Fred “Curly” Neal (1942–2020), Harlem Globetrotters legend

Fred “Curly” Neal  was a legend, delighting crowds for 22 years with his ball handling skill and big smile. Neal played basketball at Johnson C. Smith University, averaging 23 points a game. He played on the Globetrotters from 1963 until 1985 and was a fan favorite. He would dribble through the other team, daring them to steal the ball and was a dead-on shooter. He was nicknamed “Curly” after the bald headed member of the Three Stooges. He appeared in the Harlem Globetrotters cartoon in the 1970s and a TV movie with the cast of “Gilligan’s Island.” His number 22 was retired and hung in the rafters at Madison Square Garden in 2008.