(Editor’s note: Throughout the week, The Athletic highlighted the Harlem Globetrotters and their contributions to basketball, vision for entertainment and overall commitment to goodwill.)
All he wanted was a picture.
When Pawel Kidoń attended his first Harlem Globetrotters game in Poland in 2019, the ticket being a gift for his 21st birthday, all he wanted was a photograph before leaving Tauron Arena Kraków with any of the players willing to lend their time. He had a Magic Pass ticket, allowing fans to meet the Globetrotters 90 minutes before tipoff, and his girlfriend had her phone ready for a photo.
Kidoń had practiced tricks with his basketball for years after discovering the Globetrotters on the internet. He’d watched the players, world travelers and basketball icons on a global stage. But he also knew his own skill set. If he could get that one picture with a player, his birthday would have been complete.
Kidoń left the arena with a lot more than a photograph. He left with the respect of some of the best ballhandlers on the planet. He left with a reputation.
Kidoń got to meet Globetrotter Joe “Jumpin” Ballard during the Magic Pass pregame. He wanted Ballard to transfer a spinning ball from Ballard’s finger to his, the move many Globetrotters do for fans, but once Kidoń got the ball, it was his opportunity to show he wasn’t a regular fan — or a regular person with a basketball.
“Like, I can stand on one hand and do something with my other hand with the ball,” said Kidoń, who is a former world freestyle basketball champion.
Kidoń’s girlfriend captured the moment on video, which ultimately went viral. That one clip led to the Globetrotters making a decision that would change Kidoń’s life — and also pave the way for history.
Kidoń, once just a Globetrotters fan, is now the first player in franchise history to hail from Poland. He learned to play basketball on his own while living in the small village of Zubrzyca Dolna, home to less than 2,000 people and located on the southern end of Poland minutes away from Slovakia. Kidoń has earned the nickname “Dazzle” on the Globetrotters stage.
It’s quite the change for Kidoń, who once worked in Poland at an amusement park performing basketball tricks before being discovered.
Dazzle Kidoń is the first Harlem Globetrotter player ever from Poland, and the first to be discovered at our pre-game Magic Pass event. 🔥
It wasn’t until after when he revealed that he was actually a world freestyle basketball champion! #PlayerProfile pic.twitter.com/A1d0h1hkgj
— Harlem Globetrotters (@Globies) February 26, 2021
In some ways, Kidoń deems himself to be a self-made product. He first fell in love with basketball in 2013 after watching in disbelief YouTube highlights of the Globetrotters. Before Kidoń donned the red, white and blue, he’d never played on an organized basketball team, learned under a coach or even played a proper game of five-on-five.
“To his credit, he’s probably the hardest worker we’ve got out there,” said “Sweet” Lou Dunbar, the Globetrotters director of player personnel and a member of the team as a player and executive for more than four decades. “Every day, he’s working on his game, because he knows as far as ballhandling, he’s in a different stratosphere.”
The pinnacle of his basketball experience growing up was being able to spin the ball on his finger. He then began practicing easy trick shots and freestyle handling moves.
The moves became vibes. And then the vibes became a full-on show.
One of Kidoń’s first true loves was breakdancing. Through that, he’s crafted a lane as one of the most unique Globetrotters — which says something considering the team’s longstanding history of merging basketball with entertainment.
“When I started creating my own tricks, I noticed I could do everything with a basketball,” Kidoń said. “I could stand and do some tricks, but I could also move my body, like, do a cartwheel or stand on my head or control a basketball between my legs. So, I just started to explore, not even just basketball, but dance, hip-hop, breakdancing.
“I was looking for some elements I could combine with basketball. That’s how I started, basically. I started doing breakdancing because there are elements of breakdancing that are possible to connect with basketball.”
For Kidoń, joining the Globetrotters meant more than adjusting to a new passion. He was getting acclimated to a new team, a new language, a new culture and demographic of people. Kidoń is the first person from his family to fly to the United States, let alone learn to build a life so far from home.
He still remembers his first day with the Globetrotters, which included media duties with newspapers, TV networks and radio stations excited to meet him. That made waves back in Poland because the Globetrotters don’t allow just anybody to try out for their roster. Once he was officially a member, Kidoń went from being nicknamed “KID” to his current moniker.
And “Dazzle” has been dazzling.
“If I could hear somebody bouncing the ball, I knew it was Dazzle,” Dunbar said. “He’s out there working every day, and he’s competing with these guys, playing one-on-one every day. He’s trying to get to their level.”
Pawel “Dazzle” Kidoń, a world-champion freestyle ballhandler, is the first Polish member of the Harlem Globetrotters. (Aldara Zarraoa / Getty Images)
In merging all of the adjustments into one life-changing transition, what has been most key to Kidoń going from a freestyling entertainer to a full-time basketball player? For the Polish star, preparation is beyond essential.
“I try to practice all the time because I know I’ve got a lot of work to do,” he said. “I’m not as good in basketball as other players yet. Basically, I wake up, I eat breakfast, and almost every single day, I start my day with stretching and some movements. Then usually, we’ve got to travel, like three, four hours to the next city.
“Before every single game, I’m trying to be prepared. I practice my tricks, like, my old tricks to keep my shape. Also, I’ll take some shots to be a better shooter. We play some two-on-two games, three-on-three games. I’m focused on improving my basketball skills, my basketball IQ. … When you see me in the arena all the time, you can see me all the time with the basketball in my hands.”
A lot of what the Globetrotters do is entertaining, but it does require knowing the fundamentals of team basketball to work. In his adjustment time with the team, Kidoń has grown as a player and showman, and he’s found himself able to become a wow factor on the court. Once a shy kid nervous about speaking English, Kidoń has honed his use of the language by using Duolingo language lessons and listening to rap music while traveling to new cities. Since joining the team, he has carved out a top-five list of his favorite American cities: New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas.
Kidoń admitted to not being a big fan of traveling before becoming a Globetrotter, but that started to change once he began touring the United States, Africa and Asia. Adjusting to American life introduced him to a stable basketball experience, new food and music that has helped him grow comfortable within a new culture.
Kidoń is a huge fan of NBA star Steph Curry. He’s also a big fan of hip-hop and Super Bowl halftime show headliner Kendrick Lamar. His cuisine choices vary from steak to chicken wings to hamburgers.
And his freestyle skills are welcomed. They’re always more fun when he has someone to practice with.
The Globetrotter way has grown on Kidoń. He’s taken the franchise’s mission of giving back to the community back to Poland. He’s now holding basketball camps and shows in his homeland for free.
For everything Kidoń has enjoyed about being a Globetrotter, he still keeps a modest basketball bucket list, which includes his desire to meet Curry. He remembers watching the four-time NBA champion in 2016 when Curry became the first-ever unanimous MVP in league history. Kidoń described that version of Curry as “unguardable,” which is high praise from such a well-traveled hooper who is versed in accomplishing what some might consider the seemingly impossible.
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But such life lessons are why Kidoń obtained more than a picture when he attended his first Globetrotters game. He’s gone from life in a small village and an amusement park to sold-out arenas for one of the world’s most renowned basketball franchises.
“(I want) to show kids it’s important to have goals in your life,” Kidoń said. “It’s important to find something you love to do and just do it because everybody has a talent. It’s important to find some hobbies, some passions, and just do something, because you never know how far you can go with your passion.
“I made it to the Harlem Globetrotters team, and I lived in a small village with less than 2,000 people. If I made it and it was possible for me, why is that not possible for you, too?”
(Illustration: Kelsea Petersen / The Athletic; Aldara Zarraoa / Getty Images)
