Joe brought Kobe with him from Leti to Trieste, and at the Patatrieste Arena, he witnessed the earth-shattering duel between Ah Gan and Michael Jordan.
Both players shattered the backboard on the sa side of the court twice, with Jordan breaking it in the first half and Ah Gan in the second half, causing the ga to be interrupted and unable to continue.
After both players returned to the locker room, Joe found Larry Flesher, who was at the sidelines watching the ga. When Joe first ca to Italy to play basketball, it was through Flesher’s connection.
This chairman of the Player’s Union was generous and enthusiastic, with connections like none other. When Joe expressed his wish to have his son et Ah Gan and Jordan, Flesher readily agreed and took them to the backstage locker room.
Kobe’s recollection:
"The ga was very crowded, packed to the point of suffocating, and Dad held in his arms to watch. They each represented one team, one for Trieste and one for Juventus. They were not in the sa world as the other players. Five minutes into the ga, it turned into their personal duel."
"Michael was faster, like a panther, while Ah Gan possessed an incredible strength. Every one of his movents was filled with power that seed unstoppable. Their actions were full of elasticity. Watching them play was a treat, and I still rember it vividly to this day."
"Dad took back to the locker room to et them, to get autographs and a photo together. I was only 8 years old at the ti. eting Ah Gan, I was thrilled. Watching him up close, you felt like you were admiring a deity, radiating a holy aura, especially since he had just won the NBA championship, which amplified that sense of sanctity."
"So I told Ah Gan at the ti that I wanted to have a one-on-one with him."
"Ah Gan agreed, really. After the match, he took the ti to play one-on-one with . I was quite confident in myself. I thought I could shake him; by that ti, I could mimic many star players’ moves. I didn’t think it was anything great."
"I got blocked brutally; he showed no rcy and then told to practice more. When I got ho, I threw away his autograph, hahaha~ But later, I regretted it. When the trash was taken out, I dug through the bin to find it, and I’ve treasured it to this day."
"So details I can’t rember clearly, but I rember him telling , always believe in yourself and shoot when it’s ti to shoot."
"Michael Jordan? Oh, I don’t quite rember, no impression, I was too young."
————Published in 2017, an excerpt from "The True Kobe," a biography of Kobe Bryant by Roland Lazenby.
The eting between Guoyang and Jordan was brief, and afterward, they went their separate ways.
Jordan headed to Paris, France, to continue his European tour, while Guoyang detoured to Milan before heading south to Ro, Florence, Naples, and other Italian cities.
Avia didn’t have the abundant resources like Nike, so they focused on Italy, the most important basketball market in Europe, leveraging Guoyang’s championship prestige to enhance Avia’s brand recognition overseas.
While traveling and playing gas here and there, eting fans along the way, Guoyang also took in the beauty of the Apennine Peninsula and the diterranean.
During the journey, Guohui took care of all kinds of affairs; in just half a year’s ti, there were significant changes in him top to bottom.
He lost weight, looked more proper, spoke and acted with less slickness and more seriousness; overall, he seed more reliable.
On the road, all sorts of expenses, as well as the contract with Avia, were handled by Guohui, under the guidance of Larry Flesher.
It was evident that, with coaching and ntorship from Flesher, Guohui was becoming more and more like a professional within the circle.
Of course, in private, in front of Guoyang, Guohui was still the little fanboy from high school, and his admiration for his cousin grew ever deeper.
Guoyang, the older brother, cared about his younger brother’s personal life and asked about his new life after moving to New York after the breakup.
Guohui sighed, "Don’t ntion it. There are so many beautiful won in New York, I’m swamped every day; it’s exhausting."
Guoyang gave him an eye roll and said, "Wow, you’re quite sothing. Not thinking about settling down, planning on being a playboy now?"
"How can I start a family when I haven’t accomplished anything! You’ve got the championship and you’re not married; why should I rush? But Uncle is worried, I heard Grandpa saying that your dad is nagging about it at ho every day."
"...I know, but I’m only 22, why should I rush? By the way, when you get back to Arica, go to San Francisco and take care of the house in Pacific Heights. If Grandpa and Uncle want to live there, they can move in."
On his previous return to San Francisco, Guoyang had bought an apartnt in Pacific Heights as a fixed asset investnt.
Guohui said, "I’m not getting married now, so I don’t need that apartnt. Grandpa and Dad definitely won’t want to stay there; it’s your property."
"What do you know? An empty house will decay without life in it. If it can be lived in, then live in it—what’s the point of leaving it empty? Do you think I’ll go back to live in that house? Even if I did, an empty place like that, what’s the use for ?"
Gan Guohui scratched his head, thinking that his cousin made sense. The house was very close to Chinatown and The Ridge, so moving there would indeed be very convenient.
"Also, when you have the ti, take another trip to Los Angeles and keep an eye on the real estate there for . I’m planning to buy a property there as well."
As soon as Gan Guohui heard his cousin wanted to buy a house in Los Angeles, he got excited and said, "Bro, are you thinking of joining the Lakers to play?"
Gan Guoyang shook his head and said, "Join my ass. It’s just that California’s real estate has good investnt value, and I need to think more about the future. While my funds are not that large, investing in real estate is a relatively stable way to allocate assets. San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland—my real estate investnts are mainly concentrated in these three places. I’ll handle Portland myself, California is up to you. Moreover, San Francisco will rise as a hub for technology companies, especially in Silicon Valley. You should pay more attention to these businesses in the future, especially those related to computers and chips, as these will be the new hubs of wealth. You should establish San Francisco as your base of operations to solidify our foundation. Owning real estate is just the superficial first step; at the very least, you now have sothing to mortgage with the bank, which can move so capital. There’s a lot more work to be done later on, so take it slow."
"Bro, how do you know everything, and how do you understand so much?"
"Read more books, watch more news, eat fewer snacks, sleep more."
"So that’s why I’ve been sleeping too little..."
-----------------
In mid-July, Gan Guoyang’s one-week trip to Italy ca to a successful conclusion, and everyone headed ho.
The plane arrived in New York first, where Larry Flesher and the others deplaned. Before parting, Fleisher reminded Gan Guoyang, "The new season will be fraught with difficulties and hurdles. It’s been over a decade since anyone last successfully defended their title, so you need to start preparing for the new season early."
Gan Guoyang indicated his understanding, then returned to Portland. Gan Guohui, following instructions, went back to San Francisco, and then to Los Angeles to scout the local real estate market.
Gan Guoyang rested for only one day before starting to attend various activities arranged by Avia and the Trail Blazers.
There were ribbon-cuttings with advertisent partners, close fan interactions in the Chinese communities, TV station interviews with the champion, and interactive events with children from welfare institutes.
Unlike many stars who spend their holidays fishing, cruising, gambling, and partying, Gan Guoyang dedicated most of his ti after gaining fa to public appearances.
Although he kept parts of his life very private, revealing nothing about, for instance, his love life, his relationship with his father, or his childhood,
he gave the rest, a very large part, over to the public domain, to the dia, in front of the caras, and to newspaper interviews.
His energy seed boundless; he could go a whole day with barely any need for rest. While his entourage was worn out, he was still lively and even ntioned wanting to play basketball.
Of course, Gan Guoyang couldn’t be separated from basketball. In every event he attended, basketball was an essential elent, and no matter who he was facing, he took it seriously, even using it as an opportunity to polish the small details of his technique.
For example, when playing against Kobe, he worked on perfecting his shot-blocking techniques and also engaged in a bit of psychological warfare with Little Kobe.
Wang Fuxi almost always accompanied him in all these events like a personal assistant, arranging all sorts of little things in his life to ensure that Gan Guoyang could focus his energy where it was needed.
Such days continued for a week, two weeks, and Wang Fuxi felt a bit exhausted. She wondered, if this were to go on for a year, two years, or even five or ten years, how much willpower and patience would it require?
At night, lying in bed during a mont of candid conversation, Wang Fuxi asked Gan Guoyang, "Ah Gan, I didn’t expect being a celebrity to be so exhausting, living in the spotlight, maintaining an image, and constantly doing what others expect you to do."
Gan Guoyang asked, "What, you can’t handle it?"
"Not really, it’s just...how can you accept it? I see you’re not tired at all. And about playing basketball, day after day throwing the ball into the hoop, don’t you get tired of it?"
"No, I never think about those problems. When a person finds their own destiny, they no longer have doubts and hesitation; all that’s left is how to proceed properly. Just like you eting , right?"
"Right, right, right, you’re my destiny..."
Gan Guoyang, when he arrived in Arica in 1981 at the age of 16, was certain of his future destiny and determined to staunchly pursue it.
In Italy, at the age of 8, Kobe Bryant was already firm in his belief in his destiny to beco the world’s greatest basketball player and committed to working tirelessly towards it his entire life.
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