The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 165 Fighting Kings and Queens

Gan Youwei wasn't the only one who cared about Gan Guoyang; his agent, Fleischer, flew all the way from New York to meet with Gan Guoyang before Christmas.

Since the labor negotiations were resolved, Fleischer has had a lot of free time, and his agent work has grown bigger and bigger. Recently, he has been making plans for the NBA's overseas market.

On the morning of the 21st, he arrived in Portland and first met with Larry Weinberg. At noon, he had lunch with Stu Inman and other Trail Blazers management. In the afternoon, he invited Gan Guoyang to play squash at the Portland State University sports center.

Squash is Fleischer's favorite sport besides basketball. He can only watch basketball but can't play it, but he can participate in squash himself. It's a great sport and a great way to socialize.

Compared to most business people who enjoy golf, Fleischer's hobby is rather unique. Squash makes him sweat more, and he also enjoys the sound of the ball hitting the wall.

“The sound is very similar to the sound of a basketball bouncing on the floor,” Fleischer explained.

However, after fighting for a short while, Fleischer was starting to feel the strain.

Although it was Gan Guoyang's first time playing squash, his athletic talent and physical ability were something Fleischer could not withstand.

Moreover, once he got the hang of it, Gan Guoyang swung his racket with all his might, and Fleischer worried that he would break through the wall.

"Gan, are you playing squash or baseball? Or are you trying to kill me? You're going to break my racket." Fleischer panted as he sat down on the sidelines to wipe his sweat.

Gan Guoyang swung his racket forcefully and said, "This kind of sport is really boring. You either have to be separated by a net or you have to be careful to avoid it. There's no competition at all."

Fleischer said helplessly, "Basketball is no longer suitable for your level of physical strength. You might as well switch to boxing. With your strength and talent, I don't think you'll have a problem becoming a boxing champion. I'll be your boxing promoter."

Gan Guoyang was somewhat interested and said, "How about wrestling? I'm not very good at boxing."

“Sonny, you need to know that you are the most watched rising star in the league right now. You need to cultivate a good image for yourself, you know? Although your wrestling moves are cool and you've gained a lot of attention because of them, that's not the way to go. Look at Michael, Nike is putting all its effort into promoting him right now. You need to understand the needs of the NBA fan base.”

When Jordan was mentioned, Gan Guoyang put away his joking mind and listened attentively to what Fleischer had to say.

"Of course, I've seen all the things you've done to shape yourself. Including the little gesture of chewing gum that you designed for yourself, and your armband."

“What armband? This is an armband with my number 11 tag and the name Gump on it.”

"Good, good, good. Armbands, armbands, all these things are great, young people love them, and the advertising and promotion by Avia is also very good. But you still need to be careful not to act rashly, and don't let yourself become a reckless man in the eyes of the fans. Kings don't easily resort to violence against their enemies; they rely on strategy, strength, and their team. You're still young, still a rookie, so it's okay for you to play recklessly. But you can't do that in the future. Besides, you've already attacked Laimbeer and Gilmore, and I don't think anyone in the entire league will dare to provoke you with force anymore. You can restrain yourself, and think about the health of others. I have more than just you as a player."

Gan Guoyang was still willing to listen to Fleischer's opinion. He asked, "Then what about Michael? What happened to Michael?"

"Did you know that when Michael was in college, Coach Dean Smith specifically made him take a social skills course to learn how to deal with the public and the media? Good media relations and image building are very important for your personal development. Gilmore is a bad example; he didn't put in enough effort in this area, and the media ignored him. Of course, you're doing very well now, but it's not enough. You have to remember that your battle with Michael isn't just on the court, but also off the court, in the media."

"Your advantage is that the Trail Blazers are stronger, and you're an inside player. I guess you might win a championship sooner than Michael. Your disadvantage is that you're not American. Right now, everyone is curious about you and very forgiving. Fans and the media are always lenient with young people. But as you grow and get older, everything will change. You have to be strong enough, and you need a lot of support. Stern has recently been considering increasing efforts to develop overseas markets, especially the Chinese market. Do you remember the promise I made to you when we signed you?"

Gan Guoyang nodded. When Gan Guoyang and Fleischer first discussed the issue of developing overseas markets, Fleischer was an expert in this field.

Gan Guoyang was well aware of the enormous potential of the Chinese market, but he didn't know the specifics of how to pioneer it or how to accumulate experience step by step.

"If there's an opportunity next summer, I'll try my best to organize a China tournament, letting the Trail Blazers play in Beijing, so you can showcase yourself in front of your own country's people." "Really? That would be wonderful!" Gan Guoyang was thrilled to hear Fleischer say that.

During this period, China was experiencing the return of spring, a vibrant and hopeful era, yet also a time of great untamed wilderness.

If he can go to China to play an exhibition game, the important thing is not to return home in glory and show off, but to let the seeds of basketball be sown in the spring.

The power of role models is boundless, and the energy that sports bring to people during special times should not be underestimated. He hopes that his arrival will make everything better.

Seeing Gan Guoyang's expression, Fleischer knew that he had achieved his goal in this conversation. He wiped his glasses and said, "So stop fighting so casually, Gan. The number of fights you've had this year is already second in the league."

"What? I'm only second? Who's first?" Gan Guoyang thought to himself, "I thought I was invincible, but I didn't expect there to be someone even more formidable than me. Whose player is it?"

Fleischer smiled and said, "The first one is the person drafted above you, Hakeem Olajuwon."

Gan Guoyang never expected that Hakeem Olajuwon would not only be ahead of him in the draft, but also have more fights than him.
Like Gan Guoyang, rookie Hakeem Olajuwon was incredibly fierce. When he first entered the league, he was targeted by those senior big men. With the idea of ​​"hitting them once to avoid being hit a hundred times," he beat them up relentlessly.

He gets into fights every few games, with small fights every three games and big fights every five games, making him the undisputed fighting king of the league.

Hakeem Olajuwon was the king, and Gan Guoyang was the little king. The two of them gave Stern a lot of headaches. These were the top two picks he selected in his first year of the draft.

Gan Guoyang asked, "How many games was Akim suspended for? I haven't been following his news."

"As far as I know... he has never been suspended."

"This is not fair. Why has he fought more than me and never been suspended?"

"He didn't hit as hard as you; you've already knocked out three of them."

Fleischer is right. Olajuwon may have been a fighter, but he wasn't as ruthless as Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang's wrestling skills are still superior.

"The Christmas Day game is in a few days, you'll be playing the Rockets, and the two of you will face each other. I advise you to calm down and try to solve the problem with basketball."

"Don't worry, I promised my dad I wouldn't fight again this year."

Fleischer nodded in agreement, but then he thought to himself, "There aren't many days left this year!"

The NBA is a continuous battle of strength. If a player can establish an advantage in the very first game, that advantage is set in stone. Someone thinks they can beat you, and they will do it; they will keep pushing and shoving you. If you back down the first time, and the second time, they will push and shove you like that for the rest of your career. It's like playing at an amusement park, putting in coins, over and over again.

I wouldn't let them do that, which is why I got into so many fights in my rookie year. I think I was in a fight with someone in almost every game. Forrest Gump did the same thing as me; we were the same kind of people, but he fought harder than me, and from his second year onwards, nobody dared to mess with him or fight him. I regret not knocking out Laimbeer's teeth in the 1984-1985 season, otherwise he wouldn't have been so rude to me later.

—Excerpt from Hakeem Olajuwon's autobiography, *Living The Dream*, published in 1996.

(End of this chapter)