What would be some of the craziest rules on the basketball court?
Playing with two basketballs at once? Doubling the amount of points scored on a basket? Playing six on five?
Those are among the crazy rules you can vote on when the Globetrotters hit the court at Comcast Arena on Sunday.
The Harlem Globetrotters’ new world tour this year features, for the first time, “You Write The Rules.” Fans vote on their favorite rule and then see the players use that rule during the game.
These rules, of course, could affect the outcome of the game and that’s where this is one of the most interactive ways fans can get into the game, said player Dizzy Grant, a Globetrotter sharpshooter and one of the idea guys behind “You Write the Rules.”
“Some of the players and managers, we all sat down and asked what could we do to add excitement and we came up with the fans can vote on what rules we play with,” Grant said in a phone interview. “And the fans are finding this very interactive and really enjoying it.”
The rules fans vote on:
- Two-ball basketball
- Double points;
- A penalty box for fouls;
- Six on five, where five Globetrotters play six opponents;
- Four-point shot for baskets made 35 feet from the hoop.
To vote on one of the rules, go to www.harlemglobetrotters.com/rule.
Grant said playing with two basketballs at one time is a popular new rule and one that is very challenging.
“You don’t know which ball is coming at you or which one to watch,” Grant said.
And the 4-point shot is also quite popular.
Grant said you have to be at the right place at the right time for that shot, and he should know.
He is known for sinking the first 4-point shot in basketball history for the Globetrotters in 2010. The basketball and 4-point circle Grant used on the 35-foot shot is preserved for future generations at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
Grant also is known for his ball-handling skills and as a Globetrotter cut-up who likes to do impersonations of other famous basketball players, such as Michael Jordan.
Sometimes he does these impersonations on the court while he’s playing or during practice. Grant’s ability to mimic basketball superstars and even create his own basketball characters has meant an Internet cult following for him, according to a press release.
Grant started playing basketball at the age of 7 after watching a Harlem Globetrotters game.
A native of New Jersey, he was the New Jersey Athletic Conference Player of the Year his senior season in college. Grant was a first team all-conference selection in both his senior and junior seasons, according to his biography.
Besides time on the court, Grant has spent time on television shows including “The Celebrity Apprentice,” “Today,” “Good Morning America,” “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition,” “The Chew” and “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?”
The Globetrotters play at 2 p.m. Sunday at Comcast Arena, 2000 Hewitt Ave., Everett.
Tickets are $23, $28, $35, $45, $63, $128. Call 866-332-8499 or go to www.comcastarenaeverett.com.
Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.
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