Gan Guoyang nodded, this was completely expected.
Jerry West had already observed Hu Weidong and signing him involved both competitive and commercial considerations.
No matter what, the Lakers are the biggest flagship team in the NBA, located on the West Coast, closest to China, with a large number of Chinese people.
Since they couldn’t get Ah Gan, bringing in a Chinese player would definitely help sell tickets and aid the long-term development of the Chinese market.
From the 1980s to now, over a decade has passed, and the development of China’s massive market in sports business is still very low.
It’s not that Ah Gan isn’t strong enough, but that sports culture and product promotion require deep excavation, supported by the overall economic environment and cultural atmosphere.
After more than twenty years of rapid development, China is fully striving to catch up with global trends, and its market value is becoming increasingly significant.
"The second thing, about this year’s Olympic Games... you probably won’t participate, right? They want a definitive answer over there."
The Atlanta Olympics is about to take place, and in 1992, winning a silver medal in Barcelona, set a historical record for Chinese basketball.
Four years have passed, and the young talents of China Team’s golden generation have made significant progress. With Gan Guoyang, they might achieve even greater success.
However, this time Gan Guoyang shook his head, as there’s no time left; he needs a complete, long period for recovery training.
Participating in the Olympics would completely disrupt his recovery training schedule, making it not worth the loss.
"I won’t participate in the ’96 Olympics; let’s see if there’s a chance for 2000."
"Okay, I will communicate with them over there, but... bro, you need to be ready for some public criticism."
Gan Guoyang smiled and said, "This world will never lack nitpickers, whether you do something or not, whether you do well or not, there will always be criticism, don’t worry, it won’t affect me. Moreover, I will report directly to the top, rest assured, understanding will be obtained."
Gan Guohui nodded, knowing that Gan Guoyang’s contribution to the country definitely wasn’t limited to just a silver medal.
"The third thing is the message brought by Mark. According to his insider information, the preliminary agreement reached in the labor negotiations has been opposed by some superstars. Jordan, Ewing, and others are preparing to team up, ready to dissolve the Players Union like in 1988 to seek a new labor agreement. Grantham can’t hold on and is preparing to resign; everyone is waiting for you to speak up this time."
In 1996, the labor agreement signed in the 1988 All-Star game expired, and the Players Union and League had discussions, reaching a secret informal agreement.
The new labor agreement includes terms like luxury tax and free agency transfer restrictions, which are unfavorable to players.
Under the premise of the union presidium agreeing to the agreement, Jordan and other superstars led a rebellion against the content of the agreement and wanted to dissolve the union by old tactics.
Gan Guoyang has always been the vice-chairman of the union these years, but he hasn’t been focused on negotiations, instead choosing to ring the bell and recite sutras in San Jose.
In fact, he hasn’t backed down but has been waiting for an opportunity, a situation where the negotiations break down, and both sides need him.
He chose to announce his comeback in early July with the intention of getting involved in this battle.
Hence, when Gan Guoyang heard this news, his eyes lit up.
He knew the opportunity to fulfill Larry Flesher’s original wish had come.
But is this current NBA the ideal NBA that Fleisher once envisioned?
If Larry were still around, would he support these superstars in dissolving the union?
Larry Flesher has been gone for many years, and both the NBA and the world have changed significantly.
Gan Guoyang decided to handle this complex situation according to his own understanding.
First of all, he needs to take back the union chairman position that belongs to him!