As part of the Harlem Globetrotters' 75th anniversary celebration of entertaining United States servicemen and women, and military personnel around the globe, the team will showcase its dedication in a one-hour television special to be aired on the ESPN family of networks.
The “Hoops For The Troops Game” will premiere on Sunday, Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. EST on ESPN2, with a special encore airing on Sunday, Dec. 31 at 3 p.m. EST on ESPN. The special, presented by Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans, will capture the Globetrotters’ unique and special relationship with U.S. military personnel.
“ESPN has always been a great supporter of the Globetrotters and our mission to spread goodwill around the world,” said Howard Smith, president of the Harlem Globetrotters. “The Globetrotters consider it a privilege to honor U.S. military servicemen and women who make daily sacrifices for our country. Viewers of all ages will get to see what those brave men and women enjoyed up close in Hawaii.”
The game, which will be the centerpiece to the one-hour special, will take place at historic Bloch Arena at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam in Hawaii. The arena, which has played host to Elvis Presley and the Pearl Harbor Invitational college basketball event, was one of the few buildings which survived the bombing of the base on Dec. 7, 1941.
As part of the game, the entire audience will be comprised of U.S. military personnel and their families. The event is hosted in conjunction with Navy Entertainment, who partners annually with the Globetrotters to bring joy to military bases overseas each fall.
Viewers will get to see the official return of the Harlem Globetrotters’ long-time nemesis – the Washington Generals – following a two-year hiatus. There will also be the national television debut of the “Flying Globies” acrobatic trampoline dunk team, which can be seen during the 2018 “Amazing Feats of Basketball” World Tour. The Globetrotters will also conduct the first-ever underwater ball-handling routine (known as the “Magic Circle”) aboard the USS Santa Fe submarine, as well as a shooting game of N-A-V-Y with sailors aboard the deck of the USS Missouri battleship.
A number of Globetrotter stars, including: Showman Ant Atkinson, Thunder Law, Cheese Chisholm, Hammer Harrison, Firefly Fisher, Spider Sharpless, Too Tall Hall, Moose Weeks, TNT Lister, and Ace Jackson will be a part of the special. Additionally, fans can catch the 2018 Globetrotter debuts of rookies Primetime Maberry, Bulldog Mack, and Hot Shot Swanson.
