Twenty-Nine: Go Forward

Zeke Upshaw, 26, will celebrate his 27th birthday in a month and a half.

With a height of 1.98 meters and a weight of 98 kilograms, he is an ordinary defender. If you try to search the Internet about Zeke Upshaw, unfortunately, there is nothing but an introduction that he played at Illinois State University and then returned to the NBDL after going to Europe for gold.

This is Zeke Upshaw, a 26-year-old, older guy with average stats, with a skill higher than millions of people on this planet, but a low salary.

He should have a better future, maybe he can get a short 10-day contract for his 3-point shooting. Then, by virtue of being in the NBA, maybe I can get a longer contract extension, maybe a year-end salary?

At least when he can't run or jump high, he can proudly say to himself: "I was an NBA player, I realized my dream."

He was supposed to have infinite possibilities, but it all disappeared the moment he went into cardiac arrest.

"It's hard for me to believe that the next chapter in his life, the world can't see."

This is a sentence that the blue team coach Conor said to the reporters, and it is also the sentence that impressed Link the most.

After Upshaw's death, only the local Oklahoma news covered the incident. And a lot of other parts of America don't even know a professional player died in the game. No wonder, Link had never heard any news related to Zeke Upshaw back then.

Even the United States has not widely reported, how can this kind of news spread abroad?

People continue to commute and the NBA continues to perform. The earth is still spinning, and life is still going on.

No one will notice such a player, after all, he is too small compared to the players who are familiar.

He is not like James who can carry two people to complete dunks every night, unlike Kobe who can kill the game again and again at critical moments in cold blood. He has no luxury car to show off, and all endorsements and business activities have nothing to do with him.

He was just a guy who played, struggled with the Oklahoma Blues, a guy who made money to support his family.

A guy who looks at the rich people who play in the NBA every night, and who has this dream to fight in the NBDL, that's all.

Or, to put it in a more sympathetic word for Link - a bottom player.

After attending Upshaw's funeral, Link returned home and looked out the window on the street.

"Go ahead."

The words Upshaw wrote to him in the letter have been wandering in Link's mind.

Played by Carl Jones and Daryl Morey and kicked out of the NBA. Link had thought his career was bad enough. But all of this is nothing compared to Upshaw's efforts.

After returning from the Rockets, Link automatically returned to the Oklahoma Blues with an annual salary of $13,000 a year. From earning 50,000 in 10 days to earning 13,000 in a year, this gap is not something everyone can bear.

But Link is not afraid, because he will go forward.

The Rockets incident also awakened Link from a beautiful dream. From the first day he came across, he met the kind Upshaw and the impartial Coach Conor.

But Carl Jones and Morey made Link realize that not everyone in this world will help him, and not everyone will treat him well. He can no longer trust a person so easily, especially in a circle with huge interests like professional basketball.

Link's basketball ability is inverse growth, but his experience is not. After all, Link is just a diaosi college student who just got out of the society.

However, eating a cut grows a wiser. If he encounters problems related to the manager in the future, he will definitely consider it carefully.

Link gritted his teeth, Upshaw's next chapter was already invisible. But he will continue to work hard with Upshaw's expectations and visions!

While Link was thinking about life, his phone rang out of time. The caller ID was an unfamiliar number, but after connecting, Link heard Carl Jones' voice.

"Don't be stubborn, idiot! You can't do anything without me! Listen, I heard that the Golden State Warriors are very interested in signing you. If you continue to be obedient, I promise you will be here for ten more days. Go home with tens of thousands of dollars!"

Without even saying hello, Carl Jones answered the phone and said a lot straight to the point.

"You said the last sentence again?" Link wanted to hang up directly, but he suddenly had something to say to his former manager.

"I said, Golden State Warriors..."

"No," Link interrupted, "one more sentence."

"Without me, you can't do anything!" Jones answered without showing weakness.

"Well, look it up, you bastard. Without you, I can live better than I am now. I can get a big contract, I can get millions or even tens of millions of advertising endorsements. I don't have to go to the **** You don't have to go to the park to play the shooting machine, and you don't have to try it at any restaurant. Without you, I can do anything. And you can only be a charlatan for the rest of your life without me. Because from now on, you will lose me And the trust of everyone else."

"Who do you think you are? You're just a rubbish player no one wants..." Before Karl Jones could finish his curse, Link had hung up the phone.

This kid will no longer trust a stranger so easily, and he will no longer be at the mercy of others. Of course, he also knew that he didn't have to be so friendly to everyone. What's more, it was someone who had deceived him.

After hanging up the phone, Link walked out of the house. Life has to go on, and his NBA road has not been completely blocked.

※※※

Originally, because he had just returned from the Rockets and had been waiting for Upshaw in the hospital for the past two days, Conor wanted Link to rest for two days before training.

But at this moment, Link didn't want to wait a minute, he knew that he had to move forward!

Therefore, when Conor saw Link on the training ground, he was very surprised.

"Didn't I tell you to give you two days off?"

"No, I don't need to rest, coach." Faced with the question, Link answered decisively.

"As far as I know, you haven't slept for two nights. You know, I can't lose my players anymore!"

"I slept well last night, coach. I just want to play, don't worry, I'll make sure I'm full of energy tomorrow."

Link was still practicing on his own, without any intention of stopping.

"He's right, boss. Besides, we really need him tomorrow."

Just when Conor and Link's "negotiations" reached an impasse, the third person's voice suddenly interjected. Link turned his head and saw that it was his former nemesis, Joan Brockman.

"Tomorrow, our opponent will be the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. If there is no Link, how will we deal with DeMarre Carroll, the leading striker of the Vipers? Don't worry, he will go back to sleep today, and tomorrow You'll be refreshed. Right? Link."

Looking at Brockman who was smiling at him, Link was a little stunned. He didn't expect that Brockman would actually speak for himself.

"By the way, the Ogland Valley Vipers, the Houston Rockets team. You don't want him to miss this game, boss. Houston dumped him and now they're coming. Let me Fight alongside Link and let's give the Houston bastards some color!"

"That's right!" Seeing Brockman's enthusiasm, Link struck while the iron was hot, "Even for Zeke, we must not lose the next game! Let's use a big win and send Zeke away. "

Conor looked at the two forwards in front of him, also very surprised. Link was actually on the same front as Joan Brockman, which caught Conor a little off guard.

But I have to admit, he was persuaded. The Vipers' opponent meant a lot to Link, and it was his chance to demonstrate against the Rockets that had abandoned him.

And Upshaw has just passed away, and the team really needs a big win to boost morale. But the blues will be very passive if no one is going to play against Vipers star DeMarre Carroll.

"I will control your playing time. Also, you go home early after training today, and you are not allowed to stay for extra practice. If you can do it, I will let you play tomorrow."

Conor finally compromised. Link didn't answer yes or no, but went up to hug Conor and whispered in his ear, "Thank you."

Afterwards, Link and Brockman both glanced at each other.

"Don't get me wrong, Zeke is also my teammate and I'm sad too. So, I want to give him a win too. Of course, I hate the bastards who look down on us like you. The Rockets didn't sign you. , I have to say, it was the dumbest move in the history of their team."

Brockman spread his hands after speaking, then turned to leave.

Link looked at Brockman's retreating back, picked up the basketball on the ground, and gritted his teeth.

Houston, the Rockets' subordinate team, Upshaw, and the star match... These keywords made Link unable to suppress the churning of blood in his body.

Tomorrow, "Viper" will be massacred by yellow-skinned "Warriors" in Oklahoma!