Recent June rains left many oft motivated individuals hankering for a kick in the pants. Hence, I bring you the most in vogue but harshly forgotten man of action:
Leroy Smith.
To lose consciousness of Leroy's bearing in basketball history is at best, gross negligence, and at worst, well....considering Leroy's shtick is for "motivizing the world, including Canada," we're going to leave that one alone.
Everyone knows Michael Jordan; but many people remain unaware of the man who provoked His Airness to an enduring perception of greatness. That man is Leroy Smith. Three decades after outplaying MJ for Laney High's 12th man slot- and thereby activating Jordan's insatiable drive for success - Leroy Smith has emerged from the shadows of MJ's recent Hall of Fame induction announcement.
Leroy Smith.
To lose consciousness of Leroy's bearing in basketball history is at best, gross negligence, and at worst, well....considering Leroy's shtick is for "motivizing the world, including Canada," we're going to leave that one alone.
Everyone knows Michael Jordan; but many people remain unaware of the man who provoked His Airness to an enduring perception of greatness. That man is Leroy Smith. Three decades after outplaying MJ for Laney High's 12th man slot- and thereby activating Jordan's insatiable drive for success - Leroy Smith has emerged from the shadows of MJ's recent Hall of Fame induction announcement.
Backed by an awe-inspiring motivational DVD Series (Get Your Basketball On), an addicting 2-on-2 video game, cookbook, and iPod application, Leroy Smith is petitioning the HOF for unjustifiably excluding his "superhuman contributions to the game."
If you also feel that the game of basketball is being cheated by not co-inducting Leroy, please sign the petition and pass along, retweet, and share this link on Facebook.
After being suspended in relative obscurity over the last 30 years, you've formed a ubiquitous presence online during the last month. Are you experiencing a midlife crisis? What's going on?
I’m not a man who needs the spotlight. Yes, I need a little light, like a nice corner lamp or one of those bendable lights you attach to your bed so you can read at night, but I was happy doing my own thing, staying behind the scenes. However, after I found out MJ was being inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame, with absolutely no mention of the man who single-handedly motivated him to greatness, i.e., me, I felt like it was my responsibility to get the true story out into the world.
Your song, "My Gift to the Game" has become a fixture in iPod rotations worldwide. Who can we expect to hear on the remix? And how do you protect yourself from piracy?
“My Gift” is such a personal song to me. When I wrote it, I immediately inspired myself to another level, so I can only imagine the inspirational effect that it has had on others who aren’t me. Yes, there is a remix in the works. I can’t divulge too many of the details, but let’s just say you’ve never heard an oboe do things like this with a glockenspiel before.
As for piracy my personal feeling is that, just like my motivation, all my music is meant to be shared and enjoyed by the world. If some bearded, eye-patch-wearing sailor thief needs my music, he should have it. Do you think Charles Dickens would ask an orphan not to read Annie? Of course not.
I want that sailor thief to be motivized and enjoy my music too. And I bet they don’t even have music players out at sea, so who’s really getting hurt anyway?
Wearing gloves while executing ball handling drills has long been a technique for improving one's control of the rock. You seem to keep the gloves on for all drills in all videos. Do you know something I don't know?
Yes, I probably know a lot of things. One is that these gloves were given to me by my late grandpa Artemis. He was named after Artemis, the Greek God of hunting and wild animals. He once choked a water buffalo to death wearing these gloves. He wore them every day from the time he was 6 until he died at 82 in a freak water sprinkler accident. He taught me how to manipulate the gloves so that they acted as a third hand. He called it the “glove hand”. Now wearing these gloves I can execute any drill known to man or alien-beings, or some mix of the two. The gloves are also flame-retardant, water-proof and surprisingly easy to clean.
Your reverse fade haircut is a strong part of your personal brand. If this catches on amongst the NBA's elite, will David Stern exclude this from accepted dress code policy?
Just so we’re clear here, I am not bald. I have my hair cut this way every Tuesday by my good friend Jarome down at the barbershop. If it catches on will the Commish exclude it? Probably. Why? Because it’s fresh. It’s flashy. It’s unique. It stands out and says “look at me, I can climb rock walls or hang glide or if I feel like it build really cool sculptures.” There is a freedom that comes with this hairstyle that I think scares Stern. Like MJ’s gold chains and baggy shorts when he was a rookie or Dikembe Mutombo’s voice. But, am I gonna sit here and apologize for being a trendsetter or an icon, or a lower level god-like human? No sir, I am not.
As a trained organizational psychologist I've studied many motivational theories in graduate school, but none more groundbreaking than your 3 pillars of success: Motivize, Pulverize, and Realize. Exclusive of Michael Jordan's success, is there empirical evidence to support your pillars?
Yes.
Last question. This one's for the ladies. We all know Leroy Smith has been "Getting his basketball on" as of late. Given your command for style, articulateness, and meteoric rise to fame, has Leroy Smith also been getting his freak on? How are the motivized women treating your success?
After I finish doing that, though, I am definitely interested in finding that one special lady I can spend the rest of my life with. That’s a rare gem. I compare her to a golden Mayan statue hidden in some ancient jungle ruins. To find her you first must find a special sun necklace key to open a giant stone gate. Then you gotta pass multiple treacherous, booby-trap tests where there are skeletons and scorpions and old people. And only when you pass those tests do you get the love of the golden statue and find that person that you want to grow old with in Florida.
I’m not a man who needs the spotlight. Yes, I need a little light, like a nice corner lamp or one of those bendable lights you attach to your bed so you can read at night, but I was happy doing my own thing, staying behind the scenes. However, after I found out MJ was being inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame, with absolutely no mention of the man who single-handedly motivated him to greatness, i.e., me, I felt like it was my responsibility to get the true story out into the world.
Your song, "My Gift to the Game" has become a fixture in iPod rotations worldwide. Who can we expect to hear on the remix? And how do you protect yourself from piracy?
“My Gift” is such a personal song to me. When I wrote it, I immediately inspired myself to another level, so I can only imagine the inspirational effect that it has had on others who aren’t me. Yes, there is a remix in the works. I can’t divulge too many of the details, but let’s just say you’ve never heard an oboe do things like this with a glockenspiel before.
As for piracy my personal feeling is that, just like my motivation, all my music is meant to be shared and enjoyed by the world. If some bearded, eye-patch-wearing sailor thief needs my music, he should have it. Do you think Charles Dickens would ask an orphan not to read Annie? Of course not.
I want that sailor thief to be motivized and enjoy my music too. And I bet they don’t even have music players out at sea, so who’s really getting hurt anyway?
Wearing gloves while executing ball handling drills has long been a technique for improving one's control of the rock. You seem to keep the gloves on for all drills in all videos. Do you know something I don't know?
Yes, I probably know a lot of things. One is that these gloves were given to me by my late grandpa Artemis. He was named after Artemis, the Greek God of hunting and wild animals. He once choked a water buffalo to death wearing these gloves. He wore them every day from the time he was 6 until he died at 82 in a freak water sprinkler accident. He taught me how to manipulate the gloves so that they acted as a third hand. He called it the “glove hand”. Now wearing these gloves I can execute any drill known to man or alien-beings, or some mix of the two. The gloves are also flame-retardant, water-proof and surprisingly easy to clean.
Your reverse fade haircut is a strong part of your personal brand. If this catches on amongst the NBA's elite, will David Stern exclude this from accepted dress code policy?
Just so we’re clear here, I am not bald. I have my hair cut this way every Tuesday by my good friend Jarome down at the barbershop. If it catches on will the Commish exclude it? Probably. Why? Because it’s fresh. It’s flashy. It’s unique. It stands out and says “look at me, I can climb rock walls or hang glide or if I feel like it build really cool sculptures.” There is a freedom that comes with this hairstyle that I think scares Stern. Like MJ’s gold chains and baggy shorts when he was a rookie or Dikembe Mutombo’s voice. But, am I gonna sit here and apologize for being a trendsetter or an icon, or a lower level god-like human? No sir, I am not.
As a trained organizational psychologist I've studied many motivational theories in graduate school, but none more groundbreaking than your 3 pillars of success: Motivize, Pulverize, and Realize. Exclusive of Michael Jordan's success, is there empirical evidence to support your pillars?
Yes.
Last question. This one's for the ladies. We all know Leroy Smith has been "Getting his basketball on" as of late. Given your command for style, articulateness, and meteoric rise to fame, has Leroy Smith also been getting his freak on? How are the motivized women treating your success?
You know I am a man who appreciates women of all colors and races. The words you speak are very true. I do have a command for style, articulateness, fame, language, science, biology, rudimentary archeology and the “it” factor. However, at this moment I am dedicating myself to motivation. Think of me as a mastervational monk who has the power to meditate shirtless at below-freezing temperatures. Right now, my energy and focus is on motivizing the world.
After I finish doing that, though, I am definitely interested in finding that one special lady I can spend the rest of my life with. That’s a rare gem. I compare her to a golden Mayan statue hidden in some ancient jungle ruins. To find her you first must find a special sun necklace key to open a giant stone gate. Then you gotta pass multiple treacherous, booby-trap tests where there are skeletons and scorpions and old people. And only when you pass those tests do you get the love of the golden statue and find that person that you want to grow old with in Florida.
