Now that Kobe is an adult and has achieved fame and success, astonishing many in the 1999 Finals, he no longer needs a guardian, and Joe Bryant’s responsibilities have naturally come to an end.
However, Joe and his wife are not willing to relinquish control over Kobe. Although Joe has some savings from his time playing in Europe and receives a pension from the NBA, this money is far from adequate for their daily expenses.
Their spending is mainly covered by Kobe’s income, and as they watch Kobe grow older and stronger in controlling his own life, they are seeking various ways to gain more control.
This summer, Joe Bryant encouraged Kobe to purchase an Italian professional team, with Joe running it, so he could have something to do.
Additionally, years later when Kobe retires from the NBA, he could just like Joe, play in Italy, or directly take over the club, continuing to enjoy the pleasures of basketball.
The young Kobe thought this seemed a bit too crazy. Although he earns a lot, it doesn’t seem sufficient to support an entire club. He himself still earns a salary by playing for a team.
But ultimately, Kobe was captivated by his father’s romantic long-term plan. In his heart, Italy is his second home, and he indeed envisions returning to live there after retiring, enjoying the warmth and comfort on the sunny Mediterranean beaches with his wife and children.
Thus, before the preseason training camp began, Joe Bryant and a few partners invested to purchase the most famous team of the Italian league, the Milan Olympiacos Team. Joe became not only the owner but also the general manager, responsible for the team’s specific operations.
Once he started handling the actual operations, Joe discovered that managing a team was extremely challenging, especially keeping financial health, which is as crucial and difficult as maintaining a player’s health on the court.
Kobe ultimately only played for three years, got a decent contract and some endorsements, yet in terms of income and asset scale, he couldn’t compare to the true big players.
Even though operating costs for a European team are much lower than for an NBA team, the demand for millions in liquidity was still a heavy burden for Kobe.
This led to Joe Bryant hoping desperately that Kobe could shine on the court soon, become the core of the Trail Blazers in the fourth season, and then once Ah Gan retires in the following season, he could succeed as the rightful number one.
This way, Kobe could secure more high-value endorsements, advertisements, and seek a brand-new, over-the-top shoe contract, significantly increasing his assets to sustain the Italian team’s operations.
Everything rested upon Kobe’s performance on the court, so naturally, Joe Bryant had opinions on the Trail Blazers’ player positioning and tactics for the new season.
However, Joe Bryant didn’t dare to directly pressure the Trail Blazers’ management or coaching staff, as Kobe wasn’t at that level yet. He could only subtly hint through the media, hoping the team would pay more attention to Kobe’s status within the team.
This highlighted another issue faced by the Trail Blazers: young players focusing more on their future prospects.
This is human nature; even if Kobe and Little O’Neal themselves don’t think this way, their families, friends, and agents would think on their behalf.
Veterans without a championship want to fight for another, while those with a championship want to play a couple more years before retiring peacefully. Youngsters wish to position themselves higher and aim for bigger contracts.
This is almost a severe problem faced by every championship team in its later stages. People aren’t truly united like the Trail Blazers in 1992, 1993; it’s hard to see such unity in the future.
The interests of the NBA have grown increasingly vast and complex, with championships becoming the base supporting piles of cash, instead of a crown worn on one’s head.
Of course, for the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1999-2000 season, these well-known issues weren’t their greatest difficulties.
Their biggest problem lay in Gan Guoyang’s decline and the quagmire of a spy investigation he was deeply entangled in, leaving him unable to manage many matters on and off the court.
This mighty ruler in NBA history, the most remarkable giant, was getting tied down by countless iron nails and ropes, like Gulliver pinned on the beach in the land of Lilliputians.
On November 2, 1999, the Trail Blazers had their opening game, facing the Vancouver Grizzlies within the same division, and on November 3, they were set for a back-to-back at home against the Los Angeles Clippers.
However, as early as October 27, Gan Guoyang had received a subpoena from the United States Department of Justice, demanding him to go to New York for a hearing on November 2.
This meant he would miss the season opener on the 2nd and the home opener on the 3rd, forcing the Trail Blazers to lose their core suddenly.
Gan Guoyang was very helpless, only able to leave for New York after the team’s practice on the 1st.
As for why the hearing wasn’t arranged in Portland or a West Coast City, the Department of Justice explained it was because "the investigation jurisdiction is in New York."
In reality, the jurisdiction could be transferred, but the Department of Justice had no intention to do so, clearly intending to make him travel back and forth across the coasts.
Obviously, this was just the beginning.
Charles Barkley, who had mentally prepared to come off the bench, was immediately thrust into the starting lineup.
Little O’Neal might have been a better choice, but Carl, considering overall team balance, opted to try starting Barkley.
When November 2 came, and Barkley stood on the Grizzlies’ home court wearing the Trail Blazers’ number 34 jersey, ready to start the game, he suddenly realized he had come to support, yet might turn out to be the one supported.
Ah Gan had been just fine all along, never missing a season with his iron body, ensuring he wouldn’t get injured.
Now, he wasn’t hurt, but was called away by the Justice Department and stopped playing!
Barkley suddenly felt as if his fate was somewhat bitter.