Dizzy Grant dreamt of playing professional basketball from the age of 7 years old when he attended a Harlem Globetrotters game.
Grant’s dream came true after he graduated from College of New Jersey in 2005 and he was invited to play with the Globetrotters, who are bringing their family friendly hoops show to ShoWare Center in Kent on Friday, Feb. 19.
Grant made a stop in Seattle on Jan. 28 to promote the Globetrotters Magical Memories Tour 2010. He got a chance to check out the Space Needle as well as meet and greet fans “and handling the ball a little bit and having a good time.
“This is my third time coming to the area, but, this is the first time I get to go to the Space Needle,” he said.
During this tour, the Globetrotters will be playing 269 games in 244 cities by the end of May.
“We’re here to create magical memories and positive memories that will last a lifetime for families,” Grant said. “They’re guaranteed to have a good time.”
Another aspect of this tour, he said, is honoring American military personnel with the use of a new camouflage ball the Globetrotters used during a trip to the Middle East during the holiday season.
“We have a new ball that we play with that is a camouflage ball that was given to us by our sponsor Spalding,” Grant said. “We brought that ball back with us to say thank you to the men and women of the armed forces.”
The trip to Iraq, Africa, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain was a highlight for Grant.
“It was cool,” he said. “We got to sit around and talk with the troops and give them a couple hours to forget about what’s going on over there and thank them for what they do for us.”
More than anything, though, a trip to a Globetrotters game is an opportunity to go to an event that caters to the whole family and Grant suggested checking it out “if you want to have a good time that’s affordable.”
“One reason to come out is to create those memories,” he said. “Grandma’s going to be laughing and the kids are going to be laughing at the same jokes. That’s what separates us. If you’ve never been to a Globetrotter game before, you’re going to see a whole lot of high flying dunks, some great ball handling and some comedy as well as a wholesome family show.”
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