The Golden Age of Basketball Chapter 677 - 56 Long River2

Ah Gan is an extrely efficient player with very few errors; his on-court efficiency outclasses his opponents by two levels.

He isn’t a shooter who scores every shot—no such player exists in the world. There are always monts when the ball doesn’t go in.

But whenever the ga reaches a critical juncture, when all fans realize "This shot must go in, or we’re done for," Guoyang always steps up and puts the ball in the basket.

From 1985 to 1990, he ti and again t the fans’ expectations, seldom letting down those who liked him.

That’s truly remarkable because, for the average person, becoming accustod to disappointnt is an essential skill to develop.

In a life where things often don’t go as planned, having a sportsman who always ets your expectations generates imnse emotional energy.

"He’s not just a basketball player," Wu Zhixiong, who has spent many years in the NBA and later beca a senior basketball reporter, editor-in-chief, and sports biographer for ESPN, summarized: "Before him, no athlete had been able to do what he did. He broke many business norms, shattered a lot of discrimination and racial prejudices, and beca an icon of popular culture, an athlete with a totemic spirit."

"It’s not just about victories and championships, which are of course necessary, but more importantly, it’s his deanor, his approachability, his reliability, his loyalty... Well... His achievents are lofty, but he himself is not aloof. On the contrary, he is right by the fans’ side. Can you believe it? In a country fraught with racial segregation, in a country where Asians are generally overlooked, almost every teenager’s room has a poster of Ah Gan in their study or bedroom, sothing neither Ali nor Babe Ruth managed to achieve."

"He shaped a generation of Aricans’ mories of basketball and victory. Everyone affectionately calls him Ah Gan or Sonny, not by his full na."

While Wu Zhixiong was making this summary, he cast his thoughts back to February 15, 1990, at the Chicago Stadium.

In the player’s tunnel, Wu Zhixiong was trying to squeeze into the Trail Blazers’ locker room to conduct a pre-ga interview with Guoyang.

After the All-Star ga, the Trail Blazers had just played against the Supersonics, took one day of rest, and then headed straight to Chicago for the second major battle of the season with the Bulls.

Another Gan vs. Joe showdown, as hotly anticipated as ever; the visitor’s locker room was so packed that Wu Zhixiong couldn’t squeeze in.

Back in the first Gan vs. Joe showdown in 1985, Wu Zhixiong, then a reporter for the Los Angeles Tis, conducted an exclusive interview with Guoyang.

At that ti, he took money from Avia and Nike to help hype up the duel between the two.

Now, five years later, dia hype is no longer needed; the heat of the competition between the two teams has beco incredibly intense.

A two-match showdown between Gan and Joe in a single season, with the battle in Chicago always being the most eye-catching.

Because in Portland, where the Trail Blazers were naturally superior, they often crushed the Bulls at ho, giving the Bulls no chance.

The Bulls only had a fighting chance when they returned to their lair in Chicago, catching their breath to battle against the Trail Blazers.

So the Gan vs. Joe showdown in Chicago often turned out to be the most classic, always producing remarkable gas.

dia reporters were countless before and after the ga, hoping to get even a glimpse of the two superstars—a guarantee for TV ratings and newspaper and magazine sales.

A few years earlier, Wu Zhixiong found a reporter job at the Los Angeles Tis by his identity as Ah Gan’s high school teammate, but his career had been constrained by his profession and skin color, showing little progress over the years.

Wu Zhixiong, who made his first "golden bucket" from journalism through Ah Gan, didn’t want to stop at Ah Gan, didn’t want to hang on to the title of "Ah Gan’s forr teammate," living off "Ah Gan’s secrets."

He had great ambitions; he wanted to be a comprehensive, in-depth sports reporter, to fully grasp the pulse of North Arican professional sports.

However, after several years of setbacks, he found that aside from the big na of Ah Gan, he had nothing to rely on.

With Ah Gan’s growing accomplishnts, Wu Zhixiong realized that if he could deeply dig into Ah Gan’s basketball life, he would effectively capture the developnt trajectory of the NBA.

So, at the start of this season, Wu Zhixiong, now working for ESPN, started again from the bottom as a junior reporter, continuing to track and delve into Guoyang’s basketball life.

But now, the signboard of "Ah Gan’s forr teammate" wasn’t so useful anymore, because there were too many of Guoyang’s forr teammates, and too many people were crowding around him.

While Wu Zhixiong was at a loss, he saw Coach Beelman. He hurried over and greeted him: "Coach! Bobby! It’s !"

Beelman looked at Wu Zhixiong, furrowed his brow for a mont, and then rembered—it was Wu Zhixiong, the forr forward from Beiqiao High School’s basketball team.

"Daxiong, what are you doing in the player’s tunnel? Did Jerry West give you a short contract?"

"Don’t joke, coach, I wanted to interview Ah Gan before the ga, but I’m late, and I can’t even squeeze in."

"You should’ve called to make an appointnt beforehand. Even I have to book to arrange tactics in the locker room now, otherwise I can’t use the whiteboard," joked Beelman.

"If there are too many appointnts, it’s as good as none. Just pass a ssage for , Bobby, how about I arrange a post-ga interview?"

"Forget it, co in with ," said Beelman as he pulled Wu Zhixiong into the locker room, bellowing, "All of you locusts get out! A team only has 12 players; am I coaching a football team now? Make way, make way!"