But off the court, people would immediately change their faces. Russell couldn't eat at white restaurants, nor could he stay at white hotels.
He was only the "greatest basketball player" on the court; off the court, he was just a black man.
Through relentless struggle and social change, by the year 2000, Gan Guoyang certainly wouldn't encounter Russell's predicament.
He was a superstar and a holder of capital, but in the realm of the NBA, players on and off the court are worlds apart.
Players are heroes on the court, but in the owners' balance sheets, they're just assets, tools for tax deductions.
Even someone like Gan Guoyang, a monumental figure in basketball, his influence still lingered on the court and could only remain there.
If he declared he was joining a team, the owners of the 29 teams would kneel at his doorstep, begging him to join.
