Jordan is the same, continually battling with destiny, and still on the path of resistance.
But everyone knows these two guys have walked the classic hero path to its end, leaving almost no road for those who come after.
Anyone attempting to imitate or retrace their paths is likely to, due to various reasons, end up like a grotesque imitation, easily becoming a clown.
When they reach the end of their path, naturally, others will take different routes, pioneering new realms. The past praised heroes, but now we extol anti-heroes.
The literary world has all sorts of new works, and the sports world has begun to establish new idols.
Ah Gan and Jordan remain towering figures, but people understand that their era will eventually end.
In recent years, young players entering the league are showcasing entirely new traits, especially their rebellious qualities and street style, which perfectly coincide with the cultural currents, attracting a lot of attention from young fans.
Kevin Garnett, Stephon Marbury, Marcus Camby, Rashid Wallace—these newcomers unanimously sport tattoos upon entering the league, possibly carrying some criminal records; these are all labels of the "bad boys."
But who cares? The more they are like this, the more young fans love them, love their rebellion, their unruly demeanor, love their spirit of challenging traditional authority, love their passionate, unorthodox play on the court.
However, among all these emerging NBA rebellious youth, the most outstanding, most controversial, and most eye-catching is the 1996 first overall pick, Allen Iverson.
Portland Flight No. 1 pierced through the clouds, landed at Philadelphia airport, and the Trail Blazers players disembarked and waited at the baggage claim.
Kobe could see a billboard of Allen Iverson in the airport’s waiting hall. Returning to the hotel and turning on the TV, scenes of Iverson getting past Jordan and hitting a mid-range shot were playing.
Along the way, Kobe always felt someone was discussing Allen Iverson, discussing his extraordinary scoring ability, his mere 6-foot height, his past crimes, and his now brilliant NBA life, truly a legend.
For Kobe, only 18, not yet 19, seeing a young guard, only a few years older than him and entering the league the same year, already on the path to becoming a legend, served as a great stimulus.
At this age, young people always harbor some unrealistic fantasies. They hope to have a life of trials and tribulations, then overcome these difficulties and eventually make a great story.
Too much happiness, smooth and stable growth seems to them to lack the mark of pain, isn’t cool, and lacks story value.
Kobe wasn’t satisfied with ordinary setbacks. He once told Ah Gan, "I hope when I’m 40 and can’t play basketball anymore, I can die in a brilliant accident, so people will remember me forever."
Gan Guoyang rolled his eyes and retorted, "You’re talking nonsense, stop with the boring fantasies, high schooler."
Of course, Kobe wouldn’t stop fantasizing. When he returned to Philadelphia, these fantasies only deepened.
He spent his high school years here; it was four years where his basketball talent was fully unleashed. He’s Philadelphia’s kid; everything here felt familiar to him.
But at the same time, it felt unfamiliar, because he wore the Portland Trail Blazers jersey, and Philadelphia’s basketball hero wasn’t him, but the one wearing number 3, Iverson.
Before the 1996 draft, Kobe had come to the Philadelphia 76ers for a workout, facing him was "Mad Max" Maxwell, who had just been traded from the Houston Rockets to the 76ers.
Maxwell was ousted from the Rockets due to his dissatisfaction with Chris Weber’s top-dog status, sold to the Philadelphia 76ers at a low price, a player with high skills but a very volatile temper.
During the workout, Kobe showed no fear, actively engaging Maxwell. 76ers managers watching on the sidelines feared the two would come to blows; they were playing too fiercely.
After they tied at 9:9, the manager stopped the game. They recognized Kobe’s exceptional fighting spirit, but in the end, the 76ers still chose Iverson.
Because Iverson had already shown superior scoring ability on the NCAA stage, and a combative mentality that was no less than Kobe’s.
Although he had much more trouble and controversy compared to Kobe, from a business standpoint, he was exactly what the Philadelphia 76ers needed.
Since winning the championship in 1983, this team had been declining for too long; they’d failed to capitalize on the golden generation of 1984. Their operations have been a complete mess.
Since Dr. J Erving retired and Moses Malone left, for nearly 10 years, the Philadelphia 76ers had achieved nothing, struggling even to make the playoffs, without a single representative player to carry the stage.
In 1996, they finally got the first overall pick, and after the result was announced, Philadelphia fans chanted, "Iverson, Iverson, Iverson!"
It could be said that Iverson coming to the 76ers was the fulfillment of the people’s will. The massive popularity he brought to the 76ers revitalized this nearly decaying traditional team, making his blemishes seem insignificant.
Compared to the superstars of the past here, Iverson appeared so unique and different.
The 76ers had Chamberlain, Cunningham, Julius Erving, Moses Malone. They were either giants or exceptionally graceful.