At this moment, it is the scene that all the stars dream of.
However, the arrogant Barkley ended up losing ten thousand US dollars to Gan Guoyang in a poker game at night.
Because he didn’t have enough cash on hand, he had to write an IOU to Gan Guoyang in the end.
On the night of farewell, on August 10th, the Olympic Games officially ended, and the athletes had already left Barcelona in groups.
Gan Guoyang bid farewell to the Chinese delegation, and the leaders tried hard to keep him, wanting him to return to Beijing to attend the celebration banquet, but Gan Guoyang politely refused.
He no longer wanted to waste more time on social activities, especially since his elderly relatives, children, and wife were all very exhausted and in urgent need of rest at home.
Gan Guoyang himself also needed some time for adjustment, preparing for the 1992-1993 season, which was surely going to be very challenging.
Before leaving, Gan Guoyang kept trying to find Sabonis, as he hadn’t shown up at the award ceremony on the 8th.
When the Lithuanian team received the bronze medal, the giant was not among the players, causing concern for him.
Did this guy celebrate too much in the dormitory?
A few days later, news came from Barcelona that Sabonis was found in the women’s dormitory of the Olympic Village.
It’s unknown what happened to this handsome, tall Lithuanian giant during these two days.
Everything about the Olympics gradually calmed down, and the summer of 1992 was about to end.
After returning to Portland, Gan Guoyang continued with his busy life.
Gan Guoyang’s commercial activities became more frequent, and the China Red Olympic edition sneakers designed and released by Avia for him became a highlight in sports goods this summer.
This red and yellow colorway sneakers didn’t sell well in North America but were incredibly popular across the ocean in China, later known as the 92 National Flag Edition, reaching very high prices.
In the Oregon area’s various social activities related to basketball, it was an honor to have Gan Guoyang present, and the more friends he had, the more appearances he had to make.
During the election phase, good friend Bill Clinton came to Oregon to campaign, and Gan Guoyang’s appearance boosted Clinton’s popularity.
On July 16th, Clinton was officially nominated as a presidential candidate at the Democratic Party convention, competing with George H.W. Bush.
Gan Guoyang knew in his heart that, barring any accidents, Clinton would become the new president of America, officially starting America’s prosperous 90s.
He wasn’t interested in taking sides since he was a foreigner.
But having a presidential friend might mean fewer obstacles on the NBA court.
Winning four consecutive championships was Gan Guoyang’s only goal.
In his occasional free time, Gan Guoyang went to the funeral home he invested in to conduct funerals for those who died unexpectedly.
The funeral company he owns with Calvin Natt was growing larger and was about to span the entire West Coast.
Funerals are sad but also make people more sober and rational, as facing death inevitably makes one think about the meaning of life.
His presence often surprised the deceased’s family, somewhat easing their grief.
Every time, Gan Guoyang would comfort them, "I believe they will find a new life in another world, be happy, joyful, and always remember you."
He was so sincere that Gan Guoyang’s presence at funerals gradually became the company’s hallmark, making them more famous than other funeral enterprises.
Reportedly, a crazed fan once wanted to comfort Gan Guoyang by killing their own child, after which Gan Guoyang rarely attended funerals in person.
Time flashed to the end of August; slowly detaching from busy post-Olympic activities, Gan Guoyang decided to leave Portland to find a place in Los Angeles for a good training session.
He aimed to develop a brand new personal skill training plan to adapt to the new league environment and circumstances, as well as his new playing style.
He hired specialized physical and technical coaches to supervise him, assembling a dedicated team to further hone his skills.
The invaluable experience from the 1992 Olympic final, in that game, Gan Guoyang saw more possibilities, and there was still room for improvement.
Yes, it’s room for improvement rather than improvement space; from a pure strength perspective, it’s really hard for Gan Guoyang to progress further.
But he could improve in his style of play, in technical details, he wanted to be more agile, play more on the outside, and become more versatile.
To replicate the style of play from the 1992 finals and Olympics into the regular season, establishing a new system revolving around him.
The possibility excited Gan Guoyang, presenting a whole new season experience and a different style of play.
He immersed himself in it, becoming increasingly indifferent to other matters, and spending time with his wife and children, calling his father, became his most important leisure activities.
Therefore, when that startling trade happened in the NBA Miami, Gan Guoyang was probably the last to know in the entire NBA because he barely watched any NBA-related news reports.
On August 31st, the last day of August, in the afternoon, after finishing his day’s training, Gan Guoyang as usual stayed in the gym to practice three-pointers, maintaining his shooting touch.
Many stars like to train together, supervising each other and improving together.
In the past, Gan Guoyang would usually train with friends or attend Newell’s BIG-MAN training camp.
But this year, Gan Guoyang trained secretly alone, not teaming up with anyone, fully enjoying his solitary run.
At this moment, he was shooting one three-pointer after another, intentionally speeding up his release to adapt to more difficult shooting environments.