As soon as Gan Guoyang and Yao Ming came in, everyone stood up, except Jordan, who was still sitting there looking at his cards.
"Michael, I’ll bet with you." Saying this, Gan Guoyang found a seat and motioned for the dealer to deal.
They were playing hold’em, and judging by the chips, the stakes weren’t low.
The dealer dealt a few cards to Gan Guoyang, who didn’t look at any of them, keeping them all face down on the table.
Then, without a second thought, he went all-in with all the chips in front of him!
Charles Barkley couldn’t help saying, "Sonny, those chips are mine."
Gan Guoyang said, "If I win, I’ll share with you, if I lose, I’ll pay it back."
Barkley stopped talking and even stole some from Ewing to add to the pot.
Jordan, smoking a cigar, saw that Gan Guoyang didn’t look at his cards and tossed his own cards aside, saying, "I’m out! You’re the kind of guy who ruins the fun, always going all out as soon as you arrive. Golf, bowling, it’s the same with you, reckless, but you still win! I don’t want to play with you!"
Gan Guoyang chuckled; he was, after all, a man of extraordinary luck, beyond the explanation of common sense.
Seeing that Jordan wasn’t playing, Gan Guoyang called Yao Ming over to introduce him to the present NBA greats.
"This is Yao; he’s now with the Las Vegas Radiance. Please take care of him."
Yao Ming, hands behind his back, seemed quite shy. Besides Gan Guoyang, the room was filled with five of the fifty greatest stars and other well-known veteran players, enough for a championship lineup.
The premise being that they were all still young, but now Gan Guoyang was among the old guys, and his friends were too.
"Sonny, we’re retiring; how can we take care of him? If Yao had come to the NBA earlier, I could have at least advised him a bit," said Barkley.
"If you’d stop talking crap on TV, that would suffice. Did you badmouth me again in tonight’s draft?"
"I didn’t! I was just giving an honest evaluation! Can you say sending Yao to the Radiance wasn’t some shady operation?"
"Just an equivalent exchange, Charles. You can eat whatever, but don’t spout nonsense."
For the next hour or so, Gan Guoyang took Yao Ming to play cards in the VIP room.
He told Yao Ming that this was relaxation, to enjoy the game, and if he won, it was his; if he lost, it would go on Ah Gan’s tab.
Initially, Yao was a bit hesitant, as gambling wasn’t seen as a good thing.
Many athletes like gambling as it helps release stress and stimulates the nerves.
Yao Ming, playing a few hands of Texas Hold’em with Payton, Pippen, and others, even won a bit and found some fun in it.
Gan Guoyang told him to enjoy it, "This is relaxation; once you go to Las Vegas, the team doesn’t allow gambling, so you need to control yourself."
"Don’t worry, I’ll control myself."
"And remember, know when to stop; don’t be greedy."
"Why do you like going all-in?" Yao Ming asked. He had heard from Pippen that Ah Gan often went all-in without even looking at his cards.
"How can you compare with me? I’m a man of exceptional luck."
Later, Gan Guoyang played mahjong with Barkley, Jordan, and Ewing.
They played while discussing things, like the matter of Gan Guoyang wanting Jordan and Ewing to consider joining the Radiance.
Both of their contracts had expired with the Supersonics, and Ewing was planning to retire, but Gan Guoyang urged him to play one more season.
"Shouldn’t you leave with a ring, Patrick?"
The championship ring for an NBA player is like the One Ring, possessing powerful and deadly allure.
Ewing had come close twice, only to fail both times, and though he had come to terms, the opportunity again made him waver.
However, Ewing also wanted to see Jordan’s attitude; if Jordan was willing, Ewing certainly would be too. But if Jordan didn’t want to go, then Ewing’s desire wouldn’t be as strong.
After all, relying on just Ah Gan, and everyone a year older next season, winning the championship might not be so easy.
If they falter and become a laughing stock in the league, like an old-timers circus act, their lifelong reputations would be in jeopardy.
Jordan knew what Ah Gan was after; he smoked his cigar while sorting his tiles with a frown.
Recently, his mind was chaotic and troubled; the Supersonics had been sold to a coffee mogul, and all past promises turned void.
The promises of capitalists are just bullshit; without a contract, no signed document, nothing can be trusted.
In his personal life, his relationship with Juanita had reached its end, and they had separated, preparing for property litigation.
If the marriage officially ended, Jordan would lose half his fortune, which currently totaled three hundred million, meaning 150 million would be taken.
All that money was earned by Jordan through hard work, endorsements, leveraging his fame.
Yet with one marriage contract, half his savings could vanish, and it’s impossible not to feel unjust.
Because without Juanita, Jordan is still Michael Jordan and can continue making that much money.
But without Jordan, Juanita certainly wouldn’t earn 150 million dollars.
Such a legal system makes rich people less willing to marry, or else they have to prepare strict prenuptial agreements and property settlements.
Jordan married young, being an emotional person, he rushed with Juanita to get married in Las Vegas, not thinking about future divorce scenarios.
One could say Jordan’s career and love life both took significant hits.
In the playoffs, his Supersonics were defeated by the Portland Trail Blazers, overshadowed by Kobe.
It was unbearable for Jordan; many spoke of his retirement, but he absolutely did not want to retire.
If they hadn’t made the playoffs, he could just retire; I’m old, had a run, did well enough, it’s okay.
But making the playoffs only to be crushed and lose the series, he certainly felt unsettled.
Right now, he truly wanted to accept Gan Guoyang’s offer, to join Radiance next season, and have a last run with the old brothers.
However, he struggled internally with the transition from the rivalry of Gan vs. Joe to joining Gan Gajiao.
Initially, he came back to beat Ah Gan, but now it turned into joining Ah Gan.
Fortunately, after black eight, Ah Gan also lost to the Kings in the semifinals. If he’d won the championship, Jordan might have just given up.
Why bother playing; conceding gracefully would have sufficed.
Now that everyone had failed, Jordan felt a bit better.
But for two players who once vied for the top historical position to team up, Jordan still felt uneasy.
"Pung!" Jordan had a good streak tonight, winning several hands in a row.
And with this pung, he was about to win again.
Gan Guoyang played a tile that could allow Jordan to win.
Jordan looked at it but didn’t take it, insisting on drawing the winning tile himself.
"Hey Michael, if we talk about career longevity, we’re almost at the end, what else can’t you let go of? This is the last dance, buddy; we’ve competed all our lives, not collaborating one last time, I won’t sleep well at night. Don’t care so much about others’ opinions."
Gan Guoyang understood Jordan’s thoughts; he was just too proud to admit it.
If Gan Guoyang were to join Jordan’s team, he’d definitely have agreed eagerly.
But to join Ah Gan’s team, he was reluctant.
"I don’t care about others’ opinions; what I truly care about is my own heart. I keep asking myself, do I want to do this? If I do, no matter what others say, I’ll still do it. If I don’t want to, no amount of persuasion will work. East Wind."
Old-school players indeed have some old-school principles, like Stockton, who refused to come to Radiance.
Not that he didn’t want to collaborate with Gan Guoyang, but he couldn’t bear leaving the Salt Lake City fans and betraying Larry Miller’s trust.
"Michael, you and John are different; he’s been in Salt Lake City for almost 20 years. If you were still in Chicago, it’d be fine if you didn’t come. But Seattle has let you go; what’s there to hesitate about? Besides, you’re almost 40, not a 25-year-old looking for the best friends trio, no one will blame you. Look at Charles, isn’t that right, Charles?"
"Oh right, so right, if I weren’t too fat, I’d want to play two more years. Six Bamboos!"
Faced with a tile from Barkley that he could win with, Gan Guoyang wasn’t tempted, continuing to draw and discard.
Finally, Jordan drew the tile he needed, pushed his tiles, and won!
"Yes! Looks like I’m having a good streak. Alright, alright, Sonny, I agree, we’ll finish the 2002-2003 season together and aim for another championship. Honestly, I’m a bit fed up with the young league players; they lack some respect."
Gan Guoyang knocked over his tiles in front of him, extended his hand, and shook hands tightly with Jordan. In truth, he could have won long ago.