Chapter 1 Promise

In the sports world of 1986, two people dominated: one was NBA basketball's Gan Guoyang, who shockingly ended a perfect season by earning the highest personal accolade, the Regular Season MVP, along with the highest team honor, the NBA Championship.

His performance in the finals was impeccable, averaging 34 points, 16 rebounds, 6.2 blocks, and 5.1 assists per game to clinch the Finals MVP. Additionally, he scored 50 points in a single game, becoming the second player after Jerry West in 1969 to drop 50 points in a finals game.

In mid-June, Gan Guoyang graced the cover of Time magazine. Before him, the Chinese figures who had appeared on Time's cover were all influential politicians; Guoyang was the first sports figure.

That same month, without any doubt, Gan Guoyang also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, marking his fourth time as the cover figure. That summer, his fame and popularity across America reached a peak.