The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 394 A Good Father

When Gan Guoyang saw nothing in Barkley's garage and did not find the other two Dodge Rams, he knew he had been tricked.

He had painstakingly advised Barkley on the way, telling him to manage his finances properly and not to gamble. How could he have ignored what he had said to him before?

Now we know that this fat-headed, big-eared guy was just "teasing you." It seems that this kid has indeed made some progress.

He sold all the extra cars he had bought before, keeping only two that were more collectible, and paid off the loan in advance to buy this Dodge Ram that suited him.

Barkley knew that Gan Guoyang didn't like socializing with too many people. When attending business and NBA events, Gan Guoyang would be very professional and enthusiastic, but in private, he valued his privacy and preferred to spend time with his closest friends.

Quentin Stephenson didn't come with him to Washington this time; he didn't need extra bodyguards with Barkley.

Gan Guoyang didn't want to be a chef anymore, so the two went out to have some fun. Barkley asked Gan Guoyang if he wanted to go to a strip club, but Gan Guoyang said, "Let's go see a stand-up comedy show instead. I'm already married."

Surprisingly, Barkley expressed his understanding of Gan Guoyang's sudden decision to get married, saying, "When you meet someone you're attracted to, you should act on it promptly."

When it comes to women, NBA players are never short of options, but most of the time they're just excited rather than truly interested.

Barkley frequently called Gan Guoyang to discuss issues related to women.

Gan Guoyang has always been a man of integrity, while Barkley is quite the womanizer, but he has always harbored a longing for pure love.

He frankly admitted that he greatly envied Gan Guoyang for having a stable college romance where the two loved each other.

He has been surrounded by all sorts of girls since college, and after entering the NBA, he has been surrounded by countless strange and unusual women.

There are many "weird women" in big American cities. They are not prostitutes, but rather playboys among women who like to pursue athletes with high hormone levels and great physical fitness.

Especially for teams playing away games, there are many female hunters in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York, and Dallas who specifically beckon players with their fingers near stadiums, hotels, and locker rooms, handing over their phone numbers and sending flirtatious glances.

Or, they could be straightforward and bold, making a date request and asking the players for their room numbers.

Most NBA players are not much different from male dogs in heat off the court, and for women to pursue men is as easy as piercing a thin veil.

Barkley has met many women like this, and he has had relationships with some of them and established connections with them.

At his home in Washington, he often received gifts from these women, including cakes, roses, cookies, candy, and even lingerie, and occasionally phone calls to check on them.

The problem is, they were only interested in Barkley's strong physique; no one cared about the rich inner world of this rugged beast.

Charles Barkley was emotionally invested, and he would feel terrible when he didn't get a response or had to end a short-lived intimate relationship.

He then told Gan Guoyang about these things, and for a time Gan Guoyang practically became Barkley's emotional therapist, although things have improved recently.

Gan Guoyang guessed that this guy might have met someone he truly liked.

After wandering around for a while, the two finally found a high-end billiards hall to play billiards, while having some drinks and chatting.

Just like bowling, Gan Guoyang's approach to billiards is still "the more powerful the better." He doesn't care about anything else; he just blasts the cue ball into the pile with all his might, hoping to sink as many balls as he can.

Barkley wasn't exactly a skilled player either. When the two of them played pool, it was a clattering, clanging mess. The owner was worried they'd break the balls.

Barkley's invitation to Gan Guoyang was not just for dinner and a game of billiards; he had an important question to ask Gan Guoyang.

"Sonny, I have a question I'd like to ask you." Barkley used his golf club as a crutch, leaning against the side as he watched Gan Guoyang play.

Gan Guoyang hit the ball into the hole with force and said, "What's the question? Are you in love?" "Oh, no, no, it's not related to that. I want to ask you, what's it like to have a good father?"

"I can feel it immediately when you call me 'Dad'."

"Fuck you, I'm serious. I know your dad is good to you, isn't he? I saw Avia's ad, it's great."

The Avia ad featuring Ang Lee for Gan Guoyang has recently been released across the United States. As a member of Avia, Barkley felt envious when he saw that Gan Guoyang and Jordan had their own sneaker ads.

However, he envied Gan Guoyang and Jordan for having good fathers, while Barkley did not. He knew who his father was, but that man had abandoned his family long ago.

"Why ask this question?" Gan Guoyang asked curiously.

“I just want to ask you a question. Answer me first, and then I’ll tell you,” Barkley said.

Gan Guoyang thought for a moment and replied, "It's like having a good dad... You score 8 points in the finals, miss the crucial game-winning shot, causing you to lose the series in Game 7, and the whole world is cursing you and laughing at you. If you have a good mom, she will keep comforting you and telling you it's okay, but in reality, that's just adding insult to injury, and there's definitely something wrong. But if you have a good dad, you'll know that in this situation, there's someone in the world who will make you feel like nothing has happened. He will quietly stay with you, saying nothing, just like always, until everything is over, until you pick yourself up again."

Barkley seemed thoughtful, and finally said, "It seems pretty good."

"What's wrong? Did your father come back to see you?" Gan Guoyang guessed.

Such scenarios frequently occur among Black athletes, including some Black singers and actors.

Even if it's not Black people, this kind of thing happens in other countries and among other ethnic groups, but it's more prevalent among the Black community in the United States.

She had a child when she was young and wanted to have a quickie, but then ran away without taking responsibility. Her mother raised the child with great difficulty, and the child turned out to be talented in sports, acting, and singing.

Then one day, he suddenly became famous and became a young celebrity and a millionaire. At this time, his father, who had disappeared for a long time, suddenly came to his door to recognize him and asked to rekindle his father-son and father-daughter relationship with his son and daughter.

Barkley's situation is similar. Recently, his father, Frank Barkley, has started writing to him, trying to explain why he had to leave. He now lives in Los Angeles and hopes to see his son when he goes to Los Angeles to compete.

When Barkley was in high school, his father attended his graduation ceremony. At that time, Barkley was already a well-known basketball star in Alabama.

But Barkley was absent that time because he failed Spanish and didn't receive his diploma, so he couldn't attend the ceremony.

Barkley is now at a loss and deeply troubled about how to handle the relationship between the two. Asking his teammates is useless, as they are in similar situations and cannot offer better advice.

"Yesterday he said he'd arrived in Washington and wanted to watch the Bullets vs. Trail Blazers game tomorrow. He said he might come to the locker room to see me, and I don't know how to face him. Should I punch him?"

Barkley joked, but neither of them laughed. Gan Guoyang said, "Let him come. If there is genuine affection between you, no difficulty will be an obstacle, but first you have to face it. Also, don't think that just because your dad is coming to see you I will go easy on you. I will beat you to a pulp."

Barkley was annoyed and said, "Hey! We agreed not to mention this! It's all in the past!"

The two will never forget the time Barkley pretended to be injured and took a dump during a game against the Trail Blazers.

However, Gan Guoyang kept his word and did not mention this to anyone else; so far, only the two of them know about it.

“I was just using a metaphor, I didn’t mention that. You’re being too sensitive. Hey, it’s your turn to play ball.”

Barkley angrily picked up his cue stick, aimed at the cue ball, and slammed it down. The cue ball didn't hit any other balls; instead, it hit the edge of the pool table, bounced up, and flew to the ceiling, smashing the light fixture with a loud crash, plunging the room into darkness.

"Shit! Are you playing ball or a light stick?!"

"We'll have to pay compensation, let's go, let's get out of here!"

(End of this chapter)