[{"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-1285":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},1444652,1896,"Chapter 1285 - 9: Little Bull 3","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1285",1285,"\u003Cp>Kobe finally got the chance to attack, it’s his turn!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, a whistle blew from the sidelines, pulling everyone’s attention away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, alright guys, it’s time to wash up and get ready for today’s training.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Larry Bird, who had been standing off to the side watching for a while, but no one had noticed his presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the new head coach of the Trail Blazers, Bird decided to personally participate in the team’s rookie training camp to observe the young players up close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also knew the Trail Blazers’ tradition, that Gan would undoubtedly torment the rookies with endurance and intensity training as the first threshold for joining the Trail Blazers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird, dressed in a simple white polo shirt, was accompanied by Dick Hart and Rick Carlisle and signaled everyone to gather with a whistle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe’s expression looked displeased, he was just about to showcase his skills, why was he interrupted?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why end the one-on-one right as I successfully defended and was about to enter the offensive phase?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird noticed Kobe’s displeasure, approached him, and said, \"Gan intentionally left a flaw to end this meaningless duel, otherwise he could score a hundred points against you. Go gather, rookie!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kobe rolled his eyes, feeling frustrated inside, but ultimately didn’t talk back under Bird’s pressure, obediently going to gather.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One advantage when a superstar becomes a head coach is their aura of authority, which makes players, especially young ones, hesitant to challenge them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird had observed Kobe during the summer league in August and quickly understood why they selected him after watching several of his games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s indeed a rare talent; just watching him for two minutes in a game makes it hard to take your eyes off him, a common trait among all superstars in their youth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird understood this well because people used to view and evaluate him the same way when he was young.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang frequently mentioned Kobe in his conversations with Bird, and both acknowledged his talent, believing that if nurtured well, he had a bright future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Bird only planned to coach for three years, what about after coaching? The position of the Trail Blazers’ General Manager could easily be his.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Buckwalter was nearing retirement, likely within the next couple of years, and by then Bird would seamlessly succeed him, holding great promise for Portland’s future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So while Bird focused on becoming a championship coach, he gradually changed his initial goals and started paying attention to nurturing the rookies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Youths like Kobe and Little O’Neal showed great potential during the summer league.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few days ago, while visiting Gan’s home, they discussed Kobe and Little O’Neal, with Gan Guoyang providing accurate assessments of the two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He considered Kobe confident and proud, with a sharp edge that, if well nurtured, could become an extraordinary weapon, but could also hurt others and himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, it was essential to suppress him appropriately, letting him experience setbacks early on to polish his sharpness, calm his mind to focus more on basketball, and shrink his excessively inflated ego.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Conversely, Little O’Neal lacked confidence; he felt pressured by his high school status, actually wanting to attend college but was pushed to where he is today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s younger than Kobe and doesn’t have an NBA-playing father to guide him in every aspect from a young age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little O’Neal had a classic start for Black kids, having a mom but no dad. His mom had many boyfriends, each offering some guidance and help, but it was far from enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed more encouragement and guidance, including how to play basketball, manage his emotions and life, and how to train and work seriously, taking responsibility like a man rather than a boy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird fully agreed with Gan’s opinion, but he was curious and asked Gan Guoyang, \"You’re also extremely confident, so who gave you setback education, who ever suppressed you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gan Guoyang just smiled and said, \"You don’t understand, and you won’t, Larry. I am who I am, others are others.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bird liked to talk trash on the court, but off the court, he never engaged in long speeches and preferred direct communication.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave a brief and straightforward speech, telling everyone, \"Some of you will stay, some will leave. Work hard, guys, and cherish the opportunity.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, Bird began the first training session, focusing solely on physical conditioning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stars like Bird, Jabbar, Gan, and Jordan have an almost pathological obsession with physically exhausting themselves through exercise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They relied on extreme workouts and marathon-like training sessions to release enough dopamine and endorphins to reach a state of comfort and joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Bird didn’t appreciate Bill Fitch’s venomous mouth and overly harsh personality, he liked Fitch’s training methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Filled with confrontation from start to finish, coupled with exhaustive and thigh-weakening physical training, Bird loved that feeling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the off-season, he would run a dozen kilometers on the scalding pavement of Indiana under the harsh sun, his shoes sticking to the steaming ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This self-destructive training severely damaged Bird’s body and shortened his career, but it also built Bird’s iron will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he lost in the finals to the Lakers and the Trail Blazers, he was defeated in terms of raw strength, not due to any collapse in willpower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If after today’s training, you still have the energy to do anything besides eating, sleeping, and shitting, then I have failed in my duty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",898,"2026-06-06T01:41:52.558Z",1,"novelbin.me","d696a19fa32f2071b41e4d728dcfa0aac07f1aa9bd5a50b675092012ccd0f9ff","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1286","the-golden-age-of-basketball-chapter-1284",2033,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-golden-age-of-basketball-cover.jpg"]