The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 450 Three-Peat
Gan Guoyang's hometown is on an island located at the border of Fujian and Guangdong provinces.

In the summer of 1987, Gan Guoyang, along with his father Gan Youwei, his wife Wang Fuxi, and several friends, returned to their hometown after many years.

Deep in his mind, Gan Guoyang still cherishes his childhood memories. He has long regarded Gan Youwei as his father and naturally considers this place his homeland.

This was not a commercial activity for Gan Guoyang; it was purely a private visit back to his hometown. However, it still alarmed the local government, who demanded that he be treated well.

In 1987, the tide of reform and opening up swept across the country, and all regions were attracting investment. No matter what kind of investment it was, anyone who could come to invest was treated as an honored guest.

Needless to say, for someone of Gan Guoyang's rank, the central authorities have required that his safety be guaranteed and that all aspects of service be provided.

After winning the 1987 NBA championship, Gan Guoyang became a flag bearer for Chinese people in the sports world and an iconic figure of the 80s.

Because of him, a basketball craze has swept the country, and the sport is booming, showing signs of catching up with football.

Upon his return, Gan Guoyang sought to keep a low profile, avoiding any fanfare and turning down all commercial and social activities.

Everything was quiet, which allowed Gan Guoyang to enjoy the peace and quiet and recover from the dazzling championship celebration in Portland.

Transportation and communication on the island are underdeveloped, and the only way to travel is by boat. The island has electricity, but you can't watch TV or get a signal.

The island's residents knew that Gan Youwei and his tall son had made a fortune in the United States and become an outstanding basketball star.

But what exactly is going on with basketball stars? People don't really understand. The NBA is still too far removed from island life.

However, many people leave the island. The people on the island have only three options: one is to stay on the island and become fishermen, which is the hardest option.

One option was to go north to Guangzhou. In the early years, an islander became a famous chef in Guangzhou. He then brought people from the island to Guangzhou to work in the catering industry and gradually made a name for himself.

Another option was to go to Southeast Asia to make a living. Just like going to Guangzhou, some people would go there first, settle down, and then pass on their knowledge and skills, and people would keep going.

Some of them left Southeast Asia for various reasons and went to more distant places, such as the United States, Australia, Argentina, etc.

Gan Guohui's family was among the group that went to Southeast Asia and then to the United States, while Gan Youwei went to Guangzhou in his early years and learned cooking skills in Foshan, where he received the true teachings.

Later, due to various reasons, he could no longer stay in Guangzhou, so he took his son to the United States. Little did he know that one day he would return home in glory because of basketball.

On the way back, Gan Youwei looked nervous, excited, yet calm. When the familiar sea breeze caressed his face and he saw the shadowy silhouettes of islands on the horizon, tears streamed down his cheeks.

"It's nothing, I haven't had the sea breeze in a long time, it just got in my eyes," Gan Youwei explained to Gan Guoyang.

The islanders organized a welcoming party at the pier, but the scale of it... couldn't compare to the championship parade.

However, the people on the island still managed to put together a lion dance troupe and a large drum to try and make the welcoming scene as lively as possible.

The "thump, thump, thump" of the drums sounded particularly weak, yet also particularly warm, on the open and unobstructed island pier.

When Gan Guoyang smelled the sea and stepped onto the island, all those childhood memories deep in his mind surged up.

Gan Guoyang could call out the names of all the fellow clansmen who came up to greet him, a truly wonderful feeling.

When introducing Wang Fuxi, the islanders' praise was very direct: "American girls are so beautiful."

Unlike the commercial and social activities in the United States, everything here looks primitive and simple, with a hint of the sea.

Gan Guoyang felt inexplicably relaxed, while Wang Fuxi held his hand tightly, filled with curiosity about everything around him.

The first and biggest activity after returning to my hometown was, of course, to worship Mazu and my ancestors.

Gan Guoyang was included in the family genealogy and placed in the temple for people to worship because he became a "world-class celebrity".

Gan Guoyang is used to this; after all, he's already been worshipped as "Gan Zu" in the United States.

Gan Guoyang did not return empty-handed; he brought a sum of foreign exchange, enough to repair the island's primary school, improve the power equipment, and install a satellite TV receiving antenna.

He even bought an imported Sharp color TV in Guangzhou and placed it in the ancestral hall. Once the island gets a signal, everyone on the island will be able to watch Gan Guoyang play ball together with their ancestors in the ancestral hall.

Gan Guoyang spent the night with Gan Youwei on the island. The next day, Gan Youwei stayed on the island to continue eating and drinking and visiting each other's homes. Gan Guoyang and Wang Fuxi then took a boat to Guangzhou.

In Guangzhou, they hosted a special friend—Michael Jackson, who was in Hong Kong for an event and a performance tour.

As Jackson's fame grew worldwide, his private time became increasingly scarce.

Aside from calling Jackson once a month, Gan Guoyang had difficulty getting together with him during the season.

After all, Gan Guoyang himself is a very busy person, with matches and training back and forth, and he only has time for himself during the off-season.

Despite not having seen each other for so long, there was no awkwardness between them. Jackson practically jumped onto Gan Guoyang. He was so thin that Gan Guoyang could lift him up with ease, and Jackson was clearly very happy.

He congratulated Gan Guoyang on winning the 1987 championship and said, "I watched that chaotic battle live, and I was so excited that I sang and danced. I should write a song for you."

"Oh, if it sells well, remember to share some of the royalties with me~"

The two were joking around, but Wang Fuxi, a fan of Michael Jackson, didn't know how to interact with his idol and was too excited to speak.

“This is my wife, your biggest fan. She agreed to marry me because I have your phone number.”

"Don't talk nonsense. When we wrote those letters, you were also a big fan of Jackson, and meeting him in person felt like a dream..."

Gan Guoyang was one of the few friends Jackson had who shared similar temperaments and social standing, and who were not involved in any conflicts of interest with him, so Jackson valued this friendship highly.

Even though they can't see each other often for various reasons, they still keep in touch, and they can see each other's situation on television and in newspapers.

Led by a local guide, the three of them left Guangzhou by car and went to a rural area near ZS City.

They've spent too much time in big cities like New York, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles; they need to go to the countryside to breathe some fresh air.

Guangdong is very hot in the summer. In the 80s, it was one of the provinces that was developed early. However, the further away from the city, the more the local flavor is preserved.

Gan Guoyang loved the dazzling sunlight, the piercing chirping of cicadas, the cool breeze, and the endless green rice paddies, with the scent of soil and grass filling the air.

Wearing a white T-shirt and a straw hat, Jackson strolled through the fields, finding a rare sense of relaxation and respite in this foreign land.

Here, he wasn't a pop star, but an ordinary foreign tourist. Not many people recognized him, and he could wander freely.

He doesn't need too many people with him; he can chat with friends and fully unleash his curiosity, as he is curious about everything in rural China.

Gan Guoyang used the few remaining rural knowledge he had to answer Jackson's various questions. They didn't seem like big stars in the arts and sports, but rather two high school students conducting fieldwork.

They also took a boat ride together on the river. The river gave people a sense of peace and tranquility. The babbling water reflected the white clouds in the sky, and the flow of time seemed to slow down and stand still, and people relaxed as well.

“Sunny, I think China is better than America. I really want to live here.”

"Don't joke around, Michael. You're here as a tourist, which is different from living here."

Is there anything wrong with living here?

"Yes, for example, you can't buy records, and there are very few songs to listen to."

"Oh, that's a problem. Maybe you could go into the record business; it's very promising."

"Michael, I play basketball, I don't sell records."

"But if you sell coffins, why can't you sell records?"

"..."

Jackson knew that Gan Guoyang had invested in the funeral home, and he often joked on the phone that Gan was selling coffins.

The group had lunch at a hot spring resort hotel in ZS City, where they met some American tourists. The tourists were so surprised to see Jackson and Gan Guoyang that they were speechless and excitedly took photos with them.

In the afternoon, they went to Cuiheng Village in Nanlang Town, the birthplace of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, where they met many children in the village and also visited an elderly person living alone.

Before nightfall, they took a car back to Guangzhou. On the way, Wang Fuxi was so tired that she fell asleep in Gan Guoyang's arms.

Meanwhile, Gan Guoyang and Jackson, two energetic men, remained radiant and kept whispering to each other in the car.

They talked about a lot of things, but not about music and basketball. They occasionally need to step away from the world of music and basketball to relax.

Due to scheduling issues, they had to say goodbye after arriving in Guangzhou, as Jackson was returning to Hong Kong.

As they parted, Jackson suddenly hummed a short tune to Gan Guoyang and said, "This is a song I came up with for you on the way here. I'll put it on my new album as a special single. Let's think of a name for this song, Sonny, so I can write the lyrics."

He couldn't leave music behind after all, and he wanted to compose a song for Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang thought for a moment and said, "Let's call it Three-Peat."

Three-Peat, meaning a three-peat, and Forrest Gump was inseparable from basketball.

(End of this chapter)