diff --git a/src/services/adapters/espnStatsAdapter.js b/src/services/adapters/espnStatsAdapter.js
index 5b99a13..7b651a0 100644
--- a/src/services/adapters/espnStatsAdapter.js
+++ b/src/services/adapters/espnStatsAdapter.js
@@ -15,10 +15,16 @@
 
 const axios = require('axios');
 const { cacheGet, cacheSet } = require('../../utils/redis');
+const { nameKey } = require('../../utils/playerName');
 
 const SEARCH = 'https://site.web.api.espn.com/apis/common/v3/search';
+// Wave 0 — the v3 /search endpoint above now returns count:0 for every query
+// (verified live 2026-07-13); the v2 search below is the reliable resolver and
+// carries the numeric athlete id inside its `uid` ("s:40~l:59~a:3149391").
+const SEARCH_V2 = 'https://site.api.espn.com/apis/search/v2';
 const SPORT_PATH = { nba: 'basketball/nba', wnba: 'basketball/wnba' };
 const TTL = 6 * 3600;
+const GAMELOG_TTL = 4 * 3600; // per-game logs refresh once per night
 const TIMEOUT = 10_000;
 
 // ESPN stat label → our classifier-input key. Lowercased, punctuation-stripped.
@@ -118,4 +124,178 @@ async function getSeasonAverages(name, sport, opts = {}) {
   }
 }
 
-module.exports = { getSeasonAverages, parseAthleteStats, __internals: { STAT_MAP, keyify, SPORT_PATH } };
+// ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Wave 0 — FREE per-game logs for NBA/WNBA (the grade unlock).
+//
+// The Python nba_api service (gameLogService) is offline in prod, so
+// featureCache's non-MLB branch produced no l5/l20 → projectionFor returned
+// null → the ENTIRE NBA/WNBA slate refused. ESPN's per-athlete gamelog is free,
+// no-auth, and returns per-game rows (VERIFIED LIVE: NBA id 1966 → 73 rows,
+// WNBA id 3149391 → 23 rows). This mirrors mlbStatsAdapter.getPlayerGameLog's
+// output contract ({ found, id, last10:[{ date, opponent, isHome, stat:{…} }] })
+// so it drops straight into the existing feature pipeline.
+//
+// The per-game `stats[]` array is aligned to the response's OWN `names[]`
+// array — and that order DIFFERS between NBA and WNBA — so columns are indexed
+// by name token, never by a hardcoded position.
+// ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+// ESPN `names[]` token → our per-game stat field. Compound cells ("9-23" =
+// made-attempted) take the MADE portion. pra is COMPUTED (pts+reb+ast), never
+// a raw column.
+function toNum(v) {
+  const n = parseFloat(v);
+  return Number.isFinite(n) ? n : null;
+}
+function madeOf(v) {
+  if (v == null) return null;
+  const s = String(v);
+  const dash = s.indexOf('-');
+  const n = parseInt(dash >= 0 ? s.slice(0, dash) : s, 10);
+  return Number.isFinite(n) ? n : null;
+}
+
+function buildGameStat(statArr, idxOf) {
+  if (!Array.isArray(statArr)) return null;
+  const at = (token, fn = toNum) => {
+    const i = idxOf[token];
+    return i == null ? null : fn(statArr[i]);
+  };
+  const out = {};
+  const points = at('points');
+  const rebounds = at('totalRebounds');
+  const assists = at('assists');
+  const threes = at('threePointFieldGoalsMade-threePointFieldGoalsAttempted', madeOf);
+  const steals = at('steals');
+  const blocks = at('blocks');
+  const turnovers = at('turnovers');
+  const minutes = at('minutes');
+  // Absent beats zero — only attach a field ESPN actually reported.
+  if (points != null) out.points = points;
+  if (rebounds != null) out.rebounds = rebounds;
+  if (assists != null) out.assists = assists;
+  if (threes != null) out.threes = threes;
+  if (steals != null) out.steals = steals;
+  if (blocks != null) out.blocks = blocks;
+  if (turnovers != null) out.turnovers = turnovers;
+  if (minutes != null) out.minutes = minutes;
+  if (points != null && rebounds != null && assists != null) out.pra = points + rebounds + assists;
+  return Object.keys(out).length ? out : null;
+}
+
+/**
+ * PURE: parse an ESPN athlete-gamelog payload into per-game rows, most-recent
+ * first. Returns an array or null (unrecognized shape). NEVER throws.
+ */
+function parseGameLog(payload) {
+  if (!payload || typeof payload !== 'object') return null;
+  const names = Array.isArray(payload.names) ? payload.names : null;
+  if (!names || names.length === 0) return null;
+  const idxOf = {};
+  names.forEach((n, i) => { if (idxOf[String(n)] == null) idxOf[String(n)] = i; });
+  const evMap = (payload.events && typeof payload.events === 'object') ? payload.events : {};
+  const seen = new Set();
+  const rows = [];
+  for (const st of Array.isArray(payload.seasonTypes) ? payload.seasonTypes : []) {
+    for (const cat of (st && Array.isArray(st.categories)) ? st.categories : []) {
+      for (const ev of (cat && Array.isArray(cat.events)) ? cat.events : []) {
+        const eid = ev && ev.eventId;
+        if (!eid || seen.has(eid)) continue;
+        const stat = buildGameStat(ev.stats, idxOf);
+        if (!stat) continue;
+        seen.add(eid);
+        const meta = evMap[eid] || {};
+        const isHome = meta.atVs === 'vs' ? true : (meta.atVs === '@' ? false : null);
+        rows.push({
+          date: meta.gameDate || null,
+          opponent: (meta.opponent && (meta.opponent.abbreviation || meta.opponent.displayName)) || null,
+          isHome,
+          stat,
+        });
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  if (rows.length === 0) return null;
+  // Most-recent first. Undated rows sink to the end without reordering.
+  rows.sort((a, b) => {
+    const ta = a.date ? Date.parse(a.date) : NaN;
+    const tb = b.date ? Date.parse(b.date) : NaN;
+    if (Number.isNaN(ta) && Number.isNaN(tb)) return 0;
+    if (Number.isNaN(ta)) return 1;
+    if (Number.isNaN(tb)) return -1;
+    return tb - ta;
+  });
+  return rows.slice(0, 20);
+}
+
+async function fetchJsonG(url, opts = {}) {
+  if (typeof opts.fetchImpl === 'function') return opts.fetchImpl(url);
+  const client = opts.http || axios;
+  const res = await client.get(url, { timeout: TIMEOUT });
+  return res && res.data;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Resolve name → ESPN numeric athlete id for a basketball league via the v2
+ * search. Disambiguates by `defaultLeagueSlug` (nba/wnba — an NCAA namesake is
+ * NOT returned for a WNBA query), then prefers an exact canonical-name match.
+ * Returns the numeric id string or null (a missing id beats the wrong player).
+ */
+async function resolveAthleteId(name, sport, opts = {}) {
+  const data = await fetchJsonG(`${SEARCH_V2}?query=${encodeURIComponent(name)}&limit=10`, opts);
+  const section = (data && Array.isArray(data.results) ? data.results : []).find((r) => r && r.type === 'player');
+  const players = (section && Array.isArray(section.contents)) ? section.contents : [];
+  if (players.length === 0) return null;
+  const inLeague = players.filter((p) => String(p.defaultLeagueSlug || '').toLowerCase() === sport);
+  const pool = inLeague.length ? inLeague : players;
+  const target = nameKey(name);
+  const exact = pool.find((p) => nameKey(p.displayName || p.name || '') === target);
+  const chosen = exact || pool[0];
+  if (!chosen) return null;
+  const m = /a:(\d+)/.exec(String(chosen.uid || ''));
+  if (m) return m[1];
+  return /^\d+$/.test(String(chosen.id)) ? String(chosen.id) : null;
+}
+
+const gameLogMem = new Map();
+
+/**
+ * NBA/WNBA per-game logs from ESPN. Returns { found, id, last10 } (most-recent
+ * first) or { found:false }. Never throws. Cached (Redis `espngamelog:{sport}:
+ * {id}` 4h + in-memory mirror). opts.fetchImpl/opts.http injectable for tests.
+ */
+async function getPlayerGameLog(name, sport, opts = {}) {
+  const sp = String(sport || '').toLowerCase();
+  const path = SPORT_PATH[sp];
+  if (!path || !name) return { found: false };
+  try {
+    const id = await resolveAthleteId(name, sp, opts);
+    if (!id) return { found: false };
+    const ck = `espngamelog:${sp}:${id}`;
+    if (gameLogMem.has(ck)) return gameLogMem.get(ck);
+    try {
+      const cached = await cacheGet(ck);
+      if (cached) { gameLogMem.set(ck, cached); return cached; }
+    } catch { /* ignore cache read */ }
+
+    const payload = await fetchJsonG(`https://site.web.api.espn.com/apis/common/v3/sports/${path}/athletes/${id}/gamelog`, opts);
+    const last10 = parseGameLog(payload);
+    if (!last10) return { found: false, id };
+    const result = { found: true, id, last10 };
+    gameLogMem.set(ck, result);
+    try { await cacheSet(ck, result, GAMELOG_TTL); } catch { /* ignore cache write */ }
+    return result;
+  } catch (err) {
+    console.warn('[espnStats] game log failed:', name, sp, err.message);
+    return { found: false };
+  }
+}
+
+module.exports = {
+  getSeasonAverages,
+  parseAthleteStats,
+  getPlayerGameLog,
+  parseGameLog,
+  resolveAthleteId,
+  __internals: { STAT_MAP, keyify, SPORT_PATH, buildGameStat, madeOf, toNum, gameLogMem },
+};
diff --git a/src/services/intelligence/featureCache.js b/src/services/intelligence/featureCache.js
index 74fcd30..c32331b 100644
--- a/src/services/intelligence/featureCache.js
+++ b/src/services/intelligence/featureCache.js
@@ -93,6 +93,22 @@ function mlbStatValue(statObj, statType) {
   return Number.isFinite(n) ? n : null;
 }
 
+// Wave 0 — NBA/WNBA stat_type → the per-game field on an espnStatsAdapter
+// gamelog row's `stat` object. A SEPARATE local map from MLB_LOG_FIELD (the
+// S11 three-map-split rule — never merge). Combo stats route to statFromGameLog
+// (which sums points/rebounds/assists at read time); `pra`/`threes` are already
+// normalized fields on the row. A stat_type absent here does NOT grade via this
+// path (absent beats a fabricated projection). Add a new NBA/WNBA stat here to
+// unlock it.
+const NBA_LOG_FIELD = {
+  points: 'points', rebounds: 'rebounds', assists: 'assists',
+  threes: 'threes', steals: 'steals', blocks: 'blocks', turnovers: 'turnovers',
+  pra: 'pra',
+  // combos (statFromGameLog sums the raw components)
+  pts_reb_ast: 'pts_reb_ast', pts_reb: 'pts_reb', pts_ast: 'pts_ast',
+  reb_ast: 'reb_ast', stl_blk: 'stl_blk',
+};
+
 /**
  * Session 46 — derive recent/season averages from a real MLB game log
  * (mlbStatsAdapter.getPlayerStats result). PURE so it's unit-testable without
@@ -140,6 +156,49 @@ function mlbGameLogFeatures(res, statType) {
   return out;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Wave 0 — derive recent/season averages from an ESPN NBA/WNBA gamelog
+ * (espnStatsAdapter.getPlayerGameLog result). PURE + unit-testable. The result's
+ * last10 is MOST-RECENT-FIRST, so l5 = first 5, l20 = all available (the season
+ * per-game reference projectionFor needs). Emits the SAME fields the Python
+ * path did, plus rest_days + minutes_per_game (usage), so the grade card lights
+ * up. Returns {} when the log is missing or the stat_type isn't mapped.
+ */
+function nbaGameLogFeatures(res, statType) {
+  if (!res || !res.found) return {};
+  const field = NBA_LOG_FIELD[statType];
+  if (!field) return {};
+  const logs = Array.isArray(res.last10) ? res.last10 : [];
+  const vals = logs.map((g) => statFromGameLog(g && g.stat, field)).filter((v) => v != null);
+  const out = {};
+  if (vals.length) {
+    const m5 = avg(vals.slice(0, 5));   // most-recent first
+    const m10 = avg(vals.slice(0, 10));
+    const m20 = avg(vals.slice(0, 20));
+    const s10 = stddev(vals.slice(0, 10));
+    if (m5 != null) out.l5_avg = m5;
+    if (m10 != null) out.l10_avg = m10;
+    if (m20 != null) out.l20_avg = m20;
+    if (s10 != null) out.l10_stddev = s10;
+  }
+
+  // rest_days from the two most-recent dated games (0 = back-to-back), mirroring
+  // the MLB branch + the NBA convention buildIntelFields reads.
+  const dated = logs.filter((g) => g && g.date);
+  if (dated.length >= 2) {
+    const last = new Date(dated[0].date).getTime();      // most recent
+    const prev = new Date(dated[1].date).getTime();
+    const gap = Math.round((last - prev) / 86_400_000);
+    if (Number.isFinite(gap) && gap >= 1 && gap <= 14) out.rest_days = gap - 1;
+  }
+
+  // minutes_per_game — the NBA "usage" equivalent buildIntelFields surfaces.
+  const mins = logs.map((g) => g && g.stat && Number(g.stat.minutes)).filter((v) => Number.isFinite(v));
+  const mpg = avg(mins);
+  if (mpg != null) out.minutes_per_game = mpg;
+  return out;
+}
+
 async function gameLogFeatures(playerName, sport, statType) {
   // MLB game logs come from the FREE statsapi.mlb.com (Session 46) — the Python
   // gameLogService only covers NBA/WNBA, so MLB props had no recent/season
@@ -156,6 +215,22 @@ async function gameLogFeatures(playerName, sport, statType) {
   }
 
   const logs = await gameLogs.getGameLogs(playerName, sport, 20);
+
+  // Wave 0 — NBA/WNBA grade unlock. The Python nba_api service (gameLogService)
+  // is offline in prod, so `logs` is null and this branch used to return {} →
+  // no l5/l20 → projectionFor null → the ENTIRE slate refused. Fall back to the
+  // FREE ESPN per-athlete gamelog so NBA (off-season) + WNBA (in-season) grade.
+  if ((!logs || logs.length === 0) && (sport === 'nba' || sport === 'wnba')) {
+    try {
+      const espnStats = require('../adapters/espnStatsAdapter');
+      const res = await espnStats.getPlayerGameLog(playerName, sport);
+      return nbaGameLogFeatures(res, statType);
+    } catch (e) {
+      console.warn('[featureCache] ESPN game-log fallback failed:', e.message);
+      return {};
+    }
+  }
+
   if (!logs || logs.length === 0) return {};
 
   const valuesAll = logs.map((row) => statFromGameLog(row, statType)).filter((v) => v != null);
@@ -341,6 +416,8 @@ module.exports = {
     statFromGameLog,
     mlbGameLogFeatures,
     mlbStatValue,
+    nbaGameLogFeatures,
+    NBA_LOG_FIELD,
     avg,
     stddev,
     daysBetween,
diff --git a/tests/unit/espnGameLog.test.js b/tests/unit/espnGameLog.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ead45f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/espnGameLog.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,179 @@
+// Wave 0 — ESPN per-athlete gamelog parser + resolver (the NBA/WNBA grade
+// unlock's free source). Hermetic: fetch is injected, no network.
+
+// Redis is a no-op here so the cache read/write paths don't touch a live server.
+jest.mock('../../src/utils/redis', () => ({
+  cacheGet: async () => null,
+  cacheSet: async () => {},
+  cacheDel: async () => {},
+}));
+
+const espn = require('../../src/services/adapters/espnStatsAdapter');
+
+// Real ESPN NBA gamelog shape (verified live 2026-07-13): a per-response
+// `names[]` array + seasonTypes[].categories[].events[{eventId, stats[]}], with
+// dates/opponents in a top-level `events` map keyed by eventId. Column order is
+// indexed by name token — NBA and WNBA differ, so this is not positional.
+const NBA_NAMES = [
+  'minutes', 'fieldGoalsMade-fieldGoalsAttempted', 'fieldGoalPct',
+  'threePointFieldGoalsMade-threePointFieldGoalsAttempted', 'threePointPct',
+  'freeThrowsMade-freeThrowsAttempted', 'freeThrowPct', 'totalRebounds',
+  'assists', 'blocks', 'steals', 'fouls', 'turnovers', 'points',
+];
+//                min   FG     FG%    3PT   3P%   FT    FT%   REB AST BLK STL PF TO PTS
+const G_OLD = ['32', '9-19', '47.4', '1-4', '25.0', '4-4', '100', '8', '5', '0', '2', '3', '2', '23'];
+const G_MID = ['36', '10-20', '50.0', '3-7', '42.9', '5-6', '83.3', '10', '7', '1', '1', '2', '4', '28'];
+const G_NEW = ['40', '8-18', '44.4', '2-6', '33.3', '6-8', '75.0', '12', '3', '1', '0', '1', '4', '24'];
+
+const NBA_FIXTURE = {
+  names: NBA_NAMES,
+  labels: ['MIN', 'FG', 'FG%', '3PT', '3P%', 'FT', 'FT%', 'REB', 'AST', 'BLK', 'STL', 'PF', 'TO', 'PTS'],
+  seasonTypes: [
+    {
+      displayName: '2025-26 Regular Season',
+      categories: [
+        {
+          displayName: 'January',
+          events: [
+            { eventId: 'E_OLD', stats: G_OLD },
+            { eventId: 'E_MID', stats: G_MID },
+            { eventId: 'E_NEW', stats: G_NEW },
+          ],
+        },
+      ],
+    },
+  ],
+  events: {
+    E_OLD: { id: 'E_OLD', gameDate: '2026-01-01T00:30:00.000+00:00', atVs: '@', opponent: { abbreviation: 'BOS' } },
+    E_MID: { id: 'E_MID', gameDate: '2026-01-03T00:30:00.000+00:00', atVs: 'vs', opponent: { abbreviation: 'GSW' } },
+    E_NEW: { id: 'E_NEW', gameDate: '2026-01-05T00:30:00.000+00:00', atVs: 'vs', opponent: { abbreviation: 'HOU' } },
+  },
+};
+
+const V2_SEARCH = {
+  results: [
+    {
+      type: 'player',
+      contents: [
+        { uid: 's:40~l:46~a:1966', id: 'guid-abc', displayName: 'LeBron James', sport: 'basketball', defaultLeagueSlug: 'nba' },
+      ],
+    },
+  ],
+};
+
+function fetchImplFor(searchPayload, gamelogPayload) {
+  return async (url) => {
+    if (url.includes('/search/v2')) return searchPayload;
+    if (url.includes('/gamelog')) return gamelogPayload;
+    return null;
+  };
+}
+
+beforeEach(() => espn.__internals.gameLogMem.clear());
+
+describe('parseGameLog (pure)', () => {
+  it('normalizes per-game rows keyed by VYNDR stat names, most-recent first', () => {
+    const rows = espn.parseGameLog(NBA_FIXTURE);
+    expect(Array.isArray(rows)).toBe(true);
+    expect(rows).toHaveLength(3);
+    // most-recent first → E_NEW leads
+    expect(rows[0].date).toBe('2026-01-05T00:30:00.000+00:00');
+    expect(rows[0].opponent).toBe('HOU');
+    expect(rows[0].isHome).toBe(true);
+    expect(rows[0].stat).toMatchObject({
+      points: 24, rebounds: 12, assists: 3, threes: 2, steals: 0, blocks: 1, turnovers: 4, minutes: 40,
+    });
+    // pra computed, not a raw column
+    expect(rows[0].stat.pra).toBe(24 + 12 + 3);
+    // oldest last, away game
+    expect(rows[2].date).toBe('2026-01-01T00:30:00.000+00:00');
+    expect(rows[2].isHome).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('indexes columns by the response names[] (WNBA order differs from NBA)', () => {
+    const wnbaNames = [
+      'minutes', 'points', 'totalRebounds', 'assists', 'steals', 'blocks', 'turnovers',
+      'fieldGoalsMade-fieldGoalsAttempted', 'fieldGoalPct',
+      'threePointFieldGoalsMade-threePointFieldGoalsAttempted', 'threePointPct',
+      'freeThrowsMade-freeThrowsAttempted', 'freeThrowPct', 'fouls',
+    ];
+    //         min  PTS  REB  AST STL BLK TO   FG      FG%   3PT   3P%  FT    FT%  PF
+    const row = ['31', '20', '12', '2', '1', '2', '3', '9-23', '39.1', '2-5', '40.0', '2-2', '100.0', '2'];
+    const wnbaFixture = {
+      names: wnbaNames,
+      seasonTypes: [{ categories: [{ events: [{ eventId: 'W1', stats: row }] }] }],
+      events: { W1: { gameDate: '2026-07-13T01:00:00.000+00:00', atVs: 'vs', opponent: { abbreviation: 'IND' } } },
+    };
+    const rows = espn.parseGameLog(wnbaFixture);
+    expect(rows).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(rows[0].stat).toMatchObject({ points: 20, rebounds: 12, assists: 2, steals: 1, blocks: 2, turnovers: 3, threes: 2 });
+  });
+
+  it('omits a stat ESPN did not report (absent, never 0)', () => {
+    // Drop the points column entirely.
+    const noPtsNames = NBA_NAMES.slice(0, -1); // remove 'points'
+    const fixture = {
+      names: noPtsNames,
+      seasonTypes: [{ categories: [{ events: [{ eventId: 'X', stats: G_NEW.slice(0, -1) }] }] }],
+      events: { X: { gameDate: '2026-01-05T00:30:00.000+00:00' } },
+    };
+    const rows = espn.parseGameLog(fixture);
+    expect(rows[0].stat).not.toHaveProperty('points');
+    expect(rows[0].stat).not.toHaveProperty('pra'); // pra needs all three → absent
+    expect(rows[0].stat.rebounds).toBe(12);
+  });
+
+  it('returns null on an unrecognized shape and never throws', () => {
+    expect(espn.parseGameLog(null)).toBeNull();
+    expect(espn.parseGameLog({})).toBeNull();
+    expect(espn.parseGameLog({ names: [], seasonTypes: [] })).toBeNull();
+    expect(espn.parseGameLog({ names: NBA_NAMES, seasonTypes: [] })).toBeNull();
+    expect(() => espn.parseGameLog({ names: NBA_NAMES, seasonTypes: 'bad', events: 5 })).not.toThrow();
+  });
+});
+
+describe('resolveAthleteId', () => {
+  it('extracts the numeric athlete id from the v2 uid', async () => {
+    const id = await espn.resolveAthleteId('LeBron James', 'nba', { fetchImpl: fetchImplFor(V2_SEARCH, NBA_FIXTURE) });
+    expect(id).toBe('1966');
+  });
+
+  it('disambiguates by league (a WNBA query never returns the NCAA namesake)', async () => {
+    const dual = {
+      results: [{
+        type: 'player',
+        contents: [
+          { uid: 's:40~l:59~a:3149391', displayName: "A'ja Wilson", defaultLeagueSlug: 'wnba' },
+          { uid: 's:40~l:54~a:4412077', displayName: "A'Ja Wilson", defaultLeagueSlug: 'womens-college-basketball' },
+        ],
+      }],
+    };
+    const id = await espn.resolveAthleteId("A'ja Wilson", 'wnba', { fetchImpl: fetchImplFor(dual, NBA_FIXTURE) });
+    expect(id).toBe('3149391');
+  });
+
+  it('returns null when no player section matches', async () => {
+    const id = await espn.resolveAthleteId('Nobody', 'nba', { fetchImpl: fetchImplFor({ results: [] }, NBA_FIXTURE) });
+    expect(id).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
+
+describe('getPlayerGameLog', () => {
+  it('resolves → fetches → normalizes into { found, id, last10 }', async () => {
+    const res = await espn.getPlayerGameLog('LeBron James', 'nba', { fetchImpl: fetchImplFor(V2_SEARCH, NBA_FIXTURE) });
+    expect(res.found).toBe(true);
+    expect(res.id).toBe('1966');
+    expect(res.last10).toHaveLength(3);
+    expect(res.last10[0].stat.points).toBe(24);
+  });
+
+  it('returns { found:false } for an unknown sport or empty name (no throw)', async () => {
+    await expect(espn.getPlayerGameLog('X', 'nfl')).resolves.toEqual({ found: false });
+    await expect(espn.getPlayerGameLog('', 'nba')).resolves.toEqual({ found: false });
+  });
+
+  it('returns { found:false } when the gamelog shape is unrecognized', async () => {
+    const res = await espn.getPlayerGameLog('LeBron James', 'nba', { fetchImpl: fetchImplFor(V2_SEARCH, { garbage: true }) });
+    expect(res.found).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/tests/unit/featureCacheNba.test.js b/tests/unit/featureCacheNba.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d471dd2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/featureCacheNba.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+// Wave 0 — THE PROOF: an NBA/WNBA prop now GRADES instead of refusing.
+//
+// Root cause (pre-fix): featureCache's non-MLB branch called gameLogService
+// (Python nba_api, offline in prod) → null logs → no l5/l20 → projectionFor
+// null → insufficientDataResult → the whole slate refused. This test injects
+// the Python source as NULL (offline) and the ESPN gamelog as the free fallback,
+// and asserts real l5_avg/l20_avg emerge → projectionFor returns a projection.
+
+// Python game-log service is OFFLINE (returns null) — the prod failure mode.
+jest.mock('../../src/services/intelligence/gameLogService', () => ({
+  getGameLogs: async () => null,
+  getCareerPlayoffGames: async () => null,
+  getWithWithoutStats: async () => null,
+}));
+
+// ESPN gamelog fallback — a normalized result (as espnStatsAdapter would return).
+const espnLog = { res: null };
+jest.mock('../../src/services/adapters/espnStatsAdapter', () => ({
+  getPlayerGameLog: async () => espnLog.res,
+}));
+
+const { __internals: fc } = require('../../src/services/intelligence/featureCache');
+const { __internals: eng } = require('../../src/services/intelligence/analyzeViaEngine1');
+
+// Most-recent first, matching getPlayerGameLog's contract.
+const lebronLog = {
+  found: true,
+  id: '1966',
+  last10: [
+    { date: '2026-01-05T00:30:00Z', stat: { points: 24, rebounds: 12, assists: 3, threes: 2, minutes: 40, pra: 39 } },
+    { date: '2026-01-03T00:30:00Z', stat: { points: 28, rebounds: 10, assists: 7, threes: 3, minutes: 36, pra: 45 } },
+    { date: '2026-01-01T00:30:00Z', stat: { points: 23, rebounds: 8, assists: 5, threes: 1, minutes: 32, pra: 36 } },
+    { date: '2025-12-29T00:30:00Z', stat: { points: 30, rebounds: 9, assists: 6, threes: 4, minutes: 38, pra: 45 } },
+    { date: '2025-12-27T00:30:00Z', stat: { points: 21, rebounds: 11, assists: 8, threes: 2, minutes: 34, pra: 40 } },
+    { date: '2025-12-25T00:30:00Z', stat: { points: 26, rebounds: 7, assists: 9, threes: 3, minutes: 37, pra: 42 } },
+  ],
+};
+
+describe('nbaGameLogFeatures (pure)', () => {
+  it('derives l5/l10/l20 + rest + usage for an NBA points prop', () => {
+    const f = fc.nbaGameLogFeatures(lebronLog, 'points');
+    // l5 = mean of the 5 most-recent points (24,28,23,30,21) = 25.2
+    expect(f.l5_avg).toBeCloseTo((24 + 28 + 23 + 30 + 21) / 5, 5);
+    expect(f.l20_avg).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    expect(f.minutes_per_game).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    // consecutive games (2d apart) → 1d gap → 0 rest? dates are 2d apart → gap 2 → rest 1
+    expect(f.rest_days).toBe(1);
+  });
+
+  it('handles combo (pra) + threes via the log-field map', () => {
+    expect(fc.nbaGameLogFeatures(lebronLog, 'pra').l5_avg).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    expect(fc.nbaGameLogFeatures(lebronLog, 'threes').l5_avg).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    // pts_reb_ast combo sums components → equals the precomputed pra
+    expect(fc.nbaGameLogFeatures(lebronLog, 'pts_reb_ast').l5_avg)
+      .toBeCloseTo(fc.nbaGameLogFeatures(lebronLog, 'pra').l5_avg, 5);
+  });
+
+  it('returns {} for an unfound player or unmapped stat', () => {
+    expect(fc.nbaGameLogFeatures({ found: false }, 'points')).toEqual({});
+    expect(fc.nbaGameLogFeatures(lebronLog, 'not_a_stat')).toEqual({});
+  });
+});
+
+describe('gameLogFeatures — ESPN fallback when Python is offline', () => {
+  it('emits non-null l5_avg/l20_avg for nba (Python null → ESPN fallback)', async () => {
+    espnLog.res = lebronLog;
+    const f = await fc.gameLogFeatures('LeBron James', 'nba', 'points');
+    expect(f.l5_avg).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(f.l5_avg).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    expect(f.l20_avg).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  });
+
+  it('works for wnba too', async () => {
+    espnLog.res = lebronLog; // shape-identical
+    const f = await fc.gameLogFeatures("A'ja Wilson", 'wnba', 'rebounds');
+    expect(f.l5_avg).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  });
+
+  it('degrades to {} when ESPN also has nothing (still no fabrication)', async () => {
+    espnLog.res = { found: false };
+    const f = await fc.gameLogFeatures('Ghost Player', 'nba', 'points');
+    expect(f).toEqual({});
+  });
+});
+
+describe('THE UNLOCK — projectionFor now returns a grade, not insufficient_data', () => {
+  it('empty features (the old prod state) → projection null → REFUSE', () => {
+    expect(eng.projectionFor({}, { stat_type: 'points', line: 20 })).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it('ESPN-derived features → finite projection → the prop GRADES', async () => {
+    espnLog.res = lebronLog;
+    const features = await fc.gameLogFeatures('LeBron James', 'nba', 'points');
+    const projection = eng.projectionFor(features, { stat_type: 'points', line: 24.5 });
+    expect(projection).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(Number.isFinite(projection)).toBe(true);
+    // and the intel card lights up off the same vector
+    const intel = eng.buildIntelFields(features);
+    expect(intel.season_avg).toBeDefined();
+    expect(intel.last10_avg).toBeDefined();
+    expect(intel.form).toBeDefined();
+  });
+});