Three Calls After a Triple-Double

26 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists—a triple-double. Not just anyone else; even Link had never imagined his debut would be such a success.

Neither going one-on-one with Upshaw on the street court nor dominating Brockman in practice had ever given Link this much confidence. But this victory had sent his confidence soaring. It seemed Grant Hill's abilities could dominate the G League with ease.

The moment the game ended, every fan rose to their feet and cheered for Link. There were only a little over 2,000 people in attendance, but to Link, this was already the first peak of his basketball career.

"Hahaha, I knew you could do it! A triple-double, man, a triple-double! You've definitely caught the attention of plenty of NBA teams. I bet it won't be long before you get a ten-day contract!"

Upshaw was the first to rush over and embrace Link in celebration. He was so excited that it was as if he had been the one to put up the triple-double.

"It's still too early, Zeke. We've got to keep working hard," Link said, patting Upshaw on the back as he basked in the cheers of the crowd.

As for college star Luke Ba Weiyuan? No one even knew where he had gone. Winners ruled and losers were forgotten—that was the law of competitive sports. Today, undrafted Link was the biggest star.

"That kid's great. Where did he come from?" As the two head coaches shook hands, the Skyforce coach cast Conner an envious look.

The maturity, composure, and skill Link had displayed on the court undoubtedly made him highly sought after by every coach.

"That brat from Fresno. He played four full years in college. I think today will be the starting point of his professional career." Conner smiled with satisfaction. Who wouldn't like a story about an ugly duckling turning into a swan?

"Fresno? You mean Fresno University, the one Paul George attended?" The Skyforce coach was stunned when he heard where Link had come from.

"That's right, Fresno University—the school that produced Alston and Paul George. Unfortunately, some people are naturally gifted, while others have to work hard to make up for it."

Conner's gaze settled on Link. He believed his team now had a very good chance of sending another talent to the NBA.

If the Blue Team wanted to catch the Thunder's attention and become their affiliate, they had to prove they could develop and send talent to the NBA. If a G League team could not send a single player to the NBA, what value did it have as an affiliate?

After today's game, Conner decided to devote all his energy and resources to Link. Getting Link into the NBA had become the top priority for Conner and the Blue Team.

Of course, Link knew nothing about the changes happening around him. Surrounded by his teammates, he returned to the locker room after a wonderful first night of his professional career. From that point on, the basketball world began to diverge from the one Link had known.

Link had never felt life was so wonderful. Three days ago, he had been a loser of a new graduate worrying about making a living. Two days ago, he had found himself lying in a hospital bed, looking at blonde, blue-eyed "foreign" nurses and his suddenly changed body.

The day before yesterday, he had attended a professional basketball team's practice for the first time and beaten a near-NBA player in a scrimmage. Then today, he had recorded a triple-double in a professional basketball game.

It all felt like a dream. Becoming a professional player was the dream of most basketball fans, and Link was living inside that dream.

Of course, recording a triple-double in the G League was not Link's ultimate goal. Getting into the NBA and signing a guaranteed contract—that was his current mission.

Just as Link sat in front of his locker in a daze, waiting for Upshaw to finish showering, the phone in his hand rang.

It was the first time Link's phone had rung since he arrived in this world three days ago. After all, he did not have many friends in Oklahoma. His only friend, Upshaw, contacted him by honking from downstairs. So over the past few days, Link had never properly checked what contacts were in his phone.

Therefore, when he saw the caller ID today, Link was completely stunned.

"Paul George."

Looking at the name on the screen, Link felt dazed. In his previous life, as a basketball fan, Link had been very familiar with the name Paul George. As one of the league's greatest stars, it was a name everyone knew. Though Link had not been a George fan, he had always thought highly of him.

After the "broken-leg incident," George had not fallen into despair. Instead, he had pushed forward with unyielding determination. In the 2018–19 season, when Link had transmigrated, George had even put up MVP-caliber numbers.

Yet this NBA superstar, someone who would be impossibly distant in the future, was calling him now. Anyone would have felt disoriented by that.

Of course, plenty of people in the United States shared the same name. There were probably tens of thousands of people named Paul George. Wasn't there a joke about it? If you shouted "Howard" on an American street, a whole bunch of people might turn around.

But Link knew very well that the Paul George calling him was the same Paul George who would one day dominate the NBA. According to Link's memories, he and George had once been close friends at Fresno University.

Swallowing hard, Link pressed the answer button. Talking on the phone with an NBA superstar really was a strangely wonderful feeling.

"Link! Hahahaha, I saw the news. You're something else, kid! Since when did you develop a three-point shot? Great job, man. I knew you'd make it. Keep it up—I'm still waiting to face you in the NBA!"

The moment the call connected, Paul George excitedly rattled off a whole string of words. The two were already very familiar with each other, so George skipped all the polite greetings.

"Thanks for the encouragement, George. But honestly, I'm still a long way from the NBA." Link was somewhat moved. After all, information about the G League was relatively hard to come by.

In the United States, the most popular basketball leagues were the NCAA and the NBA. G League games were not very popular, which was why NBDL games averaged only around 2,000 spectators.

As a result, most news outlets did not report on the NBDL. It was like how you rarely saw news about the NBL in China.

Unless someone deliberately followed it, they could not possibly learn about an NBDL game the moment it ended.

And without a doubt, Paul George had deliberately been following news about Link and the Blue Team.

"Thanks? Come on, I didn't do anything. You created all this yourself. Hey, nobody knows your ability better than I do. I've always believed you could play in the NBA. Don't give up—never give up, okay? You persevered through four years of college. It would be such a shame if you gave up now."

George's words were warm. As a rookie himself, he knew how hard it was to survive in the NBA. The competition in the NBDL was several times fiercer still.

"Don't worry, George. I don't want to spend every day mowing lawns at big mansions with my dad." Link smiled. He suddenly felt that the previous Link had actually been quite fortunate.

Though his basketball talent had been ordinary and he had gone undrafted, at least he had met two dependable friends: Upshaw and George.

In this world, sincere friends were far rarer than money.

Link and George casually chatted for a little longer before ending the call. Before Link's phone screen even had time to go dark, a second call came in.

This time, the caller ID read, "Old Man."

Link instantly grew nervous again, because he was about to speak to the "father" he had never met...

"Hello..." After answering, Link cautiously called into the phone.

"How's your head? Is it serious?" The voice on the other end spoke Chinese. It was also the first time Link had heard Chinese since transmigrating.

Although Link had been born in the United States, his parents were from China. Ever since he was young, they had taught him to speak Chinese. In their eyes, it was unacceptable for a child with yellow skin and black hair not to speak his native language. Therefore, though Link was Chinese American, he spoke very authentic Chinese.

An inexplicable sense of warmth instantly welled up inside him. That warmth came not only from the familiar language, but also from that greeting.

Everyone only saw Link crush Luke, while Ba Weiyuan put up a triple-double. But this man they called "the old man" was the only one whose first question was about his health.

"Uh... I'm fine. The doctor said it wasn't serious," Link answered awkwardly. Part of it was because he still wasn't used to his "new family." And besides, Link had grown up without a father to look after him. This seemed to be the first time he had ever received concern from a father.

The feeling was incredibly unfamiliar to him.

"Mm. Your mom's been worried for days. And you, too—you didn't even call home to let us know you were safe. I won't keep you any longer. Your mom still has a lot to say to you."

With just a few words, his father was done speaking. Yet Link remained dazed for quite some time.

So this was what it felt like to be cared for by a father? He didn't say much, but the warmth settled deep in his heart.

Then came his mother's nagging. Things like telling him to ask the family if he ever ran short on money, and saying they supported him continuing to play basketball—those were his mother's lines.

Unlike his father, his mother preferred to express all of her concern outright. But Link didn't find it annoying, because before he had transmigrated, his mother had left the family long ago. So this was also the first time in his life that he had experienced the happiness of being nagged.

"Alright, that's enough. Come home when you have time. Your dad says he wants you to come back and work with him, but secretly, he follows all your news very closely! Get some rest early. You're our pride!"

After ending the call, the smile on Link's face lingered for a long time. Though they were not his biological parents, Link could still feel the warmth they brought him. He found his new family more and more interesting.

Finally, Link's phone rang for the third time. This time, there was no caller ID, only an unfamiliar number.

After Link answered, he heard the voice of a young man.

"Hello, Tom Lin. My name is Carl Jones. I heard you're still looking for an agent."

"An agent?" Link's heart jolted, as if he could smell the scent of professional basketball.