Why the Best Ideas Come from Play | Maxwell Pearce | TED
Maxwell Pearce, a Harlem Globetrotter, argues that play is the most critical driver of innovation in sports and beyond. He shares how defying his coaches' rigid, fundamentals-only approach allowed him to build a global reputation as a dunker. He also explores how a playful mindset extended into his visual art practice, where he repurposes athletic equipment as a creative medium.
Summary
Maxwell Pearce opens his talk with a video of himself shooting a basketball off a 230-foot New York City building, immediately establishing his identity as a Harlem Globetrotter — a team he credits with integrating the NBA, popularizing moves like the alley-oop, and sustaining a 100-year legacy by bringing joy to audiences worldwide.
Pearce reflects on the tension between his naturally creative, playful personality and the hyper-serious coaching culture he experienced growing up across multiple sports. Coaches consistently emphasized respecting the 'essence' of their sport through strict adherence to fundamentals, which he argues stifled creativity. A defining moment came when his high school coach explicitly told him to stop trying to dunk — advice he ultimately ignored.
He argues that play is the most important ingredient in both individual and industry evolution, pointing to the NCAA's nine-year ban on dunking as a historical example of how suppressing playfulness can hold back an entire sport. Once the ban was lifted, the game's popularity surged. Pearce's own willingness to experiment led him to build a globally recognized dunking style, incorporating unconventional elements like dunking over a dog or catching a ball without looking, and earning him features in NBA video games, GQ magazine, SportsCenter's Top Ten, and an ESPY honorable mention.
Pearce also highlights how the Globetrotters model a healthy relationship with mistakes — using playfulness to redirect errors into new discoveries rather than stopping short of innovation. He connects this directly to his parallel career as a visual artist, where he repurposes athletic equipment (cut-up basketballs, tennis racquets, shoelaces he wore during meaningful moments) as physical media on canvas. For Pearce, play is what gives these objects meaning beyond their functional use and allows him to communicate his identity and personal journey through his art.
About this episode
Coaches kept telling Maxwell Pearce to stick to the fundamentals. Good thing he didn't listen. A Harlem Globetrotter and artist, he went on to build a global reputation for gravity-defying dunks and a theory that the same playful rule-breaking is what powers progress in every field. In this joyful talk, he makes the case that play isn't the opposite of serious work — it's the secret ingredient behind it. (Recorded at Play@TED on May 14, 2026) Join us in person at a TED conference: https://tedtalks.social/events Become a TED Member to support our mission: https://ted.com/membership Subscribe to a TED newsletter: https://ted.com/newsletters Follow TED! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ted LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ted-conferences TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tedtoks Facebook: https://facebook.com/TED X: https://www.twitter.com/TEDTalks The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less) — plus originals, podcasts and exclusive content. Look for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design as well as science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit https://TED.com for our entire library, transcripts, translations and personalized recommendations. Watch more: https://go.ted.com/maxwellpearce https://youtu.be/6bIORK0izg4 TED videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with the TED Talks Usage Policy: https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy. For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), submit a request at https://media-requests.ted.com #TED #TEDTalks #Creativity
Key Insights
- Pearce argues that the NCAA's nine-year ban on dunking is a direct historical example of how institutional suppression of playfulness held back an entire sport — and that the game's popularity skyrocketed only after the ban was lifted.
- Pearce claims that Globetrotters are specifically trained to welcome mistakes, using playfulness to redirect errors into new creative directions rather than treating them as failures — which he argues is how genuinely new concepts are discovered.
- Pearce describes how a playful mindset allowed him to see discarded athletic equipment — cut-up basketballs, old tennis racquets, worn shoelaces — as meaningful artistic materials that carry personal stories and connections to the people who used them.
Topics
Transcript
[0:08] (Video) Guys, here goes a level seven. Thank you. Yeah! Woohoo! Give me high-five! (Applause) Maxwell Pearce: That was me shooting a basketball off of a 230-foot New York City building. It's certainly not your typical basketball court. I am a member of the Harlem Globetrotters, a legendary exhibition basketball team [0:41] that is credited for integrating the NBA, popularizing new moves like the “alley-oop” and creating so many others. These are the new moves that have advanced the game, but they've also given joy to the people that come and watch us perform. And that right there is precisely how we have lasted for 100 years, while also earning a spot in the Hall of Fame. Getting to…
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