If Gan continues to stay with the Trail Blazers to fight for the championship, his fate will be the same as Petrović and Lewis, who were physically eliminated.
Or like Michael Jackson, who endured various attacks from outsiders throughout the summer.
After the summer of 1993, Michael Jackson had lots of bizarre labels attached to his head, as if there was a cunning boxer throwing punches around him continuously.
The only good news for Jackson was that none of these punches were solid heavy blows; the bad news was that they were endless and annoying.
Until October 1st, the last tail of summer was about to slip away and autumn was secretly approaching when suddenly there was an exciting announcement in the media.
The Oregonian published a short but eye-catching headline: "Ah Gan decides to stay with the Trail Blazers and fight in the 1993-1994 season."
All of Portland, and even all of Oregon, was in a frenzy; the hearts of the fans, which had been dangling, finally settled down. Ah Gan did not give up on them, did not give up on Portland!
Soon, Gan Guoyang held a press conference with the Trail Blazers’ management at the Rose Garden, announcing details of the situation, contract specifics, and public concerns.
The amount and duration of the contract were made public. Gan Guoyang signed a two-year contract with the Trail Blazers worth 20 million US Dollars—his annual salary reached a record-breaking ten million, becoming the first player in NBA history to reach an annual salary of ten million.
The salaries of NBA players have been rising with development. In the 50s, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain became the first players with an annual salary of 100,000 US Dollars.
By the 1979-1980 season, after more than 20 years, the annual salary of Moses Malone and Bill Walton first exceeded one million, marking a leap for the NBA market.
Then Gan Guoyang was the first to break the five million mark, and now he’s become the first player to break the ten million annual salary mark, which is completely deserved given his achievements.
However, people were more concerned about why the contract was only two years and why Ah Gan announced his signing in October instead of earlier.
Gan Guoyang explained: "Before October, I was always considering whether to stay. There are two reasons. The first is well known; we fell apart. Death and departure are sad, and staying to continue playing requires some courage. The second is related to family circumstances; I need to consider my father’s health issues. Throughout September, I was dealing with my father’s health issues, consulting many doctors, living with him daily to understand his feelings and situation. Once I start the season, I must travel back and forth to different cities for training and games, which will definitely reduce my companionship with him. I was constantly weighing in, hoping to find a balanced state to accommodate both family and career."
"In the end, my family still supports me to continue fighting, and honestly, I couldn’t bear to leave the court and Portland fans behind. I couldn’t just watch the team sink, watch us lose, and watch everyone get frustrated. So after careful consideration, I decided to stay in the NBA and play in Portland. The reason for signing a two-year contract is likewise considering family circumstances. If my father needs me more, I might leave the court. So, a short contract is more suitable for me, that’s it."
After Gan You Wei returned from China, Gan Guoyang immediately took him to see doctors and get involved in treatment, hoping to slow the progression.
America has the most advanced medical techniques, but even so, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s. The most effective advice from experts is more companionship, more conversations, and keeping the brain active.
Alzheimer’s is a cruel disease; it lets the person you love live but can make the living person forget you.
It’s said that death is not the real departure; forgetting is. Watching yourself being forgotten, that feeling is not much better than death.
Especially with the death of Jordan’s father, Gan Guoyang was touched more profoundly. Jordan at least had his mother, brothers, and sisters; Gan Guoyang only had his father left.
He couldn’t accept a life being forgotten by his father, so he’s making every effort to conduct treatment and balance the relationship between the court and life.
However, Gan Youwei is in the early stage of Alzheimer’s. With active intervention and treatment, effective companionship can slow down the disease’s progression and improve the quality of life.
The two of them spent September experiencing the longest time of mutual companionship in 12 years. Watching Gan Guoyang stay at home all day, Gan Youwei got annoyed.
He kept urging Gan Guoyang to train, to play ball: "Only if you keep playing ball, can I keep remembering you! Do you know? Right now, I only remember you playing ball; I can’t recall what you were like when you didn’t play."
Gan Youwei’s remarks became the final weight for Gan Guoyang’s determination to continue fighting, and he finally decided to stay.
Of course, making the decision to stay was simple; the real difficulty lies in how to face the Trail Blazers’ predicament after staying?
Especially after they transitioned overnight from a super team with four consecutive championships to a team with a complete personnel overhaul, severely reducing their paper strength, with management and coaching staff all renewed.
Other strong teams in the league are eyeing them, each enhancing their own strength, so the Trail Blazers are facing internal and external threats. And quite a few people want to see the Trail Blazers fall.
After confirming his decision to stay, in mid-October, Gan Guoyang participated in the Trail Blazers’ rookie training camp.
Last season, Gan Guoyang only stayed for three days and then quit, but this time he had to participate, and veterans like Porter and Kossie were also present.