The Trail Blazers’ rookie training camp is renowned, and in the days after it opened, numerous media outlets would camp out and conduct interviews at the entrance of the Willamette University training hall almost every day.
Most of them came for Gan Guoyang; he is the only NBA superstar of his age who still often accompanies rookies in training.
Initially, the Trail Blazers’ rookie camp was primarily for training rookies and selecting some short-contract players to supplement the roster. With the improvement of the summer league, many teams no longer hold rookie camps separately.
However, the Trail Blazers have become unique due to Gan Guoyang’s regular participation each year. Except for the 1993 season, he has willingly trained and guided the rookies every other season.
His famous line, "You are the worst batch of rookies I’ve ever coached," has spread throughout the league, and many undrafted young players want to come to prove they’re not the worst.
This has given the Trail Blazers many opportunities to select those hidden gems for the future. Of course, the reporters’ main target is still Ah Gan.
With the season approaching, people’s anticipation for Gan Guoyang’s comeback is getting stronger and stronger. Some want to see the return of the king, while others are quietly waiting for the tragedy of a fallen hero.
Gan Guoyang’s mindset, however, remains undisturbed. He knows that an NBA season is a long endurance race, requiring careful and steady progress from the training camp, through the preseason, regular season, and playoffs.
Just like an experienced driver, the longer he’s on the road, the more cautious he becomes when driving.
All his training and recovery follow a strict schedule and are adjusted according to the actual situation.
For example, in terms of weight, after some time in the camp, he felt that 280 pounds was slightly too heavy, affecting agility.
So he decided to adjust it to around 275 pounds, seeking the best balance between strength and speed.
He began to pay more attention to his diet, as the impact of food on the body became increasingly apparent. He also needed to rest more than when he was younger.
In his twenties, his body would recover very quickly; after a week of intense training, just one day of rest sufficed. Now, after two or three days of training, he needs a day of rest.
Besides, he has to consider injuries, especially the burden on his knees. Even the Bionic Man at 32 has to protect his body.
Additionally, he must balance basketball, business, and life with his family, as his father’s aging and his children’s growth require his attention.
Compared to the cautiousness of an experienced driver, new drivers who just learned to drive and hit the road often recklessly drive fast.
Kobe is that impatient new driver. After the rookie training camp began, he trained extremely hard. After being reprimanded by Gan Guoyang on the first day, he practiced late into the night every day.
One day at around 2 a.m., he called Gan Guoyang, asking about a technical detail, waking Gan Guoyang up, who then scolded him for not sleeping yet.
Kobe said he was just coming back from the training hall and would sleep once he got home.
It turned out he had been practicing from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m., hardly stopping except to eat and drink to regain energy during those 12 hours.
During the day, Kobe still arrived at the training hall to train at 7:30 a.m. as usual, sacrificing his sleep time entirely to dedicate himself to basketball.
The 18-year-old young man didn’t care about anything other than basketball, as nothing else seemed worthy of his attention.
Gan Guoyang advised, "Sacrificing sleep isn’t worth it. Sufficient rest is as important as training."
Kobe agreed but said he really couldn’t sleep and was naturally a light sleeper; he just wanted to train.
Apart from his crazy investment of time, in training, Kobe was obsessed with dunking.
He constantly desired to dunk, especially wanting to dunk over Ah Gan, which often resulted in a string of blocked shots.
Kobe had bounce and explosiveness, but he lacked physical confrontation. Once in a physical contest, his moves would distort, and it was impossible to overpower the defender and dunk.
During confrontation training, Gan Guoyang showed no mercy in defense, repeatedly shattering Kobe’s dunk attempts with ruthless blocks.
After each block, Gan Guoyang would point out to Kobe where he should pay attention next time, only to block him again the next time.
Kobe quickly realized that no matter how much technical attention or adjustment he paid, if he lacked physical confrontation ability, he simply wouldn’t have it, and muscles don’t grow overnight.
Therefore, he began to spend more time training in the gym and increased his food intake, wishing he could bulk up quickly.
Although Kobe was somewhat eager in training, when facing the media, he was composed and gracious, showing a general’s demeanor.
Journalists in Portland were extremely focused on high school players Kobe and Little O’Neal, and the citizens of Portland were very interested in them.
In interviews, Kobe was very confident and gracious. He never hesitated but expressed himself outright, saying whatever came to his mind.
This style was well-liked by reporters, and Kobe could also speak several languages, especially fluent in Italian.
This made him always shine brightly in interviews, with the spotlight and microphones naturally drawn to him.
Shortly after the 1996 draft concluded, SLAM magazine gathered this talented group to shoot a cover photo.
Fans hoped they could succeed the class of 1984. Entering the 90s, the championships were monopolized by the class of 84.
Gan Guoyang, Jordan, and Olajuwon took turns reigning, sharing the championship titles while also sweeping the MVP awards along with Charles Barkley.