The greatest show on the court

It's not uncommon for young emerging ballplayers to be oblivious to what's happening in professional sports. 

Elite teen athletes' drive tends to be unrelenting, and many young phenoms miss what's happening at the elite echelon. However, Lucious "Too Tall" Winston took that lack of awareness to another level.

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The Tuskegee University alum, who holds eight Guinness Book of World Records in the basketball category, never heard of the Harlem Globetrotters until he was a teenager. Winston also learned of the legendary basketball team in an unusual manner.

"I was 13 when I first heard about the Globetrotters," Winston said while calling from Russellville, Alabama. "I found out about the Globetrotters when I was watching ‘Scooby Doo,’ which was my favorite show. I saw Curly Neal spinning the ball off of his forehead and Sweet Lou Dunbar doing his thing, and I remember saying to my dad, 'Wow, who are these guys?' He said, ‘You don't know the Globetrotters? You should look them up.’“

Winston, 36, not only looked up the team, which formed more than a century ago, but the dynamic point guard joined the Globetrotters in 2017.

Part of the reason the charismatic player became part of the squad, which has had such icons as Meadowlark Lemon, Marques Haynes and Wilt Chamberlain, was to live up to the team's unique moniker.

"I've been to 25 different countries and 48 states as a Globetrotter," Winston said. "The Globetrotters have enabled me to see the world."

The Globetrotters have also allowed Winston to have a career playing the sport he loves.

"There is nothing like playing this game," Winston said. "I appreciate it every time I step on the court."

That's so since Winston was discouraged from playing the game in high school due to his height.

Sometimes nicknames are the opposite of their meaning. The aforementioned Neal was known as Curly even though he was bald. "Too Tall" Winston is 5'10."

"When I was in high school my football coach said I was too short to play college basketball," Winston said. "So my nickname comes from that."

Winston's high school football coach was selfish. He wanted the hard working athlete, who could jump out of the gym, to primarily focus on football.

"But basketball was always my first love," Winston said. "So my nickname is 'Too Tall,' and it's great because kids ask about my nickname and what I tell them is that it doesn't matter how tall you are. It's about how hard you work at the game you love. If you have a dream, work at it and your can realize your dream."

It's not surprising that Winston also is a high school basketball coach.

"It's about the kids on my team at school and about the kids who come out to see the Globetrotters," Winston said.

It's also about the adults at Globetrotter events.

"We're about everybody having fun," Winston said. "It's always a good time when you come out to see the Globetrotters."

Expect a high energy exhibition when the Globetrotters, who are on their 100th anniversary tour, take the court and engage the fans in the interactive game filled with unpredictability, humor and highly skilled play.

"There's no experience like what you get when you see the Globetrotters," Winston said. "I'm so glad I'm part of this."

Winston scored the gig while appearing in the 2018 film "Uncle Drew," starring basketball icon Kyrie Irving.

"Somebody saw me making one shot after another and the person came up to me when I was done shooting and said, 'Did you ever think about playing with the Globetrotters?’“ Winston said. "I tried out in Atlanta not long after that, and I got the job and I have no regrets. It's always fun to play basketball but it's at another level with the Globetrotters."