The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 254 Running until the sun turned yellow
After dinner, Wang Fuxi and her friends returned to school. This was her last semester of university, and she needed to spend time working on her graduation project.

As they were leaving, Wang Fuxi's friend pulled him aside and asked, "Fosse, what do you think they'll do later? NBA players have quite the nightlife, are you worried?"

Wang Fuxi knew what his friend meant and laughed, "I believe Agan. He ate a lot today, so he'll definitely be in a hurry to go back for a run tonight and won't mess around."

"He is truly... indescribable."

"He's an amazing man, I love him very much, but sometimes I really admire him, and even feel a little sorry for him..."

"Then you might as well give him one chance to cheat every year."

"No! He's too charming. Once you have sex with him, countless flies will swarm around you."

Women's topics always revolve around men, and men's topics often revolve around women as well.

On the way back to the hotel, Gan Guoyang and Ewing finished talking about basketball and started talking about women.

Ewing prefers girls with slightly darker skin tones, but not too dark; someone like Wang Fuxi is too fair-skinned.

Like most Black players, he prefers players with great physiques, big breasts, and big butts.

"Latin American girls must be your favorite."

"Oh, that's right... but it's not easy to find one in the north."

In the 80s, places like New York and Portland had relatively few Latinos.

There are more in Florida, the southern region, and some states near Mexico.

Gan Guoyang safely escorted You Yin to the hotel. You Yin asked Gan Guoyang if he wanted to come up and play for a while, maybe play some cards or something.

Gan Guoyang said he had to go back to training, as he had eaten a bit too much tonight.

"Shit, is your body made of iron? You still have to train. Sometimes I really admire you, Forrest Gump."

Overtraining is actually bad for the body, but Gan Guoyang is fine with it; he can handle it.

The two said goodbye, and Ewing returned to his room. Although he was a rookie, Ewing had the right to a single room.

Just as he was feeling bored after taking a shower, someone knocked on the door. When Ewing opened the door, he saw a tall Latina girl with chestnut curly hair, a pretty face, and a curvaceous figure standing in the doorway.

She looked at Ewing with surprise in her eyes, glanced at the room number—it was the right room—and asked, "Mr. Patrick?"

"Yes, it's me. And you are?" Ewing asked, his eyes fixed on the girl, scrutinizing her from head to toe.

The girl wasn't intimidated by Ewing's aggressive face and gaze; instead, she tossed her hair and puffed out her chest.

"I'm here to add some fun to your night~ I've already paid, may I come in?" The girl's voice was very seductive.

Ewing understood instantly, grinned, revealing his bright white teeth, and opened the door to let the girl in.

It seems Forrest Gump is a truly trustworthy friend. It's just that tomorrow's game... never mind, what's the game about? Forrest Gump already said he's going to burn incense.
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After taking care of everything, Gan Guoyang drove home. After arriving home, he took a shower, changed his clothes, and went out to play some basketball at the Portland Community College gym.

I ate quite a bit with Ewing in the evening; he needs to exercise to digest it.

For professional players who have made basketball their job, playing basketball outside of games and training is unacceptable to many.

After all, when a hobby becomes a job, it's hard for it to remain a hobby anymore, and many players just want to do something else in their spare time.

Gan Guoyang was different; he just wanted to play basketball. He always wanted to try different moves on the court, and he found it very interesting.

Portland Community College is about six or seven kilometers from Lake Hill Park, about a 10-minute drive, so it's very convenient to go there to play ball.

Tonight, Gan Guoyang decided to run there to digest his food and warm up so he could start playing as soon as he got to the stadium.

On the way, Gan Guoyang passed by Cort's house. Cort had recently moved out of the Rising Stars Apartments and bought a second-hand bungalow near Lake Hill Park to live in temporarily.

Gan Guoyang noticed that there was a person standing suspiciously in front of Colter's house. He didn't know if Colter was home or if it was a thief.
Gan Guoyang stopped and hid behind a tree to observe. He dared not go up recklessly; what if someone with a gun shot him?
Even the strongest body can't withstand a burst of bullets. Having things stolen is a minor matter; losing your life might not be a second chance. It turned out the man wasn't a thief. After observing the situation suspiciously for a moment, he knocked on Colt's door. It turned out someone was home.

But Colter didn't let the man in. The two exchanged something at the door, and after a while the man left, and Colter closed the door.

Gan Guoyang waited behind the tree for a while, and after the man had completely left, he ran to the door of the Cort family and knocked on it.

Colter muttered something, but when he opened the door and saw Gan Guoyang, his expression changed.

Gan Guoyang stared intently at Colt and asked bluntly, "Steve, are you on drugs?"

Colter was stunned by Gan Guoyang's sudden appearance and questioning. He stammered for a long time, neither saying yes nor no.

Seeing his attitude, Gan Guoyang thought to himself that he was right, this guy was indeed buying some bad stuff.

“Who was that guy just now? What did he give you? You’d better tell me the truth, or I’ll report him to the team. Speak up, Steve.”

Gan Guoyang's voice was as cold and stern as a blast of ice. Cort lowered his head and said, "It's...it's tramadol, the tramadol that person just sold me."

As he spoke, Cort pulled a strip of pills from his pocket; they were tramadol painkillers.

Although this is not cocaine, nor any other well-known drug, it is a prescription medication.

However, this pain-relieving and sedative drug has become an addictive substance, and many athletes take it.

Because of its strong analgesic effect, it can help athletes get rid of pain from injuries and high-intensity training, so it is taken by many athletes.

Gradually, some people became addicted to it and dependent on this type of drug.

Athletes often engage in mentally intense and high-intensity competitive matches. These types of drugs can improve their concentration and enhance their mental strength during competitions.

However, once the medication wears off, the dual emptiness of body and mind can break a person down, requiring more medication to fill the void, ultimately leading to the person being controlled by the medication until they collapse.

Gan Guoyang was familiar with this drug. The Alliance had issued a drug control code in 1983, and trodoma was one of the prohibited drugs. Its harm was as great as that of cocaine.

"No wonder you've been performing so poorly lately, 0 points, 1 point, 0 points, 2 points, it turns out you've been on drugs."

Cort, who had a stellar performance in last season's playoffs, has had a disastrous regular season.

Terry Porter has surpassed him to become Ramsey's number one backup point guard, and Cort's playing time is decreasing.

"I can't do it, Forrest Gump. Training and the regular season have left me too tired and exhausted. I'm not like you; I don't have an iron body. Look at you, you can still go for a run and play basketball so late. I can't keep going. I need these medications, otherwise I'll be in pain and won't be able to play well on the court."

Colter's explanation seemed plausible; to survive in the NBA and secure a contract, he needed to perform exceptionally well.

To overcome the fatigue and pain from training and competition, he had to take drugs to keep himself energized and play better.

Gan Guoyang looked at Cort and thought to himself, "No wonder you looked so listless. You had a breakout performance in the playoffs. Turns out you were on drugs."

"The performance boost from these things won't last. Look at your recent performance, it's just awful! You need to kick this addiction right now, or I'll make you leave the Trail Blazers. I don't want any poison bugs on our team."

Colter lowered his head, rubbed his eyes, and cried.

Gan Guoyang softened his tone and said, "I'll take you running tomorrow morning. You need a regular and healthy lifestyle. I think you've completely wasted this summer. Cheer up, we're classmates."

Colter pulled out all the tridoma pills from his hand and threw them down the drain.

The next morning, Colter and Gan Guoyang ran side by side along the banks of the Willamette River. On one side was the babbling water of the Willamette River, and on the other side was the vast Portland railroad line, with freight trains whizzing past bathed in the warm red morning light.

"Sonny! How long are we going to run?!"

"Keep running, keep running until the sun turns yellow!"

(End of this chapter)