Court in the act

After 20 years, the spectacular Harlem Globetrotters crew are coming back to South Africa to wow the crowds in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

Buckets Blakes and Handles Franklin recently stopped at Sibaya Casino where they showed off their skills to some of the learners from a CSI initiative in Durban called the Peace Players Association, an International Basketball Foundation.

Buckets and Handles dazzled the awe-struck children with an array of tricks ranging from catching a ball on the back of their necks to spinning it on their forefinger while dancing.

The swish exhibitionists then delivered an interactive speech emphasising four main points the children should apply to their lives.

“Believe in your dreams, believe in yourself, be the best you that you can be and get an education, because you are the future,” said Handles, who has been a Harlem Globetrotter for nine years and even played basketball with Barack Obama at the White House.

“We are ambassadors of goodwill,” said Buckets, who explained that since 1950 the Globetrotters have been bridging the gap between rich and poor, black and white, by using basketball as a vehicle for positive change.

Years of practice made Buckets one of the most accurate shooters around.

He broke the Guinness World Record for the most basketball underhanded half-court shots in one minute, dropping six, that was one more than the previous record.

Handles was introduced to the game while watching the Globetrotters in animation in the 1970s when he was growing up.

“I wanted to be a Globetrotter since I was a kid. I am truly living the dream,” said Handles.