The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 104 - 11 Draft 1
After the meeting with the president was over, Gan Guoyang was about to go his separate ways with his teammates.
Everyone took a group photo at the White House, and the photographer gave each person a negative as a keepsake.
A reporter from Sports Illustrated hoped that Gan Guoyang, if President Reagan were re-elected after the elections, could return to the White House for a photo with the president for publicity purposes.
Gan Guoyang refused, stating that he would only meet the president as a member of the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
"Don’t worry, NBA champions have to meet the president too, right? If Mr. Reagan is re-elected, I won’t make him wait too long," Gan Guoyang confidently stated, and the reporter took diligent notes.
About to part with his teammates at the hotel, they didn’t know when they would meet again or what circumstances everyone would be in the next time they saw each other, making everyone feel somewhat sentimental.
Gan Guoyang felt quite upset, as his two years at Gonzaga had been a precious experience in his life, and now it was only a memory to cherish.
But the ever-optimistic Gan Guoyang still tried to cheer up, saying to everyone, "You are luckier than I am because you can often see me on TV in the future, and it will be difficult for me to see you. Remember to write to me when you become my fans!"
Everyone burst into laughter, but silence soon followed, and before long someone’s eyes started to redden.
Gan Guoyang didn’t stay much longer; he didn’t want to shed tears. So, he took his luggage and was the first to take a car to the airport—he had to rush back to Indianapolis to attend training camp, with warm-up games waiting for him.
He arrived in Bloomington smoothly that evening, and after the final round of selections, the Los Angeles Olympic team for America was unveiled, totaling 12 players:
Centers: Patrick Ewing, Joe Kleine, Jon Koncak.
Forwards: Sam Perkins, Jeff Turner, Wayman Tisdale, Chris Mullin.
Guards: Michael Jordan, Irving Robertson, Steve Alford, Leon Wood, Vern Fleming.
With Ewing, Jordan, Mullin, Perkins, and others forming the core framework, Knight primarily valued outside shooting, defensive mobility, reach, and running ability in his selections.
Players like Malone and Barkley, although extraordinarily talented, lacked a place in Knight’s system.
Dell Curry, for example, was a great shooter, but his defense didn’t quite satisfy Knight.
Of course, there were also players like Alford, who Knight felt comfortable using and who were familiar with his tactical system, so he was kept on the team.
As soon as Gan Guoyang arrived in Bloomington and settled in his dorm, he went to the gym, seeing that there was still time.
The training had temporarily come to a halt, but Jordan, Mullin, and Alford were still in the gym, surprisingly playing a game of HORSE.
As soon as Jordan saw Gan Guoyang was back, he became excited and challenged him to a game of HORSE.
Gan Guoyang put down his sports bag and said, "You’ve been itching for a challenge since I was gone, haven’t you?"
"Quit the chit-chat, I’m going to win 100 US dollars from you, and the loser has to go buy late-night snacks," Jordan retorted.
Gan Guoyang warmed up briefly and said, "I’ve never lost at HORSE, I’ll let you see what a real HORSE master is like."
For the first shot, Gan Guoyang stood at the free-throw line and made a blind free throw, sinking the basketball accurately.
Jordan also gave it a try but failed to score; Mullin missed as well, whereas Alford, with his eyes closed, managed to make a shot.
Alford’s shooting was indeed impressive; Knight had a point in keeping him over Stockton.
Jordan then attempted some shots he considered difficult, but for Gan Guoyang, these were easy; he had seen far too many bizarre shots.
When he performed the continuous spin, behind-the-back skyhook that had defeated Rick Barry, all three of them were stunned, completely failing to comprehend how Gan Guoyang managed the shot.
"F*ck, that move is so ugly, Gan. You don’t play this ugly normally," Jordan grumbled, unable to replicate the move and attacking Gan Guoyang on aesthetics.
"You think it’s ugly? Just complete the move. Like I said, you can’t beat me. You guys lack imagination," Gan Guoyang said.
Then, standing behind the hoop, he completed a high-arching shot over the backboard, scoring again.
Not willing to give up, Jordan insisted on continuing to play until he was satisfied.
Mullin and Alford gradually became exhausted and sat by to watch, as Gan Guoyang displayed all sorts of weird shots, including using a washbasin, shooting with one foot, shooting backward, spinning on the spot before shooting, shooting with his left hand, hook shots with his left hand, and even bouncing the ball off the floor into the hoop—he could handle them all.
Especially with his long-distance shots, that was something Jordan truly admired.
During the year he didn’t play any official games at Gonzaga, Gan Guoyang spent a lot of time pondering over things to pass the time.
But Jordan was highly talented; after dozens of rounds, he was shooting quite well and barely able to keep up with Guoyang’s pace.
Moreover, Jordan quickly found a way to deal with Guoyang—by performing high-difficulty dunks.
Guoyang was good at dunking, but as a center, there were some moves that were quite difficult for him to execute.
Especially the free-throw line dunk, Jordan could do it with ease, whereas Guoyang, confined by his jumping ability and weight, could only manage to dunk properly if he took a step inside the free-throw line.
If he took off from the free-throw line, he could only slam the ball into the basket with great difficulty, his fingertips unable to touch the rim.
Jordan said that such a dunk didn’t count, so you have to add a letter.
Guoyang was unconvinced but had no choice; after all, there weren’t any rules against dunking when they started the game.
With the dunking loophole, Jordan finally beat Guoyang twice. Including the previous games, they broke even, with neither winning nor losing.
Jordan felt somewhat relieved as he knew continuing the game wouldn’t lead anywhere. They finally ended the Horse game.
From then on, Mu Lin and Alford never played Horse with these two again. Once started, it couldn’t end for two hours. "You two stamina freaks can wear yourselves out; we won’t join."
However, there was no definitive conclusion as to who won or lost that Horse game; both insisted that they had won, otherwise why would they agree to end it?
On June 19th, the NBA Draft was held in New York.
Those attending the training camp did not participate but watched the draft live on TV.
Before the draft started, Stockton excitedly called Guoyang to say that the Portland Trail Blazers were interested in him, and they might get to play together in the NBA.
"Portland is interested in you? Which draft pick do they have?"
"Second round, the first pick."
"Shit, you won’t fall that far back!"
After hearing the news, Guoyang called Fleisher to inquire whether the Portland people could consider trading up to select Stockton for the Trail Blazers.
If he could play in the NBA with Stockton, that would be fantastic.
But Fleisher said, "Aside from the number 2 pick, the Trail Blazers don’t have better assets. Gan, once the draft starts, everyone will have their own fate. You have yours, and John has his. It wouldn’t be fair to him to be selected in the second round; he deserves a better spot and a team that values him more, doesn’t he?"
Guoyang thought Fleisher made sense and besides, it was not certain the Trail Blazers would choose him.
That evening, as the live draft began, Knight gathered everyone at his house to witness the players’ fates and futures.
Those who attended the 1984 training camp, aside from Guoyang and Jordan, included Irving Robertson, Vern Fleming, Sam Perkins, Jeff Turner, and Leon Wood.
Others, like Ewing and Mu Lin, were set to enter next year’s draft. They were there to see how their predecessors embarked on their professional paths.
Before the draft started, the atmosphere in the living room was tense. Coaches like Knight, Donohue, Dean Smith, Thompson, Newell, as well as the players were all staring at the small television, waiting for Stern to take the stage and announce the results.
This was Stern’s first NBA Draft as the commissioner, but at least a third of the top draft prospects were absent, not giving face to the event.
He quickly announced the first result, that the Houston Rockets had chosen Akeem Olajuwon from the University of Houston as their first pick.
An anticipated choice, Guoyang let out a sigh of relief; he did not want to go to Houston.
Olajuwon was dressed in a black suit with a red bow tie that evening, looking somewhat odd.
Then Stern returned backstage to give the Trail Blazers time to make a decision.
Guoyang’s heart pounded fiercely. Despite his unwavering belief that he could play in the NBA, he still felt the overwhelming nervousness that came with the grasp of fate; it was thrilling.
Shortly after, Stern came back on stage with a white envelope, opened it, and read, "With the second pick in the 1984 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers select Sunny Gan from Gonzaga University!" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
The previously tense and gloomy living room burst into cheers instantaneously. Everyone came over to hug and congratulate Guoyang, congratulating him on being successfully selected and becoming a member of the professional basketball circle.
Bob Knight came over and firmly shook Guoyang’s hand, saying, "Congratulations, Gan, go call your family. Make it quick, the others are waiting."
