During training, have Carl communicate more with the players, arrange training plans, and increase Carl’s authority.
All of this is to pave the way for succession later on.
In this regard, the Trail Blazers’ management and coaching staff are much more relaxed and stable compared to the Bulls.
Therefore, although the Trail Blazers suffered a loss, it was just a regular-season game.
In the long run, the Trail Blazers still maintain an absolute advantage and will continue to be competitive in the future.
As for the Bulls? With the intensification of internal conflicts and management’s reluctance to renew Pippen’s contract, the disintegration of this strong team is a certainty.
On February 8, 1998, this season’s All-Star Game kicked off at Madison Square Garden.
This was the first time in 30 years since 1968 that the All-Star Game returned to Madison Square Garden in New York.
This All-Star Game was filled with a sense of old and new transition. The veteran stars continued to be selected, but some no longer won fans’ favor, like Drexler.
Some new stars arrived in Madison with massive popularity to start their stardom journey, like Kobe Bryant.
Kobe’s popularity among new fans was simply incredible. He successfully surpassed a group of veteran players in the Western Conference All-Star votes, becoming a starting guard in the All-Star Game.
In terms of performance and stats, Kobe may not necessarily be stronger than emerging stars like Allen Iverson, but his popularity is high, and he is very loved by young fans.
In fan voting, his votes surpassed stars like Richmond, Jason Kidd, and Eddie Jones, and he garnered a quarter of Gan Guoyang’s votes and a third of Jordan’s votes.
This kind of popularity triggered huge advertising effects and sparked significant controversy. People thought Kobe’s popularity was merely because of his association with Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers.
Adidas didn’t care about any of this. They quickly placed ads and large feature posters of Kobe in major newspapers and magazines. The KB8s on Kobe’s feet immediately brought massive market sales for the company.
Near Madison Square Garden, where the All-Star Game was held, Kobe’s images were everywhere. In the eyes of advertisers, Ah Gan and Jordan no longer needed publicity; they needed new hot figures.
This made Karl Malone and other veteran stars very dissatisfied. We accumulated honor and popularity for over a decade, and can’t compare to you, a sophomore kid?
If you were like Ah Gan, winning a championship and sweeping the league as MVP in your second year, that would be different. But now you are just a backup for the Trail Blazers, Ah Gan’s little follower. What qualifications do you have for such a big display?
However, this is the reality of the American sports market around the millennium: performance on the court is not the most important; fans’ love is what matters the most, especially the preferences of young fans that dictate the main direction.
On media day before the game, players and coaches were brought into a huge ballroom in a hotel.
Everyone sat in front of a table, waiting for hundreds of reporters and media personnel to surround them and ask all kinds of questions.
In front of the tables of Gan Guoyang, Jordan, and Kobe, there were the most people, everyone trying to squeeze next to them, holding recorders to catch snippets of their words.
Compared to seasoned veterans like Gan Guoyang and Jordan, Kobe was much more nervous, almost jumping out of his skin.
All along, he was good at facing the media, but today the scale was indeed too large, making his heart pound violently.
However, after answering a few questions, Kobe gradually eased up, and his responses became increasingly fluent and natural.
When asked, "What similarities do you have with Michael Jordan? Are you learning to become the second Jordan?" Kobe shook his head.
He said, "We have nothing in common, except that we both happen to be 6’6", both play Shooting Guard, and have great athletic ability. That’s it. He is Michael, very great, but... he is not my target."
Everyone asked Kobe who his target was, but Kobe just smiled and didn’t respond further.
At this time, at a nearby table, Gan Guoyang ran to Jordan, patted him on the shoulder, and whispered, "I told you, Kobe doesn’t care about you at all."
Jordan’s eyes showed some anger, then he said, "Really? Then during the game tonight, I want to see how different he really is from me."
Although publicly claiming to be annoyed by the idea of "Kobe being the second Jordan," when Kobe denied being like Jordan and that Jordan wasn’t his target, Jordan was even more upset.
Gan Guoyang skillfully guided this emotion, further stirring up the rivalry between Kobe and Jordan.
As for why he did this? Was it to train and discipline Kobe? To let him continue experiencing Jordan’s intensity?
Let Kobe experience what it’s like to face Jordan head-on without the protection of a system, a naked duel?
None of that, Gan Guoyang just wanted to watch the drama unfold, that’s all.