Rachel opened her eyes. Dawn was just breaking. Christmas was right around the corner, but she wasn't in the holiday spirit at all.
To be precise, ever since she'd said goodbye to basketball, her life had suddenly lost its purpose. College was the freest, most vibrant time of life for most people, but to her, it was just a dull stretch of days to get through.
Unlike most girls, she had an extraordinary love for basketball. Ever since she'd first encountered the game in middle school, Rachel had been deeply obsessed with it. Basketball wasn't just a simple hobby to her, either. People had often seen a ponytailed player wearing number 32 in the newspapers.
A member of the 2005 AAU Junior National Championship team, the 2007 Medina County three-point champion, and a four-time selection among Ohio's top 64 players... Under normal circumstances, a girl who achieved so much in high school would attract plenty of interest from college teams.
Rachel was no exception. By her junior year, she'd already received offers from many colleges. Playing in the NCAA and making it to the professional ranks seemed to be the path her life was meant to take.
But just as her basketball career reached its peak, everything changed.
An unexpected injury in her senior year derailed her team's season. Rachel was devastated that year, and she also thought that excessive stress had given her a stomach ulcer.
As her stomach condition worsened, Rachel's weight plummeted. For an ordinary girl, losing weight might have been a good thing. But for an athlete whose goal was to play professional basketball, there was nothing to celebrate about it.
After that disastrous senior year, Rachel's prospects took a nosedive. In the end, she didn't get into a prestigious women's basketball school and instead went to the University of Oklahoma.
After everything that had happened in high school, Rachel barely played or watched basketball once she started college. Every time she saw other people racing across the court, she thought about the life she should have had, and couldn't help feeling miserable.
To her, basketball was like a first love. It had been wonderful, but they were always destined to say goodbye.
Rachel shook her head, refusing to dwell on those painful memories. She took out her phone and checked it. As usual, a few clueless guys had sent her messages confessing their feelings.
But among those boring texts, Rachel also found a news alert. The moment she saw the headline, the laid-back college student sat bolt upright.
"Link Signs a Ten-Day Contract with the Memphis Grizzlies; Chinese-American Forward Continues His Push Toward the NBA!"
It was a simple headline and an unembellished story, yet Rachel felt energized by it.
She'd originally wanted nothing more to do with basketball. But ever since she'd met that Chinese-American player, learned about his determination to chase his dream, and seen Link refuse to give up even after the NBA had cast him aside, something inside her had changed. Now he'd been given another chance to make his dream come true.
As long as you don't give up, another opportunity will come along, won't it?
Rachel smiled. Maybe she didn't have to give up, either. Maybe she didn't have to spend every day feeling so down. Basketball was a game where only the strong survived.
"Link made it. I've got to find the strength to keep going, too!" Rachel gave herself a pep talk, then picked up her phone and sent Link a message.
"Congratulations."
※※※
Link was supposed to travel with the team to Texas for an away game today. But as soon as he woke up that morning, he got a call from Jeff Austin. "You're going to the NBA."
The second time he heard the news, Link was clearly less excited than he'd been the first time he made it to the NBA.
"Where to?" Link's tone was calm. He knew perfectly well that a ten-day contract was nowhere near a real success. He'd gotten a ten-day contract with the Rockets, too. And how had that turned out?
He could get excited once he signed a guaranteed contract and truly established himself in the NBA.
"Memphis. The Grizzlies want you."
"The Memphis Grizzlies?" Link was a little surprised. He hadn't expected Jeff Austin to get him a spot with the Grizzlies.
Back in his previous life, as an ordinary Chinese fan, Link hadn't known much about the Grizzlies. After all, they'd never been especially popular in China.
First, the Grizzlies were a defense-first team, which meant their games weren't particularly entertaining to watch. Second, they'd never had a true superstar. Mike Conley and Marc Gasol weren't enough to bring them much of a following.
Last, and most importantly, the Grizzlies had never won any major honors. Forget a championship—even in the ten years Link had followed basketball, they hadn't even won the Western Conference title.
The Grizzlies' most popular moment in China had come the year they drafted Wang Zhelin. But the buzz didn't last long, because the Grizzlies never signed him.
The team's general manager would occasionally say they were keeping an eye on Wang Zhelin, but they never took any concrete action.
That was what Link knew about the Memphis Grizzlies: a team so obscure in China that it could hardly have been more obscure.
"Why Memphis?" After thinking it over, Link continued with his questions. As an undrafted player, he didn't have the right to choose a team for now.
But if Jeff Austin was sending him off to Memphis, there had to be a reason.
"First, if you want to establish yourself in the NBA, you need playing time. If you only get a few minutes of garbage time each game, like you did with the Rockets, you'll never get a guaranteed contract. With the Grizzlies, you have a much better chance of getting minutes! Aside from Rudy Gay, they hardly have anyone who can play small forward."
Jeff Austin paused to give Link a moment to "digest" that, then continued. "Tony Allen is better suited to shooting guard. Sam Young can play small forward, but his performance has been inconsistent. Xavier Henry, the rookie forward from Kentucky, was someone the Grizzlies had high hopes for, but unfortunately, his season is already over because of an injury. So the Grizzlies really need a steady backup at the three. It's a much better place for you to grow wild than Houston, Link!"
"Grow wild?" Link nodded. He liked Jeff Austin's choice of words.
It was true. No matter how good you were, it meant nothing if you couldn't show it.
With the Rockets, Link had never been part of the team's plans. Even Adelman, being as generous as he was, had never let Link play for more than five minutes.
The Memphis Grizzlies might not be a popular team, but at least Link had a chance to get on the court. As an undrafted player and a G League player, he didn't expect to become a starter as soon as he arrived. Getting a proper start as a bench player and establishing himself step by step would already count as a success.
"Besides, the Grizzlies' system and style of play suit you pretty well. They like disciplined half-court offense, they like winning with defense, and they're missing a reliable three-point shooter. Most importantly, unlike other bottom-feeding teams, the Grizzlies still have a shot at making the playoffs this season. So in my view, there's no team better suited to you than the Memphis Grizzlies."
"What do you think, Link?" After giving him some time to think, Jeff Austin asked once more.
This time, Link nodded. "When do we leave for Memphis?"
Jeff Austin breathed a sigh of relief. At first, he'd worried Link wouldn't trust him. But it turned out that doing good work was enough to earn someone's trust.
"I'll book you a flight to Memphis right away. If all goes well, you should meet up with your new team tomorrow."
After ending the call, Link began packing his things. For some reason, he felt more confident about this trip to the NBA than ever.
Maybe it was because this time, he wouldn't be going alone.
With that thought, Link picked up his basketball shoes. A few simple letters on the side of the soles hadn't worn away yet: Rest in peace, Zeke.
Before you continue