Making the Roster

Link didn't have any special thoughts about the end of December. To him, it was just an ordinary month.

But for the American people, the end of December was anything but ordinary. Christmas was approaching, and everyone was immersed in the festive spirit. Even Memphis, a city already in decline, was decked out in brilliant colors for the holiday.

The only way Link had ever taken part in Christmas was by buying games on sale on Steam before he crossed over.

But now, looking at the colorful streets, Link was swept up in the festive atmosphere too. In fact, one important factor in feeling the holiday spirit was having time off. As someone who had "grown up" in China, he knew that a holiday was coming whenever he got a day off.

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

After losing to the Nets on December 21, the Grizzlies had four days off. The team had no games on the 22nd or 23rd, and the entire NBA was off on Christmas Eve. As for the Christmas Day Games on the 25th, they had nothing to do with a team like the Grizzlies, who had no superstar.

The Memphis Grizzlies wouldn't hit the road again until December 26.

Although they had four days without games, the team still had practice on the 22nd and 23rd. They had all of Christmas Eve off, but still had practice on Christmas morning.

Even so, four days without a game was already a luxury for the players. So when Link arrived at the training facility that day, he saw happy smiles on his teammates' faces, as if they'd already put yesterday's loss behind them.

"Link, come over here. I want to introduce you to someone." Practice hadn't officially started yet, and everyone was still warming up on their own. Hollins walked over to Link and beckoned him over.

Link followed him to a Black man wearing Grizzlies staff gear.

"This is our shooting coach, Marcus Will. If you want to get in extra work, just ask him anytime."

Link hadn't expected Hollins to actually find him a trainer. Both of his contracts had been ten-day deals, but when he was with the Rockets, Link hadn't trained with the team at all. Here in Memphis, they'd even assigned him a trainer of his own—someone who would stay behind with him whenever he wanted to get in extra work.

Memphis might not be as prosperous as Houston, but Link had felt its warmth from the very first day he arrived.

Assistant coach Elston Turner's smile, general manager Chris Wallace's sincerity, and Hollins treating everyone equally had almost made Link forget that he was still just a "temporary worker."

"Hey, Link. I'm a shooting coach, but I can help with a pretty wide range of things. Whatever you need, I'll do my best to help. To be honest, I'm single and don't have a wife or kids, so I can stay late and work with you, too." The trainer, Will, politely shook Link's hand, leaving him a little uncomfortable.

As a fringe player, Link had never had a dedicated trainer in the G League. He couldn't afford one of those well-known private trainers, either. Getting this kind of treatment all of a sudden felt like a dream.

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

With that, Hollins went back to his office. Looking at the little white strip of paper and the trainer standing in front of him, Link felt that his progress might come faster than he'd expected.

※※※

After practice that day, Link went to dinner with Randolph. Ever since their first day of practice, Link had become Randolph's kid brother. The Big Black Bear seemed to like him a lot. Link was always polite off the court, but the ferocity he showed on it really did remind Randolph of an angry grizzly.

And it was that kind of willingness to fight that Randolph liked in a player.

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

It had been quite some time since Link crossed over, but he still hadn't met his "parents" in person. He didn't feel much affection for the two of them, but he was deeply grateful for how well they treated him.

After all, the Link from before had grown up without much love from his family. He'd mostly had to fend for himself.

Still, when he heard that his parents were coming to Memphis to spend Christmas with him, Link didn't know what to do.

"Uh... If it's inconvenient, then don't come. We're heading out for an away game on the 26th anyway, so I'll have to leave early the morning after Christmas. I won't be able to spend much time with you." Link was always nervous about meeting his parents. Having a pair of strangers suddenly become his parents felt pretty strange.

"What are you talking about? Your dad and I have already bought our tickets! How long has it been since our family got together? We haven't seen you since you went to play in Oklahoma! We're spending Christmas together, no matter what."

Like most Chinese parents, Link's mother began to fuss. Link had been born in the United States, but his parents had grown up in China before immigrating. As a result, they still held on to many Chinese traits.

For instance, they placed great importance on family.

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

After hanging up, Link covered his head with both hands. He might have been the first son in history to get a splitting headache because his parents were coming to spend a holiday with him.

※※※

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

So snow-covered scenes were rare in Memphis. Without snow on Christmas Day, the holiday looked nothing like it did on television.

Link got up early and tidied up his rental house. Jeff Austin had found the two-story house for him, and according to the terms of their agreement, Austin would keep paying the rent out of his own pocket until Link signed a guaranteed contract with the Grizzlies.

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

Looking at the table full of food and the house decorated for the occasion, Link was starting to feel the Christmas spirit.

At seven that evening, Link drove a Mercedes-Benz to Memphis International Airport. Randolph had lent him the car. As Randolph had put it, "You can drive it as long as you want. With my build, a sedan's not exactly comfortable."

Link still felt a little awkward when he met his parents. His mother was an ordinary Chinese woman, dressed conservatively and wearing little makeup. She looked gentle.

Link's father had a mustache, and his hair was messy and unstyled. He didn't say much. After asking Link how he was doing, he didn't ask anything else. A father's love was different from a mother's; fathers weren't as likely to show their love openly, keeping it buried deep inside instead.

As soon as they arrived home, his parents pulled a pile of things for Link out of their bags.

"We brought you lots of things. Here, your favorite Cantonese sausage—we had someone buy it for us in China. And Lao Gan Ma chili sauce. It's crazy expensive here in the United States, so I asked someone to bring over a whole case. Oh, and your dad and I bought you some clothes, too. Be careful with your money. I heard Memphis isn't very safe, so don't carry too much cash when you go out."

There were no fancy gift boxes or especially expensive presents. Looking at the table full of Lao Gan Ma and Cantonese sausage, Link smiled.

This Christmas had been about as socialist as it got.

Even so, Link felt warm inside. In the broken home where he'd grown up, he'd hardly ever received gifts from his parents. This Chinese-style Christmas made up for something he'd missed.

Just then, Link's phone rang. The caller ID said Coach, which meant Lionel Hollins was calling.

"Hey, Link! Merry Christmas!" Hollins's cheerful voice burst through the moment Link answered.

Seeing that the team's coach was calling his son, Link's parents stopped talking so they wouldn't interrupt.

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

"Nothing much. I'm just letting you know that the flight's at nine tomorrow morning. Don't be late."

"The flight's at nine?"

"That's right. You made the roster, Link. I'm going to put you in tomorrow's game in Indianapolis! If you want, you can think of it as my Christmas present to you. Hahahaha!"

Listening to Hollins laugh and looking at his parents, Link suddenly felt...

This might have been the happiest Christmas of his life.