[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-golden-age-of-basketball":3,"chapter-the-golden-age-of-basketball-the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1261":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Golden Age of Basketball",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1444628,1896,"Chapter 1261 - 3: My Favorite Team","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1261",1261,"\u003Cp>When I was still a player, people asked me if I had considered becoming a coach. I told them to forget about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t imagine playing the role of a coach, and I really wasn’t interested in it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, I didn’t want to wear a suit; secondly, I couldn’t just take off the suit and play if things went wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I retired in 1991, I said the same thing, but teams still called me, asking me to consider working for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, I hadn’t yet undergone spinal fusion surgery, and even if I wanted to work, my body couldn’t handle it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was still in a lot of pain, couldn’t even walk, let alone stand by the sidelines to coach, and flying was a torment for me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, I just wanted to take a break and be with my family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the past decade or so, I had been flying all over the All-America.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I retired, I promised my wife that I would take a break and spend time watching our son Conner grow up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I enjoyed spending time with him, teaching him how to swim, fish, and, of course, play ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our family quickly welcomed a new member, our daughter Maria.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, I came back for the 1992 Olympics, becoming a member of the Dream Team, which was something I couldn’t resist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for coaching, I still wasn’t interested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I can’t tell you exactly when I changed my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe it was the tragedy in Portland in 1993 that moved me, or perhaps the 1994 Simpson case changed some of my thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or it might have been the movie \"The Story of Ah Gan\" that made me want to reintegrate into the rolling tides of history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the more direct reason might be—I was living in Naples, Florida.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was one of the best places to live in the world, yet there was very little to do there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the world was experiencing dramatic changes, I became idle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, I really enjoyed being there, where people recognized me but wouldn’t ask for my autograph.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were content just waving to greet me; it was a peaceful and tranquil time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Naples, I wandered around without worrying about a large crowd following me, and that felt great.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was never used to people recognizing me and making a fuss, which could turn you into a prisoner confined by your fame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Boston, no matter where I went, I was recognized. The Celtics fans were very passionate, but because of that, I couldn’t go to a movie or shopping at 7 o’clock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t mind people asking for autographs or photos, but being surrounded by a crowd felt uncomfortable, making me anxious and eager to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After retiring in Naples, I spent my time quite freely, able to play golf as I wished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After awhile, I got tired of golf and started fishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, I got tired of fishing and began to feel very bored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I spent more time with my kids and wife, taking them out, making up for what I had missed in the past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I felt something was missing in my life. As an athlete, I was getting older, but as a person, I was still young.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t and shouldn’t stop working. One thing I became more certain of was that I couldn’t spend the next twenty or thirty years doing nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t short of money; what I needed was some sort of challenge, which was something lacking during my retired years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diana knew me very well, and she could tell I was a bit restless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The best thing about Diana is that she doesn’t care what I do; she will support me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’s willing to try new things and go anywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I told her tonight that we needed to pack up and go to Los Angeles, she would say, \"Really? Great!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although we settled in Naples, we also have houses in Indiana and Boston, where we’ve lived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None of these places felt like our real home. For me, perhaps only a residence, the real home is where you feel a sense of belonging with certain people and your career.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I have the people now; I need a career, especially as my son Conner and daughter Maria grow up. They’re starting to hear things about me, knowing I was a professional basketball player in the past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Conner is very curious about this and would ask me, \"Were you really good?\" or \"Did you train and play often in the past?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(Both questions received affirmative answers.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One day, Conner came home and asked if I knew Ah Gan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I did, could I have him come over to our house; Conner wanted to meet him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I told Conner that he had already met Ah Gan when he was younger in Barcelona.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, Ah Gan and the Dream Team members were staying in the same hotel, right next to Barkley’s room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even played with Ah Gan’s son, Stockton’s son, and other kids there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Conner was satisfied with this answer and didn’t mention Ah Gan much again for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another day, after school, Conner came home and asked me, \"Dad, what do you do for a living?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know how to answer him; it was 1996, and I was supposed to be doing some consulting work for the Celtics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I hadn’t done much for them, and I knew I wanted to leave there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was then that I realized it might be time to go back to work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t want my kids to grow up thinking their dad only played golf all day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time that happened, at least three different teams had offered me head coaching positions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two of these teams asked me to keep our conversations confidential, and since I agreed, I can’t reveal their names.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What I can tell you is that the Trail Blazers began talks with me in 1993, the year they suffered a terrible tragedy.\u003C\u002Fp>",1009,"2026-06-06T01:41:52.558Z",1,"novelbin.me","55accf6974e428a14b21ddbb5e88576258272daea460003d960160923cd172d5","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1262","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1260",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]