The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 597 - 10 Gap

Time swiftly moved to October 1989 in Salem, Oregon, about a 45-minute drive from Portland.

The Portland Trail Blazers had moved their training camp from the aircraft hangar-like gymnasium of Portland Community College to the picturesque Willamette University.

Located further from the city center, the place had complete facilities and scenic views. The coaching staff believed the new season should start anew, so they arranged the training venue here.

The rookie training camp took place before the preseason camp when summer had already passed, and the autumn wind had turned the leaves red.

The crisp autumn air made it a perfect time for training.

On the first day of the training camp, the weather was very nice, no rain, and both the temperature and humidity were very pleasant.

Peterlovic got up early, opened the window, and breathed in the fresh air outside, feeling quite excited.

The climate in Portland reminded him of his home in Croatia, chilly in autumn but comfortable.

After resolving a dispute with Real Madrid, Peterlovic had stayed in Portland to recover.

His injury improved day by day, and gradually the team doctor allowed him to carry out physical and shooting exercises.

In Portland’s rookie apartment, the first piece of equipment he bought for himself was an exercise bike. Every morning he would warm up on the bike, then head to the gym for more training and running, making sure he never stayed idle.

By the end of September, he was able to play, and he immediately spent most of his time in the gym. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

He trained so hard, from dawn to dusk, not resting until he was completely drained.

In contrast, Divac and Saboni, the two giants, knew better how to enjoy life; they would indulge in fine dining and wine in Portland’s restaurants and bars.

Sabonis had an amazing capacity for alcohol, as related by Divac they would go to bars, and Sabonis would drink from the moment he entered until he left, countless glasses, yet never showing signs of intoxication.

Not even hints of being drunk.

Peterlovic’s life was relatively simple, recovering, training, eating, sleeping, watching TV, and occasionally going out to eat with Divac, or shopping with his girlfriend, Retana Kajic.

However, these only took up a small part of his life; most of his time was dedicated to basketball, anxiously yet patiently waiting to showcase his talent on a bigger stage.

He was more excited about the legendary Trail Blazers rookie training camp than the NBA games, looking forward to training and competing with Ah Gan.

Occasionally, Peterlovic could see news reports about Gan Guoyang on TV; he was attending star training camps in Los Angeles, presiding over games at UCLA, and regularly appearing in Avia ads, Coca-Cola ads, Ford car ads, and as a special guest at Michael Jackson’s performances.

In Madrid, Yugoslavia, and Moscow, Peterlovic, Divac, and Sabonis were big stars.

But in America, Ah Gan was a true superstar, especially boosted by Tang Jianguo’s promotions and the additive effect of Michael Jackson, becoming a cultural icon.

However, Peterlovic was only interested in Gan Guoyang on the basketball court, and the time had come today.

Peterlovic took a deep breath, closed the window, glanced at his girlfriend still asleep on the bed, got ready, and prepared to leave.

After leaving the house, he first knocked on the door of Divac’s and Sabonis’ rooms next door. Sabonis and Divac, bleary-eyed, opened the door to see Peterlovic already dressed and ready to go.

Divac complained, "Drazan, why are you up so early? It’s only just past four!"

Peterlovic responded, "I think it’s better to start the first day of training earlier. I heard Ah Gan is always the first one there, and I want to be earlier than him."

Divac shook his head while holding the door, "You even brought your girlfriend here, how can you get up so early? Don’t you know you should spend more time with her?"

Sabonis said, "Single young men always get up early. Let’s get ready and head out too. If I ever buy a house in Portland, I’ll make sure it’s far from Drazan’s to avoid disturbing my sleep..."

Like Divac, Sabonis had his wedding before decided to join the Trail Blazers, marrying his girlfriend.

Perhaps the women were worried that the dreadful capitalist America might corrupt their giant boyfriends, after all, basketball players are very popular with women in America, and changing girlfriends daily is not impossible if they desire.

Sabonis’ wife Ingrida, a beautiful Lithuanian lady, had her job and planned to wait until Sabonis settled in with the Trail Blazers and bought a house before considering moving to Portland.

In this regard, European players are indeed very different from American Black players.

The weddings of Sabonis and Divac were very influential in their countries and regions, broadcast live on TV, comparable to Gan Guoyang’s grand wedding in Chinatown.

For these well-known players, lavish weddings were a form of moral restraint—of course, without morality, there would be no restraint.

After getting ready, the three of them climbed into Divac’s Mercedes, Sabonis alone in the back, and Peterlovic in the passenger seat.

"Drazan, fasten your seatbelt."