The Harlem Globetrotters and students at Beijing Runfeng School pose for photos on April 25, 2012. [Yan Weijue/chinadaily.com.cn]
By Yan Weijue
The gym at Beijing Runfeng School turned into a sea of jubilation as the faculty welcomed a visit by the Harlem Globetrotters, one of the most well-known basketball teams in the world.
Three of the 29-member exhibition squad, Handles Franklin, Paul Sturgass aka Tiny -- the world's tallest pro baller at 7'8" -- and Buckets Blakes, taught the crowd of more than 100 some skills such dribbling, passing, and layups, in a two-hour training course, the fifth leg of their five-day tour of the capital.
Widely known for their wizardry, the players also provided a fair amount of joy as they picked people in the stands, including a teacher, and asked them to imitate some of their signature tricks on the court.
So it was no wonder the crowd burst into big laughter when a peer said hello to them before he threw the ball behind from between his legs, and another found it impossible to slap a high-five with the giant Tiny, who raised his hand to the sky, and another wagged his behind after circling the ball around his waist and legs.
Yes, the philosophy of the Harlem Globetrotters is that the game could be, and should be, entertaining.
