"A single mother with a Dolly Parton giggle and penchant for straight talk, Shirley loved the way [Michael] Jordan ripped apart competitors on the court, but she was equally intrigued by his composure off it. Shirley met Barnes' now-estranged father, Ron Harris, while he starred for the Iowa State Cyclones from 1980 to 1984, and when their son came into the world, Shirley knew exactly whom she wanted him to take after. And just in case there was any confusion, she named him Harrison Bryce Jordan Barnes. Once he was old enough to sit through entire games, she'd park him in front of the TV every Saturday morning and press "play."

When Harrison and his younger sister, Jourdan-Ashle (another nod to MJ), got older, Shirley introduced a new exercise, this one inspired by a church service. "Our pastor gave a sermon and his message was, 'Don't tell it all,'" Shirley says, "meaning don't give up more than what people ask. Let them see who you are by what you do." To hammer home the point, she began drilling the kids in mock interviews, cutting them off if their answers meandered too much -- interview skills she figured would serve them well as professionals in any field."