Shaq Meets A Distant Relative

*Sound Effects*

**Language**

'Thoughts'

"Dialogue"

(Point of View)

[System]

I woke up early again, it was currently 4:00am on the dot. I decided to go to the heat practice facility. I had received a rental car just for the day to get around which unfortunately wasn't a BMW, however, I did receive a 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL500. It was a nice coupe that had a drop top, I decided to put it down to feel the wind. It was a new exciting experience to say the least. The only bad thing about these fancy cars is figuring out how to start it and the various weird button placements.

As I drove to the facility, I reminisced on the game that we had for my first preseason. I couldn't help but smile. Since it was the preseason, the main starters on both teams only played about 25 minutes. That meant that I'd get the chance to test myself and see how it would be for my first real NBA game. Though the preseason was a good replication, it didn't really convert because people weren't going at 100% like in the regular season.

However, I managed to score 20 points and dish out 8 assists in just 26 minutes of playing time. We ended up winning the game convincingly, pulling away by halftime with a score of 120-105. It almost felt surreal. After celebrating with my teammates, I hit the showers and stuck around the arena for about an hour.

What I hadn't fully realized was the demanding schedule of NBA players. Not only did we have to stay late after games, but we also had to arrive several hours before tip-off. In reality, we spent about 8 hours at the arena, akin to a typical workday.

I also noticed that the bonuses had improved compared to our scrimmage games, which was expected. This time, I received a bonus of 10,000 gold, bringing my current total to 1.82 million gold—equivalent to around 36 Jordan Packs. I was contemplating whether I should stick with Jordan Packs exclusively or mix it up when I did a big pack opening. For now, I've been hoarding my player packs, along with the four uncommon+ packs from last month. I did manage to secure two rare+ packs, one featuring Jason Kidd and the other highlighting Reggie Miller.

Unfortunately, I fell just short of success in my two other rare attempts, but I remained confident that I'd improve. Most of the time, it felt like I lost not because of a lack of skill but rather a lack of experience.

The most peculiar aspect of playing the simulation was the lifelike behavior of the virtual players. It left me wondering whether it was a result of advanced artificial intelligence or some other technology that I couldn't quite comprehend.

As my mind wandered, I gazed out at the bustling city of Miami, feeling a bit out of place. This was my first time venturing beyond the borders of Texas, and while the league had made it easy with passports and logistics, the experiences I'd had so far were already unforgettable. From the excitement of playing in an actual NBA game to the less glamorous moment of rushing to the plane's restroom to vomit, it had been quite a rollercoaster. Even when I returned, my teammates, Manu and Tony, couldn't resist poking fun at my misfortune. I was initially annoyed, but their laughter was infectious, and I decided to bide my time for the perfect opportunity to get them back.

I couldn't help but let out a chuckle as I reminisced about the room service prank. It had been Tony, Manu, and me who hatched the plan to order the entire menu and have it delivered to Timmy's room. The sheer magnitude of food that stretched down the entire hallway left an indelible mark on Timmy's face when he opened the door. Pops had given us a stern talking-to afterward, but it was all in good fun, as the entire team ended up feasting on the room service banquet.

Arriving at the training facility, my enthusiasm was palpable. I was here to complete my daily quest, but later in the day, the Miami Heat had plans to visit the Miami Zoo for some leisure time. It surprised me to see that Tony and Wade were actually good friends, and Shaq wasn't as imposing off the court as I had imagined. Even J, Jason Williams, who had started with some trash talk, turned out to be a cool guy, assuring me it was all in good fun. I was particularly intrigued by the prospect of Shaq interacting with the gorillas, as he somewhat resembled them in stature.

I got done with my daily workout which consisted of various defensive drills such as slides, and closeout drills. Once I was finished, I headed out, while I was here, nobody had come to practice which made sense since it was very early. It just shows that Kobe was a different beast when it came to his workout mindset.

I went back to the hotel and decided to take a shower and a nap since there was nothing to do currently and nobody else was awake. I woke up again around 9, where finally some people were starting to wake up. Funny enough, Timmy was the latest sleeper, which led me to think about all the possibilities with pranks that he let himself open to.

Before I knew it, we ate breakfast and were on our way to the Miami Zoo, I initially thought that Pops would be running a no-nonsense boot camp with eat sleep and dream training, however, it seemed that wasn't the case. He knew how to reward everyone and he understood that at the end of the day we were all human and needed some downtime to reset.

During the bus ride, Tony and Manu entertained us with humorous stories from their early days in the league. As I listened, I couldn't help but feel grateful for being part of this team. While I hadn't faced many teams, I knew this team was unique. It was primarily composed of underdogs, with the exception of Timmy, but most of us had foreign origins. Tony hailed from Belgium but was raised in France, Manu was from Argentina, and Timmy came from the Virgin Islands, wherever that was. The thought of visiting these places excited me, as Manu and Tony had promised to show me around if I ever joined them on a trip.

After a while, we arrived at the zoo, following a security check for each bus. As I gazed out at the empty zoo, I couldn't help but be amazed. I had visited the zoo near my home when I was little, but it was always crowded, and I never got the chance to see all the animals.

"You ever been to the zoo before?" Manu asked me.

"Yeah, when I was little, but it was never this empty," I replied in astonishment.

"Where's the heat?" I inquired.

"Not sure, should be here soon," Manu replied with a shrug. I nodded in understanding.

We decided to converse in English most of the time so he could improve, and I would help correct his pronunciation or teach him new words he didn't know.

After passing through security, we eventually disembarked from the bus. As I stepped out, I noticed another set of buses coming behind us; I assumed that was the heat team.

Sure enough, they also disembarked, and our group made its way into the zoo. Everyone formed small subgroups, with some choosing to visit specific sections. I spotted Shaq and couldn't resist walking up to him to ask a question.

"Yo, Shaq," I called out, looking up at him.

He looked down and said, "What's good, Jav?" He remembered my name from when we formally met after the game.

"Do you think the gorillas will wonder how you got out?" I joked, chuckling.

He laughed in response and said, "We're definitely going to find out." With that, he began walking, and I followed closely behind. Tony joined Wade, and they stuck together, while Manu, true to form, headed straight for the bar.

Shaq and I made our way to the gorilla sanctuary, and as soon as the gorillas spotted Shaq, they seemed utterly perplexed. I burst into laughter, nearly gasping for breath from the hilarity of the situation.

Shaq glanced over and couldn't resist joining in the laughter at the sheer absurdity of it all. I knew I had to share this with the guys; it was going to be a story worth remembering for sure.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'd love to hear your thoughts so far on the story. If you like to support the story, please leave a review, drop a comment below, or drop some stones below. Next chapter will be on Friday which will be Javi's NBA Debut!