The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 278 Quentin
Gan Guoyang hit a three-pointer, leaving the Warriors with only 2 seconds to execute their final attack.

The Warriors didn't have a timeout; time was running out.

Floyd casually tossed the ball away, but it didn't even touch the rim. The game ended, and Gan Guoyang successfully hit a three-pointer to seal the victory for the Warriors.

Back in the locker room, everyone was excited. Trailing by 5 points, they won the game with two consecutive difficult three-pointers. Such a victory was hard-won.

As soon as Jack Ramsey entered the locker room, Gan Guoyang and Vandeweghe rushed up to lift him up in celebration.

"Stop making a fuss! Put me down! Put me down! You two little brats!"

Finally landing, Ramsey dusted himself off and complained, "If you hadn't played so badly earlier, would you have had to take such a risk at the end? I think you guys were too rested during the All-Star game! Your defense was a mess, and your offense was so-so. You can't be this lucky every game!"

Gan Guoyang laughed and said, "Dr. Jack, your three-point strategy is excellent."

"Shut up. If you like shooting threes so much, why don't you go and participate in the three-point contest?"

"I want to give the seniors a chance to win first place."

This year's All-Star Game featured a three-point contest for the first time, which Larry Bird won.

And before the game, he gave his competitors a final plea in the locker room: "Are you here to compete for second place?"

Gan Guoyang originally wanted to sign up, but later decided not to because he was worried about Ramsey's high blood pressure.

However, since Bird won the championship, Gan Guoyang will definitely participate next year, and he'll probably bring Jordan along as well.

As he came out of the locker room, Gan Guoyang saw Gan Guohui waiting for him and asked, "Well, have you thought it through?"

Gan Guohui nodded and said, "I've thought it through. I'm going to New York. I want to start a new life."

Gan Guoyang asked, "What about your girlfriend? Does she agree to you going to New York?"

"I don't have a girlfriend anymore. We just broke up."

"What? You little brat, starting a new life means kicking out the old guys first?"

"No! Lisa and I were never a good match. I thought about it for a long time before making this decision. Rather than dragging it out, I might as well make a clean break and focus on learning something new."

Gan Guoyang agrees with this point. The worst thing about relationships is dragging things out and wasting time. If it works, it works; if it doesn't, it doesn't. There's nothing wrong with parting amicably.

“Go back and get ready. Talk to your parents and grandfather and make things clear. Buy a plane ticket to New York for next week. I'll let them know you'll be receiving you. Just follow Mr. Fleischer's instructions. If you have any major problems, come to me. I won't help you with minor issues in your life or work; you'll have to rely on yourself.”

"no problem!"

Gan Guohui is full of anticipation for his upcoming new life.

Gan Guoyang also hopes that his younger brother can grow up and become capable of standing on his own in the future.

When it comes to matters related to finance and investment, it's always best to entrust them to your own people.

Gan Guoyang's assets are not large at present, but as they grow larger in the future, it will be necessary to have professional people and teams to manage them.

It's no exaggeration to say that the United States in the 80s and 90s was a land of opportunity, especially San Francisco, where countless wealth legends would be born in the future.

Gan Guoyang doesn't have a strong obsession with money, but he knows that money can bring freedom, and he likes freedom.

However, when you become a superstar, you will always drift further and further away from true freedom.

Gan Guoyang thought tonight would just be an ordinary game. He would win, go back to the hotel to take a shower and get some sleep, and catch a flight back to Portland the next morning.

But when he and his teammates came out of the locker room to go to the parking lot, they found that the passageway was already packed with fans.

A large number of fans—mainly Chinese female fans—were waiting for Gan Guoyang, hoping to shake hands with their idol and get his autograph.

This scene reminded Gan Guoyang of the crazy Hong Kong and Taiwan fans in the 80s. Gan Guoyang was certain that without security, his team uniform would be torn to shreds by these crazy fans.

This has happened several times before, to the point that the team had to make several sets of home and away jerseys and sportswear for Gan Guoyang.

In the early days, NBA teams were relatively poor, and players' jerseys had to be custom-made. Each player only had a few, especially when playing away games, sometimes they only had one.

If it gets torn, lost, or stolen, you might not be able to go on stage, or you might have to wear something else temporarily.

This has indeed happened in the NBA; players like Gan Guoyang and Michael Jordan have encountered similar situations.

Because they are so famous, their jerseys are sometimes stolen by stadium staff.

Without adequate preparation and without a spare jersey, they had no choice but to wear other jerseys to play the game.

Although Gan Guoyang wanted to maintain close contact with the fans, in order to protect his jersey, he greeted the fans and signed autographs for some of them while asking the team to contact the stadium security to maintain order so that the players could safely board the vehicles and leave.

Soon, the Oakland Stadium security team arrived at the scene, along with Nate Thurmond.

Gan Guoyang was very happy to see Thurmond, hugged him, and expressed his regret for not being able to attend the Christmas party.

"I hope the league won't schedule a Christmas game for you guys next year. You absolutely have to come. Wilt said he still wants to arm wrestle with you." "Wilt must be crazy. He's no match for me now."

"It doesn't matter. He thinks he can still beat you even when he's 50."

Chamberlain was quite blindly confident.

Stadium security maintained order, clearing a path for fans to get the players into their vehicles.

Gan Guoyang walked at the back, signing autographs for the enthusiastic fans.

Several female fans even lifted their clothes and asked Gan Guoyang to write their names on their white breasts.

The San Francisco area retains a strong hippie legacy. Whether it's because of Simon, Walton, or Guns N' Roses, Gan Guoyang is very popular among this group of crazy young people, especially female fans, far more so than the average NBA star.

Gan Guoyang himself analyzed that it was mainly because he was handsome.

He chanted in his heart, "Don't look at what is improper, don't look at what is improper," and then left his mark on those skins that were either smooth or a little hairy.

Hey, Sonny.

Suddenly someone called out to Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang looked down, then glanced at the black, white, and yellow chests of the men and saw a security guard maintaining order.

He was a Black man, very tall, somewhat overweight, and looked quite young, about the same age as Gan Guoyang.

This person looks somewhat familiar.

"You are... I think I know you."

"Quentin, this is Quentin, Quentin Stephenson."

Gan Guoyang remembered the name as soon as he heard it. This guy was one of the twin towers inside players of Washington High School, Quentin Stephenson!

That's Quentin Tarantino, the one who got thrashed by Gan Guoyang, but later managed to drive Gan Guoyang to the brink of nervous breakdown through "praise-to-death" tactics, almost leading to his own retaliatory attack.

"Why...you're not playing basketball anymore?"

"I played basketball at community college for two years, but I couldn't continue, so... I went back to San Francisco and found a job. Sonny, you're amazing..."

"Oh no, no, no, don't flatter me, I don't deserve it. How are you now? You look much stronger than before."

"I couldn't control my weight after leaving the team... It's so nice to see you."

"Me too, Quentin, leave your phone number, maybe you can help me with something."

"Oh! Can I? No problem, absolutely no problem!"

The two were rivals in the San Francisco League in high school, but in just a few years, they are now worlds apart.

One became a national basketball superstar, while the other became a stadium security guard, struggling to make ends meet.

Stephenson had certainly noticed Gan Guoyang long ago. Gan Guoyang's game-winning shot against the Warriors left him with mixed feelings.

As a security guard, he couldn't even face the field from the sidelines; he had to face the stands instead.

He couldn't witness the Trail Blazers' final play, but when he saw the fans celebrating, shouting, and staring with fascination, he knew that Forrest Gump had once again delivered a magical performance.

Amidst the deafening cheers, he felt incredibly small, despite being 6 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 280 pounds.

He still plays basketball, going to the streets and stadiums every week to play games. He is a member of an amateur team in San Francisco, working as a security guard during the day and playing basketball at night to earn money to support his family.

In the parking lot, he called out Gan Guoyang's name on a whim, wondering if Gan Guoyang still remembered him, his defeated opponent.

This guy is already a superstar, high above everyone else. Quentin had no other thoughts than to say a few words to his former rival with a heart full of admiration.

He never expected that Gan Guoyang would leave his phone number, and he never expected that he would receive a call from Gan Guoyang two days later.

"Quentin, I have a job in Portland that might be a good fit for you. Are you interested?"

"What job?"

"Be my bodyguard."

"Be my bodyguard? Of course, no problem!"

"But you'll need to lose a little weight. While a broad build can help you stop bullets, you'll need to be more agile. 6'8" and 280 pounds is terrifying. Get down to 250 pounds and come find me in Portland. Of course, you'll need to pass an interview and a probation period. I might not hire you, and I hope you understand."

"I know, thank you for giving me this opportunity, oh let me praise you, Forrest Gump, you're like..."

"Stop, stop, stop...Quentin, hurry up and lose weight. Losing 30 pounds is no easy feat."

(End of this chapter)