Chapter 943 - 8 Scandal_3

Johnson hesitated for a moment, then agreed with pleasure. The two of them engaged in several rounds of confrontation under the attention of many media cameras at the basket.

Gan Guoyang appeared calm, showing no resistance or fear due to Johnson carrying the virus, he played both offense and defense as usual, with both sides matching each other.

As the warm-up concluded, Johnson gratefully shook Gan Guoyang’s hand and said, "Thank you, Sonny, thank you. It’s hard to understand without going through this, thank you."

Gan Guoyang said, "I had a friend who passed away from AIDS, that was a long time ago. You have to live well, Magic, and don’t mess around anymore."

The news of Gan Guoyang’s one-on-one with Johnson quickly spread across All-America, showing Gan Guoyang’s approval of Johnson being able to participate in the games, subsequently voices supporting Johnson’s participation in the All-Star grew louder.

The League supported Johnson’s participation in the All-Star game on one hand, while also implementing measures; if a player gets scratched or bleeds during the game, the game will be paused, and the player will be subbed out to treat the wound until the bleeding stops, to reduce the risk of infection.

In short, Magic Johnson made it to the 1992 Portland All-Star game, which was destined to go down in history as one of the All-Star games.

However, while most people’s attention was caught by Mike Tyson’s rape case and Magic Johnson’s AIDS, Michael Jordan was facing scandals of gambling, but the former two matters overshadowed it, the media, for various reasons, did not focus on Jordan or expose him on a large scale during this period.

It all started last December, when a cocaine dealer under police surveillance in Charlotte, James Bly, cashed a $57,000 check with Michael Jordan’s signature at the bank, leading the police to launch a tax investigation, which eventually implicated Jordan.

Jordan and Bly falsely claimed this was money Jordan lent Bly, as they were old acquaintances, but the police soon discovered they were lying; it was not a loan.

However, Jordan has extensive connections in Charlotte, and the matter was temporarily suppressed, Bull was bailed out, although Jordan may have to testify in the future, but not now, not during the season, and not during the Olympics.

In February, Bull’s bail guarantor Eddie Dao was shot dead by burglars at home, who stole $20,000 cash but left behind three checks for $108,000 each—bearing Jordan’s signature.

During the investigation of the homicide, the police noticed these checks and later confirmed they were used by Jordan to repay gambling debts.

From this point, the fact that Jordan indulged in gambling outside the court began to be known by the media, and some reporters urged David Stern to investigate the matter.

For professional athletes, gambling has always been taboo, as gamblers might end up betting on games—though Jordan seems unlikely.

With the All-Star game approaching, David Stern didn’t want Johnson and Jordan to be entangled in scandals, he took a cold treatment approach and instructed the Bulls management to not make any responses.

However, Jordan was still very troubled by it because the man who once won $1.2 million from him, Richard, showed up, seizing this moment when Jordan’s gambling habits might be exposed to demand repayment.

He followed the Chicago Bulls to different away games, watching the Bulls play, and pressured Jordan from the sidelines.

Before the All-Star game, Richard Escinas bought tickets for the Rose Garden, he was coming to Portland to "settle debts."

Jordan finally couldn’t bear it and called Escinas: "You have to give me some space and also some time; I have so many things to deal with, when I free up I’ll naturally pay you back. The NBA isn’t suddenly going to bankrupt!"

Escinas said, "You have money Michael, I hope in Portland you can settle all this, after that I won’t bother you anymore, isn’t that good?"

"Why must it be in Portland? I’ve already paid you some of it, can’t you wait a bit more?"

"No, it can’t be, I... I’ve already given your IOU to Ah Gan, if you don’t repay, or you intend to harm me, he will reveal everything."

"What? What did you say? You told Ah Gan?"

"Yes, I wanted an insurance policy, Ah Gan is trustworthy, but you are not!"

Jordan didn’t say anything more, and he angrily hung up the phone.

After hesitating for a long time, he still didn’t dial that once familiar number.