The Golden Age of Basketball

A paid 3v3 matchup had ended just as quickly as it had begun.

There were no spectators, no cheers, both the beginning and the end passed without any noise.

Matches like this were played by the hundreds every day on the various courts in the alleyways and streets of San Francisco.

Some streetball experts could support their families with these paid games, earning up to a hundred US dollars in rewards a day.

There were also higher-level amateur competitions, such as the San Francisco Bay Area Pro-AM, where top amateur players and semi-professional players formed teams to participate in high-level games that were better than some national leagues.

Today's ordinary youth matchup had each person betting ten US dollars, with Gan Guoyang and his two friends winning a total of thirty US dollars.

Chen Xing and Gan Guohui gave their shares of the winnings to Gan Guoyang.

After the match, they realized that Gan Guoyang had the potential to make a name for himself in basketball, he was the village's only hope.

In the following week, the three of them began roaming around various medium-level gyms and street courts in San Francisco, playing paid games to save up for Gan Guoyang's registration fees.

With Chen Xing's family assets, and Gan Guohui's pocket money, coming up with 150 US dollars was not a challenge for them.

But to these three teenagers, paying the registration fees for training camp with money won from games was a more meaningful method.

Initially, only Gan Guoyang was supposed to register for the camp, but after two games, Gan Guohui declared he would join the training as well.

Even if he might never achieve anything in basketball, losing some weight would be good too.

The financial need increased to 300 US dollars.

Chen Xing carefully selected their opponents for each match.

He would of course not compete with renowned experts, nor with the courts where adults abounded, or in areas with poor security.

They went to Sunset Rock's Dome Sports Pavilion, Potrero Hill Recreation Center, Golden Gate Park's Panhandle courts, Oak Street Court and others.

These places had beautiful environments, attracted more visitors, and had better security. Mostly, they played basketball with teenagers aged 13-18, just like themselves.

They only played 3v3, ten or fifteen points, quick and clean, making it possible to determine the winner in a short amount of time.

Because Gan Guohui's physical endurance was the weak link, he couldn't handle playing a full-court game or for too long.

Chen Xing liked picking people who seemed not so skilled but had a high opinion of their own abilities.

These guys would probably refrain from accepting paid matches with a 2-meter-tall black person.

But Gan Guoyang was a tall and skinny Asian, paired with a skinny monkey with glasses and a chubby boy who didn't seem very sporty.

Three Chinese faces on a basketball court were like fat pigs on the plains; although large, they were delectable food in the eyes of hyenas and wild dogs.

They just didn't realize that what appeared to be fat pigs were actually lions in disguise.

Gan Guoyang's defensive presence in half-court 3v3 games was beyond these amateur teenagers' imagination.

Poorer players had no other option than long-distance jump shots to score on the court.

Gan Guoyang showed a cunning that was beyond his years in defense. He was good at using his blocks, strength, and even language to break down the opponent's psychological defenses.

Of course, he wasn't as talkative as those black players; his English vocabulary wasn't extensive, but he always zeroed in on his opponents, gaining the upper hand both psychologically and technically.

His learning capabilities were very strong, and in just a week's time, he was adeptly pulling off the streetball tricks, almost able to perform various technical moves when not strongly contested.

He never showed off on the court, nor did he shout or boast. He was restrained but not low-key, channeling his emotions and energy into a fatal blow to the opposition.

After a dozen games, they remained undefeated and quickly raised enough money to register for Frank Alock's "Excel in Basketball" summer camp.

In San Francisco, or the entire Northern California region, there were many excellent basketball training camps; there was no need to go all the way to Oakland.

The decision to choose this camp was not only because Chen Xing had attended and recommended it, but also because it was a new training camp started by Coach Alok this year, with a long training period, multiple programs, moderate prices, and discounts.

However, although they had raised enough money, Gan Guoyang still needed to convince Gan Youwei to agree to him attending the training camp.

The restaurant's business was as bad as it had always been, teetering on the edge of closure, and losing two unpaid child workers would be the final straw for its operations.

In the evening after the restaurant was closed and dinner was over, Gan Guoyang helped take out the trash and mop the floor in the kitchen while Gan Youwei took care of the stove.

After arriving in this time and space, Gan Guoyang didn't at all mind working in the restaurant.

On the contrary, he was even more diligent than before because his physical stamina was incredibly good.

Gan Youwei, his father, as well as his uncle's family, were very caring toward Gan Guoyang.

Although the restaurant was not doing well and the atmosphere at home was somewhat gloomy, the adults never vented their work frustrations on the child.

They had their minor complaints about his frequent basketball outings, but they never once stopped him.

Every evening, Gan Youwei would make some nutritious soup for his son to strengthen his physique.

In their daily lives, besides caring for his well-being, Gan Youwei took great pains over Gan Guoyang's education and future life, making countless visits to the immigration office and the education department.

This family warmth made Gan Guoyang feel especially cherished, something he hadn't experienced before.

In the orphanage, although the aunties were very kind and many good-hearted people had helped him, it still wasn't a real home.

Now he was in America, yet within a traditional Chinese family; both his body and soul had found sanctuary.

The more it was so, the more guilt Gan Guoyang felt towards Gan Youwei.

He was well aware of his father's plans and expectations for him: to inherit his culinary skills and the ancestral Gan's cuisine.

If he could promote Gan's cuisine in a foreign land, then his father's wish would be fulfilled.

But Gan Guoyang's talent and passion lay in basketball, not cooking.

He could learn a few cooking skills, but he couldn't spend a lifetime in the kitchen clanging and banging pots and pans.

How to make Gan Youwei accept that his son had suddenly shown basketball talent and wanted to pursue a career in basketball troubled Gan Guoyang deeply.

As he mopped the floor, he kept rehearsing in his mind what to say, wondering how he could obtain Gan Youwei's agreement and understanding.

The kitchen was small, and Gan Guoyang had already mopped the floor three times over, cleaning every corner and drying all the water.

Gan Youwei had also finished cleaning the stove and said to Gan Guoyang, "Guoyang, that's about enough, take a rest, don't exhaust yourself."

Gan Guoyang put down the mop, scratched his face, and said, "Dad… I… I want to discuss something with you."

"What is it?"

"I… recently I've saved up some money, and I want… I want to join a basketball camp, to receive professional basketball training."

"Oh, is that so."

Gan Youwei's reaction was unexpectedly calm.

He rubbed his hands and said, "Then you should go. I heard from Guohui that you're pretty good at basketball."

Gan Guoyang didn't expect Gan Youwei to agree so easily and didn't know what to say.

At that moment, Gan Youwei went into the room and brought out a cardboard box, handing it to Gan Guoyang.

"What… what's this?"

"Open it and see."

Gan Guoyang opened it, and inside lay a pair of brand-new basketball shoes, quietly placed.

"Dad bought them for you, Guohui said you need these for playing basketball. I don't understand the brands, just make do with these," said Gan Youwei, pushing the shoebox into Gan Guoyang's hands without much explanation.

"Dad…"

"Go to bed early tonight, working and playing basketball is very tiring," said Gan Youwei, patting his son gently and then walking away.

Looking at the shoes in the box, tears welled up in Gan Guoyang's eyes, and two hot tears fell uncontrollably, dripping onto the cold floor tiles.