The news that Lin Yi became China's second-ever NBA No.1 pick blew up everywhere. The first thing you saw on all the major websites.
Over in China? Fans were already getting ready to switch allegiance and root for the Knicks next season. CCTV even planned to bump up the number of Knicks games they were gonna broadcast.
Meanwhile, Yao Ming shot Lin Yi a text:
"Hey, you wanna play for the national team at the Tianjin Asian Championships?"
The thing is, Lin Yi wasn't a registered player with the Chinese Basketball Association. He didn't owe anything to the provincial sports bureaus either. They couldn't force him the old-school way anymore.
And with the internet blowing up nowadays? Man, if they tried to mess with Lin Yi, the fans would absolutely roast them alive.
Plus, not being tied down by the provinces meant Lin Yi didn't have to worry about some random local leader ordering him to play in some dusty, no-name National Games event. Or worse — the Knicks getting forced to build a gym for some province, sending Lin Yi over for "training camps," and even skimming commissions off his NBA salary.
Yeah, that actually used to happen.
So Lin Yi politely told Yao Ming he wanted to stay stateside for Summer League — get a head start adjusting to NBA life. Yao was chill about it. Said he'd help explain it to the Basketball Association higher-ups. He'd been through the same crap himself, after all.
And honestly? Lin Yi had no regrets. The Asian Championship? Third-tier level. Even if he had magic healing powers, there was no point in risking himself over it.
Olympics or World Championships? Sure. Some random low-tier event just to flex on semi-pro players? Pass.
It wasn't about patriotism — Lin Yi loved his country — but he had a clear head. Career first. And he knew the whole basketball system back home would shift after Yao eventually took over anyway.
After sealing his Knicks contract, Lin Yi had a sit-down with Mike D'Antoni, the Knicks coach.
First thing D'Antoni said:
"Saw your physical report when you came for workouts. Listen, try to keep your weight between 115 and 120 kilos, okay? Also, start getting comfy with the NBA three-point line. And don't change your game — I'm planning to build the team around you."
Build the team around me?
Lin Yi was hyped. D'Antoni basically wanted him to be a point centre.
Of course, no way Lin Yi was gonna bulk up like some lumbering big man. Speed and agility were his bread and butter. Still, D'Antoni had a point: his core strength needed serious work. Right now, he was 116 kilos... but it was more fluffy than functional muscle.
They also talked Summer League. D'Antoni said:
"Play a couple of games, get your feet wet. Don't overdo it — it's not worth getting hurt."
New York wasn't expecting miracles this year anyway. They were hoarding expiring contracts and letting the young guys run. Basically, low expectations. Perfect environment for Lin Yi to quietly grind and level up.
D'Antoni had even crazier ideas too. Since New York had no legit point guard, why not just let Lin Yi run the offense himself?
220 cm, court vision, can dribble, can shoot — straight-up mismatch city.
Only catch?He had to muscle up enough to survive the NBA's insane physicality.
...
Meanwhile, Steph Curry was down bad. Ever since the draft ended, dude was low-key depressed.
The Suns had tried to swing a trade for him — they still couldn't believe they missed out on Lin Yi — but Warriors Head Coach Don Nelson slammed the door shut. No way he was giving up Steph.
Lin Yi tried to cheer Curry up:
"Bro, trust me, the Warriors are perfect for you."
In their AIM group chat, they added Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague, Ty Lawson, and a few others. The boys have already made plans to link up after the Summer League.
As for Blake Griffin, Lin Yi wasn't sure if Blake would end up getting injured like he remembered. Just in case, he shot Blake a quick reminder:
"Hey, don't push too hard on those landings, man. Summer League ain't worth it."
Blake who was known for his energy and athleticism, whether he will tone it down will be seen soon. The Clippers wanted him to focus on only post-up moves? Blake said nope. He was dead set on learning to dribble, shoot, and be versatile, because after some realization, he couldn't keep abusing his body forever.
James Harden? Still the chillest dude alive. The Thunder already had Durant and Westbrook hogging touches, so Presti told Harden straight up:
"We want you as our sixth man."
Tough role. But Harden wasn't the type to complain yet.
...
By late June, Lin Yi and his agent Zhong Muchen touched down in New York.
First impression of the Knicks' facility? Top-tier. Way better than a lot of NBA teams. State-of-the-art equipment, crazy nutrition plans... even the cafeteria food was stuff regular people couldn't afford.
Zhong Muchen had already locked down Lin Yi's new house — a sweet villa about 5 km from Knicks HQ. The previous owner was a hardcore Knicks fan and even gave them a discount just because Lin Yi was moving in.
They remodeled it to Lin Yi's specs: Training equipment, private court.
Lin Yi wasn't about to waste that. He mapped out a brutal summer plan for himself:
Strengthen core muscles.
Fine-tune weight.
Adapt to NBA playstyles.
Upgrade the heck out of his badges.
At the start of the season, Lin Yi's mindset was simple:
Farm XP like a madman.
No shame. The NBA wasn't the NCAA — you couldn't just coast on talent. He planned to pass and set up teammates early, attack slower bigs, shoot if open, and rack up badge progress wherever he could.
The Summer League was step one. It wasn't the NBA level, but it was good enough for reps. And since those games were a bloodbath for desperate players fighting for contracts, the intensity would be real.
...
After training one day, bored out of his mind, Lin Yi flopped onto the couch and pulled out his new iPhone 3GS.
He started scrolling.
Life was good. He'd checked off the first major goal — NBA, secured. Now it was time to move on to step two: build a business empire.
LeBron wasn't just a basketball legend— dude was loaded and invested smart. Small shareholder of Liverpool FC, big-name endorsements, and business moves everywhere.
Lin Yi wasn't planning on just balling. He was planning on owning the game one day.
Because if he wasn't the No.1 player in the world?
Then what's the point?