It was early morning at the Staples Center practice facility, and the Lakers' daily practice was just getting underway.
Link, as usual, had arrived half an hour early and was going through his warm-up routine.
The gym was quiet, save for the rhythmic thump-thump of a basketball being dribbled.
Then Smush Parker swaggered in.
"Well, well, well, look who's here early, the 'Eight Hundred Grand Man.'"
Parker tossed his bag onto a chair, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Working this hard? Scared you won't get your next contract?"
Link didn't take the bait and kept shooting.
Parker scoffed and started changing his shoes.
His movements were slow, as if deliberately creating noise.
After he laced up, he didn't go to the other end of the court to warm up but instead walked toward Link's half.
"Mind if I use the court?" he asked, but he was already dribbling the ball.
Link stopped shooting and watched Parker show off some flashy crossover dribbles right in front of him.
The intention was obvious: he was looking for a fight.
"I'm training, Smush," Link said calmly. "If you want to practice, there's a court over there."
"You need to tell me where to practice?" Parker raised his voice. "Who do you think you are? Kobe? You're just a rookie who got lucky as hell!"
Footsteps sounded at the locker room door as other teammates started to arrive.
Parker shot a glare at Link, then fell silent.
"Alright, guys, huddle up!"
Assistant Coach Brian Shaw clapped his hands, calling everyone to the center circle.
"This morning, we're doing a half-court offense-defense session," Shaw's voice echoed in the empty gym. "Focus on breaking down the zone defense tactics."
The players quickly split into two groups.
Link was assigned to the White Team, along with Odom, Vujačić, Bynum, and others.
Parker was on the Blue Team. Chewing gum casually, he walked right up to Link and volunteered to guard him.
The game began.
The moment the whistle blew for the scrimmage, Smush Parker plastered himself onto Link.
On the first possession, the White Team ran a play, and Link ran off the baseline for a handoff from Vujačić.
Parker was glued to him, slyly digging his left elbow into Link's kidney area.
The basketball grazed Link's fingertips and flew out of bounds.
"Oops, sorry, rook, you couldn't handle that one."
Parker blew a gum bubble, his voice low enough for only Link to hear.
The second possession was the Blue Team's turn to attack.
Parker, with the ball, faced Link's defense and drove, leading with his knee.
Link lost his balance for a second while moving laterally.
Brian Shaw frowned. "Smush, watch your move!"
Parker didn't say anything, but as he ran back on defense, he sneered, "Eight hundred thousand and that's all you've got? The team is generous."
Over the next few possessions, Parker repeatedly used subtle dirty tactics on Link.
Even Link's patience finally snapped.
"Eight hundred thousand?" Link stopped and turned around, looking at Parker with calm eyes.
"I wonder if your two-million-dollar performance is good enough for a starting spot?"
That sentence hit Parker's most sensitive nerve with precise accuracy.
Who was this guy to say that?
A lucky rookie who got to stay.
A role player who only knows how to shoot threes.
How dare he question Parker's value?!
"What the hell did you say?!" Parker's face instantly turned beet red. "Say that again, you punk!"
The other players were immediately drawn to the commotion.
Odom raised an eyebrow, and Vujačić looked ready for a show.
Brian Shaw was about to step in, but he saw Kobe leaning against the door frame, arms crossed, looking like he had no intention of interfering. Shaw stayed silent for the moment.
"I said," Link spoke slowly and clearly, his voice distinct in the now-silent gym.
"If that's all you've got, you don't deserve that starting spot."
"FK YOU!" Parker was completely enraged, pointing a finger right into Link's face.
"Rook! You think hitting a few shots makes you hot stuff? Basketball isn't just shooting! Come on! One-on-one! Let me teach you what real NBA ball is!"
"One-on-one! One-on-one! One-on-one!" Odom, never one to miss a spectacle, started chanting and whistling.
Vujačić clapped along, and the other teammates gathered around, their faces alight with excitement.
The sudden tension dispelled the usual morning practice monotony.
Link looked at the furious Parker and gave a small, mocking smile.
"One-on-one? Sure." He paused, then said to the expectant crowd:
"You attack, I defend. Five possessions. If you score just one basket on me, you win."
"Whoa!"
The crowd immediately erupted in noise.
Five possessions, and he only needs one basket to win?
That wasn't just confidence; it was outright disrespect!
Parker was gritting his teeth in anger.
"Fine! Fine! Rookie, you asked for this! You'll regret saying that! I'm going to cook you and watch you get kicked out of this gym!"
Link said no more. He picked up a ball, threw it to Parker, and assumed a standard defensive stance.
Brian Shaw glanced at Kobe, saw that he was also enjoying the show, and implicitly allowed the impromptu duel.
Parker dribbled, pacing back and forth at the top of the key.
For the first possession, Parker chose the most direct path: overpowering him with speed.
He attempted a big crossover dribble and pushed off hard with his left foot, trying to use his explosiveness to blow past Link in one step!
However, Link's lateral quickness was nothing like it used to be.
The effect of the [Athletic Ability (Intermediate)] training was immediately evident.
Link precisely cut off Parker's driving lane.
Parker's momentum was stopped, and his speed instantly dropped.
He tried to lean into Link for a floater.
But Link had completely smothered his shooting space!
"Clang!" The basketball hit the side of the rim and bounced high. No good!
"Great defense!" the surrounding teammates gasped.
Parker's expression turned even darker.
For the second possession, Parker calmed down a little and started using rhythm.
After a couple of continuous between-the-legs dribbles, he suddenly executed a sharp step-back, trying to create space for a jump shot.
But Link reacted lightning-fast, leaping up to contest.
Although he didn't block it, the severe defensive pressure affected Parker's release.
"Clank!" Another miss.
By the third possession, Parker was getting agitated.
He couldn't believe how much stronger this rookie had become!
In his panic, Link nearly forced him out of bounds, and the possession ended with yet another miss.
For the fourth possession, Parker was completely rattled.
His multiple head-fakes failed to move Link, and he was forced into a highly difficult fadeaway jumper with his balance off.
"Airball!" Vujačić shouted.
The basketball sailed completely out of bounds.
Parker's face was now totally pale. He clenched his fists, his breathing heavy.
He could feel his teammates' eyes on him had changed.
The looks had shifted from excited anticipation to disbelief, and even pity.
On the final possession, the pressure was overwhelming.
Parker abandoned all complex moves, caught the ball, and immediately turned his back, trying to muscle his way into the paint.
But it was futile; he found that Link wasn't giving up an inch of strength.
Parker quickly spun toward the baseline, attempting to drive hard past him.
However, Link anticipated the move, cut him off early, and his right hand slashed through like lightning!
"Slap!"
A clean, crisp steal!
The basketball ripped out of Parker's hands and rolled toward the sideline.
Five possessions for Parker on offense, Link on defense.
The result: Parker scored zero points!
The gym was silent.
The only sounds were Parker's heavy, frustrated panting and the gentle tapping of the basketball in Link's hands.
Link tossed the ball back to the stunned Parker. Without saying a word, he turned and walked back to his training spot.
This silent action was more devastating than any taunt.
Parker stood rooted to the spot, his face turning from red to white, then white to green, and finally to a defeated gray.
He felt the gazes pouring in from all directions, making him squirm.
All his earlier arrogance, provocation, and insults now made him feel utterly humiliated and ashamed.
Parker violently slammed the basketball to the ground, then quickly walked toward the locker room without looking back.
"Whoa..." Odom let out a long whistle, breaking the silence.
Vujačić walked over and clapped Link hard on the back. "Nice job, Link! That defense was unbelievable!"
Kobe's eyes held a subtle expression of appreciation.
"Sigh..." Brian Shaw sighed.
Although management had been considering moving Parker for a while, it was still just talk.
After this little incident, it was likely an inevitable farewell.
Brian Shaw shook his head, pushing the thought aside.
That was a matter for the Zen Master and Mitch Kupchak.
"Alright, that little diversion is over." Brian Shaw clapped his hands again, recalling the players. "Back to practice! Focus your energy on the playbook!"
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