The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 99 One Must Bear the Burden
As time went on, the young men who had run for office in the Knight family's living room were all soon "taken."

Leon Wood went to the 76ers and became teammates with Sam Perkins, Jeff Turner was selected 17th overall by the New Jersey Nets, and Fleming was selected 18th overall by the Pacers.

Thus, all of these young players from the training camp were selected in the first round, which is enough to show that they are indeed exceptionally talented and have been recognized by NBA teams.

There was no need to watch the live broadcasts after that, because the talent show at the time had as many as 10 rounds, and it was impossible to know when it would go on.

After returning to the hotel, Gan Guoyang was still a little excited. He called Gan Youwei at the store and finally got through.

Gan Youwei's first reaction upon receiving the call was to tell Gan Guoyang, "Guoyang, your dad almost choked on the phone last night. So many people have high expectations for you, but don't put too much pressure on yourself. Playing basketball is just a job. Play well if you can, and if you can't, that's fine too. Don't be too hard on yourself."

"Dad, I haven't even started yet, and you're already discouraging me."

“I’m not trying to discourage you, I’m just worried about putting too much pressure on you. Playing ball was just a hobby for you, but it’s a different story when it becomes your job. Which of those seemingly glamorous professions doesn’t involve a lot of hard work behind the scenes? Take it easy, don’t get injured or sick.”

Everyone else congratulated Gan Guoyang on his further achievements and glory, but his father was worried that Gan Guoyang was suffering too much.

"Oh, I know, don't worry too much."

The two chatted about everyday things on the phone. Gan's restaurant has been thriving in the past two years, and business is getting better and better.

Gan Guohui enrolled in community college and plans to follow in his father's footsteps. His relationship with his girlfriend is also very stable, and they will get married and have children after graduation, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Gan Guoyang sensed that Gan Youwei implied he wanted him to get married and have children soon, so he quickly told his father to stop, saying, "Dad, I'm only a few years old, what are you thinking?"

"You're twenty already! I've seen some Black people around here who are twenty and already fathers of three or four kids. Hey you, the girl you were taking pictures with, what's going on between you two?"

"We're doing fine, we're still in college, so don't worry about it. I need to get some rest, I have training tomorrow, you should go to bed early too!"

Gan Guoyang hurriedly hung up the phone. This Chinese father's pressure to get married and have children is something you can't escape no matter where you go.

The next morning, Gan Guoyang participated in training as usual, when he noticed something: his clothes were different from everyone else's.

The remaining 12 players were all from the U.S. Olympic national team, wearing training uniforms with "USA" printed on the chest, and also wearing U.S. national team jerseys for matches.

But Gan Guoyang isn't American, nor is he on the national team, so what kind of clothes should he wear?

Gan Guoyang asked Bob Knight, who replied, "Wear the jersey of the team you're playing against."

"Fine, I'll wear whichever team we're playing against... What? I'll wear whichever team's jersey we're playing against? So I'm a traitor?"

"What traitor? What are you talking about? Do you want to wear a Team USA jersey?"

Gan Guoyang had nothing to say; he really couldn't wear the US team jersey, that would be treasonous.

Therefore, he could no longer be teammates with Jordan, Ewing, and others.

"You joining the opposing team makes things more difficult for us; you understand our tactics."

"I understand. I'm not only a traitor, I'm also a spy."

"Don't set your sights so high; you're just a sparring partner."

Perhaps feeling that this was somewhat belittling of Gan Guoyang, Knight added, "You're still an NBA star. Fleischer invited quite a few NBA stars to compete against the national team. Good luck, Gan, and make the most of your abilities."

On the evening of the 22nd, the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team played their first warm-up game in Indiana since their formation. Their opponent was a former alumnus of Indiana University. A total of 35 players came, and 17 of them played.

The game was held at Indiana University's Conference Sports Center. The alumni team's starting lineup consisted of Mike Woodson, Ray Tolbert, Kent Benson, Randy Wittman, and Isaiah Thomas.

Gan Guoyang didn't get a chance to play because these guys were all brought in by Bob Knight to support Indiana University.

Indiana University is Knight's home court, and the fact that he was able to bring back so many former players from other teams, including NBA players like Isaiah Thomas, Quinn Buckner, and Benson, is enough to demonstrate his enormous influence.

To their surprise, the US national team easily defeated this team composed of professional players.

However, it's understandable when you think about it. The national team players have undergone a long period of intensive training, and their competitive form and mental strength are at their peak. On the other hand, their opponents, the Indiana University veterans, were a makeshift team, some of whom played in the NBA, and some who had retired many years ago, such as 41-year-old Dick Atherdale.

They're just here to show their faces, to play an exhibition match, and to make their teacher Knight look good; winning or losing doesn't matter.

With Ewing and Jordan at their core, the national team was like a sharp blade, easily disemboweling its opponents.

After the match, Gan Guoyang felt bored and returned to the locker room, saying, "Knight brought over a bunch of junk to compete against you, like giving you an easy test before an exam to prevent you from losing confidence."

Jordan said, "Is Isaiah Thomas also a piece of junk?"

Gan Guoyang said, "He doesn't have a system to support him. A small guard like him going it alone is just a piece of junk."

Jordan smiled and said, "You're right, I agree, haha."

The two burst into laughter in the locker room. Before Knight returned to the locker room, they were there complaining about how slow and clumsy the Indiana University veterans were.

No one else dared to say a word, for fear of accidentally getting involved and being punished later if word got out.

Ewing Khan came down and said, "You guys should say less, the coach will be back soon."

"It's alright, he's busy shaking hands and taking photos with his old subordinates on the field. This is his highlight moment."

At that moment, Bob Knight pushed open the door and entered, and the locker room instantly fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.

Knight, without thinking twice, launched into a tirade against Jordan, saying he played too selfishly, passed too few passes, and only cared about himself.

"Although we won the game, do you think our opponents will be this disorganized and let you come and go as you please at the Olympics? I even considered you the core of the team, and this is how you act as the core! If you play like this in the next game, you can sit on the bench!"

Jordan, who had been smiling happily, now looked terrible, his eyes were slightly red, and he was almost in tears.

Knight unleashed a barrage of attacks on Jordan, and everyone fell silent, not daring to utter a single word, wishing they could disappear into a closet so Knight wouldn't see them.

Knight's gaze swept across the locker room before finally settling on Gan Guoyang. He said, "You're going to the other side for the next game! I want to see what you're capable of! You piece of junk!"

Gan Guoyang chuckled awkwardly and scratched his head, clearly realizing that Knight had overheard what he had just said.

On the way back, everyone comforted Jordan, saying that Coach Knight was too harsh, even though he played very well.

It wasn't as Coach Knight said—that he was selfish and didn't care about his teammates—Jordan just nodded and didn't say much.

Gan Guoyang patted Jordan on the shoulder and said, "Coach Knight is doing this because he values ​​you. He sees you as the core of the team, the alpha wolf, so you have to endure more, including criticism and insults, because he has higher expectations of you."

Jordan glanced at Gan Guoyang and said, "Why doesn't he scold you?"

"Why didn't he yell at me? He did, but I'm not on your national team, so he wouldn't yell too hard. Don't worry, Coach Knight will definitely talk to you tonight. Be strong, Mike. You know, with great power comes great responsibility."

Back in his room, quite late at night, Bob Knight actually called Jordan out.

The two sat in the lobby on the first floor. Knight's tone was much gentler as he said, "Mike, do you think it was unfair of me to criticize you like that this afternoon?"

Jordan was still angry. He glanced at Knight and said bluntly, "Yes, I think it's unfair."

Nate nodded and said, "You're right, it's unfair. I did it on purpose."

Jordan's eyes widened in surprise. Knight explained, "Because you're the leader of this team, you're the best player, so I have higher expectations of you. You want fairness, but basketball is inherently unfair; one team always has to lose. If you don't want to be the losing team, then you have to endure more unfairness. I'm criticizing you, firstly because I have higher expectations of you, and secondly because I'm sending a message to others through you: if even Jordan gets criticized, what reason do they have to be satisfied with their performance?"

Jordan's expression gradually calmed down. He understood Knight's words and said, "I understand. If you want to wear the crown, you must bear the weight."

Knight nodded and said, "Heavy is the head who wears the crown, Henry IV, as Shakespeare said."

“Shakespeare? Oh no, that’s what Forrest Gump said.”

(End of this chapter)