On a sunny morning, Grizzlies owner Robert Pera drove toward FedExForum.
The car radio was broadcasting NBA news.
More precisely, 80 percent of Memphis radio stations were talking about the NBA.
The brand-new 2020–21 season had been underway for nearly a week, and the most unusual thing about it was that the league no longer had Link.
Pera's companion reached to turn off the radio, but he stopped her. "It's fine. I want to listen."
She shook her head. None of the news being reported was good.
The impact of Link's retirement had exceeded everyone's expectations.
"Link's retirement has brought the league immeasurable losses. Nike's stock has fallen by more than 6 percent, and the city of Memphis has lost over a billion dollars! In the first week of the new season, ticket prices at FedExForum have plummeted, attendance is down 20 percent, and Grizzlies game ratings have dropped by 5 percent! And the season has only just begun! That means the decline will continue!"
"League ratings are at an all-time low, and commissioner Adam Silver is at his wits' end. There isn't another iconic player in the entire league who can replace Link. I don't know when this slump will end, because from what we know, Link has no intention of coming back! He won't be like Michael Jordan and shout, 'I'm back.'"
The hosts on the radio were all like ants on a hot pan. Everyone had expected Link's retirement to shake the world, but when the shock finally came, it still caught everyone off guard.
Hearing that, Robert Pera shook his head. This season was going to be rough.
After Link left, it was as if the whole world had fallen into disarray.
People often said the world kept turning no matter who was gone. But Pera