During a recent interview, I was asked to name my all-time favorite song. To which I immediately replied, “Sweet Georgia Brown” by Brother Bones.
The interviewer thought my response was unusually quick and asked me to explain. By the time I finished my story, we both had tears in our eyes.
The Harlem Globetrotters have been playing “Sweet Georgia Brown” during their “Magic Circle,” the part of their show when players form a circle and pass around the ball with dexterity and trickery, since the early 1950s.
I looooovvveee the Harlem Globetrotters!
My affection for them stems from a memorable experience I had as a child. I grew up in a big family and we struggled financially. My father couldn’t afford to buy tickets when it was announced that their tour was coming to our town.
But I heard on the radio that the Globetrotters were going to be making a free promotional appearance at a local mall on the morning before their game. My dad took me to the mall to see them.
By the time we arrived, a crowd had already gathered. The Globetrotters were larger-than-life. They posed for photos, signed autographs, and performed a shortened version of their Magic Circle routine.
Before leaving, the charismatic Geese Ausbie challenged a few fans to a shooting contest on a makeshift basketball court that had been set up in the mall’s atrium. He said he would give an autographed basketball to anyone who could beat him. My father was among the fans chosen to participate.
In hindsight, picking my father probably seemed like a safe bet. My father didn’t appear very athletic. He was wearing a button-up flannel shirt and pair of old jeans, which were probably the nicest pants he owned. On top of that, he was covered in dirt and grease from having to stop and fix our car on the way to the mall, which was an unfortunately frequent occurrence in our family.
Geese handedly defeated the first few fans but then came my father’s turn. Geese swished an acrobatic first shot, but my father matched it. Same with the next shot. And the one after that.
By the fourth shot, the crowd started to turn on Geese and cheer for my father. This drew the attention of veteran Globetrotter Curly Neal who had been watching from the sidelines. To Geese’s chagrin, Curly started egging on the crowd.
After the fifth shot, Curly realized whose son I was and came over and put his arm around me. Every time my father made a shot, he would cheer and then lean down and say something complimentary about my father.
“Look at your dad go!”
“Man, your dad’s on fire!”
“We ought to sign your dad!”
“Your dad sure is something special!”
My heart grew bigger with every compliment.
The contest drug on so long that Geese eventually called last shot and said if my father made it they would give him the autographed ball and free tickets to the game.
My father made the shot. The crowd cheered. And Curly Neal hoisted me into the air.
If you’ve read my book Building Good Teammates, you know I had a complicated, strained relationship with my father. But that day, he was my hero.
We went to the game that night. It was an incredible experience. When the Globetrotters came into the stands to do their famous bucket of confetti trick, Curly saw me sitting nearby and winked.
Curly Neal passed away five years ago this week. I will never forget the compliments he gave my father and how good they made me feel. I would go onto play basketball in high school and college, and I wore number 22—just like Curly.
Compliments—kind, encouraging expressions of admiration—can be powerful. They can alter attitudes, change perspectives, and transform lives.
The beauty is that we all have it within us to be someone who extends compliments. Good teammates understand this premise and embrace the opportunity.
Like me, Curly Neal had two daughters. I hope they appreciate this story and know that their dad “sure was something special” to me and to many others. His willingness to share his talents—and a few heartfelt compliments—made the world a better place.
As always…Good teammates care. Good teammates share. Good teammates listen. Go be a good teammate.
