Globetrotters play for laughs

EVERETT — First it was the alley-oop. Then it was the behind-the-back pass. The three-point shot and the slam dunk come from their repertoire.

Now, for the first time in basketball history, the Harlem Globetrotters have introduced the four-point shot, a stunning feat of aim and skill. During the last three minutes of every quarter, players get a chance to sink the trademark red-white-and-blue ball from 35 feet away.

How do they do it?

“Practice,” said Rocket Rivers, a 6-foot-2-inch guard with size 12 feet. Missing ain’t an option. Some days he’ll take up to 500 practice shots.

“You got to give the fans what they came to see,” Rivers said. “You got to knock them down.”

And on Saturday, fans at Everett’s Comcast Arena got to the see ball swish through the net, when it wasn’t spinning on a finger or balancing on a head.

For more photos of the Globetrotters, click here.