Globetrotters chill ahead of DC, Fairfax, Baltimore games

Harlem Globetrotters forward Slick Willie Shaw helps a young fan get into the spin. (Anthony C. Hayes)

As Winter Storm Stella passed through Washington, DC, Harlem Globetrotters female star Hoops Green — the 15th female in the Globetrotters’ nearly hundred year history — gave a weather report for her friends and family in true Globetrotters fashion around the nation’s capital.   While dribbling around iconic landmarks with weather updates, she spontaneously joined a snowball fight in Farragut Square.   The Globetrotters are in town preparing for four games in DC and Fairfax this weekend ahead of an appearance on March 25 in Baltimore.

This season marks the iconic team’s 91st season of touring the world.  

Known as Ambassadors of Goodwill, the Harlem Globetrotters will leave their mark in communities around the country through The Great Assist, including Baltimore, with acts of kindness and goodwill. The initiative was launched in October of 2015 and pledges to create 100 million smiles in over the course of a decade.

On Monday in Washington, DC, Hoops Green joined her teammate Buckets Blakes to celebrate Ms. Virginia McLaurin’s 108th birthday, and to inspire young students at the LAMB Public Charter School.  Ms. McLauren said the highlight of the day was learning to spin the ball on her finger and seeing a female on the team.  The Globetrotters donated 108 tickets in her name for underprivileged youth to see the team play at Verizon Center this weekend. 

The Globetrotters spoke to the students about the positive attributes that Ms. McLaurin demonstrates.  As the “Ambassadors of Goodwill,” the Globetrotters share Ms. McLaurin’s philosophy and energy she famously demonstrated at The White House with the Obamas last year.  They both believe you need to keep moving, stay active, be enthusiastic, have a positive attitude, and celebrate black history and women’s history.

Harlem Globetrotters star Buckets Blakes recently broke the record for highest basketball shot ever taken in North America with an epic shot off the Tower of the Americas in San Antonio. The shot measured an incredible 583 feet, 8 inches. SEE IT HERE. He also holds the Guinness World Record for most underhanded shots from half court in one minute. 

The Globetrotters will bring sports enthusiasts the first-ever 4-point line this year. The 4-point line will be located 30 feet from the basket – 6 feet, 3 inches beyond the NBA’s current 3-point line.

The Globetrotters will play the following games in DC and Fairfax.

Friday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m. – Eagle Bank Arena
Saturday, March 18 at 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. – Verizon Center
Sunday, March 19 at 2 p.m. – Eagle Bank Arena

The Harlem Globetrotters will then bring their 2017 World Tour to the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore on Saturday, March 25, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Tickets are available at HarlemGlobetrotters.com.

Please enjoy Hoops Green’s entertaining weather report AND Ms. Virginia McLaurin’s 108th Birthday celebration – courtesy of The Harlem Globetrotters.