Biography:Many people look to the Harlem Globetrotters for inspiration and consider the players role models. The Globetrotters have their sports heroes too, and Michael Jordan is understandably a favorite of many basketball players, such as Globetrotter Showman Special K Daley. But very few people get to meet their idols, and certainly not in the unique way Special K met “His Airness.”
In a famous Gatorade commercial from 2002, the present day Jordan is playing one-on-one against a younger version of himself. Well, that younger Michael Jordan was none other than Special K. For three days of filming, Special K, donned in a number 23 Chicago Bulls uniform, got to play one-on-one against arguably the greatest basketball player ever. Following filming, special effects artists computer generated the head of a younger Jordan on Special K's body.
Special K says Kevin Garnett is his favorite player playing today, because he plays with passion and heart, two things that Special K emulates.
His ultimate hero, though, is his father. “My mom passed away when I was about two years old,” says Special K, who was born in Panama City, Panama. “My father never remarried, so he did it all on his own.”
Special K played many sports growing up, including soccer, baseball, football and even ping-pong, which he still enjoys today. But at age six, a basketball court was built in the cul-de-sac at the bottom of his street, and he was hooked. “Every New Year’s Eve, I would be out on the court waiting for midnight, so I could say I was the first person to make a basket that year. And in Panama, there are really only two seasons...dry season and wet season...but I was outside playing basketball no matter what."
His father felt America would provide better opportunities for his boys (Special K has two older brothers), and the family moved to the U.S. in 1989. Special K starred at Artesia High School in Lakewood, Calif., and Azusa Pacific University before embarking on a professional career overseas. But during the summer of 2005, he impressed the Globetrotters with his play in NBA summer leagues, was invited to try out, and made the team.
Special K's favorite Globetrotter trick is his half-court shot. He first starting working on it with Globetrotter Legend Geese Ausbie, and practices for hours.
Special K took another step in his life journey in the summer of 2007, becoming a United States citizen. “I studied specific questions about the U.S. and its history and took various tests, which included reading and writing in English. I passed the tests 100 percent.”
Even though he now has dual citizenship, there will always be a special place in Special K's heart for his native Panama. He’s played for the national team for the better part of the last decade, including at the 2006 FIBA World Basketball Championship. “When I’ve played with that ‘Panama’ across my chest, there is a great sense of pride.”
Pride is also something Special K feels when he puts on his Globetrotters uniform. “Kids write me and tell me how they want to be like me and my teammates, he says. "I have also had adults thank me with tears in their eyes, because their parents have passed away, and seeing the Globetrotters brought back fond memories and stirred up some powerful emotions.”
Special K is eager to create memories for a new generation of Globetrotter fans.
