The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 89 Invitation

After reaching a cooperation agreement, Fleischer seemed afraid that Gan Guoyang would be snatched away by another agent, so he immediately took out the contract from his briefcase and handed it to Gan Guoyang to review.

Gan Guoyang carefully reviewed the contract and discussed and negotiated with Fleischer on some key terms, such as the term and profit-sharing ratio.

Fleischer was amazed by Gan Guoyang's meticulousness, comparing him to Bill Bradley—who had gone into politics after retiring from sports.

After confirming all the terms, Gan Guoyang signed his name with the principal's pen.

The principal even arranged for someone to take a commemorative photo, which will be kept in the school's history museum as a testament to Gan Guoyang's departure from Gonzaga and his official embarkation on his professional football career.

Fleischer told Gan Guoyang that the NBA will hold a draft lottery in May, at which time the number one pick will be decided.

Now that the regular season has ended, the draft order will be determined based on the teams' records.

What are your thoughts on your draft position?

"The top three, anyone who doesn't choose me is a fool, just wait and you'll regret it."

"You're quite modest; you didn't say you were definitely the first choice."

Gan Guoyang thought to himself, if history hadn't been changed, the Houston Rockets would have been the first pick in the draft.

Yao Ming's experience made Gan Guoyang not have much affection for the Rockets.

And he had just defeated the Cougars in the NCAA finals, so the people of Houston hate him.

If they still get the number one pick, the Rockets will most likely select Hakeem Olajuwon from the University of Houston.

After all, he was a true Houston kid. Hakeem Olajuwon also performed exceptionally well in the Finals. He was the only player who put immense pressure on Gan Guoyang.

The other two teams in the top three are the Portland Trail Blazers and the Chicago Bulls.

The Trail Blazers are an attractive option because Wang Fuxi is at the University of Portland.

Not having to be in a long-distance relationship is good, but that's not Gan Guoyang's primary consideration.

Gan Guoyang was wary of Portland's infamous reputation as a graveyard for centers. Although he was in excellent physical condition, there were some things he couldn't afford to ignore.

As for the Chicago Bulls, Gan Guoyang thought of that person, the one he had always wanted to face off against and compete with.

History could change drastically here.

Everything will be revealed after the draw and the draft begins.

Gan Guoyang mostly adopted an indifferent attitude. Since he had already entered the game, there was no need to overthink it. The right thing to do was to follow his own path.

Fleischer did not stay in Spokane; he was too busy with work to stay in New York.

He arranged a schedule for Gan Guoyang, including organizing a press conference for him before the talent show.

Then he asked Gan Guoyang to participate in some professional training camps or rookie tournaments in May or June. There are many such training camps and competitions in Utah, California, and Oregon.

After the press conference, Fleischer will carefully select one or two opportunities for Gan Guoyang to showcase his abilities and further improve his skills.

Gan Guoyang originally wanted to let Fleischer meet Stockton, believing that Stockton was definitely worth signing and that he would be a good player in the future.

But Fleischer was too busy, and after explaining these matters and leaving the phone number of his New York office, he left in a hurry.

A few days later, in May, on a Saturday, Gan Guoyang visited Stockton's home.

During his two years studying in Gonzaga, Gan Guoyang often went to Stockton's house for meals.

He would occasionally show off his culinary skills, always leaving the Stockton family in awe. Jack often said that if Forrest Gump had that kind of cooking ability, he could have opened a restaurant instead of playing basketball and it would have been incredibly successful.

When Stockton's mother came over that day, she was painting the kitchen. Gan Guoyang, who was tall and had long arms, came over to help and finished the work in no time.

Stockton's girlfriend, Nada, who is the younger of the twins, was also having dinner with him.

Nada was born into a prominent family. Her father, Mike Stepovich, was the last governor of Alaska (appointed by Eisenhower) and the first governor, and appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1957. Her mother was a prominent Slavic immigrant who owned a super mansion in Portland. The family maintained Slavic traditions and did not speak English.

Mike Stipovich attended the University of Portland when he was young, but later transferred to Gonzaga to complete his undergraduate studies, after which his two daughters came to Gonzaga to study.

Gan Guoyang thought to himself, "Stockton is such a shrewd guy who makes a fortune in silence. He's got his twin sister under control, and his family is powerful and rich. Even if I can't play professional basketball in the future, I'll never have to worry about making a living."

That evening, Gan Guoyang showed off his culinary skills again, making a simple but delicious Mapo Tofu that suited American tastes, and making more than a dozen beef dumplings, which were devoured by everyone.

After dinner, Stockton and Gan Guoyang played golf and chatted on the open field in front of his house.

Gan Guoyang told Stockton about his signing with Fleischer a few days ago. Stockton said he didn't know who Fleischer was, but he was sure Gan Guoyang would be selected in the top three.

“I think you should go to Portland, it would be perfect for you. Fosse is in Portland, so you can see each other often. Portland is also close to Spokane, where Nada’s family lives, it’s a great city.”

"I haven't thought that much about it. Right now, I want to play games. I want to play basketball. I haven't played a formal game for almost a month, and I feel itchy all over."

As he spoke, Gan Guoyang made a long-range shot. Stockton retrieved the ball, threw it to Gan Guoyang, and then stood further away.

Another long-range shot, and it went in again.

Gan Guoyang practices long-range shooting every day, and his shooting is quite accurate.

Stockton threw the ball to Gan Guoyang, who scored again.

He kept retreating, this time until he reached the vicinity of the mailbox on the grass.

"Hey, it's almost 50 feet! You're still throwing from that far!"

The basketball court is only 94 feet long; 50 feet is more than half the length of a basketball court.

"If one day I can make a shot just by standing at the center line, do you think the opposing center would want to commit suicide? How would he be able to defend me then!"

As he spoke, Gan Guoyang took a long-range shot, but this time it was too far and the ball missed, hitting the rim instead.

He breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at the mailbox, and prepared to drop it again.

Then he noticed that the Stockton family's mailbox was overflowing, and several letters had fallen out.

Gan Guoyang picked up the letters and was about to put them back when he noticed that one of them seemed to have his name on it.

"Why did the letter that Sonny-Gamshou… sent to me end up at John's house?"

Stockton ran over and asked, "What's wrong, Gan? These letters? Most of them are ads and credit card bills, and some other random stuff."

"This letter is for me, how did it end up here?"

"Really? Let me see..."

Stockton took the letters and looked them over. Sure enough, one of them was addressed to Gan Guoyang, with the address in Bloomington, Indiana, where Indiana University is located.

“Here is a letter for me, also from Bloomington.” Stockton pulled out a letter with the exact same cover and the same return address: Bloomington, Indiana.

The two opened the envelope, and the heading read: U.S. Olympic Basketball Selection Committee.

(End of this chapter)