This time, Gan Guoyang’s tour with the Chinese National Team competing around the world is a grand promotional event for Avia to showcase their market domain and influence.
Just in time, Gan Guoyang has freed himself from the heavy NBA games and the annoying espionage case, allowing him to fully immerse himself in the broader world of basketball.
The world of basketball is not limited to the NBA. Although it represents the highest level, the love and passion for basketball in other regions are no less than in the NBA.
Beyond the NBA, the basketball world is vast, full of undeveloped lands. Compared to the highly commercialized and exquisitely packaged NBA, basketball in these places has its own local characteristics.
In Italy, beautiful female fans welcomed the Chinese National Team and Gan Guoyang with smiles and blown kisses. The level of basketball here is quite high, providing a good blend of European and American basketball.
Kobe grew up here; he once owned a team but sold it after poor management. Italians’ enthusiasm for basketball, although not as great as for soccer, was such that football games had to make way on the day Gan Guoyang arrived.
In the warm-up match, Gan Guoyang offered a performance with spectacular dunks and unbeatable mid-range shots, and after the match, a female fan streaked for Gan Guoyang.
Arriving at Kinshasa in Congo presented a different scene. This is a basketball wilderness, where the most profound impression of sports is the jungle fight between Boxing Champion Ali and the Devil, George Foreman.
For the first time, an Asian team came to play basketball here and made a tremendous impact. It’s noteworthy that Congo had just ended a civil war in December 1999, with the political situation stable for less than a year.
Congo’s President, Denis Sassou Nguesso, personally went to the airport to welcome the Chinese National Team and Gan Guoyang, presenting them with the highest etiquette, and personally attended the game.
In this game, Gan Guoyang played for the Chinese Team in the first half, leading by a big margin, then changed into the Congo team’s jersey in the second half to help tie the game.
The game ended with a draw, symbolizing Congo stepping out of civil war and into a peaceful situation.
Later, in countries with more developed sports industries like New Zealand, Japan, and Brazil, Gan Guoyang was met with frenzied pursuit.
In 2000, New Zealand had a total population of just 3.85 million, similar to a medium-sized third-tier city in China.
On the day Gan Guoyang visited with the national team, it was said that all 3.85 million New Zealanders went to Auckland just to catch a glimpse of the world’s basketball king.
Before the game, Gan Guoyang admired the New Zealanders’ Maori war dance, then in a warm-up match, he single-handedly broke through the New Zealand team while the local fans cheered nonstop.
As for Brazil and Japan, it was even crazier. The Brazilian beauties were exceptionally passionate and outgoing, stripping in the crowd just to catch Ah Gan’s attention.
It was said that during Gan Guoyang and the Chinese National Team’s visit, Rio de Janeiro’s crime rate dropped rapidly, and gunfire almost disappeared; he became a peace ambassador.
Of course, the most exaggerated was the trip to Tokyo, Japan. Gan Guoyang, as the Ten-Time Champion and God of Asia, had an unimaginably deep fan base in Japan.
During Gan Guoyang’s 16 years of success, coinciding with Japan’s economic boom, his repeated championships in America spanned the era of Japan’s economic miracle.
During this period, Gan Guoyang was mentioned in numerous scenes as a backdrop in many films and manga works, becoming a symbol of the era’s swelling confidence.
Therefore, the Tokyo visit reached a terrifying magnitude. From the hotel to the stadium, not a single vehicle could pass, as it was filled with people.
The Chinese team’s bus was practically carried by people from the hotel to the stadium, with Gan Guoyang eventually standing atop the bus to ensure more people could see him.
Reportedly, over ninety people fainted during the event, and seven died in the hospital after unsuccessful resuscitations.
In the game, Gan Guoyang, as always, delivered his highest skills, and exceptionally, he participated in interviews and variety shows on Japanese TV, once again setting viewership records.
The warm-up tour caused a significant sensation worldwide, serving both as a promotion for Avia and as a global retirement tour for Gan Guoyang.
The tour opened the eyes of Chinese Men’s Basketball players, especially the young Yao Ming, who realized what it means to be an idol like a god.
Furthermore, as someone who could get close to Gan Guoyang, Yao Ming knew that there was almost no difference between Gan Guoyang in front of people and behind the scenes. Everything about him was genuine, not an act.
He was energetic, approachable, and unpretentious, tirelessly meeting various reasonable requests during fan interactions, and politely refusing unreasonable ones (such as many fans wanting a one-night stand or even to borrow his seed for a child).
During the long travel and various activities, even as someone considered retired, he remained disciplined, exercising and training every day to maintain good condition.
When the group arrived in Sydney slightly fatigued, Gan Guoyang was still full of energy, ready to engage in training and commercial activities in Australia.
Yao Ming realized in his heart that Ah Gan was born for this; he was meant to be an idol. He had the capability and physique for it.
Of course, Gan Guoyang often bragged that he was more suited to being a cook, as he loved cooking.
"Of course, playing basketball gives me more freedom," he said.
Gan Guoyang’s words struck Yao Ming’s heart, making his own heart feel as free and open as the sea and the sky.