The Golden Age of Basketball

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[About the incident that happened between me and Gan at Sermonde's during Christmas 1981, there have always been rumors circulating in the media. I want to say, that's all nonsense!]

—————— Excerpt from Wilt Chamberlain's autobiography "A view from Above," published in 1992.

After finishing the lemonade, Sermonde emerged from the kitchen with a big platter of aromatic barbecued meat.

On learning that Chamberlain had been joking with Gan Guoyang using lemonade, he shook his head and said, "Wilt always liked lemonade, he used to drink a gallon of it in the locker room to rehydrate. The guy actually doesn't like drinking."

Chamberlain said, "I am a disciplined athlete, how could I like dangerous stuff like alcohol."

"Try my secret barbecue instead. The recipe was passed down from my grandmother to my mother, and then to me, a tradition from Ohio."

The big platter of barbecued meat included pork ribs, beef, and chicken, all exuding an exotic aroma that made one drool at first whiff.

Gan Guoyang was curious as to why Sermonde was still grilling even though the restaurant was clearly shut down.

Sermonde explained that his The Begining indeed had closed, but the newly opened bar was run by his cousin Bob.

Today being Christmas, he had invited family and neighbors to gather at the bar, to socialize and also to test out his skill to see if the secret barbecue recipe left behind by his ancestors was popular.

After receiving unanimous praise from everyone, Sermonde said contentedly, "Maybe I should open a barbecue joint in the future. There doesn't seem to be a good one around here, does it?"

Everyone agreed, and Sermonde took the matter to heart, planning to put it into practice in the future.

Chamberlain alone ate at least half of the big platter of barbecue, paying no heed to his image as a legendary star, laughing heartily in front of friends and ordinary people, cracking jokes that sometimes didn't make sense, and he enjoyed teasing Sermonde about his shiny bald head.

Sermonde wasn't angry; he had been Chamberlain's junior during their time with the San Francisco Warriors and had been looked after by Chamberlain, becoming good friends, before their paths as players diverged.

One glittering with fame, the other unpretentious and unknown, one continuing to make waves in the world of fame and fortune after retirement, and the other returning to the community to become a somewhat wealthy neighborhood old-timer.

Gan Guoyang quietly ate his barbecue, observing Chamberlain's childish demeanor and Sermonde's brotherly silence and tolerance. He understood that Chamberlain still had the mindset of the chosen one when he first entered the League, whereas Sermonde had long since matured into a seasoned man.

If his memory served him right, Chamberlain, although surrounded by countless admirers, was a bachelor all his life and left no offspring. His Martian-like genes were not passed on—as for whether he had any illegitimate children, nobody knew.

After eating barbecue and dinner, everyone started looking for fun, some playing cards, others throwing darts, and a few mixing drinks for a toast.

Chamberlain suddenly took off his suit jacket, revealing his body, sturdy as an ox, and said to Gan Guoyang, "Hey kid, Sermonde told me you're incredibly strong. Come on, let's have an arm-wrestling match!"

Gan Guoyang was taken aback. What was Chamberlain thinking, challenging a high school student to arm-wrestling at nearly 50 years of age?

Looking at the guy's arm, it was almost as thick as Gan Guoyang's thigh.

Sermonde tried to intervene, saying, "Wilt, you should act a little more like an elder."

But Chamberlain countered, "I've spent enough time being a star, being Wilt Chamberlain, out there. Here, I just want to have some fun. To be honest, there's something about this kid that rubs me the wrong way."

"Hey, it was you who wanted to meet this Chinese rising star from San Francisco. You said you've seen him in the papers at least three times now. Why would you have an issue with him? Is he stealing your spotlight?"

"No, it's not that. The more I look at him, the more he reminds me of Bill, seriously. His demeanor gives me some PTSD. Come on, young man, I'm just going to play around, I won't exert any strength."

Chamberlain brought over a small wooden table and stretched out, determined to compete with Gan Guoyang that day.

The Bill he referred to was naturally Bill Russell, and Gan Guoyang's calm and restrained temperament, even his height, reminded Chamberlain of the nightmare of his basketball career.

Gan Guoyang was not timid either. He took off his jacket, showing his lean and strong body. He looked far too slender compared to Chamberlain, seemingly without a chance.

But arm-wrestling requires not only strength but also technique and savvy use of the force application parts.

Chamberlain was full of confidence, unaware that Gan Guoyang had once dominated many tough guys in the orphanage with his arm-wrestling skill.

Now, with a body comparable to that of the Bionic Man, Gan Guoyang had been sculpting it every day since deciding to pursue basketball.

"Just playing around, right? You won't exert any strength?"

"Of course, just for fun, remember to give it your all."

Chamberlain was very confident in his strength, indeed, he was extraordinarily powerful.

He could easily lift an average adult as though they were a balloon.

At 45, although his athleticism and explosiveness had declined significantly, his strength was at its peak.

The two sat down, elbows resting on the table, hands clasped together.

The others who had been playing cards, throwing darts, or drinking stopped their activities and gathered around to watch this startling arm-wrestling contest.

It's a pity there were no mobile phones back then, and nobody brought a video camera; otherwise, someone would surely have recorded it, to be a precious piece of historical footage.

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