The image of a basketball being spun on a single finger or a hook shot being made from the half court or the old "water bucket gag" are just some of the fond memories I have of the Harlem Globetrotters Basketball team from my youth.

You see when I was a kid if you wanted to see slam dunks, and alley-oops, and behind the back passes you had to go to a Globetrotters game because such shenanigans were "not the norm" of the short shorts-wearing NBA of the late 1960s and early 70s.

The Globetrotters an icon in the sports demonstration business have announced plans to bring their newly reimagined Spread Game Tour to more than 150 arenas across the country. The tour will commence July 21st and will make a stop in Lafayette on August 8th. That show is scheduled for the Cajundome on that date at 2 pm. Tickets for the Globetrotters tour will go on sale at the venue and through Ticketmaster outlets on Friday morning.

Throughout their 95 years, the Globetrotters have always been a fan interactive experience. In fact, some of the team's best gags include audience members, especially kids, participating on the court. It's less of a basketball game and more of a freestyle fun-loving carnival with basketball as a theme.

Back in my day, the stars of the Harlem Globetrotters included Meadowlark Lemon and Curly Neal. Heck, they even starred in their own Saturday Morning Cartoon for a while. Personally, I think the Globetrotters have had more of an effect on the modern game of basketball than maybe any other influence.

What used to be considered trickery, you know no-look passes, behind-the-back passes, long-range three-point bombs, and the like all seemed to have gotten their start at a Harlem Globetrotters basketball game. While the humor on the court might seem "mild" by 2021 standards a Globetrotters game is always great family fun.

I wonder how many of these towns the Globetrotters have been through in their 95 plus years of existence.

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