Carrick Felix gazed up at the mountain before him. Its peak was crowned with snow, and a jagged, barely-visible path zigged and zagged its way to the very highest point. The mountain’s enormity was intimidating, but Carrick had been walking this path for a long time, and now was not the time to turn back.
Beginning his ascent, Carrick found that the path was perilous from the very start. Walking on the edge of sheer cliffs, every gust of wind brought images to mind of tumbling into the interminable abyss that gaped below him. A sudden rockfall nearly crushed him, and a boulder blocked his path. Engraved on the boulder were the words “Amateur quality of Summer League basketball obscuring talent.” He stepped around this obstacle and continued on his way.
Further up, he found a wide expanse which was very easy to traverse. Here, the path was paved with flagstones, but he couldn’t help but notice the skeletons that lay, decaying, to the side. One of the skeletons had been deconstructed and rearranged in such a way that the bones spelled out words: “Training camp scrubs with no chance of making it in the league.”
These skeletons were too spooky for him, so he hurried along while the going was easy. He was already quite far up the mountain. Then, out of nowhere, a grizzly bear ran up behind him and began to maul him. Carrick fought back with roars matching that of his opponent’s, punching the bear about the head and face until the creature retreated back down the path. As it scampered away, Carrick could see a pattern in the beast’s fur which spelled out “Injuries.”
Shaken up, he inspected the damage. Aside from the cuts and scratches which had tattered his clothes, his leg was in pretty bad shape. But a leg injury would not put a halt to his progress. He would venture on.
He climbed and stumbled over more obstacles, each wrong step sending pain shooting through his body. The bitter wind froze his body, and the thin air made it hard to catch his breath. In time, he came to a vertical wall of rock fifty feet high, with only a few handholds chipped into the otherwise flat surface. Chiseled at the bottom was another message: “Inconsistent minutes and incompetent coaching.” Carrick tried to scale this wall, but could barely pull himself off the ground before his weakening muscles failed him.
Turning around, looking for another way to go, Carrick was struck by the beauty of the view. From this vantage point high in the clouds, he could see to the horizon. It was such a breathtaking sight that he sat down and looked for hours, perfectly content with the outcome of his journey.
The numerous trials of Mount NBA were too much to fully overcome at this time. But Carrick had made it quite far, and he relished the accomplishment.