The reality for the players, according to current Globetrotter guard Joyce (Sweet J) Ekworomadu, is something much more important on a personal level. It’s a lather, rinse, repeat scenario for the Globetrotters in 2015 - or so it would seem. The Globetrotters have worked in this capacity since 1929, to the delight of spectators of all ages. Working from a script, the players offer all sorts of acrobatics and parquet party tricks, from ball-handling displays to the tune of Sweet Georgia Brown to buckets of water and confetti emptied on the audience.
WHERE: Canton Memorial Civic Center, 1101 Market Ave.Each year, the storied Harlem Globetrotters franchise brings its rotating cast of basketball players to cities across the world. They just see me as a basketball player, and I think that’s awesome.” But in this day and age, they just don’t see a gender separation. I’m used to boys wanting to be like the boys and the girls wanting to be like the girls. Yesterday one boy called me the ‘female Michael Jordan.’ I thought that was hilarious. “Every day after the game little girls will come up to me and say ‘Oh my God, I’m so glad there’s a girl up there.’ But it’s even cooler when a boy comes up to me and say’s I’m his favorite player. What have been some of the most memorable experiences with fans?Ī. I never could’ve written the story myself.” The Globetrotters have gone to several different countries where there was turmoil and warfare, and everything would just stop to people could come see the team play. “Even when I watch movies about the team or documentaries, it’s still so weird to me that I’m part of such an awesome organization that’s able to go and make peace in other countries.
How big of a personal achievement is it being just the 12th woman in the team’s history?Ī. We just happen to be able to entertain and put our personalities into it.” That’s 12 feet longer than an NBA 3-pointer. We’ve got a four-point shot that’s 35-feet away from the basket.
Some of the stuff I’ve seen my teammates do, I’ve never even seen in an NBA game. Everyone has an extensive basketball background, and we implement that into the show. My teammates have come from Division I colleges and are all professionals. How much prep time goes into the show? Is a lot of the show improvisational or is there a loose script?Ī. I came right off of traveling when I got the call to join the Globetrotters, so I’m used to it, and I enjoy seeing different places and people.” There are people who aren’t as used to it, but I had already played overseas, and I’m still a member of the Nigerian national team. The travel is something you get accustomed to. “We come to places once a year, and our job is to put smiles on people’s faces and make sure we’re getting out and putting on a good, entertaining show. The Globetrotters certainly live up to the nickname. It was later inspiring when I played with the San Antonio Silver Stars to be coached by coaches who worked with the great players I had watched like Cynthia Cooper and Gina Thompson.”
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Before 1997 there was nowhere for females to play pro basketball. Watching the Houston Comets, who were four-time champs, that was awesome. The WNBA was a big inspiration when it started, too.
I remember re-playing that every day trying to emulate it, and it became one of my trademark moves in high school and into college. There was a Reebok commercial where it kind of broke down his hesitation crossover. He was a short guard, but could still get in the paint and score. “When I was younger, I was obsessed with Allen Iverson.
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Did you idolize any professional players growing up?Ī. So when they come back to compete against girls, it’ll make the game look slower and easier.” Even when I trained basketball skills to girls back home, I’d tell them to go play with the boys, because they’re not gonna see that same athleticism when they play girls. Growing up doing that already gave me an edge. It’s a way faster game and more athletic, so I have to figure out ways to score. They pose different athletic abilities that females can’t do. I grew up playing against boys, and I still played pick-up games at home during off-seasons all the time against guys. How much do you think pick-up games you played with boys growing up helped you land a spot with the Harlem Globetrotters?Ī. Traveling between tour stops in Illinois, Ekworomadu talked about her life in basketball and the importance of the Globetrotters in 2015. “I’m already part of history just being on the team.”
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