Christmas might be a Western holiday, but to Lin Yi, it kind of felt like how Chinese folks treat Chinese New Year. Especially Christmas Eve—it was a big deal here, just like New Year's Eve back ho.
That morning, Steph Curry drove Lin back to his family's place in North Carolina.
"Man," Lin said, rubbing his eyes after the long ride, "I seriously need to get my license soon. Can't keep riding shotgun forever."
Steph laughed. "Told you! Put that on the to-do list."
As they pulled up, the front door swung open.
"Welco ho, Stephen!" Sonya Curry wrapped her son in a warm hug. Steph's mom was known for her looks and charm.
"And this must be Lin! You're the one Steph's always bragging about," she smiled, turning to him.
"Auntie, hello," Lin said while leaning down to hug her . Why did this feel like eting a girlfriend's parents?
Right then, a voice rang out from inside the house.
"Yo, big bro! You're back! I crushed Seth in 1v1 again," said Steph's younger sister, Sydel, poking her head out with a grin. Athletic genes ran deep in the Curry bloodline since Sydel was already a standout volleyball player in high school.
Seth Curry, the youngest of the bunch, wasn't far behind. Just a freshman at Liberty University, he was carving out his path. Lin hadn't seen him play in person yet, but he was averaging close to 20 points a ga and was Liberty's top scorer.
Even if he wasn't as famous as Steph yet, Lin could tell the kid had ga. Later, Duke—who once passed on Steph—would co calling for Seth. Funny how things co full circle.
Steph leaned over. "This is Lin," he said to Seth. "The guy who made Blake Griffin look like he forgot how to jump."
Lin and Seth shook hands. Lin towered over both Curry brothers. At 7'1" (216 cm), with quick feet and a smooth jumper, he was built different.
"You used to be my height?" Sydel asked, staring up at Lin, then back at Steph.
Steph shrugged. "Yeah. Scary stuff-seeing your roommate to such height in a month."
As they laughed, Dell Curry walked in with bags of groceries. He'd just co from a supermarket run, but as soon as he heard the chatter, he joined in.
"You've been balling lately," Dell said to Lin. "I've watched so of your gas. Honestly? I don't even have advice. You remind of when Olajuwon just started—raw but special. No one saw that coming either."
He looked Lin up and down. "My eyes don't lie. You're one of the fastest seven-footers I've ever seen. You're only gonna get better."
Lin smiled and nodded. Complints like that from Dell ant a lot.
He'd grown to 216 cm and weighed in at 109 kg. Coach McKillop said his ideal playing weight was around 120 kg.
But Lin wasn't in a rush to bulk up too fast.
"Don't go full Yao Ming with the weight," Coach had warned. "You'll lose that speed. At 120, you can handle any center in the league."
Lin took that seriously. In today's NBA, post-up bigs were a dying breed. Even Dwight Howard—dominant as he once was—had needed the right teammates and spacing to thrive.
Lin admired Yao, sure. But he knew speed, agility, and versatility were his edge. Heavy muscle wasn't worth losing that.
Back in the living room, the conversation had turned to threes.
"We should do a three-point contest," Dell said, grinning. "See how rusty I am."
Just then, Sonya peeked out from the kitchen. "Go ahead—but everyone's washing their hands before dinner!"
No one argued.
The Curry family's backyard? A mini basketball gym. Dell had never stopped loving the ga, and it showed.
"I used to practice here with my dad all the ti," Steph told Lin as they walked outside. "At first, I couldn't beat him. But once I hit high school? Different story."
He pointed at the three-point arc.
"When I got to college, Dad told to start shooting from NBA range. I still rember the first ti he called out—said, 'Hey Stephen, try these grown-man threes.'"
Lin laughed. "And? What happened?"
Steph grinned. "I hit ten in a row. Straight money. He just stared at and said, 'Okay... you've got the range now.' And I told him, 'Honestly, I feel like I can shoot from anywhere—even half court.'"
Lin had heard stories like this in docuntaries, but hearing Steph tell it in person? It hit different.
Steph Curry wasn't just a shooter. He was born to shoot.
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