The mood in the locker room was subdued; most of the Hawks players were silently contemplating their own role in the blowout loss they had just suffered against the Bucks. However, the always upbeat Kent Bazemore was chatting to Paul Millsap about his good performance.
“You did great out there, Paul. Just bring it again tomorrow and we’ll kick their butts.”
Paul looked up from his seat in surprise. “What did you call me?”
Kent looked concerned, trying to figure out if he had said something insulting. “Um, Paul?”
“That’s not my name,” Paul stated flatly.
“Okay, so what’s your name if it’s not Paul Millsap?” Kent asked, utterly confused.
Paul paused before getting up from his seat near his locker and walking out to the middle of the floor. A few of his teammates looked on with mild interest. “It’s not Paul Millsap,” he said, palming the remote control that was in his pocket. “It’s Paul…Thrillsap.”
Pushing the play button, a throbbing electronic beat began to play from unseen speakers. Simultaneously, the lights dimmed, and colored spotlights emerged from the ceiling. The spot where Paul stood raised up slightly to make a small circular stage.
“I didn’t know we had this stuff,” Kent commented, but his words were ignored as the rest of his teammates stared at Paul in the center of the locker room.
Paul just stood still, readying the inner Thrillsap. Then, when the music built to the proper intensity, he abruptly unleashed a vicious sequence of dance moves. His feet traced an intricate pattern on the stage and his shoulders shimmied in perfect time with the music.
“Whoa, sick,” breathed Kent as Paul continued to gyrate his body. The music got louder, the light show more frenetic as he dropped to the ground and effortlessly pulled off a short breakdancing sequence. Then, he was back up on his feet, robot-ing and moonwalking to the delight of his teammates.
His show went on for another minute, although for his audience, it seemed much longer. Then, the music softened and ended, and the normal lighting of the locker room returned. The hidden stage lowered itself back down and Paul returned to his locker as his stunned teammates stared with silent admiration.
Noticing their collective gaze, Paul looked up at them. “I am Thrillsap,” he stated, and this was explanation enough for the show that they had all just witnessed.