I was on the phone the other night with basketball pioneer and Hall of Fame member Earl Lloyd.

Mr. Lloyd was the first black player in the N.B.A., something he accomplished in 1950. He symbolizes the end of the Black Fives Era.

Mr. Lloyd is so cool in the upcoming ESPN documentary film Black Magic. Not so much in the information he shares as much as how his personality comes out.

I met Mr. Lloyd some years ago through his son, who’s a baggage handler for a major airline at a big city airport. One day I was checking my bag, and since I talk to everyone, then as we’re both doing our thing one thing led to another, and this guy says, “You know, my father is Earl Lloyd!”

We’ve been in touch ever since. I’m glad every time pioneers like Mr. Lloyd get a chance to shine. After watching the film, I felt like I wanted to hear more of him. In a certain way, he stole the show, and I think other viewers will feel the same way.

I just called to tell him that. We spoke for a few minutes about it, and while we were talking Mr. Lloyd said something that reminded me of an important point.

Mr. Lloyd is passionate about teaching and inspiring and sharing his wisdom with young people. He speaks at the N.B.A.’s Rookie Transition Program, and gives the league’s newbies advice on some of the pitfalls. “I tell them to pay their taxes,” Mr. Lloyd jokes.

In all seriousness, though, he tries his best to explain that their’s is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

What this reminded me of is that, isn’t it true every moment is a once in a lifetime opportunity?
People get this, but not really. It sounds great but it’s not so easy to put into practice.

Why not? Because it takes a certain dedication and focus. An awareness of one’s results. Some have it. Some don’t. Often, people only get there the hard way.

That’s because people who lack dedication and focus often deny the affects of the results they’re getting in life until those results are impossible to ignore.

Dedication and focus are the by-products of having a purpose. Purpose comes from vision.

Do we ask ourselves where all we do is going? What are we doing through what we do?

Was making it to the league (or the governer’s mansion or the Oval Office) all one had in mind?

This, partly, is what Mr. Lloyd wants his rookies, and others, to realize.

The self-destruction of highly visible people — not just black pro athletes — is well-known and constant. But ordinary people — like you and me — can, and do, self-destruct as well.

This is where learning can make a difference.

Thoughts lead to feelings lead to actions lead to results.

If you don’t like the results, just back it up and check out what’s going on in your head.

What kind of thoughts are you thinking? Often, we aren’t aware of what’s going on, how we are the way we are, why we think what we think. It means looking at what got us here. The conditioning. And then de-linking that conditioning from who we really are, if we don’t like the results.

We’re not the same thing as what made us. Unless we wanna be. Choice.

As we were discussing this, I promised Mr. Lloyd that I’d send him a short list of books that had a profound impact on me. In particular, as I’ve written here before, in addressing my fear of success, doubt about self-worth, and my relationship with my family.

I’ll share that list with you tomorrow, here in the Black Fives Blog.

(Photo courtesy of MSG Network.)