The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 388 - 8 Everyone’s Dad

Gan Guoyang’s first Big Man balance training session ended with Kermit Washington and Olajuwon teaming up to push and shove him around.

During the process, Olajuwon put in the most effort, almost pushing Gan to the point of falling face-first into the dirt, as if he wouldn’t rest until he did, somewhat revealing a personal vendetta.

After training, Gan generously treated Olajuwon to a meal, also inviting Drexler and Vandeweghe, who were training in Los Angeles as well.

This summer, Drexler mainly shuttled between Houston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and New York, staying a few weeks in each city.

He participated in various basketball camps while hunting for romance in the big cities, indulging in eating, drinking, playing, and women—a set of activities most basketball players can’t avoid during summer—sports, gambling, alcohol, and women.

In Los Angeles, he stayed with Cheche Vandeweghe, whose family settled there. The restaurant they chose for dining was a famous Chinese restaurant recommended by Cheche.

Drexler and his company arrived first at the Chinese restaurant, causing a small commotion, with people asking, "Are you guys NBA players?" Upon confirming, some asked for autographs, and even two pretty girls left their phone numbers.

When Gan Guoyang arrived at the restaurant with Olajuwon, the scene completely changed. As Drexler put it, "Anyone who didn’t know better would think the president had arrived."

As soon as he entered the Chinese restaurant, a large crowd followed, with some enthusiastic fans wanting to touch him, hug him, and even kiss him—Gan had a significant influence among female fans.

Escorted by Quentin, Gan barely squeezed into the restaurant and upon reaching the private dining room he sighed in relief and said, "It seems like balance training should be done in a crowd of fans for the best effect."

Looking out the window at the crowd below, Olajuwon suggested, "There are so many people waiting for you; if you want, why not go down and practice with them?"

"I only brought one outfit when I left home. I don’t want to spend the rest of the time shirtless," Gan replied.

For Olajuwon, dining with Gan and the others was a bit awkward, especially since the Rockets had lost the Western Conference Finals to the Trail Blazers.

But Drexler was his good friend, and Gan was indeed a nice guy, so he saw no reason to refuse.

Moreover, he was harboring another thought: he wanted to observe how Gan interacted with teammates in private.

Olajuwon was young and the strongest player on the Rockets, but he wasn’t the team leader. Coach Fitch often said he wasn’t ready to be a leader just yet.

The leader of the Rockets was Coach Fitch alone, and everyone had to listen to him.

Gan was different—everyone said he was a natural-born leader, the undisputed boss of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Even Drexler said so, even though Clyde was two years older than Gan and had joined the league a year earlier. Why would he willingly accept Ah Gan as the boss?

Was it because Ah Gan cooked delicious food?

In day-to-day interactions, Olajuwon just found Ah Gan quite amusing—occasionally showing off, always relaxed, seemingly indifferent about most things, and very generous, but lacking the authority of a true leader.

In Olajuwon’s mind, a boss had to be stern-faced, making everyone afraid of him.

Of course, on the court no one wasn’t afraid of Ah Gan, but off the court, he seemed too approachable.

After all, he even cooked meals for everyone—and it was only after watching "The Godfather" that Olajuwon realized even mob bosses sometimes cooked for their underlings.

Olajuwon was very curious about what special charm Gan possessed that allowed him to be such a young leader of a championship team.

An NBA team was not as simple as fans thought, with everyone loving and working together harmoniously at all times.

Even ordinary company teams couldn’t avoid intrigue, superficial harmony with underlying discord, and backstabbing.

And in an NBA team brimming with powerhouses, there were plenty with raging hormones, quirky or foul tempers, troubled youths with rough upbringings, and eccentrics who lacked paternal or maternal love.

Overall, the Trail Blazers had their fair share of good kids, but not all were saints. Like Drexler, with his complex family background, he appeared amiable and elegant on the surface but was inherently proud.

In Olajuwon’s view, Drexler didn’t respect anyone. He once declared that in Portland he was going to be the boss, and no one could make him do anything he didn’t like.

Now, reportedly, even his habit of sleeping in had changed—led by Gan to get up early every morning for training, something unthinkable before.

During the meal, everyone chatted about all kinds of topics. Gan didn’t talk much; he focused on eating, while Drexler was the center of attention at the table.

He talked about pretty women, having a great time in Los Angeles lately because there are many beautiful aspiring actresses there.

These aspiring actresses struggle on the fringes of Hollywood, outstanding in appearance, with beautiful figures, but too many such women can be found in Hollywood, and only a very few become major stars.

Most of them have only small roles in some TV shows or movies, and many are keen on mingling with socialites and sports stars.

Moreover, Los Angeles is Magic Johnson’s territory, and Drexler would find time to hang out with Magic, not worrying about finding pretty girls with such a renowned playboy leading the way.

While caught up in the conversation, Gan Guoyang suddenly interrupted Drexler and asked, "How’s your daughter doing now?"

Drexler paused noticeably and said, "Oh... she, she’s in Houston, with her mother, doing alright."

Gan Guoyang said, "Don’t always focus on other young girls; you should also pay more attention to your daughter. She’s the truly important person."

As he spoke, Gan Guoyang took out some children’s picture books, toys, and other trinkets from his bag and handed them to Drexler, saying, "You’ll be going to Houston in the summer, right? Go see her. These are gifts for her, deliver them to her hands, don’t avoid it, Clyde."

Drexler took these items and nodded to show he understood.

After the meal, Drexler went out to have fun with Olajuwon, while Gan Guoyang went to the Golden Voice Theater with Vandeweghe to watch Hong Kong martial arts films.

On the way, Olajuwon asked Drexler, "Why do you feel like Ah Gan is like your father? What right does he have to interfere in your private life? It’s really a buzzkill."

Olajuwon knew Drexler had a daughter but wasn’t clear about the specifics; he believed as a friend, one shouldn’t meddle in others’ private affairs.

However, Drexler said, "Ah Gan is my daughter’s godfather; he has helped me a lot with the issues between me and my daughter. I feel really good about it, truly. At first, I also thought he was overstepping, but you know what, Hakeem, sometimes you need someone who oversteps to set you straight. Don’t laugh, but Ah Gan is like a father to all of us; everyone listens to him for big and small matters. He always gives good advice and suggestions, and he is willing and capable of getting involved. In the big cities these days, people are becoming more distant, and there aren’t many who are willing to help."

Although Drexler theoretically had three fathers, one had died, his biological father didn’t care for him, and he had a very distant relationship with his stepfather; years later, Drexler would explicitly state in his autobiography, "Manuel (his stepfather) is not my dad, but I respect him."

Olajuwon expressed that he couldn’t understand, and of course, he couldn’t, as he didn’t know that back in the orphanage, Gan Guoyang had played the roles of both a father and a brother.

On the other hand, Vandeweghe and Gan Guoyang weren’t too interested in picking up girls. Instead, the two shared a common interest in Hong Kong martial arts films.

Back when Vandeweghe was studying at UCLA, he often visited the Golden Voice Theater to watch martial art movies; he was a fan of Bruce Lee.

The Golden Voice Theater was an old theater built in the 1920s, which had changed ownership several times. In the 1960s, due to a large Chinese population in the area, the theater introduced many martial arts and wuxia films from the Hong Kong Shaw Brothers, attracting both Chinese and American audiences interested in martial arts films.

By the mid to late 1980s, Shaw Brothers martial arts films had gradually declined due to their monotonous plots and outdated filming methods.

Meanwhile, some new-style martial arts and action films began to emerge; for instance, a Kung Fu star named Jackie Chan was very popular in Chinatown.

That night, Gan Guoyang and Vandeweghe watched a newly released Jackie Chan movie from December 1985 called "Police Story". In fact, Gan had seen it many times already, but watching it in an American movie theater in 1986 still felt quite different.

Because it was already late and the cinema was dark with few people, not many noticed that these two tall figures were NBA stars.

The movie was tense and thrilling, and a real treat to watch. Martial arts films from the ’80s were raw and hardcore, with stunts performed by the actors themselves, especially Jackie Chan, who risked his life for the shots, making audiences’ hearts race with admiration.

Halfway through the film, Vandeweghe whispered to Gan Guoyang, "Ah Gan, I’m really worried about something."

"What is it?"

"I’ve heard management is leaning towards trading me."

Summer is always rife with rumors, especially about player trades.

Most players don’t like being traded as changing environments is not easy.

Lately, Vandeweghe had been caught up in trade rumors because during the playoffs, his role had become increasingly marginal.

The more high-profile the games, the more Vandeweghe’s defensive issues were magnified, and on the front line, the Trail Blazers already had Jerome Kossie and Drexler could also play small forward.

In the draft, the Trail Blazers picked two guards in one go. If Drexler moved to the number three position, Vandeweghe could be completely replaced.

Now, with Walton undergoing surgery and his health status for the new season unclear, and Jones getting older, the Trail Blazers needed a backup big man.

Vandeweghe was undoubtedly a valuable trade piece; trading him for a quality big man could help the Trail Blazers defend their title.

Of course, Vandeweghe didn’t want to be traded. He was happy in Portland, with a contract and a championship, and didn’t want to be unsettled again.

Gan Guoyang leaned back in his chair and said softly, "No one is completely safe. To a team, a player is an asset. If one day I’m no good, the Trail Blazers would trade me too. That’s the NBA for you, worrying and fearing won’t do any good. Before, Yin Man had proposed trading you, and I vetoed it. But this time, to be honest, the team does have reasons to trade you. But I think it wouldn’t be during the summer, rather during the season. If you want to stay, you really should work on your defense."

"I was a decent defender at UCLA, but my back..."

"That’s no excuse, Cheche. Let me give you some straightforward advice. This summer, you only need to do two things: first, reshape your defensive footwork, and second, insanely practice three-point shots. If you excel in these two aspects, I guarantee you’ll have a place on the Trail Blazers next season, and I will be your biggest supporter; no one will be able to touch you. Otherwise, I’ll be the first to suggest trading you."

Vandeweghe turned his head and looked at Gan Guoyang’s face illuminated by the big screen in the dark cinema, knowing this guy was not joking.

It seemed that this summer, he really had to make an effort and couldn’t just mess around with Drexler anymore.