Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lucius “Too Tall” Winston, a Harlem Globetrotter and four-time Guinness World Record Title Holder.

The high flying, half-court shooting Harlem Globetrotters (founded in 1926) are an American exhibition basketball team that tours the world. They combine athleticism, theater, family entertainment, and comedy in their style of play, and act as positive role models for young fans.

I’ll never forget going to my first Globetrotters game at Staples Center. As an eight-year-old kid, I was amazed at the skill of every player and also appreciated how they all truly cared about and engaged with the fans. In some ways, these guys grew my love for the game of basketball; getting to interview a Harlem Globetrotter superstar has brought everything full circle for me.

This was a really exciting opportunity, and a big thanks to ‘Too Tall’ for taking the time to answer some of my burning Harlem Globetrotter questions. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did interviewing!

How did you first get involved with and join the Harlem Globetrotters?

 Long story short, I did a movie back in 2016, which led me to be cast in another movie called Uncle Drew, with Kyrie Irving, Shaq, and Reggie Miller. In the movie, I played on the Home Court Advantage team with Aaron Gordon, who now plays for the Denver Nuggets. Throughout the course of me working on that movie set, I met one of my (future Globetrotter) teammates, and got a chance to go to a tryout, just from playing ball and pickup with some of those guys. That’s how I was able to join the Globetrotters a year later in 2017.

 What’s your favorite moment as a Globetrotter?

 I would have to say just putting on that uniform every single day, that’s my favorite moment. I never take it for granted because I just love basketball, and I’m so thankful to be part of an organization that gives me a chance to play the game that I love and get to see some amazing places that I never thought I’d get a chance to see as a kid. My favorite thing before each game starts is ‘Magic Pass,’ when I have an opportunity to teach kids and people some of the cool Globetrotter tricks that I can do.

 What’s one piece of advice you would give to young athletes looking to progress and stay involved in basketball?

 First, just have confidence in yourself. A lot of people will try to tell you that you can’t achieve or do something, so you need to have the utmost confidence in yourself. There’s going to be some ups and downs when playing the game of basketball – everything isn’t great. Number two, I would say hard work, dedication, staying in the gym, working on your craft, and not being afraid to fail. There’s so much you can learn when you make mistakes and fail; you’re never going to get better or do the things that you want to do in life if you’re always winning. Don’t worry about messing up or failing – learn from those failures and you will get better every single day.

 What was your favorite venue or stadium to play at as a Globetrotter?

 I have a couple favorite stadiums. I love playing at TD Garden in Boston and at Madison Square Garden in New York. I haven’t had the chance to play out in Los Angeles at Staples Center or Crypto.com Arena, but I would love to one day. A few of my favorite arenas I’ve played in overseas have been in London at The O2 Arena, and then in Madrid – where Luka Doncic played for Real Madrid – and at a stadium in Barcelona.

 How do Globetrotters get their nicknames?

 It’s just based on our personality. For me, my nickname is called ‘Too Tall,’ and so I tell people all the time that I got the name because I actually play like I’m too tall. Plus, I’m just too everything: I’m too nice, too awesome, too handsome, too courteous, anything dealing with too, that’s me!