The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 221 - 107 Michael’s Trouble

On the first night upon arrival in Indianapolis, Gan Guoyang met many basketball stars at the party, such as Thomas, Bird, Johnson, Jabbar, etc.

Gan Guoyang did not feel shy or awkward just because he was a rookie. He chatted and greeted everyone normally, he knew all these people well anyway.

He was not a social superstar and couldn’t grin broadly like Magic Johnson, putting his arm around everyone and being the life of the party with laughter and jokes.

Compared to his confident and dominating presence on the court, off the court Guoyang was calm and aloof. He did not deliberately keep a distance from the media; he needed exposure, he needed to create talking points for Avia.

But he also did not let the media kidnap his life, joining endless commercial activities, being surrounded by too many fans, media, and business folks, eventually turning into a consummate product.

Tonight, Jordan did not attend the private gathering since Nike had arranged other commercial activities for him. Currently, in commercial development, Jordan was unmatched, and Nike had prepared extensive promotional resources for him for the All-star game.

Jordan, who was extremely popular in the Eastern region, was going to participate in the All-star Slam Dunk Contest this time to showcase his ability to fly in the air to the All-America audience.

In comparison, Avia’s marketing seemed a bit weaker, but they also invested a lot of ad space in the All-star venue, the Indianapolis Dome.

Moreover, Avia had been working hard to push forward the plans for the tour of China in the summer. In the American region, especially in the East, it was hard for Avia to compete against Nike.

So, they decided to take a different route and start developing overseas markets early. For a potential market like China, the first impression was very important.

Avia had already begun assembling a team to prepare for the future Greater China Region market.

All this was endorsed by Gan Guoyang. Indeed, in the domestic market of America, it was wise to avoid Jordan’s brilliance a bit as the young player had been putting on performances as crazy as Guoyang’s recently.

Against the Knights, he scored 45 points with 7 rebounds and 11 assists; against the Nuggets, 35 points, 14 rebounds, and 15 assists; and in an away game challenging the Celtics, 36 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists.

However, in this game, Jordan could not defeat the Celtics at the Boston Garden. They lost the game by a margin of three points. The proud Bostonians felt the frightening new power from these two young players, Guoyang and Jordan.

If they continued to be arrogant, being overthrown by the new force would happen very soon.

It wasn’t until late at night, after Wang Fuxi had fallen asleep, that Gan Guoyang received a call from Jordan.

"Fuck, it’s so late and you’re just calling me now. My girlfriend is already asleep."

"You actually brought your girlfriend to the All-star game? You really are a piece of work."

Gan Guoyang thought to himself, I even brought Stockton along.

For a basketball star, the All-star game is a great opportunity to indulge oneself, especially the young stars.

At the end of the buffet dinner, Gan Guoyang saw quite a few gorgeously dressed women in the lobby downstairs. They were all waiting to make big transactions.

The NBA stars are known for their generosity despite this kind of service being exhausting. However, since the pay was good, a bit of whining and panting for breath is nothing, right?

Like Magic Johnson, one person could provide employment for many; he was considered a wealth god in the nightlife, giving away ’money’ to the lucky girls who adored him.

Gan Guoyang had no interest in these things, and Jordan, for the sake of his image and promotion, could not dabble with these either, otherwise, he wouldn’t have the time to call Gan Guoyang late at night.

"Ah Gan, come out, I’m waiting for you in the hotel gym."

"What? Asking me to come out? That’s not really appropriate, is it? In the middle of the night."

Jordan inviting Guoyang out to the gym, surely they weren’t going to work out together so late at night?

"Cut the crap, I want to play one-on-one with you, are you coming or not?"

As soon as Gan Guoyang heard Jordan mention one-on-one, he immediately got up quietly, got dressed, and slipped out.

The luxurious hotel had its own gym and an indoor basketball court. The basketball court was closed at night, but Jordan got a staff member to open it for them.

Ordinary customers would definitely not be allowed in, but the staff member, upon seeing Jordan and Guoyang, immediately nodded in agreement. The price paid was a photograph with both players and a signed basketball.

In the future, this photograph and signed basketball would be auctioned for a high price, bringing a windfall to the staff member.

"You’ve been hauled off by Nike again today for commercial activities, haven’t you? Are you enjoying it?"

"No, not at all. It’s annoying, it’s exhausting, but there’s no choice. That’s why I want some peace and quiet."

The five-million-dollar contract with Nike came with a price for Jordan; it wasn’t just about taking money and selling shoes.

Air Jordan sales were unexpectedly good, but under Abia’s pressure, it forced Nike to chase after them vigorously.

Jordan felt he was no longer the college kid who just played basketball; he now had Nike bodyguards, agents, and media reporters around him almost all the time.

Chicago was a big city, much more flashy than Portland. Jordan attended many social and commercial events, shot commercials, endorsed products, and went to communities to play basketball with kids and distribute shoes.

And this was just the beginning. Nike told him that once he became truly famous and won the championship, he would live a life like Michael Jackson, like an emperor.

Gan Guoyang didn’t believe Jordan was really troubled, because that wasn’t him. In fact, he enjoyed it, enjoy being the center of attention, being an idol—of this, Gan Guoyang was certain.

But him asking Guoyang out to play basketball tonight wasn’t just a pretense, to show off something to Guoyang. He must really have troubles, just not related to those business activities.

They warmed up on the court and began to play a game of H-O-R-S-E, chatting as they played. Guoyang enjoyed talking with Jordan because they were people of the same world—Jordan thought the same.

"Michael, if you’re troubled about something, just say it. Don’t put on an act with me. ’I want some peace~’ To hell with that, you’re just a vanity ghost who likes to be surrounded by people."

"Bullshit, Ah Gan, don’t smear me. I’m really troubled. My parents have been arguing about me recently, constantly arguing. They followed me here this time, and that’s given me a headache."

The thing that recently troubled Jordan was his parents’ incessant arguing about him. As a young treasure, his parents wanted the best for him, but they also fought over control of their son.

Jordan’s father, James Jordan, and mother, Deloris Jordan, had very different personalities, and their disagreements over their son’s future were growing.

In the beginning, when Jordan was negotiating business deals, both parents would be present. Gradually, the couple almost never appeared together—it was either the father or the mother accompanying him.

Jordan was deeply attached to both of his parents, and it saddened him to see them always arguing over his affairs. As a son, he found it difficult to handle.

Moreover, there were family shames Jordan was too embarrassed to mention to Guoyang. For example, his sister was considering suing his father, James Jordan, for victimizing her from the age of five, which lasted for five years.

There was also the issue of James Jordan being fired from his job for embezzlement before Jordan entered the league, something Nike had been keeping under wraps with its public relations efforts.

All Guoyang could do when he heard about the troubles with Jordan’s parents was to shrug his hands and say, "I can’t help with that. I only have one dad, and I don’t have such troubles. All my dad asks of me is to get married early to give him a grandson and to stay healthy and not get hurt on the court."

Jordan stopped shooting and looked at Guoyang with a puzzled expression. "Doesn’t your dad watch you play? And he’s worried about you getting hurt? He should care more about the health of your opponents."

Scratching his head, Guoyang replied, "He’s already warned me. I swear, no more fights in 1984."

Jordan shook his head, ran to the three-point line, and hit a three-pointer. He had been practicing long shots hard.

In front of Jordan, Guoyang showed off an aerial twist dunk. "Sonny, I’m going to be in the dunk contest tomorrow. Could you design a move for me, give me some advice?"

Jordan was deeply impressed by Guoyang’s Rock the baby dunk; he didn’t expect Guoyang to reproduce such a dunk in an actual game.

"Sure," Guoyang said. "I suggest you do an aerial 720-degree twist with a between-the-leg hand switch windmill, followed by a three-point line take-off with a two-handed dunk. Then the championship will be yours!"

"Don’t joke. I’m serious."

"Hey, Michael, do you think I’d ask for your advice on my three-pointers? Be confident, you’re the best dunker in the world."

Jordan smiled. "You make a good point. Have you considered entering one?"

"I’m not interested. Maybe there’ll be a three-point contest in the future. I suggest you join that, and we can compete on the same stage, how about it?"

"No problem; if you go, I’m in." At that moment, Jordan was very confident, feeling that his shooting was terrifyingly accurate.

The next day, February 9, the first day of the All-Star Weekend, a Saturday evening, after completing the first round of the dunk contest preliminaries, the All-Star Legends Game took place.

Drexler, who participated in the dunk contest preliminaries, was eliminated early due to poor performance, and Jordan made it into the finals smoothly.

In the Legends Game, Rick Barry, Nate-Sermonde, Bob Pettit, Oscar Robertson, Connie Hawkins, and other veteran players returned to the sport to show the NBA’s respect for its history and heritage.

Watching Sermonde drag his heavy knees across the court at a snail’s pace, Guoyang thought that these old players really had it tough, performing at their age and struggling with their bodies.

Rick Barry had to leave the game to inhale oxygen because he could not take it any longer; in essence, they were just trying to earn a living, to have a job with the league.

After the Legends Game, Jordan and Dominique Wilkins had an incredibly exciting dunk contest.

In the end, it was the Human Highlight Film, Wilkins, who captured the dunk contest championship, with Jordan finishing as the runner-up.

However, in the competition, Jordan, with his gold chains and wearing red and black AJ’s, still gave the fans at the venue and in front of the television an immense visual impact with his gliding dunks, which was a fantastic promotion for both himself and Air Jordan.