Watch CBS News

Harlem Globetrotters Promote Inclusion, Bullying Prevention In Visit To North Philadelphia School

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Harlem Globetrotters are in town and they're shooting hoops with athletes of all abilities. Thursday's event helped spread a message of inclusion and bullying prevention.

The iconic music is infectious and you know what it signifies -- the Harlem Globetrotters are here.

Zeus McClurkin and Hops Pearce dazzled the students at Widener Memorial School with their basketball tricks, mixing in fun with the school's wheelchair athletes.

The Globetrotters took on the team on their level, in wheelchairs.

"The beauty of the game is that it's for everybody. No matter how able you are, it is truly for everybody so fact that we're able to share the joy and the love for this game, is truly a special thing," Hops said.

In the midst of all the fun, the Globetrotters are also promoting a deeper message with their anti-bullying campaign, T.E.A.M. Up.

"We came up with the T.E.A.M Up program. It's an acronym, it stands for talk, empathize, ask questions and mobilize," Hops said.

So while Hops and Zeus played a fun game of basketball with students, they left them with limitless possibilities, despite any disabilities.

"It's just like regular basketball, except you're in a wheelchair. It's really competitive, it's really fun to watch and you gotta be strong," student Kaleaf Wartman said.

Zeus and Hops had a great time with the students in North Philadelphia.

The Globetrotters will play four games in the area as part of their Pushing The Limits world tour. The first game is Friday, Feb. 28 at the Liacouras Center at Temple University.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.