The Player at the Bottom of the Food Chain

"The discharge procedures are done. The doctor said you're completely fine. Let's go—we've got a game the day after tomorrow."

That afternoon, after Link had accepted the fact that he'd gone from an ordinary broke graduate to a professional player, a tall, burly Black man walked into Link's hospital room.

From the way he spoke, it sounded like he and Link were very familiar. Link sifted through his memories carefully and figured out who this guy was and how they were connected.

Zeke Upshaw. A professional player just as unknown as Link, an ordinary older player in the NBA Development League. He'd also gone undrafted, had been playing in the D-League for three years, and still hadn't caught the eye of any NBA team.

But like most people, Upshaw hadn't given up on his dream. He still yearned for the NBA. So he stayed, soaking in the D-League's melting pot.

On the Oklahoma City Blue, Upshaw and Link were good friends. As a yellow-skinned player, Link had faced some exclusion when he first joined the team. But Upshaw was the exception—incredibly friendly and warm.

Back when Link first arrived in Oklahoma and hadn't found a place to rent, Upshaw generously invited him to crash at his place for a few nights. Even now, Upshaw often invited Link over for dinner.

If Link had to describe him, Upshaw was a genuinely good person. Maybe that came from years of being a bottom-tier professional player.

As a player at the very bottom of the professional basketball food chain, Upshaw understood the struggles of every D-League player. So he felt a kind of mutual respect for Link.

"What's up, man? Did the fall scramble your brains? I told you, going all-out in contact drills isn't always a good thing. Don't worry, the team already covered your medical bills. You don't have to stress about the ambulance cost from yesterday." Upshaw grinned and patted Link on the shoulder.

In the US, emergency medical costs were astronomical. A single ambulance ride could run over a thousand dollars, and that was just the start. Once you got to the ER, the exam fees were triple what a regular clinic charged. A trip to the emergency room could easily set you back tens of thousands.

Link remembered a joke he'd heard in his past life: a college student suddenly collapsed on the street, and his last words before losing consciousness were, "Don't call an ambulance!"

But right now, Link wasn't worried about ambulance fees. He was still trying to get used to the fact that he suddenly had a good friend.

"Thanks for picking me up, Zeke." Not knowing what else to say, Link just thanked his teammate, who was still chasing his dream.

"What's there to thank between us? Come on, let's head to my place for dinner tonight. My mom bought some good chicken thighs. You're in for a treat."

Upshaw threw an arm around Link's shoulders and steered him out of the hospital room. Link still wasn't used to Upshaw's warmth, but having an extra friend couldn't be a bad thing.

Walking down the streets of Oklahoma, Link was full of curiosity about everything around him.

Even though Oklahoma wasn't a big city—in his past life as a fan, Link had joked along with everyone else that it was "Oklahoma Village"—for someone who had just "gone abroad" for the first time, everything here was enough to make his head spin.

"Hey, what's up with you today?" Upshaw noticed something off and frowned. "You passed out cold during practice yesterday, but all the tests came back clean. You sure they didn't mess up?"

Upshaw reached out and touched the back of Link's head.

"I'm fine, Zeke. Just feels like I slept for a long time." Link, who had been silent the whole way, quickly brushed Upshaw's hand away. If he didn't say something, he'd blow his cover.

If anyone found out his soul didn't belong to this body, the Pentagon would probably send people to drag him off for dissection.

The two chatted on and off as they walked, eventually entering a run-down neighborhood. This was Upshaw's home, the place he'd grown up—a forgotten corner of Oklahoma City called Calvin District.

Back in China, Link had always pictured American cities as bustling metropolises. But honestly, Calvin District couldn't hold a candle to even the smallest Chinese town.

The roads in Calvin District were old and potholed. In the alleys, homeless people gathered, staring at passersby with hopeless eyes. A few guys in baggy clothes were making shady deals on street corners. Every wall was covered in graffiti.

Even though it was his first time in the US, Link had lived through the information explosion era. He might not have eaten pork, but he'd seen pigs run. No question—he was in a poor Black neighborhood. If Upshaw hadn't been by his side, Link wasn't sure he'd be walking these streets safely.

At the edge of Calvin District stood a tiny two-story house—Zeke Upshaw's home. Next to it was a half-court basketball court enclosed by a chain-link fence. According to Upshaw, that was where his basketball journey began.

"Mom, I'm home! And Link's with me—thank God, his head's fine." Upshaw shouted before he even got through the door.

A short, plump Black woman opened the door, wearing an apron and a warm smile.

"I told you, God would protect Link. Come here, child, let me see. Oh my, when Zeke told me you'd passed out yesterday, I nearly died of fright."

Upshaw's mom checked the back of Link's head with concern, then hugged him. It made Link a little awkward and unsure how to react. But in this unfamiliar place, it also brought him a flicker of warmth.

Yeah, in his past life, Link had grown up without much parental love. It had been a long time since he'd felt anything like a home...

Stepping inside, Link looked around. The worn-out old couch and messy living room made it clear that Upshaw's family wasn't well-off either.

Upshaw's father had gone to prison over drugs back in the day, leaving his mother—the kind woman who'd just opened the door—to raise Upshaw and his sister on her own.

Even though Upshaw was now a professional player, a D-League salary wasn't going to change the family's finances much.

Unlike NBA stars, who made at least hundreds of thousands a year, the entire salary cap for a D-League team was only $200,000. Compared to the NBA, it was pocket change.

As a three-year D-League veteran, Upshaw's annual salary this year was $19,500. That's right—not $1.95 million, not $195,000, but $19,500. A year.

For context, the average annual salary in the US was $40,000. So even though they were called professional players, Upshaw and Link were barely scraping by in the lower-middle class.

"Link, you good for practice tomorrow?" While Mrs. Upshaw was busy in the kitchen, Zeke and Link chatted on the couch.

"Uh... honestly, not really." Link gave an awkward smile. Playing in the D-League for under $20,000 a year was one thing. But right now, Link might not even be able to hold onto that $20,000 meal ticket.

In his past life, Link had been a basketball fan, sure. But his actual skill level was a train wreck. Back in college, he couldn't even make the department team. So how could a guy with his lousy skills, now stuck in a professional player's body, actually play pro ball? Link had serious doubts.

"What's wrong?"

"I... I just got out of the hospital. I don't know if I can still perform. How about after dinner, you take me to the court next door to warm up?"

What Link really wanted was to see, before tomorrow's practice, whether he could still play basketball at all. If not, he'd better quit early and go be a gardener with his dad in this world... After all, as a four-year college player and an older rookie, Link was already 22. He couldn't waste his prime years stuck in the D-League.

With a rare chance to start over, Link didn't want to stay poor. Dreams were great, but a man had to eat. Wasting away on a basketball dream wasn't a plan.

"Sure, I'll get some exercise with you after dinner. But honestly, I think you'll be fine." Upshaw agreed without hesitation.

"Heh heh heh..." Link covered his nervousness with a laugh that was painfully fake.

Playing basketball against a pro? That's probably going to be a disaster.

※※※

This is a new book period, so I'm setting aside a section to talk to you all. Please give me your recommendations, recommendations, recommendations—this is the priority. I don't need to repeat how important these resources are during the new book period. You guys can stop voting for me later, but during this new book period, I beg you all to leave your votes for me.

Because it's only with these resources that I have a chance to get on the big recommendation lists. With good recommendations, the results naturally pick up. With good results, personally speaking, I'll definitely be happier writing. I'm not going to spout some nonsense like I write purely for my dreams—writing is certainly my hobby and dream, but just like Link, a person still has to eat, right?

Now, about updates: during the new book period, I can only guarantee two chapters a day, because the sports category's requirement for the number of words before going on the shelves is very low. If I update too many words each day, the book will go on the shelves in just a few days. And once it's on the shelves, I'll forever miss out on many recommendation opportunities.

Many readers say, "So-and-so big shot releases a new book and still explodes with updates." But those big shots always have their reader base, so they can get a lot of collections even without recommendations. I'm different—I have to accumulate bit by bit during the new book period. So, I need to extend the new book period as much as possible, only updating two chapters a day. I hope you all understand. The two update times are 12:30 and 17:30 daily, and barring any surprises, they generally won't change.

But your recommendation votes won't be for nothing. On the day the book goes on the shelves, I'm tentatively starting with at least five chapters (tentative, might be more). For every 5,000 recommendation votes, I'll add one extra chapter, with no upper limit. If you want to see me explode with updates on the day it goes on the shelves, then bury me with your votes. Even if I have to stay up all night, I'll grind them out for you. My old readers know my update pace—I won't say it's a lot, but it's definitely not little. Once it's on the shelves, there'll be plenty.

That's all I can think of for now. If I think of anything else, I'll tell you later. Thank you all for bearing with me and reading through this, and thank you for your support.

Finally, please give me your recommendations, recommendations!