Before the training began, Bird calmly stated, and then for two and a half hours in the morning, he meticulously tracked the time as he commenced a grueling physical torture.
Regular shuttle runs, baseline shuttle runs, dribbling runs, layup runs, one-on-one man-to-man offense and defense runs... various aerobic and anaerobic training related to running and jumping seemed endless, tormenting everyone in the training camp.
Besides Gan Guoyang, Kobe, and Little O’Neal, the rest of the training camp consisted of undrafted rookies and players on short-term contracts, who spent the entire summer mixing in different training camps, hoping to earn some wages while finding a stable and reliable job.
The Trail Blazers’ rookie training camp was always known for its harshness. Any player who could persist and rise from here would be held in high regard wherever they played.
Especially as they could say, "I trained with Ah Gan, who is the number one in the NBA."
Everyone who trained with Gan Guoyang naturally had to marvel at Ah Gan’s abundant stamina.
The physical training program Bird prepared for the rookies was merely an appetizer for Gan Guoyang.
Midway through the training, during a break, Gan Guoyang shouted to Bird, "Larry, if this is your level of coaching, I think you’re overpaid!"
Gan Guoyang used the phrase "you are overpaid," a common saying by Auerbach to evaluate players when he was with the Celtics.
Whenever a player didn’t perform to his standards, the Redhead would bellow while puffing on his cigar, "You’re overpaid! I paid too much!"
Bird thought to himself, this kid is really well-informed, even knowing the Redhead’s catchphrases.
He retorted, "As of now, you’re the most overpaid person in the entire league. Thirty million, my God, can you build a nuclear bomb?"
Gan Guoyang shamelessly boasted, "I’m the nuclear bomb on the basketball court!"
The two and a half hours of morning physical training ended, and almost everyone was utterly exhausted.
Only two people seemed unfazed, one was Gan Guoyang, the other was Kobe.
After the training, Kobe even approached Gan Guoyang saying, "We should continue that unfinished one-on-one game."
Gan Guoyang didn’t refuse, saying, "Sure, I can play with you until you don’t want to anymore."
"I will never get tired of playing, be careful, Sonny, I will keep improving."
Gan Guoyang smiled without responding; he liked this spirit Kobe had.
On one hand, he didn’t want to dampen Kobe’s enthusiasm and zeal.
On the other hand, he felt this energy needed good guidance.
Since the draft began until now, Kobe always had a sense of urgency.
In fact, he didn’t need to be in such a hurry, he was only 18 years old with plenty of youth ahead.
But Kobe didn’t see it that way; he was eager to improve and didn’t want to waste a second.
After the morning training, Kobe spent the entire afternoon with Gan Guoyang and Little O’Neal in the gym for additional training.
Kobe’s one-on-one offense wasn’t much better than his defense; in high school, he was invincible, but against the NBA’s number one defender, he was helpless.
Gan Guoyang’s defensive prowess was historically superior, more stable than his offensive position.
On offense, people mentioned Jordan and Chamberlain, but on defense, Ah Gan was the strongest.
After gaining weight to 280 pounds, Gan Guoyang’s movement speed had decreased; his start and lateral movements weren’t as good as during his peak.
But his experience and skills were unparalleled, with an exceptionally strong predictive ability, and he was well aware of Kobe’s habitual moves.
Kobe repeatedly tried to use speed, explosiveness, or repeated dribbling and crossovers to shake off the defense.
In the end, he found Ah Gan, this 280-pound, 32-year-old player inside, to be unbelievably agile.
At the same time, his verbal assaults didn’t cease, tormenting Kobe both physically and mentally.
"If I were 5 years younger, you wouldn’t score a single basket today."
"I’m old, but why do your legs seem older than mine?"
"Your dribbling is too rigid, too predictable; I can tell your next move just by watching your toes."
"Faster, faster, you’re without any resistance, as soft as a lump of cotton!"
"You know, I was the one who had Buckwalter pick you; now your performance is a bit disappointing... block you!"
Gan Guoyang left an opening for Kobe to drive to the basket, then blocked Kobe’s layup from behind.
While giving the open space, Gan Guoyang skillfully stuck to Kobe, not allowing him any chance to explode upwards.
The lack of resistance made Kobe’s layup weak and powerless, after an entire day of training and one-on-one, his legs felt leaden.
Kobe not only got blocked but also got knocked out of bounds, lying on the floor, looking up at the high steel ceiling, dizzy.
All afternoon, the number of shots Kobe made could be counted on one hand, while the baskets Gan Guoyang made were countless.
Back in middle school, Kobe could already beat his former professional player father Joe Bryant in one-on-one.
In high school, Kobe was unbeatable one-on-one, frequently putting up scores of 100:5, 100:8 in friendly games.
Now, Kobe finally experienced what it was like to have the opponent score 100 while he scored only single digits.
Kobe’s vision suddenly darkened, a huge figure stood beside him, reaching out a hand towards him.
Lying there, Kobe looked at standing Ah Gan, his huge, strong body like a statue, and he seemed to have traveled back to the summer of July 1986.
The statue radiated a dazzling light, towering and boundless, looking at him with compassionate eyes.