Expect plenty of grins and athletic hijinks when the Harlem Globetrotters come to town this week. (Photo by Brett Meister)
Anthony “Buckets” Blakes, 41, has been a Harlem Globetrotter for 16 years. The thrill of putting smiles on fan’s faces is the most exciting part of his job with the exhibition basketball team, he says.
Blakes and the rest of the Harlem Globetrotters will get a chance to do just that when they play their rivals, the Washington Generals, on Friday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. at the Richmond Coliseum. The appearance of the Generals follows a two-year hiatus for the team, which returns to the court after having lost to the Globetrotters more than 14,000 times over the years.
Fans of the Globetrotters will likely enjoy a better outcome on the courts, however, Blakes says. After the game, the clown princes of basketball will let a select group of fans try out some basketball tricks and a team jersey.
Anthony "Buckets" Blakes is a 16-year member of the Harlem Globetrotters. (Photo courtesy Harlem Globetrotters)
“Six players will be out on the court. You get a chance to get the ball [spun] on your finger, take a shot on the court, and one of my teammates wears a size 20 shoe, plus a huge uniform, so kids like to drown themselves in their uniform,” Blakes says.
It may look like all fun and games with the Globetrotters, but they're serious about making a difference in the communities where they play. The team will visit more than 400 schools as a part of its bullying prevention efforts, character-building initiative and physical fitness program. Blakes made a stop at Linwood Holton Elementary School on Jan. 31 to present the team’s anti-bullying program. He says he wants kids to have a carefree learning environment. Sometimes that starts with a smile.
“Throughout their day, you don’t know what people are going through, but you know for at least two hours you can put a smile on their face,” Blakes says. "Laughter is universal.”
