Chapter 790: Chapter 20: Enduring the Old Man_2
He’s different from those team owners who look at the revenue and profit statements; he ties his business to championships. It’s best if the team can make money, but the fame and traffic that come with championships are even more important.
Even in the face of crises in his other industries, Tang Jianguo still spends big money to maintain the Portland Trail Blazers’ roster, giving large contracts to players like Sabonis, Petrović, and Reggie Lewis.
For other owners, it would be difficult to maintain such a roster that’s rich in potential, carries high salaries, but is actually lacking in star power—it’s a lineup led by an S+ player, along with a group of A and B+ players.
Most owners would rather give large contracts to S-level and A+ level players, as the certainty is somewhat higher, and ever since the Trail Blazers lost Drexler, none of the players could come close to Ah Gan.
If there were a luxury tax in this era, the Trail Blazers would certainly be paying through the nose.
Tang Jianguo has not suffered a loss because of these contracts; on the contrary, his financial status is continuously improving.
He has gradually shifted some of his businesses from the Eastern part to the West Coast, establishing a new political and business circle in the Oregon area.
As the new stadium for the Trail Blazers breaks ground, banks are willing to lend to him again, enabling him to use funds amounting to several hundred million US Dollars to expand his commercial territory.
Gan Guoyang knows that he is being used by Tang Jianguo, and he is also being used by many others—politicians, businessmen; everyone is after his championships and strength.
It’s perfectly normal, no matter which country or society one is in, no one cares when you’re poor in the bustling city, but in seclusion when wealthy you’ll have distant relatives—let alone in such an extreme commercial society like America.
Gan Guoyang often hears a voice inside his heart, saying "I just want to play basketball," but there’s no way around it; the NBA is not just about basketball.
When he shoots three-pointers, the phone placed beside the court continuously buzzes; he doesn’t want to pick up, knowing it’s probably people from the evening party looking for him.
Actually, even if he were not there, the party would still proceed; he only needs to speak at the beginning and be present at the end.
It was only after a phone call rang for a while that he finally put down the basketball and picked up; he had a feeling it could be his wife or an important friend.
Indeed, it was Michael; they teased each other on the phone and promised to see each other in the finals in June.
They didn’t talk much, just wished each other a happy new year and then hung up.
Gan Guoyang could sense that Jordan was also dissatisfied with the current situation; he heard loud noises in the background, he must be attending some New Year event in Chicago.
They could understand each other’s feelings, loving basketball while also harboring some resentment towards it, because it gave them so much, but also took up too much.
In 1984, Jordan and Gan Guoyang joined the league together, and at that time, they both had a "Love of the Game" clause in their contracts.
This clause allowed players to participate in any games they wished without the team’s permission.
Included were charity games, warm-up games, and even street basketball; if injured, the team was responsible for medical treatment and would continue to provide the salary.
The purpose of this clause was to satisfy the cravings of these two basketball fanatics; the high intensity of NBA games wasn’t enough for them, any interesting basketball game would draw them to the challenge.
However, in the new collective bargaining agreement of 1988, this clause was abolished, and contracts signed between players and teams could no longer contain such terms.
From that time on, many games involving Jordan and Gan Guoyang could not be played, every game they participated in was arranged by the League or companies like AVIA and NIKE.
They played basketball not just for fun but more so to attract fans, to generate heat for the brands, and ultimately to sell shoes—this was the most important thing.
For them, basketball became less pure, an unavoidable situation.
In private, Gan Guoyang and Jordan seriously discussed retiring together; Jordan said he wanted to play for another five years.
Jordan thought he could endure this kind of life for no more than five more years; it wasn’t that he didn’t love basketball, but that he didn’t love this lifestyle.
Gan Guoyang, on the other hand, expressed that he could probably continue playing until he was 50. He lamented that it would have been better if he hadn’t won so many championships.
"Less championships, less trouble."
Hearing Gan Guoyang say this, Jordan felt like strangling him.
Although what Gan Guoyang said was true.
In fact, as of December this year, Jordan had already been discussing with his agent David Falk about retiring at the end of the 1990-1991 season.
Not an outright retirement, but rather a year off. Although he was only 27, almost 28, and hadn’t yet won a championship, Jordan was already feeling a bit worn out.
Of course, this idea was quickly vetoed; sponsors wouldn’t agree, the Chicago Bulls wouldn’t agree, and the fans wouldn’t agree either.
The Bulls might even sue Jordan to force him to fulfill his contract and return to basketball.
Later, Jordan quickly discarded this idea himself, worried that once he really retired, he might not want to come back at all.
Moreover, he had not yet won a championship, hadn’t defeated Ah Gan in the finals—this was a scenario he could not accept no matter what.
Gan Guoyang believed that his retirement was still a long way off; with his condition and the Trail Blazers’ lineup, they would be strong contenders for the championship for many years to come.
Furthermore, regardless of the roster, he would give it his all; problems always exist, but life must go on, as must basketball.
