The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 199 Bullet Double Buttocks
Gan Guoyang believes in Adelman, but it's impossible for him to provide a solution immediately.

Gan Guoyang knew in his heart that this was not his problem, nor was it a problem of the coach's tactics; it was more a problem of growth and integration.

Koch and Drexler still need to accumulate more experience, and Vandeweghe is only 25 years old, so there is room for further development.

Gan Guoyang is still a rookie, yet the entire league is already targeting him. The last person to do this was Wilt Chamberlain, and the next one is a shark.

After the team arrived at Washington Airport, Gan Guoyang saw Charles Barkley waiting for him in the parking lot. Barkley shrunk his huge rear end out of the cramped white Porsche 911 and waved to Gan Guoyang.

Before he arrived, Barkley called Gan Guoyang and said he would pick him up from the airport and take him to his house. He didn't expect that the guy would actually come.

The two have been very close since they became friends on the Olympic training team. When Barkley was not selected for the All-Star Game, Gan Guoyang got him tickets to visit Indiana for two days.

"I need to go to the hotel with the team first... Charles, why did you buy a white two-seater Porsche 911? You should have bought a truck." Gan Guoyang felt a pang of pity for Barkley driving this exquisite white 911, like a white poodle being ravaged by a big yellow bully.

“You think I didn’t buy a truck? I bought two, but I don’t have a truck driver’s license; they’re just sitting at my old house. You go to the hotel first, I’ll drive over and wait for you.” With that, Barkley laboriously climbed into the car seat.

This 911 was modified with expanded seating space to accommodate the large bodies of basketball players, but Barkley still felt like he was sitting in a toy car.

When Gan Guoyang settled into the hotel and rode in Barkley's car to his home, the two giants seemed to struggle even more to fit into the small white car.

"Charles, I also have a Porsche, but mine is at least bigger. Why did you buy such a small car? Did you lose weight so successfully?"

"Because they're beautiful! I bought them because I liked them. I bought a total of nine cars."

"What? Are you crazy? Your rookie contract is huge, and you still have to pay taxes, you idiot."

"Contract salary? That little bit of money isn't enough. The bank gave me a loan, and I'll be getting more money in the future anyway, so what's there to be afraid of?"

Barkley and Stockton are complete opposites. Stockton is reluctant to spend a penny of his salary, and his car is a second-hand car given to him by sponsors.

Moreover, Stockton said he forgot to register the vehicle and did not buy insurance, leading Gan Guoyang to seriously suspect that the guy did this to save on registration and insurance fees.

Otherwise, given his meticulous nature, he would never have made such a mistake. Driving without a license plate or insurance must have been a risky move to save money.

Barkley was different. Not long after he got his rookie contract, before he even started receiving his salary, he went to a car dealership to look at cars, just like Jerome Kossie.

But while Cox only took out a loan to buy one car, Barkley was much more extravagant. He used up his entire credit limit to take out loans from the bank and bought nine cars in one go.

Four of the cars were Mercedes-Benz, two Porsches, one BMW, and two trucks. Four of them were left in Washington because the garage of his rented house could only fit four cars.

The remaining five vehicles, including two trucks, were sent to his hometown of Alabama Liz. As for their use? No use, they were just left there, and his family doesn't drive them.

Barkley lives in Licaber, an upscale single-family home community near the Capital Center Stadium, about a half-hour drive from downtown Washington.

Gan Guoyang saw the other three cars Barkley had bought in the garage: a Mercedes, a BMW, and a Porsche 911, which was also white and exactly the same as the one he was driving!
"Charles, why did you buy two of the same car?"

"I like it. A woman's breasts are two on each side, it would be strange to only have one."

Gan Guoyang couldn't refute Barkley's amazing theory, so he reminded Barkley, "You don't need to buy so many cars at all. How much did these cars cost you in total?"

Barkley said, "Well... with interest, it's about five million dollars. But don't worry, I can pay it back with my salary."

Gan Guoyang touched the brand-new, almost untouched cars and said, “Even if you have a huge ass, one car is enough for you. But these cars might be worth more in the future, so take good care of them; they’ll bring you greater value. But as a friend, I must advise you to ensure your financial health, which is just as important as your physical health. If only you could balance things out with Stockton…”

"I'm not fucking going to team up with that country bumpkin. Don't worry, Sonny, I'm confident in my future! I'll make the All-Star team!"

Stockton was constantly worried about being laid off and losing his job, while Barkley was full of confidence and believed he could definitely become an All-Star.

Barkley's rented house is very beautiful on the outside, and although it's a bit messy inside, it's generally clean, and a housekeeping service comes to clean it every day.

In the living room, Barkley has placed a huge television and a giant beanbag chair, indicating that he spends his free time lying there watching TV.

A huge bag of potato chips had fallen next to the beanbag chair; it was undoubtedly what Barkley ate while watching TV—his mouth was never going to stop. That evening, Barkley invited Gan Guoyang and his good friend Rick Mahon to a stand-up comedy show.

If Barkley's butt is the biggest in the league, then Mahorn should be second. The Bullets have one of the top two butts in the league, so their interior potential is absolutely enormous.

Mahone entered the league in 81 and was already a semi-veteran player. He was known for his fierce and aggressive playing style on the court and was nicknamed "Beef Guy".

During his rookie season in 1982, Mahone was fined $1500 for fouls, elbowing, fighting, and other offenses.

He was particularly adept at attacking smaller guards during help defense and switches. A long list of names, including Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Tony, Isaiah Thomas, Clint Richardson, and Ed Sherrod, had been attacked by Mahorn. His gap-toothed grin and the coldness in his eyes made many smaller players think twice before attacking the Bullets' interior.

However, in private, Ma Hong is a rather kind person (at least that's what Gan Guoyang thinks). Like Barkley, he's a mama's boy who listens to his mother in everything. The two have a very good relationship and are birds of a feather.

When Gan Guoyang met Ma Hong, he asked him if he wanted to play a game of wrestling, like he used to play with Barkley.

Ma Hong quickly waved his hand: "No, no, no, I don't like fighting, it's too dangerous."

He really is a peaceful person.

The stand-up comedy show that evening wasn't very good. It was in an ordinary little bar, and the comedian was a black man named Steve Harvey. There were very few people in the audience.

Halfway through the performance, boos came from below. Some audience members recognized Gan Guoyang, Barkley, and the other two, and their attention was drawn to them.

Harvey was left standing on stage, and in this awkward moment, the three of them got up and left, allowing Harvey to finish his performance.

Afterwards, the three of them went backstage and bought all the unsold tickets so that the boss could share the profits with Harvey.

The three men had no disagreement on this matter because they all came from poor backgrounds. Barkley's hometown was in the poorest state of Alabama. Mahone's mother gave birth to him when he was 16. He also had an older brother and a younger brother. When they were young, they often didn't have enough to eat and had to fight for food.

Gan Guoyang's two generations did not have good childhoods, so they have a special sympathy for those who are in distress.

Many years later, this young black stand-up comedian named Steve Harvey achieved great success, and he regarded this night in 1985 as a turning point in his life.

Since Gan Guoyang didn't go to nightclubs to pick up girls, Barkley had no choice but to take Gan Guoyang home, as he was hungry and wanted to eat something.

The refrigerator was full of frozen meat patties, donuts, bread, lettuce, and marinated fried chicken nuggets. Barkley said he would hire a private chef to cook for him.

However, it was getting late, so Barkley said, "Forrest Gump, I've heard you're a great cook, get me something to eat."

Gan Guoyang thought to himself, "Damn it, who spread the rumor that my cooking is good? It must be that guy Olajuwon, he's holding a grudge."

“I’m good at Chinese food. These are all ingredients for making hamburgers, fried chicken, and fries. I don’t know how to cook them.”

"You can even cook complicated Chinese dishes, can't you handle these fast foods? What kind of chef are you? Are you just bragging?"

The provocation tactic didn't work on Gan Guoyang, but he couldn't resist Barkley's persistent pleading. Barkley, who hadn't eaten enough, acted like a crying child.

In the end, Gan Guoyang could only go into the kitchen, open the refrigerator, and make a hamburger for Barkley, while secretly cursing Olajuwon in his heart, thinking that now the whole NBA must know that he can cook.

However, Gan Guoyang really didn't know how to make Western-style hamburgers. He always bought them from fast food restaurants, unlike Barkley who stocked up on so many patties and bread at home and made them himself.

"Never mind, a hamburger is just cooked food sandwiched together, even a kid could make one... Hmm, is this patty expired? It doesn't look fresh..."

"Charles! When were these meat patties bought? Are they edible?"

"I just bought it, no problem! Hurry up and make it, I'm starving!"

"Damn it, Gan Lin came all the way to Washington to cook. I should have just gone back to the hotel to sleep. Next time we play the Rockets, we'll definitely beat Akim to a pulp."

(End of this chapter)