Cody Zeller drove into the empty parking lot of the Hornets’ practice center. Since it was early morning, he was able to get a prime spot close to the door. After letting himself into the building and turning on the lights in the deserted gymnasium, he smirked to himself; now was the perfect opportunity for him to make an Instagram post that would demonstrate his devotion both to the team and to his game.
He didn’t make such a post. Instead, he grabbed a ball and started going to work. He tried to quickly work up a good sweat so that he could better emulate in-game situations. So focused was he on his practice that he failed to notice when a perfectly circular hole opened up at midcourt. He only noticed it when he paused to take a sip of his Gatorade.
Confused by the black void which had apparently materialized out of nowhere, Cody approached it cautiously. It wasn’t moving or pulsing, nor was it emitting any noise; it was just…there. A disc of empty space, bigger than the center-court circle and seeming not to have either sides or a bottom.
Cody leaned over the edge to get a closer look. Right at that moment, however, the hole spontaneously grew larger, and the hardwood under his feet vanished. As he fell, he could only think that he was never going to practice alone again.
—
Cody didn’t remember making a landing after his fall; the next he was aware, he was standing on an alien landscape. Rolling hills stretched out in all directions, but the ground was flesh-colored and there was no vegetation other than some wispy growths that could have been tree trunks.
“I was wondering when you would notice the portal I made for you,” said a familiar, yet unexpected voice which caused Cody to startle. When he turned around, he saw Hornets owner Michael Jordan standing there.
“You sent me here?” Cody asked. He had been inclined to believe the whole thing had been a very bizarre dream, but MJ seemed realer than anything that his dreaming mind could generate.
“Yeah,” Michael replied with a smile. “We’ll call it part of your development process.”
“Honestly, being trapped in another dimension seems like it would be a hindrance to my development,” Cody said. “More of a hindrance than just getting in some early-morning practice, anyway. But you’re the boss.”
Michael laughed. “Indeed. I am the boss. That’s why I’ve brought you to the Balding Dimension.”
Michael’s name for the place made its odd appearance a little more rational, but Cody still wasn’t entirely pleased. “You don’t need to rub it in. I know I’m balding.”
“You acknowledge it now, yet, in your heart, you’re in denial of its severity,” Michael said. “A true man knows when the time has come to part ways with what remains of his hair.”
Cody scowled. “Easy for you to say, you’ve always had it shaved.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Let me show you something.” Michael got out his wallet and pulled a picture from it. “That’s me my rookie year. Notice anything?”
“You’ve got hair.”
Michael nodded. “Exactly. And a lot of it, too. But five years later, it was almost all gone. So I shaved it. I wanted to be known as the best basketball player in the world, not the guy who was pretty good at basketball and also had a tragic hairline. Air Jordan would have been No-Hair Jordan.” He paused as he reached inside his pants and pulled out the waistband of his underwear. “You think I could have sold millions of pairs of Hanes while looking like a 50-year-old history teacher?”
“I think I know where you’re going with this,” Cody said. When he looked around at the landscape, he wondered if he had been miniaturized and was actually standing on top of his own balding head.
“Good. May you never forget your trip to the Balding Dimension and the lessons you learned while here.”
Before Cody could say any more, another hole opened underneath his feet, and once again, he dropped through the black emptiness devoid of matter and light.
—
Cody was back at center court in the practice facility. A basketball was in his hands, but he let it drop as he ran the fingers of both hands through what remained of his hair. He had indeed gained wisdom from his time in the Balding Dimension, but did he have the courage to put those teachings into practice?