Chapter 737 - 2 Thoughts

Gan Guoyang left Argentina at the end of August and returned to America. After spending a few days with his family in Portland, he headed to Washington as he had agreed with Jordan.

There, their good friend Charles Barkley organized a training camp, inviting superstars like Jordan, Ah Gan, Ewing, and some rookies from this year to come and train.

As a "reward", Abe Pollin, the owner of the Washington Bullets, held a golf charity event, allowing these golf-loving basketball stars to indulge themselves on the green.

After touring Europe, flying from country to city, and intensely participating in commercial events, Jordan was already weary in both mind and body, eager to return to America for cards and golf.

Because his wife Juanita was pregnant, he stayed in Chicago for two days, but couldn’t sit still for long and immediately rushed to Washington upon receiving the invitation, joining Gan Guoyang and Barkley for training and golf.

Gan Guoyang had little interest in golf, yet paradoxically amongst this group of friends, he played the best, leading Barkley to shake his head and exclaim: "I always thought I was exceptionally talented in sports, but Sonny is the true genius. If he played golf, he would undoubtedly achieve great things."

Whether it was skill-based sports or those requiring superior physical qualities, Gan Guoyang excelled.

The athletic talent of this body was truly remarkable.

The simultaneous appearance of Jordan and Gan Guoyang greatly increased the exposure of this golf charity event.

A few of them, holding golf clubs and wearing polo shirts, hurried from one hole to another, followed by a large crowd.

These reporters, with their cameras, didn’t stop snapping photos of the two most dazzling stars in the basketball community.

Gan Guoyang and Jordan led the way, with Gan Guoyang cocking his head towards Jordan and saying, "Michael, why do they even compare you with me? You haven’t won a single championship."

Jordan removed the cigar from his mouth and said, "Because they sense, I will soon have one, and it will be won by defeating you."

"That’s the second funniest joke I’ve heard today."

The funniest joke Gan Guoyang heard today was Charles Barkley saying he would claim both the scoring title and rebound king next season.

Jordan didn’t think it was a joke. He said, "The Bulls are getting stronger and stronger. You guys are no match for us. Your backcourt has flaws; no one can guard me."

As he said this, Jordan exhaled smoke, and his diamond earring glittered in the sunlight.

This was Jordan’s new look for 1990, his head shone even more than last season, as if it was waxed.

Earrings, watches became his standard accessory, a sign of a mature man. He was already 27 years old.

Everyone thought it was time for Jordan to win a championship.

As Jordan mentioned, the Portland Trail Blazers Team had flaws in their backcourt. All four of their guards were offensive talents, and none could guard Jordan on defense.

However, Guoyang wasn’t worried about the lineup issues. The Blazers’ backcourt might not stop Jordan, but the Bulls’ frontcourt likewise couldn’t contain Guoyang.

Basketball games aren’t simply about individual matchups. Many factors must be considered. As long as the Blazers stay united, Guoyang believed the Bulls wouldn’t have a chance.

But the issue was precisely that unity, the thing Guoyang worried most about since returning from Argentina.

Divac and Petrović were nearly at a breaking point after the national flag incident, which became a symbol of the Croats and Serbs’ division within Yugoslavia.

By this September, the calls for Croatian independence grew louder, and Yugoslavia was on the verge of civil war.

How they would be teammates next season, how they would coexist harmoniously, would be a fatal issue inside the Portland Trail Blazers Team.

Sabonis was also having a hard time.

On March 11, 1990, Lithuania declared its independence from the Soviet Union unilaterally.

Sabonis, as a Lithuanian, was in an awkward position within the Soviet national team.

Eventually, he persisted in participating in the 1990 World Championships, helping the Soviet Team reach the final.

But the Soviets lost to Yugoslavia in the final, which meant Sabonis displeased both sides.

In the Soviet Union, he didn’t win the championship, while in Lithuania, some people considered him a traitor for still playing for the Soviet national team.

Since birth, Sabonis had been a Soviet citizen; he had played for the Soviet Union since his youth, and in 1988, he became a national basketball hero.

Yet in just a few years, a powerful red state was on the brink of collapse, plunging him into confusion: who was he, exactly?

After the World Championship final, Sabonis asked Ah Gan, "Am I red, or am I green? Am I still a Soviet?"

Gan Guoyang couldn’t answer him, only able to wander the night streets of Buenos Aires with Sabonis.

For other issues, be it financial, legal, or psychological, Guoyang could offer help.

But when it came to fate and nation, ethnic choices, swept along by the tide, no individual could resist.

Guoyang was clear in his heart, the Yugoslav war was imminent, the Soviet Union would disintegrate, and Divac and Petrović would have no chance of reconciliation.

Thinking of this, Guoyang felt helpless; the three of them had once been such close friends.

During the 1989-1990 season, the Eastern European trio was inseparable, they progressed together and endured a tough rookie season.