Before the training began, Bird calmly stated, and then for two and a half hours in the morning, he meticulously tracked the time as he commenced a grueling physical torture.
Regular shuttle runs, baseline shuttle runs, dribbling runs, layup runs, one-on-one man-to-man offense and defense runs... various aerobic and anaerobic training related to running and jumping seemed endless, tormenting everyone in the training camp.
Besides Gan Guoyang, Kobe, and Little O'Neal, the rest of the training camp consisted of undrafted rookies and players on short-term contracts, who spent the entire summer mixing in different training camps, hoping to earn some wages while finding a stable and reliable job.
The Trail Blazers' rookie training camp was always known for its harshness. Any player who could persist and rise from here would be held in high regard wherever they played.
Especially as they could say, "I trained with Ah Gan, who is the number one in the NBA."
