Globetrotters bring show back to Chevy

By John Benson

Neal does not regret the fact that he never played in the NBA.

In today’s glitz and glamour world of professional basketball, Harlem Globetrotters legend Fred “Curly” Neal would have been considered a full-court phenomenon.

Known for his amazing ball-handling skills and simply ridiculous half-court shots — he said in his prime he could hit seven of 10 shots from 47 feet away — Neal played in more than 6,000 games in 97 countries from 1963 to 1985 with the popular Harlem Globetrotters, which bring their “Spinning The Globe” world tour to Youngstown for a Saturday show at Chevrolet Centre.

It’s been quite a year for the legend, who last February watched as his No. 22 jersey was lifted to the rafters of New York City’s Madison Square Garden as only the fifth Globetrotter in the team’s history to have his number retired. During a phone call to his Greensboro, N.C., home, Neal, now a Globetrotters spokesman, said he can’t help but see a parallel between his recent tribute and the election of America’s first black president, Barack Obama,

“It all means quite a bit,” Neal said. “I started in the early ’60s when restaurants refused to serve us in Mississippi, Texas and Alabama. I think the Globetrotters helped change that. Some places we’d play before a whole white audience and other places a whole black audience, and now everybody is just like a family. It’s generational now and it’s great. We’re playing for all the people. So we’ve come a long way since then.”

What’s interesting about the Globetrotters is the fact that over the decades, the franchise, which was started in 1926, has boasted hundreds of players, but only a few have become the face of the organization. That list includes the instantly recognizable bald-headed Neal, who said he has no regrets about not taking his on-court skills to the National Basketball Association.

“I was able to bring happiness and joy to not only people but nations,” Neal said. “So it was an honor to be a part of that. I met four presidents and had a chance to go around the world three times. Even if you played in the NBA, you wouldn’t get the opportunity to see the world.

“So I thank the Globetrotters for giving me that experience. And there’s only a handful of us with their numbers retired: Wilt Chamberlain, Marques Haynes, Meadowlark Lemon, Reece Tatum and myself.”

Neal said he’s excited to see which of the current group of Globetrotters will lead the team in the new millennium. The list includes the playful Special K Daley, dribbling sensation Scooter Christensen, dunker Hi-Lite Bruton, the charismatic Ant Atkinson, dribbler extraordinaire Blenda Rodriguez and the first Puerto Rican-born player, El Gato Melendez.

Sadly, the Globetrotter family suffered a loss recently when Chris “Flash” Richardson, 28, died in his sleep last month while the group was in Japan.

“It’s just like losing one of your own,” Neal said.

“He was a dedicated ballplayer, and he was one of the best. The players are hurt too because he was one of their teammates, our teammates.”

In speaking about not only the legacy but the continued popularity of The Globetrotters, Neal talked about a universal language that the organization has represented globally from one generation to another.

“We’re ambassadors for one, and it’s a family affair,” Neal said.

“You don’t even have to understand basketball globally. We’re the magicians of basketball, so we make the basketball talk in foreign countries where we didn’t even know how to speak their languages.”