Hill, It Shouldn't Have Been This Way

As a basketball fan, who hadn't imagined that one day they might race across a professional court? Who hadn't dreamed of playing alongside those famous superstars, winning one championship after another, and gaining wealth and fame?

It was because fans had these kinds of dreams that career mode in the NBA 2K series became so popular. In the game, every basketball lover could fulfill a dream of their own. Ever since career mode appeared in NBA 2K10, this player-centered mode had become the series' main attraction.

But outside of games and fantasies, very few fans could actually make that dream come true. After all, professional basketball wasn't as simple as it was in a game.

Yet now, Link had a chance to make his dream come true.

He'd suddenly gained the physical attributes of a professional player, along with a foundation that could get him into the NBA. But whether he could fulfill his dream still depended on whether he could unleash the full power of this body.

After dinner at Upshaw's house, they rested for a while, then headed as promised to the run-down basketball court beside the house.

The backboard was wooden, and its once-white surface was covered in stains. The net was made of a series of metal chains, since a regular net would wear out easily from the friction.

There were several cracks in the concrete court, and the chain-link fence surrounding it was full of holes. The court was extremely basic, but it was the only place nearby where the two of them could play in peace.

Link nervously held the basketball. Though he now stood 6'8" and weighed 200 pounds, he was still worried about his basketball skills, which hadn't even been good enough to get him onto his college team.

It was true that the NBA had plenty of monsters who dominated without relying on technique, like O'Neal and Antetokounmpo, who would burst onto the scene in the future. But they only looked unpolished by NBA standards. To ordinary people, their skills were beyond the reach of most.

Take O'Neal, for example. When that guy showed off his fancy dribbling, he looked like an agile guard.

So clearly, having a great body wasn't enough to make it in the NBA. Besides, even by NBA standards, Link's physique was only average.

"Why don't you start by taking a few shots and finding your rhythm?" Seeing Link standing there with the ball, staring into space, Upshaw pointed at the hoop.

"Oh... right..." Link nodded. At school, his favorite way to score had always been shooting, and he'd thought he was pretty accurate.

In reality, though, that was only because shooting was the only way he knew how to score. Link was terrible at driving to the basket and things like that, so he'd naturally mistaken shooting for his best skill. Truth was, his shot hadn't been all that great either.

Just as Link raised the ball to shoot, a line of text suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Ah!" Link yelped in fright, and the ball dropped to the ground.

"What's wrong, buddy? You feeling okay?" Upshaw hurried over to check on him, thinking Link might have suffered some lingering effects. After all, fainting from a fall that had made him hit the back of his head was serious. Even though the doctor had said there was nothing to worry about, Upshaw was still concerned.

"It's nothing. I just... uh, go ahead and shoot around, Zeke. I'll warm up a little more." Link waved a hand to show that he was fine.

After confirming that he was the only one who could see the text, Link stepped aside and pretended to stretch his legs. In reality, he was studying the words in front of him.

The message was simple, just one sentence: "10–11 season Grant Hill abilities have been injected."

After Link finished reading, a progress bar appeared before his eyes, but it was empty. A line of small text sat above it: "09–10 season Grant Hill abilities."

"Grant Hill!?" Link's heart jumped. Grant Hill was his favorite basketball star! He remembered that before he'd crossed over, he'd been watching old footage of Hill's games the night of the thunderstorm, and then he'd been electrocuted. Maybe the two things were connected!

Unlike most fans his age, Link had never been all that interested in McGrady, Iverson, or Kobe. The one player he loved was Grant Hill, once hailed as "the next Jordan."

Before crossing over, Link had known that Grant Hill had been inducted into the Hall of Fame. At the time, many people had questioned Hill's induction. After all, he didn't have many major accolades. But in reality, those skeptics simply didn't know enough about Hill's career.

In the summer of 1993, Jordan announced his retirement for the first time.

Faced with a sharp decline in viewership, the NBA panicked. The league began scrambling to find someone it could build up as the next Jordan and turn its fortunes around.

And so the great title of "the next Jordan" was bestowed on two players for a time. One was Anfernee Hardaway, nicknamed "Penny." The other was Grant Hill.

Grant Hill had been a big name even in college. In the 1990s, he led Duke University to back-to-back NCAA championships. His all-around game, graceful style, and impeccable character quickly made him a national idol. Before he'd even entered the NBA, his fame already rivaled that of some stars.

There was a rumor that Hill had once led a college all-star team to beat the Dream Team in a scrimmage while they were preparing for the Barcelona Olympics. Yes, that Dream Team—the one with Jordan, Pippen, Magic Johnson, Bird, and the rest!

There was no footage to back up the story, and its truth had long been disputed. But the fact that such a rumor had circulated at the time was proof enough of Hill's immense popularity.

In 1994, the highly anticipated Grant Hill finally entered the draft. The Pistons selected him with the third pick, and he began his professional career in the Motor City. Hill lived up to the hype: in his rookie season, he averaged 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.8 steals, and was named Rookie of the Year for the 1994–95 season.

It was worth noting that Hill became the NBA All-Star Game vote leader in his rookie season, thanks to his immense popularity. People had boundless expectations for him. In the years without Jordan, Grant Hill seemed to be the league's last hope.

The following year, even after the real Jordan returned, Hill still held on to his place as the NBA All-Star Game vote leader.

Of course, Hill's talent lived up to his popularity. At his peak, he averaged 25.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. No one could match the speed of his first step, his crossover was like a guard's, and his soaring dunks were always a joy to watch.

The praise of "the next Jordan" seemed like a perfect fit for Hill. Maybe all that separated him from the real Jordan was an Larry O'Brien Trophy.

But then everything took a sharp turn for the worse. Just as Hill had learned to read the game and was entering his prime, injuries brought the story of "the next Jordan" to an abrupt end.

In the three years after leaving the Pistons, Hill managed only 47 healthy games in total. Though his health improved afterward, he never regained his old form. In the later years of his career, he could only fill a role-player spot, and he never won a championship.

Grant Hill's career ended when he was 40. Seven All-Star starts, no championships—and even his Hall of Fame induction was questioned.

Grant Hill. It shouldn't have been this way.

Yet despite all those hardships, Grant Hill persevered until he was 40 before retiring, becoming a respected veteran. That was actually the main reason Link liked Hill.

He admired not only Hill's graceful, all-around game at his peak, but also his never-give-up spirit! Back then, as a broke college graduate, Link knew he needed that same kind of spirit to keep himself going.

But now, through a strange twist of fate, he'd become connected to Grant Hill.

"10–11 season Grant Hill abilities have been injected." What did that mean? Could it be that he now had the abilities of an older Hill?

"Hey, Link, what are you spacing out for!? You've warmed up enough. Come on, take a few shots!"

Upshaw's shout pulled Link out of his thoughts, and the progress bar and small text vanished from before his eyes.

Link nodded, then thought back to Hill in the 2010–11 season.

Though Grant Hill didn't have much athleticism left by then and was only a role player on the Suns, his average of 13.2 points per game was more than most NBDL players could manage!

At that point in his career, Hill's strengths were mainly his three-point shooting and experience. His shot was steady, so if Link really had an older Hill's abilities, he should be pretty accurate when left open beyond the arc.

"Pass it to me." Link stood beyond the three-point line and waved to Upshaw.

Upshaw looked stunned, because Link had never taken three-pointers before. But he didn't think much of it. They were only warm-up shots, after all. It didn't matter where he shot from.

Link caught the ball and immediately felt that he had better control of it. In other words, his feel for the game was sharper.

He jumped, bent his wrist, flicked his fingers, and released. His shooting motion was incredibly smooth. Link had never felt anything like it before!

The ball traced a perfect arc through the air and dropped through the hoop, clanking against the chains. Link looked at his hands. Could this be the perk he'd gotten from crossing over!?

"Nice! Give me another one!" Upshaw grinned, thinking the kid was having some ridiculous luck today.

Upshaw picked up the ball and passed it to Link again. This time, Link moved to the right side of the three-point line and shot. The motion felt just as good as before, and the ball went in again.

After that, Upshaw passed him ten more balls in a row, and Link made every single three! It wasn't until the eleventh shot, after the ball circled the rim twice, that it finally rolled out—bad luck.

NBA-level pros had high shooting percentages in practice. Making ten three-pointers in a row was no big deal. But for an NBDL player, especially Link, who hadn't even been able to shoot threes before, that kind of accuracy was shocking.

"Tell me," Upshaw said, walking up to Link in amazement and circling him twice. "Did that fall yesterday knock your aim into place?"

"I've actually been secretly practicing my threes. Hehe, I just got lucky that time." Link rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. The progress bar had appeared in front of him again.

A sliver of white now filled the progress bar, which had been empty before. It seemed the way to fill it was by practicing or playing games.

Could it be that once the bar was full, he'd gain Grant Hill's 09–10 season abilities, and then keep progressing in the same way?

And if he kept leveling up until he reached Hill's peak...

The thought was too beautiful, so Link didn't dare continue.

Could he really become an NBA-level pro? Maybe he could!