Harlem Globetrotters to bring game’s first-ever 4-point shot to Kent

The Harlem Globetrotters, one of the basketball's greatest innovators, have implemented the first-ever 4-point shot as part of their “4 Times the Fun” North American tour, the team’s record 85th season of touring.

December 2, 2010 1:41 pm
The Harlem Globetrotters' '4 Times the Fun” North American tour comes to Kent's ShoWare Center on Feb. 17.
The Harlem Globetrotters' '4 Times the Fun” North American tour comes to Kent's ShoWare Center on Feb. 17.

The Harlem Globetrotters, one of the basketball’s greatest innovators, have implemented the first-ever 4-point shot as part of their “4 Times the Fun” North American tour, the team’s record 85th season of touring.

The Globetrotters will debut the 4-pointer to a national audience at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, when ESPN2 telecasts the Globetrotters’ game against the Washington Generals from the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

The game-changing innovation will be on display when the Globetrotters take on the Washington Generals at ShoWare Center at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17. Tickets, starting at $25.00, are on sale at www.harlemglobetrotters.com, the ShoWare Center box office, or by phone at 866-973-9613. Information on group and scout tickets also can be found at www.harlemglobetrotters.com.

“The Globetrotters have been at the forefront of basketball’s evolution throughout the sport’s history,” said Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider. “From the alley-oop to the slam dunk to the behind-the-back pass, the Globetrotters have long brought innovations to basketball that are now staples of the game, and we’re confident the 4-point shot will change the game of basketball going forward.”

Throughout the 2011 North American tour, which will travel to 220 cities in 46 U.S. States and six Canadian provinces between Dec. 26 and April 17, every Globetrotters game will now feature two designated 4-point shooting spots on each side of midcourt, each located 35 feet from the basket (the spots are 12 feet beyond the NBA’s official 3-point line).

The 4-point option is expected to further open up the playing floor for the Globetrotters as well as their opponents, the Generals, and is expected to generate even more high-scoring action and competitive play.

“Bring it,” said Washington Generals President Red Klotz, whose team has not beaten the Globetrotters since January 1971, when Klotz himself sank a game-winning shot in Martin, TN. “Long-range marksmanship is a Generals trademark, and we’ve already installed several new plays to take advantage of the 4-pointer. If anything, this only makes us stronger.”

“I only wish they had this shot when I was playing,” said Globetrotter legend Curly Neal, one of only five Globetrotters in history to have his jersey number retired. “I could have lit up that scoreboard all night long.”