IT'S BEEN A COUPLE of days since Y/N sustained his foot injury. The Lakers were currently on the road against Utah but Y/N stayed in Los Angeles to get treatment.

He was on his sofa with a cast brace around his ankle. Y/N had it propped up and was watching television. After some time he had to go to the bathroom and tried moving.

But something stopped him...the sudden shout from his dear old mother in the open kitchen nearby.

"What are you doing?!"

"I need to go to the bathroom." He called out.

"Wait." She quickly rushed over. "Let me help you up."

He chuckled and shook his head.

"I can still do this on my own, Ma. I've been hurt before."

Y/N moved and stood up but grimaced and almost lost balance. The woman held the young athlete in place in case he were to fall, not caring how tall and heavy he was compared to her.

"But not to this extent." She butted. "Grade 3 sprain. The doctors said you're lucky they didn't fracture anything by landing on you."

"Zo dealt with the same thing earlier this year and he's coming out all right," Y/N replied. "I mean, he hasn't played a game since then...but the season's about to end anyway."

Y/N tried walking and limped again, causing his mother to attempt to catch him again and stand by his side. He turned to her and smiled.

"You don't have to do this."

"Why not?"

Y/N let out a breath through his nose. Y/M/N had been at his place the entire day to help him around. He didn't even ask for it...she just showed up.

"You already do too much," Y/N replied rather softly. "You've...done a lot for me."

She let out an exhale. Her son continued.

"I always thought when I grew up and made the league that I'll be the one to take care of you with whatever you need. That you wouldn't have to work a day in your life. Now you're here helping me around with my hurt leg and making snacks for me like I'm 10 again."

The older lady touched his cheek and then rubbed his shoulder.

"It doesn't matter how old you are, Y/N, I'll always be your mother. You're hurt...I'll be there. If you need support, I'm there. You can't get rid of me that easily."

Y/N chuckled. "I know that."

"You're my baby boy. I want to give you my all." She started to choke up. "I always feel like it's the least I could do...since you never had your dad around."

"That doesn't matter to me. You were and are still an amazing mother. That guy out there, whoever he is, I could care less about him. He was never a part of our life."

Y/M/N smiled. The young man brought his mother in for a side hug and kissed her on the head.

"Besides, I had Kobe for that." He added. "There's...no other male role model I could've asked for."

"And I'm grateful for him." She replied mid-embrace. "For him and Vanessa."

Y/N agreed. It could've been just him and his mother along with his grandparents who lived someplace else, but he also had the Bryants, who impacted his life greatly.

There was Vanessa, who had been there since he was born and was basically his aunt.

There was Gianna and Natalia, who he was often around and were like sisters to him.

And then there was Kobe, who was pretty much the father figure in his life.

He not only taught him everything he needed to know about the game of basketball...but how to also be a good man in general.

"Now, may I use the bathroom, please?" Y/N asked.

She chuckled. "Let me at least walk you there."

They shared a smile before walking out of the living room together.

•• SOCIAL MEDIA ••

4-4-2019

@/NBAonTNT
ALEX CARUSO HAD LEBRON SHOOK WITH THIS INSANE PUTBACK 😱

#LakeShow

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

14K Retweets 🔁 | 45K Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/projectmmbape THE BALD EAGLE FLEW

@/im_mista_White ain't no way that white boy got hops like that

@/Marvel_King1 look at KD's face 💀 he can't believe it

• •

4-5-2019

@/LakeShowWorld
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WE ARE WITNESSING THE RISE OF ALEX CARUSO

5K Retweets 🔁 | 15.6K Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/Almod1119 he's the GOAT

@/Imartian bro looks like my 5th grade math teacher and he's dropping 30 on em 😭
^@/toofoolishauthor he probably goes to the park and acts like a bum only to cook dudes on the court

@/ConnorJ7 where can I buy his jersey

• •

4-9-2019

@/Lakers
To the greatest fans all across the globe, thank you. #LakeShow

59K Retweets 🔁 | 121K Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/Emperormedrek I'm used to this graphic at this point lol
^@/tyresetheweeb next year again
^@/y3s957 #ThankYouFans

@/_CamWrites_ at least I got to see Caruso ball out these last few games
^@/CanYouBeCarr hopefully he can keep it up

• •

4-13-2019

@/projectmmbape
NBA playoffs without LeBron or Y/N

212 Retweets 🔁 | 851 Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/TheB1ThatL1v3d 😭 frfr

@/MooseRoom it's literally just Warriors against a bunch of bums
^@/NR6Swagger for the third straight year too

@/DDHU16 next year for sure
^@/iiSoloDolo lol

• •

4-23-2019

@/BleacherReport
DAMIAN LILLARD SENDS THE THUNDER HOME AT THE BUZZER 🔥

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

12.7K Retweets 🔁 | 34.9K Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/NobleSeven11 hell yeah send that bum Westbrick home
^@/JustSomeWackyWriter Westbrick 🤣

@/LordDarkness99 karma for PG choosing Thunder over Lakers

@/Dragonsw that was cold

@/JackieCalle LETS GO DAME TIME

• •

4-26-2019

❤️ liked by tomholland and 754,221 others

@/Original_L/N i avoided all the spoilers. it's time 🍿

Comments 💬

@/YER_MA728 lucky. I opened twitter and immediately saw a spoiler
^@/Rhen_Roth me too

@/Alex_The_Baller it's a masterpiece

@/BillJonxs RIP MY DAWG TONEY STARK
^@/ByEmmet ayo chill
^@/B_A_L_L_E_R 💀💀💀

• •

5-6-2019

@/etnow
Hailee Steinfeld is bringing us back to life at the #MetGala – but no 📸s please

512 Retweets 🔁 | 1.7K Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/Baddger mother

@/Hicctooth07 bark bark
^@/LordShadowSpectre RUF RUFF
^@/Dashyexp56 GRRRRR
^@/_CamWrites_ nah y'all crazy LMAO

^@/_L/NsWorld_ STAY AWAY FROM MY MAN ARREGRGRHRG

• •

5-12-2019

@/SportsCenter
KAWHI. GAME 7. FOR THE WIN.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

12.4K Retweets 🔁 | 33K Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/KN1GHTFALL HE'S A ROBOT

@/dav1233555 LMAOOO TAKE THAT CRYBABY EMBIID !!!

@/G0j1ra Future Laker
^@/W0rty18 bro with him Y/N and Bron that'd be crazy

^@/XaeviAlways the most quiet folk are the deadliest
^@/I_want_my_payday_2 😶

• •

5-14-2019

@/lakersscene
Against all odds, the Lakers net the 4th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery!

644 Retweets 🔁 | 1.9K Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/stargirl1515 idk about that after Zion, Ja, and RJ everyone else is kinda buns lmao

@/Sonada trade that for AD
^@/Jay_Flame pelicans don't want no 4th and they already have 1st
^@/DarthTalek having 1st AND 4th don't sound too bad

• •

5-14-2019

@/toofoolishauthor
LOOK AT KUZMA'S FACE YALL. He know this lottery shit rigged 😂😭

411 Retweets 🔁 | 1.2K Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/CanYouBeCarr FR lakers literally had like a 2% of going top 4 and they somehow made it
^@/projectmmbape league wants to see us win 🔥🔥🔥
^@/CanYouBeCarr and we will be there no matter what

@/CobrasPhantom 4th ain't that obvious but if they somehow got 1st then we'd have a problem
^@/Eric413 yeah they would've stormed the league offices if Lakers had a chance at getting Zion the year after getting LEBRON

• •

5-16-2019

@/Original_L/N
It's always a blast hanging with the awesome people at @/GQSports 🔥 Stay tuned for the collab.

89K Retweets 🔁 | 102K Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/LockRequiem we will be there

@/NR6Swagger we will be there

@/y3s957 we will be there

@/_CamWrites_ bots? 🤔

• • •

Y/N WAS IN the GQ studio filming something for their YouTube channel. It was going to be the inaugural video to their series about athletes' first million and how they spent it. He found it cool that they came to him to kick it off.

He saw in front of a table with wads of cash. Y/N picked some up and stacked them, wondering if they were even real.

"This a million dollars for real?" He asked the producer behind the camera.

With that, they commenced the filming of the video.

"What's up GQ Sports. I'm Y/N L/N and this is how I spent my first million."

"Tell us about yourself."

"I'm originally from Van Nuys, California. Grew up with my mom and grandparents. Went to school at Campbell Hall from elementary all the way to high school."

"My love for basketball came from Kobe. His wife, Vanessa, and my mom are lifelong friends and he has been there basically since I was born. So I looked to him for guidance both on and off the court."

"From there I graduated from Campbell Hall and played for UCLA. I made a name for myself and thankfully I was drafted 2nd overall in the 2015 draft and now here we are."

"The NBA was definitely the ultimate goal. But there was also, like, you know, how do I get to college? My mom always said that education should be the most important and that the league wasn't a guarantee. But then when it was starting to become a reality...I realized 'wow, I can really do this'. So that's when I said 'all right, this is what I want to do, take care of my family and make sure they don't have to work a day in their lives.'"

"How'd you get your first million?"

"Usually for players like me, their first exposure to a vast amount of money is their rookie contract. But to me...it was from my first shoe endorsement with Under Armor."

"How much was the endorsement?"

"8 million a year for 4 years. So $32 million. Plus a $4 million signing bonus. We're entering new negotiations for an extension later this year too."

"The amazing people at Under Armor treated me and my folks like family and I appreciate them so much that they saw something in me. I won't forget that day when they handed me the check. I showed my mom and she couldn't believe it either."

"So you guys heard about how I made my first million dollars, now you guys are about to hear how I spent my first million dollars."

"First thing I did was pay off my mom's car. It was like five thousand. She's always been stressed about it and I thought about finally being able to alleviate that."

"I could've bought her a new car but she wasn't really into that. But...we'll come back to it."

"Second thing I bought was a car for myself. It was a 2016 Porsche Panamera. I had seen one in LA and thought it looked dope. So I got it all black with a red interior. So yeah, that was the first car purchase for about 80K."

"Next thing I did was for my grandparents. They always wanted to travel or go on vacation but never had the chance before...so for $30K I got them a vacation home in the Maldives."

"Just thought they deserved it. For their struggles and hard work raising my mom and then helping to raise me."

"I never went to Coachella and thought it was very cool. Natalia Bryant, who is like a sister to me, always wanted to as well. So I went with her, a couple of her friends, and my then-friend-now-girlfriend, Hailee."

"I thought of taking Gianna too but she was 9 at the time and her parents didn't think it would be appropriate for her. So I ended up taking her and some others to Disney World. All together...it came around to about $3K."

"Yeah, I understand their parents have money. But I wanted to do something good for them with my own, so..."

"Next I got was a condo in LA. I was looking for a place of my own to stay in and I can vividly recall my buddy Donovan joining me on the search. Finally, I found one which, luckily, ended up being a few blocks away from Staples Center so I'm rarely late whenever there's a game. That was about $49K for the year."

"Growing up, of course, I was a gamer, so I had to make sure I was set up. Monitor, consoles, mics, all that stuff. Oh, and of course the games. That came out to around $8K."

"My boy, Donovan, got real jealous at the time. But now he arguably has a better setup than me. Arguably."

"Favorite games at the moment?"

"For playing with my friends, gotta be either Call of Duty or 2K. But by myself, I love story games, so right now I'm having a blast with Days Gone."

"Then I bought music equipment, pretty much all the things that were once too rich for my blood. Technics, DJM system, speakers, mixers, all that stuff. In total that came around to be, like, $30K to $40K."

"How'd you get into music?"

"My passion for music is as strong as my passion for basketball. I'm lucky that I'm able to basically enjoy both and be, well, pretty good at both."

"Next was clothing. Before I got into the league, I'd say I wasn't that into fashion, but now that I'm in it...I always look forward to picking out what I'm gonna be wearing that day. Gotta thank my close friends for hooking me up with fashion designers and custom suitmakers. For that...it's about 80K."

"Who's best dressed on your team?"

"Best dressed on the Lakers? I, uh, gotta say Bron is first...Zo second...then me at third. Kuz might have something to say about it but just ignore him."

"I ended up getting a private chef. Kobe brought it up one day and I took his advice. It was great advice too...because I barely have any time to cook for myself. And my guy cooks really good food it might make Gordon Ramsay jealous. That cost me about 20k."

"One of the bigger purchases I made, which I also don't regret for a second, is the car I bought my mom for her birthday. You see? I said I'd come back to it."

"It was a 2018 Mercedes-Benz G 550. She always liked those kinds of cars. I remember driving around with her through the city one day and her seeing one and being all wowed by it. So I knew it'd be an amazing gift. That was about $225K."

"Bought mom a car before a house?"

"Well, that was later. This is 'my first million' not 'my first two million'."

"With the rest of my money, I decided to put it into savings and investments and such."

"Are you satisfied with how you spent your money?"

"I'd say I am, especially with what I did with the remainder. One of the biggest things I learned was that you have to save. It's not just about spending but about keeping it for generational wealth. You have to be smart because this can go away *snap* just like that if you allow it to."

"My advice to draftees is to save as much as you can. Get what you want but at the end of the make sure that you are saving. As an athlete, I have a job that's hard on my body so I have to make sure I'm set for the future."

The video was just about done. Y/N did the outro for them then ended it.

"All right, guys. Thank you guys for listening and seeing how I spent my first million. It's been Y/N L/N and I'll see you guys again. Appreciate it."

•• SOCIAL MEDIA ••

5-20-2019

@/GQSports
From $200K on his mom's car to $80K on his Porsche Panamera, find out what Y/N spent his first million on after signing a 5-year, $190M super-maximum extension with the Lakers.

How Y/N L/N Spent His First $1M
in the NBA | My First Million | GQ Sports

2K Retweets 🔁 | 9K Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/im_mista_White Damn bruh gimme some of that cheddar too gangy

@/iiSoloDolo no way he pays all that for clothes 💀 you seen his drip?

@/KN1GHTFALL thank you for the financial literacy mister prodigy

@/toofoolishauthor I'll watch it at home

@/ConnorJ7 W

• •

5-22-2019

@/ShamsCharania
2018-19 NBA All-Defensive:

First team: Rudy Gobert, Paul George, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Marcus Smart, Eric Bledsoe.

Second team: Jrue Holiday, Y/N L/N, Joel Embiid, Draymond Green, Kawhi Leonard.

98K Retweets 🔁 | 107K Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/Jay_Flame Y/N BE LOCKING IT DOWN
^@/Yhorm_The_Giant didn't see that coming when he was first drafted
^@/Jay_Flame yeah it's a pleasant surprise

@/YOUNG7988 WHERE IS CHRIS PAUL

@/ArifSyukri9 switch Smart with Y/N and we cool

• •

5-23-2019

@/NBA
The 2018-19 All-NBA Second Team!

@/KDTrey5
@/JoelEmbiid
@/KyrieIrving
@/kawhileonard
@/Original_L/N

14K Retweets 🔁 | 22K Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/_rabbitharmony_ 🔥🔥🔥

@/goatfam101 from third team last year to second team this year let's goooo

@/MK_11EGY on his way to first team ✊🏽

@/DaltonJones4 Y/N > LeBron tbh

• •

5-23-2019

@/_L/NsWorld_
WOOOOOOOO Y/N GETS ALL-NBA SECOND TEAM AND IS ON THE ALL-DEFENSE TEAM!!!! WHERE IS LEBRON??? OH, ONLY ON THIRD TEAM? LOOOOOOOOL.

THIS IS WHY Y/N IS BETTER AND WHY HE WILL BE THE GOAT!!! NEXT YEAR WE GETTING FIRST TEAM AND MVP!!!

101 Retweets 🔁 | 335 Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/Silent_Hawk_7 GAWK GAWK ayo catch your breath

@/aGhosstt did bro just say "we"? 💀

@/Almod1119 why the sudden Bron hate lol
^@/_L/NsWorld_ you know why
^@/Almod1119 no I don't
@/_L/NsWorld_ HIS OLD ASS IS WHY WE MISSED THE PLAYOFFS. HES TARNISHING MY GOATS LEGACY. HE NEEDS TO GET BACK IN SHAPE OR GET SOME SUPER SOLDIER SERUM BECAUSE I NEED HIM TO BE MIAMI HEAT LEBRON AGAIN IF WE GONNA DO THIS.
^@/Almod1119 yeah...I shouldn't have even asked

• •

5-25-2019

@/ComplexSports
The 2019 NBA Finals are SET!

Warriors vs. Raptors

1.6K Retweets 🔁 | 4.3K Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/XaeviAlways RIP Raptors
^@/dav1233555 nah Kawhi will torch them

^@/jamesshlloydjr will this be the end of the dynasty?
^@/drake_forallthedogs just wait #WeTheNorth

• •

6-1-2019

@/SomeLAFanatic
Y/N L/N rookie card for sale

dm or reply for price

2 Retweets 🔁 | 12 Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/ObsessedWJennaOrtega no way you selling that right now r u dumb

@/laserigneous just dm'd
^@/ironboybooks you really buying this trash? 💀
^@/laserigneous you really on Twitter during your shift at Del Taco? 💀
^@/ironboybooks bro chill

• •

6-5-2019

@/NBATV
The @/Raptors came to Oakland and got the Game 3 win! 💪

#WeTheNorth

3K Retweets 🔁 | 6.7K Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/Octane_The_Fallen KAWHI YOU CAN DO THIS
^@/Yhorm_The_Giant WE ARE ALL RAPTORS FANS
^@/Jay_Flame YES

^@/HungrySavage Damn bro is a cold dude

^@/Bybyyby Warriors really gonna lose to a team based in Canada 😭😭😭

• •

6-10-2019

@/YahooSports
Kevin Durant leaves Game 5 of NBA Finals after suffering an apparent Achilles injury

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

1.3K Retweets 🔁 | 4.6K Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/liambrown7794 Damn prayers up 🙏

@/DarkoTheMapper get well soon brother
^@/NotKDTrustMe he appreciates it

@/ForEvaAHater RIP BOZO LMFAO
^@/XxLegacy214xX fatherless

^@/Octane_The_Fallen no KD? Dubs in trouble now

• •

6-10-2019

@/SportsCenter
Backs against the wall.

Splash Brothers deliver 💦

Dubs take Game 5 and bring the series to 3-2.

3.4K Retweets 🔁 | 7.9K Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/JustSomeWackyWriter WHY CANT THESE GUYS JUST GO AWAY AND LOSE

@/WANDASJOSEPH warriors got some voodoo black magic going on I swear

• •

6-13-2019

@/BleacherReport
Raptors defeat the Warriors in Game 6!

Kawhi stops another potential 3-peat for the second time this decade 🖐️.

54K Retweets 🔁 | 121K Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/YourPrettyCool he's pretty cool

@/Kirito10c LETS GOOOOOO
^@/Jay_Flame WARRIORS IN THE DIRT

@/Baddger AAAAHAHHAAA FINALLY

• •

6-14-2019

Tagged: @/normanpowell4

❤️ liked by dloading and 522,012 others

@/Original_L/N proud of my guy! ✊🏽

Comments 💬

@/_nightclxuds_ dude is so photogenic

@/normanpowell much love bro #GoBruins

@/spidadmitchell I know you jealous as hell right now
^@/Original_L/N no comment

@/_rabbitharmony_ damn first Looney now Powell got a ring before Y/N
^@/BrokenHumorMango he'll be the next UCLA bruin to get one trust

• •

6-14-2019

@/_L/NsWorld_
Guys guys guys I know just what to do to

We trade Y/N to the Raptors

90 Retweets 🔁 | 769 Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/King_Roger i got a better idea! You STFU
^@/_L/NsWorld_ 116.246.115.91

@/iiSoloDolo you're a very impatient man
^@/_L/NsWorld_ don't make me dox you too bro
^@/Dashyexp56 ayo Solo run before it's too late

• •

6-14-2019

❤️ liked by dojacat and 622,411 others

@/Original_L/N when you have no time for cuddles ☹️💔

Comments 💬

@/zendaya haiz girl are you using his phone 😭
^@/Original_L/N 🤫
^@/DaltonJones4 😂😂

@/dualipa 🤣😴

@/B_A_L_L_E_R big pause but bro look pretty handsome even asleep

• • •

THE TWENTY-THREE-year-old opened his eyes. Light from the slivers of the curtains illuminated the room only slightly but it was bright enough to see his surroundings.

He shifted his body a bit to the left and noticed his partner already awake. Dressed in her loose-fitting t-shirt and pajama pants, Hailee smiled.

"Good morning." She said with a smile.

He smirked back. "Morning."

She leaned in and kissed him. Y/N stretched a bit and let out a groan.

"Alexa, what time is it?" The man called out to his device in the room.

"It's 7:34 AM."

"All right."

The two got out of bed, freshened up, and started making breakfast in the kitchen. Y/N offered to do it all himself but Hailee was eager to do so herself.

So what was the compromise? They'd both do breakfast and see whose food came out better.

As they were cooking, the couple engaged in jokes, light conversation, and laughs. The television was on and broadcast the morning news, but it was muted. Instead, they had music coming from the stereo. Audio by Sia, Diplo, and Labrinth was playing.

"One day, I wanna collab with Diplo." Y/N remarked as he faced the stove.

Hailee raised a brow. "Really?"

"Yup. Always loved his music and he has a similar style to how I mix. Just think it's be dope, ya know?"

"I remember my dream being to work with Taylor. Then I was in her video. So they do come true."

"Man...I remember when I got that call to work with Selena Gomez on It Ain't Me. Oh boy, I was a nervous wreck."

"Yeah, because you had a crush on her."

"Had?"

Hailee turned to him and threw a strawberry at him. He laughed it off and kept cooking.

"I'm kidding. I'm kidding."

Juice WRLD's Bandit featuring NBA Youngboy came on moments later. Y/N remembered something.

"This song reminds me..." He began. "I gotta call Juice about that song we're working on."

She was intrigued. "Ooh. Do tell."

"It's called Graduation. We're looking at dropping it around September. He really wants to do a music video along with it though and he wants like...actors actors. The popular ones right now. So we gotta ask around."

"Hmm."

Y/N noticed her response. He glanced at her and let out a quick chuckle.

"Would you like to be in the video?"

She turned to him.

"Huh? Oh? Me?" She played coy. "I don't know, I'll have to see if my schedule is open. I'll get back to you."

"Yeah, yeah."

Hailee laughed. "For sure."

Y/N smiled. He moved from the stove to the fridge to get more ingredients. His phone rang and he saw that it was a call from Josh Hart.

He answered. "Aye, man."

"Wassup! You still down for that festival?"

"For sure. I'm just eating some breakfast with my queen and then I'll get changed and meet y'all there."

Nearby, Hailee blushed at the comment. She kept making her breakfast dish as Y/N continued.

"It's in Pasadena, right?"

"Yeah."

"Cool."

"Oh, and Brandon said to bring him his money."

Y/N chuckled. He remembered the card game he lost to him a week ago that he said he'd pay him for.

"Damn, bro never forgets huh?"

"B.I? You know that motherfucker doesn't."

They both laughed. He then bid farewell and ended the call. Y/N went to the counter and put down the stuff he grabbed but felt arms wrap around his chest from behind.

He let out a chuckle. "Yeah?"

"My queen?"

"Of course. You deserve to be treated like royalty."

She hugged him and pressed the side of her face against his back. Y/N kept smiling and adored the act.

"All right, all right." He said. "You don't want me to beat you at making breakfast do you?"

She snickered, slapping his back and going back to the counter. After some time, they finally finished cooking the food and sat on the island to eat it.

Off the bat, they couldn't really decide whose was better. They agreed on a draw.

"So where are you going again?" She asked.

"The Chalk Festival." He replied. "They got stuff going there. Art, food, music. We thought it'd be nice."

"Never saw you as the art type. Especially with chalk."

"I saw some pictures from last year. They looked awesome. Did you know someone did an entire piece of Chance the Rapper? It was big as hell."

Hailee laughed at the animated gestures he was doing with his arms. She took a bite of her food.

"And you? Don't you have that thing with the sunglasses brand?"

"It's Prive Revaux." She replied with a French accent. "Doing a segment with QVC on it."

"Nice."

"Then I'm going to go visit my parents and see what they're up to."

"Cool. Tell them I said hi. And ask Griff if he's up for that car show in a couple of weeks."

She nodded. They soon finished their food and the young man had to leave for Pasadena soon. He changed into some fresh clothing and was ready to leave.

"So...see you later?" He asked the twenty-two-year-old.

"Yup."

Y/N hugged and kissed her before leaving the condo, leaving Hailee at his place until she had to eventually leave as well.

• • •

THE FIVE YOUNG Laker players had a great time at the chalk festival as well as touring around the calm city of Pasadena. They ended up dining at a restaurant called Yard House where they sat in the corner by the window.

"I'm thinking of putting together my songs and releasing an album next year." Lonzo said.

"Ain't nobody gonna listen to that." Kuzma shot back.

"Quiet before I put that diss track about you in it too."

Brandon, Hart, and Y/N laughed. Lonzo made a diss track about Kuzma about a year ago called Kylie Kuzma. It was all for jokes though and they were cool.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

The track went viral and people found it hilarious. But it did cause some chatter on whether the young core around LeBron took the game seriously or not.

"Yeah, stay your ass in the studio then. We be winning games without you anyway."

Zo snickered and tossed a fry at him. Hart was on his phone and Y/N, who was sitting next to him, took a peek.

"No way you're looking at your own Fort clips right now." He said.

"Dawg, I'm checking to see if my stream looked clean enough. Might need a new camera."

Hart was quite the gamer and Fortnite player. He even had a signature celebration after a three-pointer where he'd do the healing animation.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Brandon Ingram spoke. "So, what y'all expect for next year?"

Y/N shrugged. "Make sure we're all healthy. Lock in and at least make the playoffs. From there, I think we got it, especially with Bron at the helm."

"Not just Bron, dawg," Kuzma said. "You too."

His teammates and friends saw Y/N as a leader as well and he appreciated it. He took a bite of his potatoes and nodded.

"Of course. I'm there for you and I know y'all got my back too. Next season, the league better watch out."

They all agreed. The five of them finished their food and ended up splitting the check. Once outside, Ingram spoke to Y/N.

"Aye." He held out his hand. "Don't think I forgot."

Y/N chuckled as he reached for his pocket. He handed him the wad of cash that he owed Brandon.

"I know yo elephant memory ass doesn't."

• • •

Y/N WAS BACK at home. Hailee was out and doing her thing for QVC. The young man was in the guest room where he had moved his studio equipment into.

He was working on music. A little over a week ago, Y/N had also talked with a rising musician, Doja Cat, about helping produce her upcoming album, so he was testing out some beats for it.

After a while, Y/N got a call. He saw that it was from the Lakers general manager, Rob Pelinka. He figured it was important and answered it immediately.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Y/N. Hope I didn't get you at a bad time."

"No, it's all right. What's up, Rob?"

There was a pause before he spoke again.

"Well, I wanted to let you know that...there have been discussion between us and New Orleans. And this time, they've been serious."

"Oh. All right. I reckon it's about...AD?"

"Yeah." He replied.

"Okay."

"You know...they asked for you, but that was a immediate no from me. Like I told you a year ago, you're our cornerstone."

"I appreciate it."

"So we talked for about an hour and finally laid out another package. It's, uh...it involves B.I., Zo, and Hart."

Y/N reacted. "Oh...damn."

"Picks are involved but that's a whole other thing. We give up the three of them, put in the 4th pick we won in the lottery, and a few others...we get Anthony."

"Whoa."

"Yeah," Pelinka said. "But they gave me a choice..."

Y/N arched a brow. Rob continued.

"They said either you and some filler or the three young guys and the picks. So...I actually called you to basically ask what you wanted."

"What I wanted?" Y/N asked.

"Basically, you got to understand that if we send the three of them out and get AD, the main guys are you, Bron, and him. There might be nights where you don't get your touches because the other is hot. The same attention might not be there with so much stardom. If you go to New Orleans...you're the guy. You're at the center of it all."

Y/N took in his words. He figured Pelinka, being close with Kobe and him too, was looking out for Y/N in a way. It was the former sports agent in him doing so, doing what the player preferred and wished for.

In the case of Rob, he was pretty okay with either choice. If they traded Y/N, although he'd be disappointed he decided to move, the Lakers would still have LeBron, AD, and the young guys who will continue to develop. If they kept Y/N and traded the young core, he wholeheartedly believed the tandem of the big three would win it all.

"So, what do you want to do?"

That was the choice. Y/N could've either signed off on being traded to the Pelicans where he'd be the main star for the foreseeable future, or stay with the Lakers and group AD with him and LeBron, where it'd be the three of them sharing the spotlight.

After a moment, Y/N made his decision. He spoke to the general manager.

"When I got to the league...there was one thing I strived to do: win. There is only one goal when you're there and that's it. That was Kobe's philosophy. I understand that to do so...there must be sacrifices."

"That's right."

There was a pause. Y/N let out a breath through his nose before speaking again.

"Bring the Brow on over to LakeShow. The three of us are going to make sure the city sees a championship again."

•• SOCIAL MEDIA ••

6-15-2019

@/wojespn
The Pelicans have agreed to a deal to trade Anthony Davis to the Lakers for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks – including the No. 4 overall in 2019 Draft, league sources tell ESPN.

120K Retweets 🔁 | 168K Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/ByEmmet WHAAAAAAT

@/LakeShowWorld OMG!!! 🤯

@/JackieCalle WTFFFFF

@/LakersNation wow!

@/_L/NsWorld_ AAAAH MY HEART DROPPED I THOUGHT THEY TRADED Y/N

• •

6-15-2019

@/ESPN
What a start to the NBA offseason 😳

28K Retweets 🔁 | 90K Likes ❤️

Replies 💬

@/TheB1ThatL-v3d seems like a lot ngl
^@/Jay_Flame the hardest choices require the strongest wills
^@/joshbrolin ha! I understood that reference

@/tyresetheweeb you will be missed Zo

@/Almod1119 hey, at least we kept Kuzma

• •

6-15-2019

Tagged: @/antdavis23, @/Original_L/N

❤️ liked by snoopdogg and 3,485,536 others

@/kingjames AD on da way!! @/antdavis23 🤣. Let's get it bro! Just the beginning..👑🌟〰️ #LakeShow

Comments 💬

@/_CamWrites_ AD joining them for TACO TUEEESSDAAAAY

@/toofoolishauthor consider this a warning NBA

@/projectmmbape LETS GO GOAT
^@/ForEvaAHater he's not MJ
^@/KN1GHTFALL ring ring someone's calling
^@/ForEvaAHater what
^@/KN1GHTFALL it's the hotline for us not giving a fuck LMFAO
^@/projectmmbape LOL

• • •

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!

And as we near the end of 2019 in this timeline, we close in on 2020...which y'all understand is quite the year. It will surely effect those around the world and those in the NBA, especially Y/N.

So stay tuned for that.