacre in 1972, and these NBA superstars get caught, the NBA next season is definitely doomed.
So, Gan Guoyang didn’t even need to apply himself; the NBA security chief, Horace Ballmer, took the initiative to reach out, saying he had reserved a room for Gan and his family, hoping they could stay with the Dream Team.
Gan Guoyang joked, "Then can I join your training?"
Ballmer said, "If you’re willing to represent Team USA, there should be no problem."
Considering the safety of himself and his family, Gan Guoyang had to temporarily separate from the China Team and board the bus with the Dream Team to the hotel.
With this experience, next time he participates in the Olympics, Gan Guoyang will prepare the hotel room in advance and have the basketball guys stay with him.
Of course, staying in the same hotel with old acquaintances and friends this time feels pretty good too.
As soon as Gan Guoyang got on the bus, the Dream Team started to jeer.
"Oh! Look who’s here! A China Team player!"
"What are you wearing? Why not change to our star-spangled uniform?"
"Sonny, join us, join us!"
"Our chef has arrived! I’ve been waiting for this!"
No matter how intense the competition in the league was, after all these years, everyone really knew each other well.
Bird, Johnson, and Jordan recalled years later, "When Sonny got on our bus, everyone was happy, extremely excited, and it felt like we were finally complete."
"Sonny may not be American, but he’s part of the NBA, a very important part, and his arrival truly made us happy."
"We trained together at the 1984 Olympics for a long time, and in 1992, we stayed together again; this feeling is really amazing."
Gan Guoyang also felt a sense of relaxation, returning to his old circle of friends.
With the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team and the representative team, he had to stay tense.
No choice, he was the focal point, the core person, like a big brother.
His every word and action held significant meaning, and he had to always be mindful of his image.
When he was with the Dream Team, dealing with this group of defeated opponents, he was completely unburdened.
Gan Guoyang sat next to Stockton and asked about his leg bone recovery.
"It’s fine now; I can play."
Stockton was very happy he didn’t miss this Olympics.
The Dream Team’s bus on the way to the hotel was practically fortified protection.
A fully armed convoy cleared the road, helicopters tracked and escorted them from above, and amidst the street crowd, Secret Service agents mingled in to prevent emergencies.
From the scale and level of security, one could see the NBA stars’ commercial value and influence, also showcasing the many enemies America had made worldwide.
The Dream Team stayed at the Barcelona Ambassador Hotel, a four-star hotel, with 98 rooms, and Americans occupied 80 of them.
After the Dream Team arrived at the hotel, ordinary fans and general guests were prohibited from entering; the place was taken over by these domineering Americans.
Gan Guoyang brought Wang Fuxi, two children, his father-in-law, mother-in-law, Gan Youwei, and bodyguards, staying in four rooms.
One must say, the NBA was well-prepared, having everything arranged properly and taking care of the players and their families in advance.
This Olympics, the stars came with their families. Stockton brought his wife and kids, parents, in-laws, and siblings.
Drexler, Johnson, Bird, and others all brought their big families, except for the lone wolf Charles Barkley.
Due to conflicts with his spouse, he came to Barcelona alone, without bringing any family, not even his mother or grandmother.
Because of this, Barkley was the most unrestrained and rebellious character of the entire Dream Team; no one could control him.
Earlier in Monte Carlo during training, Barkley went all out gambling, indulged in eating and drinking, and occasionally made bold statements to the media.
He told reporters, "After the Olympics, I’m going to retire. Today we’re playing by the pool, surrounded by girls without clothes! I want to be Mark Spitz; as long as there are girls without clothes, I want to stay in the pool!"
Besides Barkley, Carl Lewis from the American Athletics Team also liked making bold statements in the media, commenting on this and that.
Their words and actions received criticism from the United States Olympic Committee’s PR chief, Mike Moran, who warned them not to talk nonsense anymore.
Barkley strongly opposed, saying the committee people were jealous and couldn’t stand the Dream Team getting so much attention.
In training, Barkley suppressed Karl Malone, fully displaying his talent and skills.
Barkley mocked the Southern boy, "You think wearing the number 11 jersey can replace Sonny? John wouldn’t agree."
Malone, in this Dream Team, wore the jersey number 11, just like Gan Guoyang.
Barkley truly stirred the pot, making Stockton and Malone uncomfortable.
After arriving at the Ambassador Hotel, those with families definitely stayed in the hotel to accompany their loved ones.
They couldn’t casually go out because it was very troublesome; outside, it was densely packed with fans, like zombies.
But Barkley didn’t have these concerns; he said he couldn’t stay in the hotel forever, he’s going out.
The hotel rooms weren’t big, and the amenities weren’t very luxurious, lacking compared to luxury hotels in America.