The first day of training camp, Lin Mo stopped in front of LeBron's locker. It was empty—no jerseys, no signed sneakers, just a faint outline where a championship trophy had sat for years. The team doctor had cleared LeBron for one more season, but he'd announced his retirement at the parade, grinning as he held up a "Dad Mode" hoodie.
"End of a stitch," he'd said, clapping Lin Mo on the back. "Now you thread the needle."
Coach rapped his clipboard. "Lin, you're up. New playbook—let's walk through it."
Lin Mo stepped forward, but his voice stuck. The战术板 looked foreign without LeBron's scribbled notes in the margins ("Lin cuts left when Tatum sags"). He fumbled the first explanation, and Dalton Knecht—a 22-year-old rookie from Tennessee, drafted 7th overall—snorted.
"Took LeBron three seconds to explain that," he muttered.
Lin Mo's jaw tightened. He didn't snap back—just nodded. "Let me try again. Slow."