The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 154 Please Don't Kill Them
Before flying to Salt Lake City, Gan Guoyang made a phone call to Stockton.

The two talk on the phone almost every week, especially during the preseason.

Stockton would call Gan Guoyang almost every day after training to express his worries: he was afraid of being cut.

Gan Guoyang reminded Stockton more than once that you were the 16th pick in the first round, not the 16th pick in the tenth round. The Jazz wouldn't be so foolish as to select you at such a high position and then cut you.

Moreover, you are the core point guard of the NCAA national championship team. You should show some championship confidence and not let those country bumpkins in Salt Lake City look down on you.

However, a person's personality is hard to change, regardless of whether you win a championship or not. Stockton is a person who is always worried, and two years of being with Gan Guoyang did not change this aspect of him.

Stockton only breathed a sigh of relief when the Jazz announced their roster for the new season just before it started and he was on it.

After the Trail Blazers' plane arrived in Salt Lake City, the players took a bus to the hotel. This was Gan Guoyang's second visit to Salt Lake City.

The last time was when I came here with the entire Gonzaga team to play in the national tournament. We couldn't find a place to eat late at night, so we ended up eating in a movie theater while watching a movie.

Stockton once said he never wanted to come back to this godforsaken place, but he was drafted by the Jazz and may stay here for ten or twenty years.

After settling into the hotel, Gan Guoyang called Stockton. A dozen minutes later, Stockton arrived at the hotel in his Toyota Corolla to pick up Gan Guoyang.

The two hadn't seen each other for a long time. They hugged each other, their faces beaming with uncontrollable smiles. Gan Guoyang looked Stockton up and down and said, "John, you've gotten stronger."

Stockton said, "Gan, you've gotten stronger. You're at least 20 pounds heavier than you were in college, right?"

"No, no, it's a little over 10 pounds, enough to deal with those weaklings in the NBA."

"Now I'm one of the weakest teams in the NBA too..."

The two got into the car. Because the Corolla was a small car, Gan Guoyang had to pull the front seat all the way back and lower the backrest to get in.

Gan Guoyang was practically lying on his seat. When he looked up, he saw not the windshield, but the ceiling of the car. He felt like a stroke patient.

"John, if I were driving your car, I'd have to cut a sunroof in the roof and stick my head out! And why is the roof so dirty? Did you buy a used car?"

"No, I didn't buy it; it was a gift from the sponsor."

"A gift? A used Toyota for you?"

"Yeah, the Toyota dealership in Salt Lake City, Wagstaff, is a sponsor of the Jazz, so they gave me a used car. It was really great."

Stockton was delighted that someone had gifted him a car, and he burst out laughing when he learned that a dealership in Portland had given Gan Guoyang a Porsche.

“I think this is very fair. You are a Porsche and I am a Toyota Corolla. It’s a perfect match.”

The two were good friends. Stockton was not jealous because the dealer gave Gan Guoyang a Porsche, and Gan Guoyang was not disgusted by Stockton driving a Toyota Corolla. Instead, he was angry because the Jazz and the dealer looked down on Stockton.

Upon arriving at their destination, Gan Guoyang got out of the car and glanced at the somewhat dilapidated Corolla. He suddenly asked, "John, why doesn't your car have license plates?"

Stockton came over, glanced at it, scratched his head, and said, "Uh... I think... I don't remember. Anyway, they gave me this car, and I drove it without getting license plates."

"No license? Then... what about insurance?"

"Insurance? I didn't buy it."

"..."

Gan Guoyang was surprised that Stockton, who was usually meticulous, could be so careless. He reminded him to make sure to get the license plate and insurance.

Gan Guoyang stayed at a hotel in downtown Salt Lake City, near the Salt Palace Arena, while Stockton stayed at a house in the Midville area of ​​South Salt Lake City.

It's a one-bedroom apartment, and damn it, it's a basement.

"Fuck, John, you live in the basement? You... are you a rat?"

Gan Guoyang was shocked when he arrived at Stockton's place; this kid was excessively frugal.

"I'm fine living in this apartment by myself now. I don't know how long I'll stay with the Jazz. The rent is only $125 a month. It's close to the training facilities and is the cheapest studio apartment around."

“You should bring Nora to Salt Lake City. Her father will definitely buy you a big house here.”

"Oh no, don't even think about it. I want Nara to come here. I need to survive here first, so I can have confidence."

Gan Guoyang, like a member of Stockton's family, inspected every part of the small apartment, which was simply furnished.

A bed, sheets provided by Gonzaga University, some kitchen utensils, a saucepan and a frying pan, a few bowls and a plate, and some simple tableware. The refrigerator contained no beer, only cereal, milk, biscuits, and hot sauce that Stockton had bought at a nearby discount grocery store.

In the freezer, Gan Guoyang saw a familiar lasagna, which looked like the kind Stockton's mother made. He asked, "Did your mother make this?"

"Yes, I brought it from Spokane. I divided it into many portions and froze it in the refrigerator. If I want to eat it, I just take it out and heat it up."

A telephone was installed on the wall near the bed. Stockton said the phone can make 50 local calls a month, mainly to contact teammates and coaches.

If he needs to make long-distance calls, he will go to a public phone booth outside and make a few calls to his family, his girlfriend, and Gan Guoyang. Recently, he has been making fewer calls because it is too expensive.

After staying in the apartment for a short time, Gan Guoyang felt that it was a bit cold. Utah is located on a plateau, and the winters are quite cold, especially now that it is December.

"Don't you have heating here, John?"

"Yes, but the two houses next to mine turn on their heating in winter, and it's quite warm for me. I don't need to turn it on, so I save money."

"Shit, I never thought you were this stingy back in Spokane! Turn on the heat. Is the Jazz not paying you? Or are your wages being withheld? I'll help you get your wages."

"No, no, I...you're here, I'll open it for you."

Stockton turned on the heating, and the small apartment warmed up and became much more comfortable in no time.

Gan Guoyang knew that Stockton was a meticulous and frugal person when he was in school.

However, Stockton was two grades above Gan Guoyang, and the two did not usually live together, so he did not know that John would be so frugal.

Stockton's salary wasn't low; it was much higher than that of the average working-class family. But he saved all his money, saying he wanted to buy a house later.

Stockton also mentioned many ways he saves money, such as how people can get reimbursed for first-class tickets when flying to away cities, but if you fly economy class, you can get the difference in price.

Stockton is about the same size as an average person, so he doesn't need the extra space in first class. Therefore, he always flies economy class, which allows him to get a price difference compensation for each away trip. Over time, this adds up to a considerable amount of money.

In this respect, Stockton and Jerome Cauchy are in stark contrast.

Kexi hasn't even received his salary yet, but he's already used his future money to buy a car.

Stockton has been working for two months and is already saving money to buy a house.

"Do your parents know you play in the NBA but still live such a frugal and hardworking life?"

“I know. My dad said that being as tight with money as tree bark is a very good quality.”

Gan Guoyang finally understood where Stockton's stinginess came from; it was all taught by his parents, and he enjoyed it.

The two talked a lot about their lives, but not much about basketball. They were both avoiding the fact that they would be opponents on the court the next day.

But the topic was ultimately unavoidable, and Gan Guoyang still said, "John, we have a match tomorrow. As your opponent, what are your thoughts?"

Stockton was silent for a moment, then said, "Let's play normally. If I were on the field, I would do my best to beat you. I know some of your weaknesses."

Gan Guoyang nodded and said, "Yes, that's the right attitude. That's what I think too. But you should try to get more playing time."

Stockton said, "I've been getting more playing time lately. In the last game against Denver, I played 38 minutes."

"Yeah, you've been on the field for 38 minutes, and you're still living in this run-down apartment."

“Gan, these are two different things.”

"By the way, John, has anyone on your team been bullying you? I'll teach them a lesson during tomorrow's game."

"No, no, I'm not resentful at all. Everyone has been very kind and friendly to me. Especially Pelé, he took great care of me."

"Pele? Ser Pele?"

"Yes, Bailey, and Eaton! I get along very well with them."

“I know Eaton. He’s a good guy, a terrifyingly large one.”

"Yes, they are all good people, so fight normally tomorrow, but please don't kill them."

(End of this chapter)