In the summer of 1996, Gan Guoyang decided to return.
But things weren’t going to shape up instantly.
In fact, five minutes after talking to Tang Jianguo, Gan Guoyang faced a pretty serious problem.
He stood in front of the bathroom mirror, looking at himself after not playing professional games or undergoing systematic training for a year and a half, a question popped into his mind:
"Can I return to the peak?"
In the 1993-1994 season, Gan Guoyang already felt the decline; he had dropped to about the same level as Jordan.
Age wasn’t the issue; around 30 was just when your physical condition is good. The key is the focus on the court and the quality of training.
Too many off-court factors interfered with his concentration on basketball, and both training and game quality declined.
The drop in focus leads to a decline in willpower and the desire to win; a person’s mindset and will are closely related to physical condition.
People with strong bodies and amazing stamina inevitably have stronger willpower than those who are weak and sickly.
Gan Guoyang always had a Bionic Man-like physique, not just compared to ordinary people, but even to athletes at the pinnacle of human physicality, his body was still frighteningly good.
In his career spanning 10 years, he didn’t have any major injuries, rarely even minor ones—he missed only a handful of games, making him an undisputed iron man.
During his year and a half of retirement, Gan Guoyang also emphasized exercise to maintain good physical condition, but it couldn’t compare to his professional period after all.
Athletes often consume a tremendous amount of food to maintain high-intensity training and games, and this energy intake is eventually expended on the court.
Once training, games, and travel stop, energy consumption is greatly reduced, but the problem is the appetite has already developed; he didn’t eat any less than during the season.
Like Gan Guoyang, who was relatively disciplined, in the year and a half after retirement, he ate a lot but was relatively moderate.
Some lack discipline and once they retire, lose external constraints and mental pressure, they can’t control their appetite; their body balloons like a balloon.
For example, Magic Johnson, who tried to comeback last season, returned to the Great Western Forum Arena after being away from the court for four seasons.
But by then, Johnson’s physique was no longer fit for a Point Guard; he was round like a basketball, a big ball dribbling a small ball on the court.
After training and losing weight during the offseason, Johnson’s weight stayed at 255 pounds.
That’s a center’s weight; Johnson could hardly continue to bear the duties of a Point Guard.
Beelman placed him at the power forward position, letting him work in tandem with Jide inside and outside to connect the team.
This strategy worked well; they achieved 54 wins in the regular season.
In the playoffs, they advanced to the semifinals but were ultimately defeated by the Seattle SuperSonics.
After trying for a season, Johnson will become a free agent on July 1.
He’s still hesitating whether to stay with the Lakers or go to another team to try and continue his career.
In contrast to Magic Johnson, Gan Guoyang’s situation is much better.
After all, Johnson left the court for 4 seasons and was already 36, while Gan Guoyang was only 32.
But as he looked at himself in the mirror, squeezing the slightly bulging fat on his belly and the thickening pads of flesh on his shoulders and back, he still felt uneasy.
Accepting his decline to Jordan’s level was already Gan Guoyang’s baseline; he couldn’t bear to become Charles Barkley.
Even though Barkley at his peak was already one of the best basketball players in the world, the MVP of the regular season.
For a moment, Gan Guoyang wanted to call Tang Jianguo again and say he didn’t want to come back.
Ten seasons, seven championships—wasn’t that perfect enough? Still want to continue?
However, the thought of giving up was quickly dismissed by Gan Guoyang; it was June now, and he had plenty of time to retrain himself.
Thinking he would return to the beloved court, that excitement was impossible to refuse; he couldn’t give it up.
The physique problem could be solved by re-committing to training, and the next issue was to convince his family.
Gan Guoyang decided to consult with his wife first; as long as he got Wang Fuxi’s support, others’ opinions wouldn’t matter much.
It’s not that his father or children were unimportant, but no matter what he did, they would support it without opposition.
Only the person beside his pillow would consider this more carefully, because once Gan Guoyang comes back, many things need Wang Fuxi to manage and settle.
Their living environment, children’s schooling and education, the social circle, the elderly’s medical care and attention—everything would face changes again.
And Gan Guoyang, after receiving Tang Jianguo’s call, responded impulsively without having consulted his wife.
So he felt a little uneasy, thinking he had acted first and informed later; what if his wife disagreed? That would be troublesome.
So, during dinner, Gan Guoyang laid some groundwork, asking his son and father if they wanted to live in Portland for a while.
"It’s almost summer. California is too hot, while Portland is just cool and dry and comfortable. We could simply go live in Portland for a while and come back once the weather turns cold and rainy."
Gan Wenshan was already 7 years old, ready for primary school, and was scheduled to start in Palo Alto in September.
Once Gan Guoyang returned to Portland, he could study there.
Gan Wenshan heard he could spend the summer in Portland and immediately raised his hand in approval, saying, "I agree! Stephen and they will be in Portland for the summer! I want to see them."