This is how it begins: Two buddies watching TV on a spring night in 2016.
The McDonald’s All-American Game is on ESPN, and Chad Christensen is awed by what he sees.
Lonzo Ball fires a baseball pass that Josh Jackson slams down at the United Center. A pull-up 3 by Markelle Fultz. A beastly dunk by Malik Monk.
“Man, these dudes are freaks,” Christensen remarks.
“Yeah,” replies his friend, Daniel Palka. “I remember playing in that game.”
“What? No way!”
“Yeah, dude.”
A bit later, Palka shows Christensen his phone.