Sil, It Shouldn't Be Like This

As a basketball fan, who hasn't imagined themselves flying across a professional court one day? Who hasn't fantasized about battling shoulder-to-shoulder with those legendary stars, winning championship after championship, reaping money and fame?

It's precisely because of this fantasy that the career mode in the NBA 2K series of basketball games is so wildly popular. In the game, every basketball enthusiast can fulfill their dream. Ever since NBA 2K10 introduced career mode, this player-centric feature has become the series' mainstay.

But beyond games and fantasies, very few fans ever realize this dream. After all, professional basketball isn't as simple as it is in a game.

Yet now, Link has a chance to make that dream come true.

He suddenly possesses the physical condition of a professional player, along with the foundational skills to break into the NBA. But whether he can ultimately achieve his dream depends on his ability to fully unleash the potential of this body.

After dinner at the Upshaw house and a short rest, the two of them arrived at the dilapidated basketball court beside the house as promised.

The backboard on this court was made of wood, the once-white surface now covered in stains. The net was a series of iron chains, since real mesh nets wore out easily from friction.

The concrete floor had several cracks, and the chain-link fence surrounding the court was full of holes. Though the court was extremely crude, it was the only place nearby where the two could play quietly.

Link held the basketball nervously. Despite now standing 2.03 meters tall and weighing 100 kilograms, he was still worried about his basketball skills, which hadn't even been good enough to make his college team.

Sure, the NBA has plenty of monsters who dominated without relying on refined technique—like Shaq or the later-rising Antetokounmpo. But those guys only seemed technically rough by NBA standards. Compared to ordinary people, their skills were far beyond what most could ever hope to reach.

Take Shaq, for instance. When that guy pulled off fancy dribbling moves, he looked like a nimble guard.

So raw physicality alone clearly wouldn't cut it in the NBA. Besides, Link's current body was only average by NBA standards.

"How about you shoot a few, get a feel for it?" Seeing Link standing there frozen with the ball, Upshaw pointed at the hoop.

"Oh... oh..." Link nodded. Back in school, his favorite way to score was shooting, and he'd always thought he was pretty accurate.

But that was only because shooting was his only option. Driving and other moves were completely beyond him, so he'd naturally fooled himself into thinking shooting was his strength. In truth, his shooting had never been all that impressive.

Just as Link raised the ball to shoot, a line of text suddenly flashed before his eyes.

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

"What's wrong, buddy? You feeling okay?" Upshaw stepped forward with concern, checking on him. He worried Link might be suffering some aftereffects. A fall that knocked him unconscious from a blow to the back of the head was serious business. Even though the doctor said he was fine, Upshaw still wasn't convinced.

"Nothing, I just... uh, you go ahead and play for a bit, Zeke. I'll warm up some more." Link waved his hand, signaling he was fine.

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

The text was very simple, just one sentence: "10-11 season Grant Hill's abilities have been injected."

After Link finished reading the sentence in his mind, a progress bar appeared before him, but it was empty. Above the bar was a small line of text: "09-10 season Grant Hill's abilities."

"Grant Hill!?" Link's heart jolted. Grant Hill was his favorite basketball star! He remembered that before crossing over, on the night of the thunderstorm, he'd been watching footage of Hill's old games, and then he got electrocuted. Maybe there was a connection!

Unlike most fans his age, Link had never felt much for T-Mac, Iverson, or Kobe. His idol was the one once hailed as "Jordan's heir"—Grant Hill.

Before crossing over, Link knew that Grant Hill had been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Many had questioned that honor. After all, Hill didn't have any major accolades. But in truth, those doubters just didn't know Hill's resume well enough.

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

The NBA, facing a sharp drop in ratings, fell into panic. The league scrambled to find a successor to Jordan, someone to salvage the decline.

Thus, the great title of "Jordan's heir" was bestowed upon two players: one was Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, and the other was Grant Hill.

Grant Hill was already famous in college. In the 1990s, he led Duke University to back-to-back NCAA championships. His all-around play, smooth and elegant style, and impeccable character quickly made him a national icon. Before even stepping into the NBA, his fame rivaled that of established stars.

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

Though no video evidence exists and the story's authenticity remains debated, the fact that such a rumor could spread back then shows just how popular Hill was.

In 1994, the highly anticipated Grant Hill finally entered the draft. He was selected third overall by the Pistons, starting his career in Motor City. Hill lived up to expectations, averaging 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.8 steals in his rookie season, earning the 1994-95 Rookie of the Year award.

Notably, Hill became the All-Star vote leader in his rookie season thanks to his immense popularity. People had boundless expectations for him. In that era without Jordan, Grant Hill seemed like the NBA's last hope.

The following year, even with Jordan's return, Hill's status as the All-Star vote leader remained unshaken.

Of course, Hill's skills matched his popularity. In his peak season, he averaged an all-around 25.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. His first step was unmatched, his crossovers rivaled any guard's, and his soaring dunks were always a joy to watch.

The title "Jordan's heir" seemed perfectly suited for Hill. He was perhaps just one Larry O'Brien Trophy away from the real Jordan.

But then, things took a sharp turn. Just as Hill learned to read the game and entered his prime, the "Jordan's heir" story came to an abrupt halt due to injuries.

After leaving the Pistons, over three years, Hill played a total of only 47 healthy games. Though he later recovered, he could never regain his former form. In the latter part of his career, Hill could only serve as a role player and never touched a championship.

At age 40, Grant Hill's career ended. Seven All-Star starts, zero championships, and even his Hall of Fame induction was questioned.

Grant Hill deserved better.

Yet even after all those hardships, Grant Hill persisted until he was 40 before retiring, earning respect as a veteran. And that, in fact, was the main reason Link liked him.

He admired not just Hill's peak-era elegance and versatility, but also his never-give-up spirit! Because as a broke college graduate at the time, Link knew he needed that same spirit to motivate himself.

But now, by some twist of fate, he was tied to Grant Hill.

"10-11 season Grant Hill's abilities have been injected"—what did that mean? Could it be that he now possessed the abilities of an aging Hill?

"Hey, Link, what are you spacing out for!? You've warmed up enough, take some shots already!"

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

Link nodded, then recalled what Grant Hill was like in the 10-11 season.

By then, Hill had little athleticism left and was just a role player on the Suns. But his average of 13.2 points per game wasn't something just any NBDL player could achieve!

At that stage, Hill's strengths were his three-point shooting and experience. His shot was very reliable. If he really had been injected with aging Hill's abilities, then his open three-pointers should be pretty accurate.

"Pass me the ball." So Link stood beyond the three-point line and waved at Upshaw.

Upshaw was stunned, because the Link he knew never shot threes. But he didn't think much of it—after all, it was just warm-up shooting; it didn't matter where the shots came from.

Link caught the ball and immediately felt more in control of it. In other words, his touch felt better.

He jumped, snapped his wrist, flicked his fingers, and released. The whole shooting motion flowed smoothly. This kind of shooting sensation—Link had never experienced it before!

The ball arced perfectly through the air, dropped into the net, and made a "swish" sound as it passed through the chains. Link looked at his own hands. Could this be his transmigration perk!?

"Whoa, not bad! Do it again!" Upshaw chuckled, thinking the kid was just lucky today.

So Upshaw picked up the ball and passed it to Link again. This time, Link moved to the right side beyond the three-point line and shot. The feel was just as smooth, and the ball went in again.

After that, Upshaw passed to Link ten times in a row, and Link sank all ten threes! It wasn't until the eleventh shot that the ball rattled around the rim twice before falling off due to bad luck.

NBA players have high shooting percentages during practice—hitting ten threes in a row is no big deal. But for an NBDL player, especially one like Link who couldn't shoot threes before, that accuracy was terrifying.

"Hey," Upshaw said, walking up to Link in surprise and circling him twice, "did that fall yesterday knock your aim straight?"

"Actually, I've been secretly practicing threes all along. Haha, that was just luck." Link scratched his head sheepishly. Just then, the progress bar appeared before his eyes.

The previously empty bar now seemed to have a sliver of white filled in. So it seemed the way to fill the bar was through training or playing games.

Could it be that once the bar was full, he'd gain Grant Hill's abilities from the 09-10 season? And then keep going from there?

What if he kept upgrading all the way to Hill's prime...

The image was too beautiful. Link didn't dare keep thinking.

An NBA-level professional player? Maybe it really was possible!