The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 699 Completely Different
On July 16, Gan Guoyang and the national team members flew back to the capital.

The capital city in 1992 had undergone significant changes in its urban landscape compared to the 80s.

With the country's overall opening up and the development of the market economy, more and more new things are appearing in people's daily lives.

On April 23 of that year, Beijing's first McDonald's opened on Wangfujing Street. It had more than 700 seats and 29 cashiers. On its first day of operation, it attracted more than 40,000 customers and was the largest McDonald's restaurant in Asia.

At the time, the Chinese public did not understand that McDonald's was just a fast food restaurant in the United States, equivalent to a boxed lunch in China.

Americans operate fast food restaurants with large capital investment, and Western fast food quickly became a novelty in the lives of urban residents in China, making eating McDonald's a fashionable thing.

McDonald's once invited Gan Guoyang to be its spokesperson in China. If Gan Guoyang were there, McDonald's influence in China would be even greater.

In the United States, many basketball stars are brand ambassadors for McDonald's, and McDonald's has invested in and sponsored a wide variety of basketball games.

However, Gan Guoyang declined the lucrative contract because he didn't want to be a "clown" and he didn't need to rely on Western fast food to increase his fame in China.

Gan Guoyang is very cautious and selective when choosing brand ambassadors in China, as he knows what his image means.

Upon returning to China to represent the men's basketball team at the Olympics, Gan Guoyang received high attention from the leadership.

In 1988, the Chinese team encountered some setbacks in South Korea, winning only 5 gold medals, a significant decline compared to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Under the guidance of the "gold medal strategy" at the time, this decline was a strategic failure. By the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the entire sports world was hoping to make a comeback.

Men's basketball has no hope of winning a medal, and even if they do, it's only one medal. But team sports are extremely important.

Gan Guoyang's immense prestige made him a key figure in the entire Chinese Olympic delegation.

On July 17th, a group of Olympic athletes, represented by Gan Guoyang, received a meeting with the highest level of protocol.

At the Great Hall of the People, Gan Guoyang shook hands warmly with the short designer. The designer, speaking in a thick Sichuan accent, said to Gan Guoyang, "Your fist is bigger than Ali's! Think about a boxing match; I think you have a good chance of winning a gold medal!"

More than a decade ago, in 1979, when the country had just begun its reform and opening up, Muhammad Ali, the famous boxing champion, visited Beijing.

His arrival marks a new direction in Sino-US relations and is also a landmark event in the development and opening up of Chinese sports.

In 1985, before Gan Guoyang and the NBA team's China tour, Ali came to China again to participate in boxing promotion activities, at a time when China was making every effort to open up.

The meeting ended in the morning, and in the afternoon Gan Guoyang participated in an event at the Beijing Workers' Stadium, playing an exhibition match in front of tens of thousands of people. After the match, he signed autographs and took photos with fans, staying up until the evening.

Finally, under the cover of night, Gan Guoyang and the members of the Olympic team boarded a plane, leaving the capital and flying to Barcelona, ​​Spain, thousands of miles away, to begin their Olympic journey.

The delegation arrived in Barcelona in batches. The men's basketball team was in the first batch, arriving at their destination on the 18th. The first problem they faced was accommodation.

The athletes were all assigned to the Olympic Village. Each person received a badge from the Olympic Committee and wore an identification tag around their neck, which allowed them to freely enter and exit various areas of the Olympic Village.

Gan Guoyang originally planned to live in the dormitory with his teammates. He didn't want to be treated specially and hoped to be a part of the team.

But as soon as he got off the bus, Gan Guoyang knew that this wish was basically impossible to fulfill.

Before Gan Guoyang and the men's basketball team arrived at the Olympic Village, the US men's basketball team had already arrived and was registering with the organizing committee.

At the scene, IOC officials, staff, and security personnel forgot their duties and rushed forward to be the first to see it.

"Michael!"

"Larry! Larry!"

"Magic! Look here!"

People cheered for the three superstars Bird, Johnson, and Jordan.

The three of them were as popular here as the Beatles.

However, when Gan Guoyang arrived with the team, it was as if John Lennon had arrived, and the Beatles were finally reunited.

The situation at the scene became chaotic, and the registration work could not continue.

Some athletes even squeezed over to ask Gan Guoyang for his autograph.

There was no other way, so Gan Guoyang discussed it with Zhang Yipei, the leader of the delegation, and he decided not to stay in the Olympic Village.

Zhang Yipei said, "You should stay in a hotel. If you stay in the Olympic Village, you probably won't get a good night's sleep."

Gan Guoyang said, "It's not appropriate for me to stay in a hotel alone. Why don't we have the men's basketball team stay in the hotel with me?"

Zhang Yipei shook his head and said, "The hotel can't possibly have that many empty rooms. Your room will have to be borrowed from the US organizing committee. And we have to consider transportation. If you go, they can protect you and take you back and forth. We men's basketball players don't get that kind of treatment."

USA Basketball had already decided to have the Dream Team stay in a hotel far from the Olympic Village and had booked the rooms well in advance.

The NBA has deployed a professional security team to ensure the safety and travel arrangements of its players.

These players are valuable assets to the NBA, and any accident that occurs during the Olympics would be a major loss for the league.

If a terrorist attack were to occur, like the Munich massacre of 1972, and all these NBA superstars were wiped out, the NBA season would be doomed.

Therefore, Gan Guoyang didn't even need to apply himself. NBA security director Horace Ballmer took the initiative to approach him, saying that he had reserved a room for Gan's family and hoped that he could stay with the Dream Team.

Gan Guoyang joked, "Then can I participate in your training?"

Ballmer said, "If you're willing to play for Team USA, it shouldn't be a problem."

Considering his own and his family's safety, Gan Guoyang had to temporarily separate from the Chinese team and boarded a bus with the Dream Team to the hotel.

With this experience, Gan Guoyang will prepare hotel rooms in advance for the next Olympics so that the men's basketball team can stay with him.

Of course, it was also a great feeling to stay in the same hotel with old acquaintances and friends this time.

As soon as Gan Guoyang boarded the bus, the Dream Team members started to jeer.

"Oh! Look who's here! A player from the Chinese team!"

"What are you wearing? Why don't you change into our Stars and Stripes uniform!"

"Sonny, join us! Join us!"

"Our head chef has arrived! I've been waiting for him for so long!"

No matter how fierce the competition is in the league, over the years, everyone has become very familiar with each other.

Bird, Johnson, and Jordan recalled years later, "When Sonny got into our car, everyone was happy and excited. It felt like we were finally complete."

“Although Sonny is not American, he is a part of the NBA, a very, very important part, and we are really happy that he came.”

“We trained and competed together for a long time during the 1984 Olympics, and then we lived together again in 1992. It’s a really wonderful feeling.”

Gan Guoyang also felt a sense of relaxation, as if he were returning to his old circle of friends.

He has to stay focused on the game for the Chinese men's basketball team and the national team. There's no way around it; he's the focus, the core player, and a senior figure.

Every word and action has profound significance, and one must always be mindful of one's image.

When they arrived at the Dream Team, they felt completely at ease interacting with their former defeated opponents.

Gan Guoyang sat down next to Stockton and asked him about the recovery of his leg bone.

"It's all set, I'm ready to go on."

Stockton was happy that he hadn't missed the Olympics.

The Dream Team's bus was under full security on its way to the hotel.

A fully armed convoy led the way, with helicopters providing full escort from the air. Secret Service agents were mixed among the crowds lining the streets to prevent any unforeseen incidents.

The scale and level of security detail reveal both the immense commercial value and influence of NBA stars, and also demonstrate how many enemies the United States has made around the world.

The Dream Team stayed at the Ambassador Hotel in Barcelona, ​​a four-star hotel with 98 rooms, 80 of which were occupied by Americans.

After the Dream Team arrived at the hotel, ordinary fans and general travelers were prohibited from entering; the place was reserved by the domineering Americans.

Gan Guoyang, along with Wang Fuxi, their two children, his parents-in-law, Gan Youwei, and bodyguards, lived in four rooms.

It must be said that the NBA was well-prepared and made very proper arrangements in all aspects, doing a good job of preparing for the players and their families.

Many of the star athletes brought their families to this Olympics. Stockton, for example, brought his wife, children, parents, in-laws, and siblings.

Drexler, Johnson, Bird, and others all came in large groups, while the only lone figure was Charles Barkley.

Because of a conflict with his wife, he came to Barcelona alone, without his family, without bringing his mother or grandmother.

That's why Barkley was the most unruly and headstrong member of the entire Dream Team, and no one could control him.

During his previous training in Monte Carlo, Barkley gambled heavily, ate and drank excessively, and frequently made outrageous remarks in the media.

He told reporters, "I'm retiring after the Olympics. We were playing by the pool today, and there were naked girls everywhere! I want to be like Mark Spitz; as long as there are naked girls, I'll stay in the pool!"

Besides Barkley, Carl Lewis of the US track and field team, like Barkley, likes to make outrageous remarks in the media, commenting on this and that.

Their words and actions drew criticism from Mike Moran, the U.S. Olympic Committee's public relations director, who warned the two to stop spouting nonsense.

Barkley strongly objected, saying that the IOC officials were jealous and couldn't stand seeing the Dream Team receiving so much attention.

During training, Barkley dominated Karl Malone, fully showcasing his talent and skill.

Barkley mocked the Southern boy, "You think you can replace Sonny just by wearing the number 11 jersey? John won't agree."

Ma Long is wearing jersey number 11 for the Dream Team this time, the same as Gan Guoyang.

Barkley is really good at sowing discord, making Stockton and Malone very uncomfortable.

Upon arriving at the Ambassador Hotel, those with families will definitely stay at the hotel to spend time with their loved ones.

They can't go out easily because it's too much trouble; the outside is packed with football fans, like zombies.

Barkley, however, did not have this problem. He said he couldn't stay in the hotel forever and needed to go out.

The hotel rooms were small and the facilities were not very luxurious, much worse than those of luxury hotels in the United States.

Europe is like that, unlike the United States and later China, which have vast land areas and therefore large and spacious buildings.

Land here is incredibly valuable, and the rooms are very small. With the extra-long bed added, they become even smaller. You could say there's nothing there except the bed.

The building isn't very tall, and the soundproofing is so-so that people can hear noises from upstairs and downstairs from their own rooms.

After settling everyone in, we all knew we had been up all day and it was time for everyone to rest.

If you want to have fun, you still have almost a week to enjoy yourself and relax.

Just then, Gan Guoyang heard a commotion downstairs, and he guessed that Barkley must have gone out.

Looking out the window, sure enough, Barkley had left the hotel with a group of people, and they were off having fun somewhere.

Gan Guoyang would play cards, gamble, and chat with Jordan, Ewing, Johnson, and others in the room.

This scene reminded Gan Guoyang of his experience as a sparring partner for the Olympic team in 1984, eight years ago.

They have grown from fresh-faced college graduates into basketball superstars with families and capable of standing on their own.

When it was time to go to bed that night, there was a sudden commotion upstairs, followed by a noisy and chaotic sound.

Gan Guoyang and Wang Fuxi both woke up with a start. Gan Guoyang heard the guards' voices, their heavy footsteps, and the sound of guns scraping against each other.

Gan Guoyang asked Wang Fuxi to look after the child, and asked Quentin and Feng Peiyu from next door to stand guard at the door while he went out to see what was going on.

To be honest, athletes from the United States and Israel are more or less apprehensive when they come out to compete.

Gan Guoyang was starting to regret living with the Americans; he was worried that if something really happened, he might end up covered in blood.

When Gan Guoyang learned what had happened, he was both amused and exasperated.

It turned out that after the Stocktons arrived at their room, they took out their spare clothes and rinsed them in the sink.

Stockton, that stingy old man, refused to send his clothes to the hotel's laundry and dryer because the cost wasn't reimbursed and he had to pay for it himself.

Fortunately, his wife Nada had brought a clothesline with her. She climbed out of the window, onto a small platform between the buildings, hung the clothesline, and started drying the clothes.

As a result, the Drexler family, who lived next door, heard rustling sounds coming from the platform and immediately reported it to the security guards, fearing that thieves or even criminals might be breaking in.

So, a group of fully armed special police officers surrounded Nada, who was hanging clothes to dry, with guns at the ready. After figuring out what was going on, they realized it was a misunderstanding and a false alarm.

Gan Guoyang was utterly speechless at Stockton, and at Nada as well. These two were truly not of the same ilk. You stay in a luxury hotel but you still do your laundry and hang it out to dry.
"John, couldn't you have just sent the clothes to the logistics department to be washed and dried? You...you even brought a clothesline!"

Stockton chuckled and said, "Nada wanted to bring them, but I think... I think this is more economical. The clothes will dry in the sun tomorrow, and it'll even disinfect them..."

"Is this a disinfection issue? You... never mind, how about I pay for your laundry?"

"Oh no, no, Sonny, let us hang the clothes out to dry, otherwise this rope will be wasted."

Gan Guoyang knew that Stockton wasn't short of money at all; he just enjoyed being stingy.

Living with the Dream Team is really a chaotic mess, with everyone having completely different tempers and personalities.

(End of this chapter)