In September 1997, a young Sports Illustrated writer got banned from the Oakland Raiders’ training facility by owner Al Davis, then hopped a plane to Kansas City and went on a 72-hour bender with Chiefs star Derrick Thomas. Among Mike’s adventures was attending a memorable (wait for it) house party hosted by the late, great pass rusher the night before he led the Chiefs to a victory over the Raiders, during which they watched Mike Tyson defend his heavyweight title and enjoyed the uproarious commentary provided by another guest: hip-hop star Christopher (Kid) Reid, he of the iconic and unmistakable hi-top fade. In Part 1 of our expansive conversation, we talk about why Thomas was both the NFL’s pied piper and a very special human, Kid’s unique fashion sense as a young artist (and why he hoped none of his fans would copy it) and his profound belief that friend and fellow rapper Tupac Shakur was invincible.