Like many basketball teenagers of the 80s and 90s, Gan Guoyang was the great light of that era, a sacred glory from across the Pacific Ocean.
Especially in 1992, when Gan Guoyang led the national team to the Olympic finals, losing to the US Dream Team and winning the silver medal. At that moment, Gan Guoyang became an Olympic hero of men’s basketball, becoming the basketball dream of countless teenagers.
Going to America to play basketball and compete alongside Gan Guoyang became the ultimate dream for many teenage basketball players in sports teams.
Although Gan Guoyang retired in 1994 and missed the 1996 Olympic national team, his effort in 1996 fulfilled Wang Zhizhi and many others’ pilgrimage dreams.
In May 1999, a bombing incident, coupled with Gan Guoyang’s 74 points, made him once again the focus of public opinion. In China, Gan Guoyang was already close to becoming a national hero.
Wang Zhizhi, filled with excitement, decided to enter the 1999 draft. Upon learning of Gan Guoyang’s advice and help, his confidence increased.
Yet, with his simple nature, how could he have anticipated the complex and tumultuous US-China situation? Gan Guoyang was already deeply entangled in the whirlpool, managing to withstand enormous psychological pressure and win the championship, which required titanium-like nerves and will.
Ordinary people would have collapsed under such circumstances, let alone play basketball; even normal life would be affected.
Wang Zhizhi persevered until he was picked by the Eagles Team at the draft. When he went on stage, the New Yorkers in the audience booed loudly.
However, Wang Zhizhi faced it with a smile, and even waved to those booing New Yorkers. One could say that several generations of young Chinese basketball players have been spiritually influenced by Gan Guoyang.
Resilience, optimism, always looking at the future with hope—this might be Gan Guoyang’s immense invisible contribution to Chinese basketball.
The power of being a role model is infinite.
Gan Guoyang watched the entire draft on television.
He was very pleased that Wang Zhizhi was selected.
Unfortunately, he was entirely forbidden to use any communication devices at that moment, otherwise he’d have definitely called to congratulate Wang Zhizhi.
Meanwhile, without Gan Guoyang’s miraculous insight, the Trail Blazers’ management naturally couldn’t make any exciting draft picks.
Luckily, Larry Bird was quite shrewd. He knew that this was not the time to cultivate rookies, and whether Ah Gan would return was really uncertain.
Bird prepared for two scenarios: first, he traded away all the first and second-round picks of ’99, using the second-round to include Isaiah Reed, adding small forward Alan Henderson from the Atlanta Hawks to fill the team’s third spot.
The Trail Blazers had previously acquired Brellock from the Hawks, and now with Henderson, with the Hawks picking Wang Zhizhi too, people couldn’t help but wonder if there were any shady dealings between the Hawks and the Trail Blazers.
The first-round draft rights, combined with Winfield, were sent to the Lakers in exchange for the Lakers’ 2001 first-round pick.
The purpose of this transaction was to free up space to sign free agent Dell Curry—after taking large contracts with the Hornets for a few years, Curry finally decided to return home.
This way, the team’s backcourt was reinforced again, and as for the frontcourt, Little O’Neal and Ben Wallace’s growth, along with Sabonis’s stability, left no significant issues for the Trail Blazers.
If Gan Guoyang could return, the Trail Blazers would still be strong contenders for the 1999-2000 championship.
If Gan Guoyang could not return and directly retired, Larry Bird would keep a close eye on Charles Barkley.
In any case, Bird was already preparing for the worst-case scenario.
Gan Guoyang understood all the Trail Blazers’ operations on TV and thought Bird did nothing wrong.
As for Barkley, that bastard, a fair-weather friend, it’s really hard to say if he’ll return to Portland.
The 2000 season was very likely to be Barkley’s last year, and he’d certainly want the most foolproof path to winning the championship.
The Trail Blazers would have been his first choice, but Gan Guoyang’s black swan event has made everything so uncertain.
Even the entire free market in the summer of 1999 became extremely unpredictable.
Apart from the draft, the news continuously covered the progress of Gan Guoyang’s case.
Diplomatic negotiations were already underway, demanding an end to the political persecution of a national treasure player.
Yet, before obtaining solid evidence, the American side was certainly tight-lipped.
As time slowly passed, three weeks after the finals, the FBI, under pressure from multiple sources and without concrete evidence, could only temporarily end Gan Guoyang’s house arrest.
Gan Guoyang’s good friend Michael Jackson personally came to New York to pick him up from the hotel, creating yet another grand media spectacle.
Michael Jackson was the first among many American celebrities to stand up and firmly believe in Gan Guoyang’s innocence, calling for an end to the persecution.
No one understood the taste of media pressure and persecution better than Michael Jackson. Gan Guoyang had once unconditionally supported him, and he would do the same.
In the lobby of the New York Hilton Hotel, the two held each other’s hands tightly, then got into a black sedan with the crowd unwilling to disperse behind them.
Sitting in the backseat, the two burst into laughter, celebrating their temporary escape from the FBI’s entanglement.
But as they laughed, their expressions gradually calmed down, and a trace of perplexity began to appear in their eyes.
Because they knew better than anyone that this was far from the end, but just the beginning of another Chapter.