Selected for the Grand List

Link had no particular concept of the end of December. To him, it was just an ordinary month.

But to the American people, the end of December was anything but ordinary. Christmas was approaching, and everyone was immersed in a thick festive atmosphere. Even Memphis, a city already in decline, was decorated in a riot of color for Christmas.

Link's only participation in Christmas, before he crossed over, was often buying discounted games on Steam during the holiday sales.

But now, looking at the colorful street scenes, Link was also enveloped by the strong holiday mood. In fact, a key indicator for feeling the festive atmosphere was having time off. As a "native" Chinese person, whenever there was a holiday, it meant a festival was being celebrated.

And as it happened, this Christmas, the Grizzlies had time off, and quite a bit of it.

Since losing to the Nets on December 21st, the Grizzlies had enjoyed a four-day break. On the 22nd and 23rd, the Grizzlies had no games. The 24th was Christmas Eve, and the entire NBA was off. The 25th was Christmas Day games, which had nothing to do with a team like the Grizzlies that lacked superstars.

Not until December 26th would the Memphis Grizzlies hit the road again.

Although there were four days without games, the team still had to practice on the 22nd and 23rd. Christmas Eve was a full day off, and on Christmas morning, the team also had to practice.

But even so, four days without playing games was already a luxury for the players. So, when Link arrived at the training facility today, he saw his teammates all wearing happy smiles, as if yesterday's loss had already been forgotten.

"Link, come over here, I want to introduce you to someone." Before training officially started, while everyone was still warming up freely, Hollins walked over to Link and waved him over.

So, Link was led to a black man wearing Grizzlies staff attire.

"He's our shooting coach, Marcus Will. If you want to do extra practice in the future, just call him anytime."

Link hadn't expected Hollins to actually find him a trainer. Back when he was on a ten-day contract with the Rockets, Link didn't even train with the team. But here with the Grizzlies, they had even assigned him a dedicated trainer. And one who could stay to accompany him for extra practice whenever he wanted.

Memphis might not be as bustling as Houston, but from the very first day Link arrived, he could feel the warmth here.

The smiles of assistant coach Elston Turner, the sincerity of general manager Chris Wallace, and Hollins's equal treatment all made Link almost forget that he was still just a "temp."

"Hello, Link. Although I'm a shooting coach, I can guide you on a pretty comprehensive range of things. Whatever you need help with in the future, I'll do my best to meet it. To be honest, I'm still a bachelor, no wife or kids. So, it's no problem to stay and practice with you." The trainer named Will shook Link's hand politely, making Link feel a bit unaccustomed.

As a bottom-tier player in the G League, players never had dedicated trainers. And they couldn't afford famous private trainers either. Suddenly having such good treatment felt like living in a dream.

"Keep working hard, Link, and be ready at all times!"

After saying that, Hollins returned to his office. Link looked at the whiteboard and the trainer; his rate of improvement might be faster than expected!

After today's training ended, Link went to dinner with Randolph. Ever since that first day of practice, Link had become Randolph's little buddy. The "Big Black Bear" seemed to really like Link. Although Link was always polite off the court, the fierce edge he showed on the court made him look like an angry grizzly.

And that's exactly the kind of gritty player Randolph liked.

After dinner, Link received a call from his "parents."

Come to think of it, it had been a while since he crossed over, and Link had never met his "parents" in person. Although Link didn't have much emotional attachment to the two elders, he was still grateful for how well they treated him.

After all, the former Link was someone who lacked family care. Growing up, he mostly relied on himself.

But when he heard that his parents wanted to spend Christmas with him in Memphis, Link was still a bit at a loss.

"Uh... if it's inconvenient, don't bother coming. We have to leave for a road game right after the 26th anyway. I'll be gone early the morning after Christmas, so I can't really spend time with you." Link always felt nervous about meeting his parents. Suddenly having a pair of stranger-parents was a strange feeling.

"What are you talking about? Your father and I already bought the tickets! How long has it been since our family was together? Since you went to play in Oklahoma, we haven't seen you! This Christmas, we're definitely spending it together."

Like most Chinese-style parents, Link's mother started nagging. Although Link was born in the US, his parents grew up in China before immigrating to America. So, they still retained many Chinese traits.

For example, they placed great importance on the concept of family.

Link had no reason to refuse his parents, so he gritted his teeth and agreed.

After hanging up, Link covered his head with his hands. He might be the first son in history to be so stressed out about his parents coming to spend the holidays with him.

Memphis was a city with very pleasant temperatures, one of its few advantages over other places. Summers weren't too hot, and winters weren't too cold. Even now in December, Memphis's average daily low was 2°C, and the average daily high reached 11°C.

So, snowy scenes were rare in Memphis. The lack of snow on Christmas Day made the holiday look completely different from what was shown on TV.

Link got up early in the morning to tidy up his rental house. This two-story townhouse was found for Link by Jeff Austin. And according to the contract terms, until Link signed a guaranteed contract with the Grizzlies, the rent was paid out of Austin's own pocket.

After practice ended in the afternoon, Link bought a Christmas tree and set it up by the entrance, then ordered a bunch of takeout.

Looking at the table full of food and the house decorated to look somewhat festive, Link started to feel a bit of Christmas spirit.

At seven in the evening, Link drove a Mercedes to Memphis International Airport. The car was lent to him by Randolph. In Randolph's words, "Drive it as long as you want; I'm too big for a sedan anyway."

When he met his parents, Link still felt a bit awkward. His mother was an ordinary Chinese woman, modestly dressed, not heavily made up, and seemed very gentle.

His father had a mustache and messy, unstyled hair. He didn't talk much, only asking Link if he was doing well before falling silent. A father's love was different from a mother's; they didn't like to show it openly but kept it buried deep inside.

As soon as they entered the house, his parents pulled out a bunch of things from their bags for Link.

"We brought you a lot of stuff. Here, your favorite Cantonese-style sausages, bought through a contact in China. And Lao Gan Ma chili sauce, which is ridiculously expensive here in the US. So, I had someone bring me a whole case. Oh, right, your father and I also bought you some clothes. Spend your money carefully. I heard Memphis isn't very safe, so try not to carry too much cash when you go out."

No fancy gift boxes, no particularly valuable items. Looking at the table full of Lao Gan Ma and Cantonese sausages, Link smiled.

This Christmas could be said to be very socialist in character.

Even so, Link still felt warm inside. In his previous life with a divorced family, he almost never received gifts from his parents. Today's Chinese-style Christmas made up for Link's regrets.

Just then, Link's phone rang. The caller ID showed "Coach," meaning the call was from Lionel Hollins.

"Hello, Link! Merry Christmas!" As soon as the call connected, Hollins's enthusiastic voice came through.

Seeing that it was the team coach calling their son, Link's parents stopped talking so as not to disturb.

"Merry Christmas, Coach. What's up?"

"Nothing, just letting you know—the flight is at nine tomorrow morning. Don't be late."

"Nine o'clock flight?"

"That's right, you've made the roster, Link. Tomorrow's game in Indianapolis, I'll put you on the court! If it works out, consider this my Christmas gift to you, hahahaha."

Listening to Hollins's laughter, looking at his parents before him, Link suddenly felt—

This might be the happiest Christmas he'd ever had.