The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 256 - 139: The Mighty Lion

Jabbar and Gan Guoyang didn’t have much of a connection, their last off-court interaction occurred during the All-Star game.

At that time, Gan Guoyang joked, asking Jabbar, "What’s the secret to a long life?"

Jabbar gave Gan Guoyang a blank look and replied, "Living before you die."

Aside from Magic Johnson, very few rookies dared to joke with Jabbar.

Even within the Lakers, whenever Jabbar walked into the locker room, everyone would fall silent, make way for him, and keep their distance from his locker.

It wasn’t out of neglect but respect, giving an old lion space and quiet.

Gan Guoyang was boisterous and fierce on the court, almost wearing out Jabbar’s old bones during the regular season.

But off the court, he was casual and peaceful. He wasn’t like most young Black players, all loud and boisterous, nor did he have the arrogance of some White people, who always look down on others with disdain.

He seemed like the torrential rain from the sky, fierce as it fell, but upon reaching the ground, turned into a gentle stream, flowing into the lowest places.

This quality attracted Jabbar, making him willing to sit down and share a meal with Gan Guoyang on a rainy day despite the curious glances from the people around making them somewhat uncomfortable.

Jabbar recalled the summer of 1982, when he and Doctor J, Irving, and others went to China for exhibition games.

The Lakers had just defeated the 76ers in the Finals, and Jabbar was precisely 35 years old. People were fervently discussing whether he would choose that moment for a perfect retirement.

Just like Bill Russell did in 1969 at the age of 34, leaving the League with championships and the blessings of the people, to start a new life.

But Jabbar didn’t leave; instead, during the lengthy off-season, both his spirit and body rested, and he revived his fighting spirit to move forward.

Especially in China, away from the noise and complexity of American society, he found a society across the Pacific that matched his style and philosophical ideology.

He confronted China’s giant Han Pengshan, he queued in a Muslim restaurant to eat, and he even had acupuncture treatments to alleviate his migraines. He felt great.

However, he felt regretful that his house was swept by a major fire in 1983, turning everything to ashes.

His beloved Oriental rugs, countless trophies and memorabilia from his career, and some of the photos he had taken during his trip to China were all consumed by the flames.

He remembered that his trip in 1982 was documented by some media and published in print, which might have had the photos from his trip to China.

But he had spent a long time flipping through the library at the University of Portland and hadn’t found what he was looking for; two of the needed volumes had also been checked out.

The food arrived, and Jabbar ordered some vegetable salad, smoked fish, and a beef sandwich, paired with whole wheat bread and a small amount of jam. It looked quite light.

When they started to eat, Jabbar broke the silence, saying, "Sonny, I heard you make good Chinese food."

Gan Guoyang was drinking coffee and almost spit it out when he heard that. Damn, how did they know I cook well? Are they going to ask to come over for dinner tonight?

"Mediocre, I... I mainly cook for myself. Others aren’t used to it; I just wing it." Gan Guoyang thought to himself that he was soon going to become the NBA’s number one chef.

Jabbar took a bite of his sandwich and said, "I haven’t eaten Chinese food for a season now. I have a slight allergy to monosodium glutamate, which can cause my migraines. It’s muscle tension caused by the allergy that pulls on the cerebral vessels, leading to circulatory problems and then causing severe headaches. Acupuncture has been used on me by the doctors, and now my migraines have gotten much better, but I really miss the unique flavor of Chinese food."

Migraines had troubled Jabbar for many years, and at their worst, they caused him to collapse onto the bed, tense all over and unable to get up.

This was the giant’s Achilles heel. Last year in the Finals against the Celtics, besides having to breathe oxygen due to the heat in the venue, migraines struck him six times, tormenting him continuously.

"Unique flavors? That’s the umami that Chinese cuisine particularly emphasizes, coming from monosodium glutamate, an element found in flavor enhancers like MSG and soy sauce, the source of umami. In fact, not all Chinese cuisines require MSG and soy sauce. There are many Chinese dishes that don’t need them and can still..."

Gan Guoyang trailed off as he felt something was off and gradually fell silent, with Jabbar looking at him as if to say "And you say you can’t cook Chinese food."

Wang Fuxi suddenly said, "Mr. Jabbar, did you visit China a few years ago?"

Jabbar nodded, "Yes, in 1982, after the Lakers won the championship. It was an interesting journey."

Gan Guoyang had heard about this experience from Doctor J.

Wang Fuxi pulled out a photo album from his bag and flipped to a page to show Jabbar, saying, "Look, are these the photos from the games and travels back then?"

Jabbar glanced at it, and indeed it was a photo of himself playing and visiting China in 1982.

He became excited at once, pointing to the tall figure in the photo, "His name is Han, about as tall as me, a very talented player. His lower limb strength was good, but his upper limbs were comparatively weak. Ah Gan, why are you so strong, like a wild buffalo?"

Gan Guoyang was also seeing these photos for the first time. He hadn’t expected that at that time, Chinese players were already competing against the world’s strongest centers, and those basketball pioneers were already paving the way for Chinese basketball towards the world.

"Me? I have natural divine strength," replied Gan Guoyang, "And I pay a lot of attention to strength training; Gonzaga University was one of the earliest schools to emphasize strength training."

Wang Fuxi, however, said, "This player is Han Pengshan; he died of a heart attack in 1983... that’s what the records mentioned..."

Jabbar was shocked to hear this news; at that time, information wasn’t well-developed, and naturally, Americans wouldn’t know about the death of a Chinese athlete.

With a somber expression, he shook his head, "No wonder he didn’t play in the 1984 Olympics, no wonder he didn’t..."

Gan Guoyang was also surprised; such a talented player had died so young, no wonder most Chinese fans later didn’t know about him.

The atmosphere became a bit heavier, but with the topic of his trip to China, Jabbar opened up, talking a lot with Gan Guoyang.

"Honestly, I like China, I like to see a country transform from a feudal society to a modern society of the 20th century in just 35 years, solely through sheer willpower, discipline, and practice, rather than plunder and war. I think the Chinese are a very self-sufficient nation, reserved, tough, with an unyielding spirit. It’s not as rigid as many people say, but always actively and boldly seeking innovation and change."

Jabbar held China in high esteem—having grown up in an era of major racial, religious, and cultural conflicts, he harbored a natural anger towards American society. He had once despised white people so much that he even told his lightly-skinned mother that he hated every drop of white blood in her.

Yet, as a black man, he was not that dark. He had once confided to Sports Illustrated about his upbringing, disappointing many of his black fans who had supported him.

Because he was not from the slums; his childhood was not one of poverty, instead, he lived in a safe, comfortable middle-class community, his parents both present, with his father being a talented graduate of the music academy.

His upbringing was filled not with the sound of gunshots and sirens, but with all kinds of music and countless books; outside his bedroom window, he didn’t see poor streets and alleys, but the museum of a monastery.

This was not the basketball hero envisioned in the minds of black fans.

In 1973, having already converted to Islam, he bought a large house in Milwaukee for his fellow believers, only for it to be attacked by another faction on January 18th. Two adults and a child were shot dead, four children were drowned in the swimming pool, and two were injured.

And this faction was a black one.

After finishing the 1974 finals, Jabbar could no longer live in Milwaukee.

He had to leave; he wanted to return to California, to Los Angeles, closer to UCLA and John Wooden.

But things didn’t get much better—doubt, mockery, and ridicule never stopped. When he went bald and donned goggles, people laughed at him as if he were a praying mantis.

years have passed, and this year, his migraines have finally improved. As the Lakers unleashed a whirlwind offense at the end of the season, continuously securing victories, people gradually started to appreciate his timeless sky hook, even calling it art.

Perhaps David Stern had something to do with it; since he took over, the caustic media had become less so, and everyone became friendlier.

It could also be related to Reagan, to the advancement of technology; society was no longer so turbulent, conflicts not as sharp, and people’s words became gentler.

Listening to Jabbar’s descriptions of his ancestral land, Gan Guoyang looked out the window as the rain gradually subsided, saying, "I miss it there too."

When the rain stopped, Gan Guoyang drove Jabbar back to the hotel. For the sake of convenience, the dealership even gave him another Ford Crown Victoria.

Gan Guoyang didn’t really want it, but the dealer insisted on giving it and delivered it right to his doorstep, so he had no choice but to accept it.

As they parted, Jabbar asked Gan Guoyang, "Ah Gan, Riley tells me that you prepare very carefully for each game, even employing statistics and higher mathematics."

Gan Guoyang was startled, thinking Riley the dimwit had actually believed it, and quickly nodded, "Yes, so you guys better be careful."

Jabbar smiled, "I don’t believe you at all."

The next day, on the night of May 15th, the Memorial Coliseum, the Lakers and the Trail Blazers’ third game, the Coliseum was full.

Gan Guoyang changed his style of play from the second game, beginning to use his strength to barrel through, scoring 40 points over Jabbar’s head.

But Jabbar also scored 37 points at the offensive end, pulled down 17 rebounds, and delivered 5 blocks, matching the explosions from Gan Guoyang. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Magic Johnson blew away Valentine, achieving a triple-double with 33 points, 19 assists, and 11 rebounds; the Lakers won 122:114, an 8-point advantage to take the crucial third game.

Successfully seizing home-court advantage back.