The couple discussed in the hotel all night and came up with a preliminary plan for the road ahead.
Mentioning Las Vegas, Gan Guoyang couldn't help but think of the classic movies "The Godfather 1" and "The Godfather 2", where after Michael's career ended in New York, he decided to move his entire family to Las Vegas, took over the hotel entertainment industry there, and started a new family business.
Unexpectedly, one day he would also plan to send half of his wealth to Sin City.
Gan Guoyang had thought about returning to China, where there have been frequent offers, but after careful consideration and repeated communication with the authorities, it was unanimously agreed that he would contribute more by staying in America.
Moreover, Gan Guoyang's family and social relationships are all here, and the career and honors he has built with his own hands are rooted here. Returning to China would mean being famous and wealthy but losing his own foundation.
He didn't want to be worshiped like a mascot; ultimately, a person has to rely on themselves.
For an Ah Gan who fought in the United States, the contribution to the country is greater than that of a Mr. Gan returning to become a super landlord back home.
In this respect, Gan Guoyang is very different from players like Yao Ming, Wang Zhizhi, and Hu Weidong, whose roots are in China.
"If you really want to set up a team in Las Vegas, are you thinking of coming out of retirement again?" In the conversation, Wang Fuxi quickly saw through her husband's heart.
She knew that the reason why this proposal was so attractive to Gan Guoyang was because having their own team would allow Gan Guoyang to continue playing basketball.
"Could it be? According to the labor agreement, players cannot hold shares."
"There will always be a way."
"What way?"
"You really do want to come out of retirement."
"Ah, I'm just asking. Nothing's set in stone yet. David Stern won't easily agree to establish a team in Sin City. But after the Olympics, I'll go meet Goodman in person, and then visit this deli guy."
Once an idea is formed, it takes root and grows like a seed in the heart and mind.
However, the next day upon waking, Gan Guoyang still focused his energy on preparing for the quarterfinals.
Host Australia was obviously not easy to deal with; not only did they have home-court advantage and might receive referee favoritism, but their players were also quite formidable.
Included in the past Bulls championship center Luke Langley in the lineup, as well as top three-point shooter Andrew Gates, and the short but tough point guard Sean Hill, both of whom had briefly played in the NBA and were very capable players.
Langley, Gan Guoyang certainly wasn't afraid. Playing against Langley was like eating or drinking—during the Bulls' era, he played casually; Langley was the big white center he feared the least.
Compared to tactics and lineup, the Chinese team might need to pay more attention to issues of referee calls, especially Gan Guoyang.
The Chinese team, unlike other European powerhouses, had a singularly prominent strong point.
If they could find a way to eliminate this strong point, Australia would have a much easier time.
In the 1993 Olympic host city selection, Australia used some off-court tricks to unfairly edge out China.
Now that the men's basketball teams of the two countries met at the Olympics, a battle of wits and resourcefulness was inevitably on the cards.
Gan Guoyang moving his residence away from the Olympic Village, secretly staying in a hotel, was absolutely the right choice.
Of course, he couldn't be careless, as the hotel front desk and staff were all Australians.
Although the majority were ordinary people who wouldn't resort to schemes and plots, even one with ill intentions could produce significant negative impacts.
So during the two days resting at the hotel, all meals and drinks were personally purchased outside by Wang Fuxi and Quentin, ensuring there were no issues.
Wang Fuxi deliberately registered three rooms. Gan Guoyang stayed in the one registered under Quentin's name, Quentin and two other security personnel stayed in the one registered under Gan Guoyang's name, and one additional room was kept as a backup.
During the day, other security personnel would secretly watch over the hotel lobby and nearby areas, providing full protection when Gan Guoyang went to the training venue.
Facts proved that this caution was correct, as security personnel intercepted three suspicious individuals and thwarted two attempted attacks on Gan Guoyang by unknown persons.
The Sydney Olympic Organizing Committee and local police stated they would send more personnel for protection and launch an investigation, but until the end of the Olympics, no additional staff came, and there were no results from the investigation.
A local mainland Chinese group in Australia, upon learning the news, voluntarily organized a defense team to patrol near the hotel and escort the Chinese Men's Basketball Team to the competition venue on match day.
After two tense days, on September 28th, the quarterfinals kicked off, with the match between China and Australia scheduled as the third game.
The first two games featured the first place from Group A against the fourth place, Russia Team. Once two superpowers, now only one remained.
After the Soviet Union collapsed, the powerful Lithuania split from the union, taking away a large number of basketball talents, leaving Russia unable to compete with America in basketball anymore.
Not just in basketball, a fragmented Soviet Union was no longer a match for the United States in all aspects.
Russia offered some resistance but ultimately lost 70-85, a 15-point deficit, losing to Team USA without much suspense.
Of course, after the match, Team USA faced a storm of domestic criticism because they won by too little.
Only winning against Russia by 15 points, something unimaginable back in 1992 and 1996.
Meanwhile, on the Russian side, a young player named Andrei Kirilenko caught people's attention.