The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 470 Master

Chapter 470 Master
Jordan noticed the interesting ball sport of table tennis as early as 1984 when he first entered the NBA.

Jordan is a competitive person. He will find all sorts of ways to defeat those around him in various sports and events in order to satisfy his abnormal desire to win.

Playing cards, golf, bowling, and then table tennis.

Lacey Banks, the Bulls' beat reporter, was the one who frequently played ping-pong with Jordan.

At first, Jordan and Banks were just playing around, with Banks letting Jordan win a few games.

Jordan started mocking Banks, saying, "You're not very good at ping-pong."

As a reporter covering the team, Banks wouldn't take Jordan too seriously.

But then, as usual, Jordan started gambling with ping-pong balls, saying it would cost $25 per game.

Banks got serious this time and beat Jordan in seven straight games, with Jordan losing to Banks for over $100.

But Jordan refused to pay, saying he'd put it on the tab and we could offset it during future games, settling the bill at the end.

As a result, Jordan never gave Banks any of that money.

Then he secretly bought a ping-pong table and put it at home to practice every day. After his skill improved, he found an opportunity to play with Banks and won back all the money he had lost before.

After that, whenever they had time, they would play table tennis in the gymnasium.

Sometimes it's just the two of them, sometimes there are spectators. When there are spectators, Jordan's competitive spirit is particularly strong, and he talks trash while playing.

Because of Jordan's athletic talent, coupled with his secret training, Banks quickly became no match for Jordan.

This time, Jordan didn't keep the winnings in the books; he wanted cash instead. This left Banks without money to pay his parking fee, forcing him to borrow the money and pay Jordan back later.

Banks' table tennis skills seem decent, and Jordan, through special training, believes his table tennis skills are among the best in basketball.

So, for this brand event, this guy really wanted to mess with Gan Guoyang and deflate his ego.

In the 80s, China's table tennis level was among the best in the world, but it had not yet reached a dominant level.

Especially with the rise of European players in the late 80s, Chinese table tennis experienced a brief period of decline.

Regardless, China is a table tennis nation, and the whole country is very passionate about table tennis.

The level of Chinese table tennis is like that of American basketball; you can pick a few players from any park or stadium and they can all score a couple of points, with many amateur masters among them.

Jordan is clearly ignorant and doesn't know that Chinese table tennis is very famous.

After he issued the challenge, David Falk told him, "China is the country of table tennis. Do you think Forrest Gump is bad at table tennis?"

"What? China is the country of table tennis? I thought the best table tennis players were Europeans."

"Europe is also very strong, but almost everyone in China can play table tennis. I think we should cancel the table tennis segment this time."

Jordan shook his head repeatedly. How could he cancel the challenge he had issued? Forrest Gump would laugh him to death if he did.

Falk could only sigh and say, "Between being laughed to death by Forrest Gump and being beaten to death by Forrest Gump, there is only one choice."

"You're too pessimistic. Forrest Gump is a basketball player, after all. I've hardly ever seen him play ping-pong. We've known each other for so long, and he's never played ping-pong with me even once."

"He probably thinks you're too bad."

Regardless of what Falk said, Jordan was unwilling to cancel the table tennis segment; he would rather lose than back down.

Besides, he didn't think he would necessarily lose, after all, he had been playing table tennis for many years and considered himself to have a certain level of skill.

However, Jordan was unaware that due to his heart condition, table tennis was one of the few sports that Gan Guoyang could participate in back then.

Also due to heart problems, Gan Guoyang tries to keep his movements small and reduce the number of shots when playing to minimize his exercise.

Therefore, he uses a penhold grip with long pips and a playing style that doesn't involve stepping back from the table.

The outcome will be decided within three rounds; it won't drag on to the fourth.

In middle school and university, Gan Guoyang participated in the school's table tennis team, but due to heart problems, he could not participate in competitions. He would practice occasionally as a hobby.

In the coach's words, Gan Guoyang's use of a wheelchair doesn't affect his ability to play table tennis; that's how laid-back he is.

Upon arriving in this time and space, Gan Guoyang hadn't lost his table tennis skills; he just usually played basketball and rarely played table tennis.

Now that he has long arms and legs and is tall, this wheelchair fighting style is more suitable for him.

The following morning, Jordan met with Gan Guoyang at the Chicago Youth Sports Center, where a large number of reporters and fans gathered.

Jordan was wearing a leather jacket and sunglasses, looking very cool.

Gan Guoyang held Jordan's hand and said, "Why are you wearing sunglasses in the dead of winter? Are you afraid of getting burned by the sun?"

Jordan took off his sunglasses and said, "I'm going to teach you a lesson today. I challenge you to a game of ping-pong!"

Gan Guoyang chuckled inwardly, but pretended to be a bit inexperienced in fighting, saying, "Michael, you have to go easy on me, I'm not very good at fighting."

Hearing Gan Guoyang's words, Jordan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Isn't China a table tennis powerhouse? You don't even know how to play table tennis?"

Gan Guoyang said, "The United States is a basketball nation, but not every American can play basketball, right?" Jordan thought Gan Guoyang made a lot of sense, and he was relieved for the time being.

The event went very smoothly; it was a showcase of new products from Nike and Avia.

Nike and Avia gradually discovered that linking Forrest Gump and Michael Jordan together often resulted in a significantly enhanced marketing effect.

Jordan is a superstar with immense popularity, but he has yet to win an NBA championship.

Forrest Gump already has two championships, but he is a foreigner.

When the two are together, they can bring together all the elements.

After the concept of "Gan vs. Joe" was proposed in 1984, as the two became increasingly rivals in the league and quickly widened the gap with others, the attention they received when they were together increased exponentially.

Jordan's performance this season is even better than last season.

35分5.5篮板6助攻，3.5抢断和1.6盖帽的数据，只能体现他作用的一部分。

With the Bulls' improved record, Jordan has been put in the discussion for the regular season MVP.

Gan Guoyang's performance on the field this season has not been as dazzling as last season due to various factors.

Of course, only players who have played against Gan Guoyang know that Gan is stronger now; he's just saving his energy for the playoffs.

At the event, both of them were exemplary role models, diligently showcasing their company's sports equipment to the public, running, dribbling, and dunking on the court.

The advertising effect of the two individuals enabled Avia and Nike to quickly grow into giants in the North American sportswear brand market.

As the court demonstration came to an end, the two, surrounded by a large crowd, headed towards the table tennis courts in the stadium.

In the hands of a basketball player, a ping-pong paddle looks rather miniature.

Jordan found a suitable racket, swung it a couple of times, let out a long sigh, and chose one side of the table.

However, when he saw Gan Guoyang take out his own racket from a special case, he felt that things were not so simple.

"Hey! Sonny! Why did you bring your own racket?"

"Oh, I was worried I wouldn't be used to the rackets here, so I just bought one yesterday."

Didn't you say you couldn't play ping pong?

"I said I'm not very good at playing, not that I can't play. My skill level is just average in our country. Don't worry, I don't even have footwork."

Jordan swallowed hard, thinking, "No footwork? As if I do."

Although Jordan secretly trained at home, it was just about playing more games; he didn't receive any professional coaching guidance.

Judging from Forrest Gump's tone, he seems to know quite a bit.
With countless eyes watching, Jordan certainly can't back down and say he's not playing anymore.

Fortunately, Nike was quite experienced; before entering the table tennis room, they confiscated all the reporters' cameras and video cameras, prohibiting them from taking photos or videos.

Nike stated that this was a private activity between the two individuals, a friendly gathering, and not an official event, therefore photos were not allowed.

"I'll serve first! Let's just play for fun." Gan Guoyang picked up a ball, indicating that he would serve first.

Jordan agreed, and he stood in front of the stage, ready.

Gan Guoyang served the ball, which wasn't very fast, and Jordan reached out to receive it.

"Thud!" The ball went out of bounds.

Jordan was completely confused. How did it go out of bounds?
Did I hit it onto the table?

"1-0, the second goal!"

Gan Guoyang picked up the ball and served the second ball.

The ball wasn't moving fast enough, Jordan caught it again, "Whack!"

The ball hit the net this time, and it didn't go over.

Damn it!
Jordan wondered, "What's going on? How come I can't even catch the ball?"

Did Forrest Gump cast a spell on the ball?

The third ball has arrived, and Jordan tries to smash it with all his might.