The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 695 Longing
A gasp of amazement filled Avia's office park as a giant yellow five-pointed star burst into the sky.

As the grand fireworks display came to an end, people turned their attention back to food, music, and conversation.

Avia's owner, Jerry Stubbfield, warmly embraced Gan Guoyang, saying it was the most beautiful and grandest fireworks show he had ever seen.

"Most importantly, our fireworks are more luxurious and more beautiful than Nike's. There's nothing more exciting than that."

Avia's campus and Nike's campus are not far apart.

In the 80s, Avia only had an ordinary office building.

By the 90s, in less than 10 years, they had become a rival to Nike.

Although they are still no match for Nike in product marketing in North America, there's nothing they can do; they have Forrest Gump.

As Gan Guoyang secured his second three-peat, Avia's reputation in the sporting goods industry also reached its peak.

They timely launched the Skyscraper Six-Star Commemorative Edition and pioneered the addition of Cantilever suspension technology, making it the best-selling and hottest shoe of 1992.

Nike also launched a new Air-Jordan this year, which uses Huarache technology to make the shoe fit the user's foot better and be more comfortable. It is also an excellent basketball shoe.

However, because Jordan and the Bulls lost to Forrest Gump and the Trail Blazers in the Finals, the AJ7 generation fell behind the Skyscraper 6-star model in both sales and influence.

Avia has grown from a small regional company that relied on unique technologies to produce niche shoe models into a giant in the North American sporting goods industry, rivaling Nike and Adidas and leaving brands like Converse and Reebok behind.

Having a technical background, Stabfield certainly knew why they had achieved their current scale. During the banquet, he stayed close to Forrest Gump like a little brother, afraid that there might be something at the banquet that would displease Forrest Gump.

During this Olympics, Avia seized the opportunity to sign endorsement agreements with several national Olympic teams for jerseys, shoes, and sports jackets, including the Chinese team.

Avia originally had the opportunity to become the equipment ambassador for the US Dream Team, but at the crucial moment, Stubbfield chose to give it up, handing the opportunity over to Nike.

The reason is simple: Stabfeld believes that since they already have Forrest Gump, they should fully support the Chinese team and focus on developing new markets in Asia, rather than continuing their endless battle with Nike in the North American market.

This has been a key strategy for Avia for a long time. They have been engaging in limited competition and appropriate cooperation with Nike, focusing more on the global market and expanding into untapped markets such as Asia, South America, and Australia.

Both companies are based in Portland and are secretly competing with each other, but on the surface they are at peace and even often cooperate on development projects and organize joint events.

After giving up the Dream Team endorsement to Nike, Avia's acquisition of the Chinese team's equipment endorsement essentially means that she will become the number one behemoth in the future Chinese sports market.

Nike, which had initially planned to enter the Chinese market earlier and led Avia into China, saw that due to Forrest Gump, it was no longer possible to compete with Avia in the Chinese market. Therefore, it chose to take a step back and continue to cooperate with Avia in Asia.

The entire Chinese national men's basketball team attended the banquet tonight. However, they seemed a bit reserved and unaccustomed to this American-style buffet dinner. Everyone stayed in a large temporary tent, where there were many ribs, seafood, fruits, cream cakes, and some Chinese food, such as steamed buns, twisted rolls, and roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), all specially prepared for the Chinese team players.

Gan Guoyang, along with Stabfield and team general manager Jerry West, went to the Sky Dome to have a drink with everyone.

Stabfeld is passionate about Chinese players and believes there is a future star among them who can help him become Avia's number one spokesperson in China.

Jerry West recently observed the Chinese national team's training session. On one hand, he wanted to keep an eye on Agan's condition and prevent him from getting injured. On the other hand, he wanted to see if any Chinese players were qualified to enter the NBA.

Tang Jianguo gave West a task, hoping he could bring another Chinese player to the Trail Blazers to further solidify the partnership between Agan and the Trail Blazers.

Unlike the Americans who are full of ulterior motives, the young men on the national team in 1992 were very pure in character.

They've been in the US for two weeks now, and like their predecessors in 1985, they've truly had their eyes opened.

The developed urban construction, the beautiful lake and mountain parks, and the advanced sports facilities all made them realize that "capitalism does have something worth learning" and why the country should open up and develop a market economy.

Of course, despite their feelings, these young people are mainly focused on basketball. Being able to train in the United States, especially with Gan Guoyang, is a rare and valuable learning opportunity.

Gan Guoyang provided ample resources, allowing the Chinese men's basketball team to receive the best training methods, advanced medical rehabilitation, and cutting-edge video and data analysis in the basketball world, helping the national team make a final sprint before the Olympics.

When the men's basketball team went to the United States for training, Coach Qian Chenghai was invited to visit and train with them. Gan Guoyang was the first to come over and have a drink with him.

With a broad smile, Qian Chenghai grasped Gan Guoyang's hand tightly and said, "You really went to great lengths tonight. You've made sure everyone eats so well. How will we all get used to the cafeteria food when we go back to training?"

Gan Guoyang laughed and said, "It's all Avia Company's money. I don't know how much money I make for them every year. This meal is just a drop in the ocean. By the way, everyone's been eating a bit monotonously lately. Tonight is a good time to whet our appetites and eat to our hearts' content."

The primary goal of this training trip to the United States is to improve the Chinese players' physical strength. Although the time is relatively short, even last-minute preparation can be effective, and every bit of improvement is worthwhile.

During the joint training period, Gan Guoyang felt that the main gap between Chinese players and the world's advanced level was not in technique or tactics, but mainly in physical fitness.

This group of young men on the men's basketball team are already among the best players in the country, with top-notch talent among Chinese people. Their height, wingspan, and agility are all excellent.

Moreover, the team's new coach, Jiang Xingquan, has established a strict training standard of "three from one big" (referring to strict discipline, ...

However, due to the national conditions in the 60s and 70s, these players generally did not have adequate nutrition during their adolescence, and their foundation was not as good as that of European and American players who had access to a rich diet of meat, eggs, and dairy.

After becoming an athlete, I ate a lot and trained a lot, but the food wasn't particularly good. After all, at that time, sports nutrition was still a niche subject in China, and not many people really paid attention to it.

In fact, for high-level athletes to improve their physical fitness, diet is just as important as training. A reasonable nutritional structure and a high intake of quality protein and energy are essential to ensure that athletes have sufficient physical strength and power.

Gan Guoyang has always had a training and diet plan that suits the physique of Asians, and this time he used it without reservation in the training of the national team players to help them recover their physical fitness and build enough muscle.

Such a diet is rather monotonous and doesn't taste very good. Eating a lot every day and training is quite tough, so tonight's buffet is a good way to whet everyone's appetite.

Hu Weidong had already eaten seven or eight king crab legs. The tender and juicy crab meat dipped in the specially prepared sauce was simply irresistible.

So when Jerry West came over to toast him, he didn't react for a moment, hurriedly wiping his mouth and hands, picked up his glass, clinked glasses, and drank it all in one gulp.

"King crabs caught from Alaska have excellent meat. When I was young, I could eat two or three in one meal, but eating too many is not good," West said to Hu Weidong.

Hu Weidong only half understood what he was saying. His English had improved somewhat since arriving in the United States, but he still had many difficulties communicating normally. "Hey, Lao Song, Lao Song! Come here and translate for me!" Hu Weidong called to Song Tao, who was not far away, to come and act as his translator.

Song Tao played a full season with the Trail Blazers, but he didn't achieve much and eventually retired from basketball due to injuries.

But he still managed to win a championship ring, broaden his horizons, and even learn to speak fluent English.

He came to the United States as the national team's translator to help the players communicate and live here.

Of the 12 players on the national team, West is most interested in Hu Weidong.

This young man from Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, is only 21 years old and is the youngest player in the national team.

Youth represents talent and potential.

West had watched the Chinese national team train, and the only one who could truly be called exceptionally talented and meet the standards of an American player was this young man number 8.

Other Chinese players are either too old and lack potential for further development.

Either their physical abilities are significantly inferior to those of American players, making them unable to withstand the physical demands of high-level matches.

Hu Weidong is undoubtedly a top talent, and it's no wonder he was selected for the national team at just 21 years old; his talent is undeniable.

After some conversation, West found that Hu Weidong was similar to other Chinese players he had met, with a very simple and straightforward nature.

I don't have any complicated thoughts in my mind. I just want to join the national team, play well, and take it one step at a time. I don't have a very clear plan for the future.

Because at that time, Chinese sports were still a state-run system without marketization. Players were selected layer by layer, and they followed the instructions of the state, without much room for personal will.

This is especially true for young players like Hu Weidong, who are full of patriotic enthusiasm. Although there is a shining superstar on the other side of the ocean, to be honest, Gan Guoyang is too far removed from them.

Before this training camp, Hu Weidong and other young people were hoping to test their abilities and compete with Forrest Gump in training.

Once training actually began, in just one morning, they realized the gap was enormous, beyond imagination.

In Hu Weidong's words in an interview many years later, "After training for a while, when he stood there, you had absolutely no idea to rush in and attack, not even a little bit. Going in would just result in a block. And on offense, he played very easily. Even with three or four people surrounding him, he could still get the ball in. At that time, we thought, what's the point of playing in the NBA? Forget about it. If Lao Song can't play, we can't play either."

So, Hu Weidong didn't realize at first that Jerry West was interested in him and was subtly probing him in his words to see if he wanted to come to Portland to play.

After West left to chat with others, Song Tao said to Hu Weidong, "Little Hu, didn't you realize that they want you to play for the Trail Blazers?"

Hu Weidong said, "What are you listening to? I don't understand it anyway. Did you translate it all? Did you even translate it properly?"

Song Tao said, "I translated it, but you didn't understand? They were asking you how you felt in Portland, whether you liked it here, and what your plans were for the future... Isn't that just testing you to see if you're coming to play basketball in the US?"

Hu Weidong picked up another king crab leg and said nonchalantly, "Tell me, how does it feel to play basketball in the US? With my physique, can I handle it?"

“I may not be able to, but you might be. Look at Lao Gan.”

"Stop, stop! Is Lao Gan's body even human? Out of a billion Chinese, only one like him has emerged. I can't do that."

"What if you have the chance? You really won't come?"

When Song Tao asked this question, Hu Weidong did not give a direct answer.

It would be a lie to say he didn't want to. Hu Weidong still remembers that when he first joined the Jiangsu Men's Basketball Youth Team in 1985, he was already invincible in Jiangsu. Even adult players who were several years older than him, in their 19s and 20s, were not necessarily his match.

That summer, during the NBA China Tour, the Trail Blazers and several other teams came to China for exhibition games, one of which was held in Shanghai between the Trail Blazers and the Celtics.

Hu Weidong accompanied the Jiangsu team to Shanghai to watch the game live. It was his first time experiencing the highest level of competition in world basketball up close, and he was deeply impressed.

What shocked him even more was the outstanding performance of player number 11, Gan Guoyang, who could fly and leap across the field, holding his own against everyone else.

That year, Hu Weidong was only 15 years old, and Gan Guoyang was 21. Hu Weidong understood what it meant to be out of reach and to be out of talent.

Later, the connection between the NBA and China became closer and closer. The annual summer tour to China, as well as the recording and live broadcast of the games, have become a part of people's lives and a window for Chinese people to understand the world at that time.

In the hearts of this group of young Chinese players, Gan Guoyang is a god-like figure. On his first day in Portland, everyone was cautious and nervous.

After two weeks of getting to know each other, Gan Guoyang went from being a god to a human being, but in the hearts of the young players, his image became more real and admirable, and everyone affectionately called him "Old Gan".

Hu Weidong said, "If Lao Gan wants me to help him win the championship, I will come."

Song Tao laughed: "Don't tease me. If Lao Gan wins the championship, why would he need you? You're just like me, getting a championship to experience it is good enough."

Song Tao's smile carried a hint of bitterness. He wanted to help Gan Guoyang and the Pioneers, and even more so, he wanted to contribute to the country.

But injuries are a formidable foe. In reality, given his physical condition, if he were to continue playing in the NBA, it would be difficult for him to maintain his position without injury.

Only after experiencing a full NBA season can one truly understand why basketball players who can survive in the NBA are all superhuman.

With that level of intensity and fatigue, a player with slightly less talent would likely be worn out after just one season.

Players like Jordan, Gan Guoyang, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Johnson, who have consistently been at the top, have physical attributes far exceeding those of ordinary athletes, even disregarding their skills.

Hu Weidong's understanding of this was not yet profound, but after Song Tao's explanation, he was already beginning to envision his future in NBA games.

(End of this chapter)