["In the 26 years of my basketball career, I’ve learned one thing: on your journey forward, time and life will eventually take everything from you. Strength, speed, explosiveness, reaction ability, and most importantly, your love and passion for the game. What you have to do is not to complain, but to try to avoid these obstacles. If you easily stop because of this, it means you haven’t done your duty, and this will undoubtedly make you, and me, regret it deeply. This regret is more crippling than the back injury."]
————Excerpt from Wu Zhixiong’s biography of Gan Guoyang, "The Story of Ah Gan," published in 2025.
Gan Guoyang opened his eyes to complete darkness around him. For a moment, he forgot where he was, what time it was, and even who he was.
From many, many years ago, life occasionally felt like a nightmare that troubled him, sending him into disarray.
As his eyes gradually adapted to the darkness, he could see the baseboards along the wall and feel the cold, hard wooden floor beneath his side.
He slowly gathered his senses, remembering he was in the private study of his villa in Las Vegas. Sometimes, he would sleep here alone, not wanting his frequent turning to disturb his wife’s sleep.
However, even in the study, he didn’t sleep well. The back pain kept him tossing and turning at night. The soft mattress was a gentle trap, and only lying on the cold, hard floor felt somewhat comforting.
"1, 2, 3...turn!" Gan Guoyang counted to three for himself and managed to roll from his side to his back—a simple action, but it took him an immense amount of effort.
His strength was once unbeatable in the league; even the great Shark O’Neal found it hard to contend with him. But now, moving his own body was a great challenge.
More than 20 years of basketball brought him countless honors, but also many injuries and pains. He was already the player with the least injuries among the superstars. In the first 15 seasons of his career, he had no major injuries, with only one season appearing in less than 80 games (1997-1998 season).
However, the long-term, high-intensity physical confrontations, the repeated impacts and assaults in the paint, eventually led the largest muscle group in his body, the back muscles, to protest during the 2003-2004 season.
It still wasn’t a major injury, and he could still play, but the recurrent and unremitting pain and discomfort greatly affected his game performance, even starting to impact his daily life.
After lying flat for a while, Gan Guoyang mustered his strength and supported himself on the bed to stand up.
As blood slowly surged through his body, the numb and stiff back muscles regained a youthful feeling, making getting up much simpler and easier for him.
He let out a long breath and cursed, "Damn, I’m only 42. Why do I feel like I’m 92?"
He was half-naked, his physique still exuded the divine quality of an Ancient Greek sculpture, full of intimidating explosiveness and strength.
Over 40, as he lost more speed and explosiveness, he relied more on his powerful muscles.
He needed the strength provided by his muscles and the protection they offered his joints. In the past three seasons, he continued to refine himself, fighting against injuries and physical decline.
Contrary to external expectations, he didn’t choose to lose weight, increase offensive play, or abandon defense. Instead, he continued to gain weight and enhance his defense. In his 40th year, he once again won the Defensive Player of the Year award, becoming the oldest recipient of this honor.
Of course, after Michael Jordan, Terry Porter, Ewing, Tomjanovich, and others retired and departed, the Glory team couldn’t win another championship after claiming the title in 2003.
"Quentin! Quentin! Come up here, Quentin!" Gan Guoyang called out, opening the window and shouting downstairs.
Quentin was in the garden downstairs, watering the lawn and flower beds as usual. This was his favorite hobby; he enjoyed tending to plants and flowers.
Quentin was the longest companion of Gan Guoyang. How long? From the time Gan Guoyang came to this world in 1981 and started playing basketball. Back then, Quentin was Gan Guoyang’s opponent on the court and lost interest and confidence in basketball after being defeated by Gan Guoyang.
After becoming Gan Guoyang’s personal bodyguard, he was straightforward, loyal, and always stayed by Gan Guoyang’s side, ensuring his safety and daily life. More than 20 years had passed in a blink.
Quentin put down the hose slowly and replied, "Is your back hurting again? Should I call Dr. Carter to come and take a look?"
"Yes, have him come over. And get me something to eat; I’m hungry. Some fried chicken would be great, along with some buns!"
"Fosse asked you to watch your sugar and oil intake. You have an Armani brand event to attend before the game."
"I’ll just eat a tiny bit! I won’t gain weight right away! Go on, I’m starving."
Quentin had fulfilled his duty of informing, but he couldn’t control what the boss wanted to eat. He called Dr. Carter, who would arrive in half an hour.
Carter ran a specialized sports medical clinic in Las Vegas, providing medical services for teams like the Las Vegas Radiance and Phoenix Suns. He had a wealth of experience and unique treatments in the field.
The chef quickly prepared breakfast, and Quentin personally brought it upstairs to Gan Guoyang. Gan Guoyang invited Quentin to sit down, and the two ate something together on the small balcony on the second floor.
Officially, they were in a master-servant relationship, but in reality, they had already become friends, even family.
Quentin wasn’t married. He had two children, but after their mother gave birth, he left and didn’t want to start a family.