During the break between the third and fourth quarters, the TV station broadcasted Kobe's Sprite commercial.
Nowadays, Kobe is the darling of many advertisers, and his commercials are featured in all NBA game broadcasts.
In the ad, Kobe trains extremely hard, practicing weightlifting, boxing, and bench pressing, making himself sweat profusely. In reality, he's the same.
Entering the 21st century, the influence of athletes has grown, and NBA stars are endorsing more and more advertisements.
In the early days, many ads aired during NBA broadcasts on networks like CBS had nothing to do with basketball.
Things like fried chicken, hamburgers, cars, tobacco, and alcohol. In just a few decades, sports products in America have become a massive industry, with a vast market for items like shoes, jerseys, and sports accessories.
As the pioneer in sports-related products, Gan Guoyang now dresses and accessorizes much more simply.
Apart from the shoes he endorses, Gan Guoyang no longer uses things like bands, wristbands, finger guards, or compression pants.
After all, he's past the age of promoting sales; leading the trend is better left to the younger players.
For instance, Allen Iverson boosted the sales of long armbands, and Tracy McGrady popularized calf sleeves.
Players like Kobe and Wei Bo haven't really started any accessory trends, but they're very popular with fans, for a simple reason: they're handsome.
Besides his skin color, Kobe's appearance deviates from most African-American features; for instance, his nose and face shape are very different from typical African features.
In fact, Wei Bo is even more handsome than Kobe, with even fewer African features. Especially when he has his hair and beard, he resembles old Hollywood movie stars.
This makes Wei Bo very popular among female fans. A handsome, young star known for his skills, he seems perfect in every way.
However, God rarely makes people perfect—unless you're Ah Gan.
Wei Bo is handsome, talented, and plays beautifully, but on the downside, his spiritual power is weaker than many superstars, and not just slightly.
In his daily life, Wei Bo isn't very disciplined or cautious. He's been stopped and fined or even arrested multiple times for speeding and carrying illegal drugs.
In terms of offensive skills, he's a jack of all trades but master of none; he can do everything well, but lacks a killer move.
For example, his mid-to-long-range shots work fine in the regular season, but his shooting percentage drops at crucial moments.
He can drive, hook, dribble behind his back, and take fadeaway shots, but when it really matters, he loses his touch.
In terms of offensive choices, he often displays inexplicable behaviors at critical moments.
For instance, calling a timeout when none is available is the most absurd move, indicating his mind goes blank at such times.
Adelman noticed this, understanding Wei Bo couldn't be compared to Ah Gan in this aspect, so the Kings Team often relies on Mike Bibby and Divac to solve problems at critical moments.
The break ends; the fourth quarter begins, and Wei Bo immediately delivers a spectacular pass.
He receives the ball with his back at 45 degrees on the left, suddenly making a long bounce backpass to the center-cutting Christie.
Christie faces the defense and passes to the baseline-cutting Stojakovic.
Stojakovic catches the ball, makes a layup, and even draws a foul from the Glory Team's defense for an extra free throw.
That play was so beautiful that even Gan Guoyang on the sidelines nodded and applauded; it was indeed worth learning from.
As the fourth quarter starts, the Kings Team plays with all main forces, maintaining three core players on the court.
Especially with Ah Gan not around, Wei Bo plays more, and his effectiveness is at its best.
The game is tied, and the substitutes for the Glory Team struggle to find good offensive chances after several perimeter passes.
Finally, Riddle's pass gets intercepted by Christie, who charges forward with Wei Bo leading the fast break. Wei Bo receives the pass and glides in for a one-handed dunk!
The Kings Team takes the lead, and after scoring, Wei Bo runs along the sideline with his hand cupped to his ear, listening to the cheers of the crowd.
At this moment, he truly is the king of this city, deserving to enjoy the cheers.
Gan Guoyang sits on the bench, feeling a bit restless, but Tomjanovich advises him to stay patient.
"Patience, Ah Gan. We have a chance. Trust your teammates and save your energy for the best moment."
"I understand, I understand." Gan Guoyang nods, the fiery atmosphere energizing him; he relishes being the silencer.
Every time the home team is in high spirits, Gan Guoyang doesn't feel nervous or frustrated, but excited, even occasionally to the point of trembling.
Because he knows that destroying the enthusiasm and interests of the opponent's fans, watching them shift from hopeful to eventually despondent or even despairing, stirs a primal craving for blood and combat deep within human genes.
He has always loved that feeling since he started playing, and it has never changed.
Brad Miller receives the ball, turns, and drives towards the basket but misses the layup, a move not in his comfort zone.
Meanwhile, Wei Bo, on the left, continuously makes ball screens with his teammates, repeatedly moving back and forth to attract Glory's defensive attention. He then delivers a diagonal pass to Christie in the left corner, who passes again to Stojakovic at a 45-degree angle on the left, who shoots the three-pointer upon receiving.