In Portland, shadows of Nike and Avia are everywhere, and Adidas seems like an outsider, feeling out of place.
Even though Little O’Neal and Big Ben don’t wear Nike, they wear Avia. Avia’s foundation in the Trail Blazers and Portland is unshakeable.
This makes it indeed a bit strange for Kobe, as the team’s leader, to be wearing Adidas, which is the root of his dissatisfaction.
Of course, money is also very important. In 1987, after Nike produced a failed signature shoe design, Jordan also had thoughts of leaving.
Then Nike chose to give Jordan a jaw-dropping huge contract, allowing him to earn a share from sales, and this contract extended until 2015, providing Jordan with massive annual income.
As for Ah Gan, there’s no need to say more. He is Avia, and Avia is him. While Kobe is very important to Adidas, it’s not to that extent. Kobe’s strong competitiveness and survival instinct make him restless in this situation. He cannot accept the gap between himself, Ah Gan, and Michael.
Of course, later Moore evaluated the situation, expressing his opinion: "If Kobe had been more assertive and demanded a lifetime contract like Ah Gan’s from Adidas, they might have agreed. Even if Kobe had asked for a share from sales, Adidas would have considered it. Anyway, these things were negotiable. Adidas believed in Kobe’s potential."
But Kobe was very willful in this matter, or rather, he was too impatient.
Before the start of the 2003 Finals, Kobe refused to meet with the Adidas team in Portland, saying he wanted to focus on preparing for the Finals.
In the Western Conference Finals, the Trail Blazers defeated the Dallas Mavericks 4:2, and with the same 4:2 score, the Las Vegas Radiance defeated the Celtics, meeting the Trail Blazers in the Finals. This was the most important series in Kobe’s career, giving him a chance to take down both Ah Gan and Jordan at once.
There was no better chance to become the king, and Kobe was ready to win the championship and kick Adidas to the curb.
He had already fired Arne Tellem, the agent introduced to him by Vaccaro, letting his new agent Pelinka handle everything for him.
Moore believes that in Kobe’s subsequent cooperation with Pelinka, they made many correct decisions, but terminating the contract with Adidas wasn’t one of them.
Kobe’s departure from Adidas caused a subtle tremor in the entire sneaker world, while simultaneously, Sonny Vaccaro was working hard to sign the talented high school student LeBron James from Oregon.
At that time, Vaccaro was close to signing LeBron James for Adidas, but in the end, LeBron chose Nike, which might have been related to Kobe’s departure.
For Kobe, the break-up and reunion with Adidas was merely an episode in his basketball career, while the 2003 Finals were the main focus.
A prime opportunity to truly prove himself and surpass himself.
This was his seventh season, and Michael Jordan reached the Finals in his seventh season.
Kobe was the same, and even more so, they both had to face Ah Gan, that vast shadow that continued to loom over Portland.
———— Published in 2017, excerpt from Kobe’s biography "The Real Kobe" by Roland Lazenby.
For Gan Guoyang, playing the Finals in Portland no longer has any psychological barriers.
He still loves this place, familiar with every blade of grass and tree. When the Glory Team’s special plane landed at Portland International Airport, he couldn’t help but say, "I can smell the fragrance of champagne."
The series between the Trail Blazers and the Dallas Mavericks ended a day later than the Radiance and Celtics. In Game 6, the Trail Blazers crushed the Mavericks on the road with an offensive attack, Kobe scored 35 points and led the team into the Finals.
There couldn’t be a more perfect Finals script: Kobe vs. Jordan, Ah Gan returning to Portland, and once again, the Finals ratings would peak.
David Stern’s face was about to break from smiling. After Ah Gan and Jordan returned, the NBA’s attention and ratings skyrocketed, and the playoffs continued to break viewing records. The next broadcast contract amount was definitely going to increase significantly, and the salary cap would continue to rise.
Gan Guoyang and his teammates stayed in the hotel, with many fans outside holding banners welcoming Ah Gan back to Portland.
Ah Gan’s old fans have too strong a base here, but new fans may not necessarily buy it, especially the young fans who have just followed Kobe into the NBA in recent years. Kobe is the most remarkable player in Portland.
As for ten championship banners? They have nothing to do with me; I didn’t experience the championship wins firsthand, and no legend is as significant as seeing it with my own eyes.
Just like Bill Russell brought 11 championship banners to the Celtics, but when he retired, Boston’s basketball hero became Hong Duo.
This season Kobe’s outstanding performance and leadership led his No. 8 jersey to surpass Ah Gan’s No. 11 in sales for the first time, becoming the most popular jersey among the Trail Blazers.
Once a die-hard fan of Ah Gan, "The Oregonian" also stood on the side of the Trail Blazers and Kobe this time, believing that the Trail Blazers had a great chance to defeat the Radiance and win the championship in this Finals.
"Kobe wants to prove that the Trail Blazers can win the championship without Ah Gan, and it will be achieved by defeating Ah Gan."
"Ah Gan and Jordan are powerful, but the Radiance exposed their vulnerabilities in the Eastern Conference Finals, showing a series of problems. The Trail Blazers indeed have a great opportunity."
"Age, injuries, and dwindling energy have become the stumbling blocks that Ah Gan and Jordan must face."