Sports Envoy
Sports Envoy Program

Region: East & Southeast Asia

Jason Collins

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2024  –  China
  • 2016  –  Angola
  • 2015  –  Brazil

Jason Collins is a retired American professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Collins attended Stanford University, where he was an All-American in the 2000-2001 season. He was also named to the All Pac-10 First Team and awarded the NABC Pete Newell “Big Man of the Year” Award. He finished his college career ranked first in Stanford history for field goal percentage and third in blocked shots. Upon graduating with a B.A. from Stanford, Collins was selected in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft with the 18th overall pick. Now a 13-year veteran, Collins has played center for six teams including New Jersey, Memphis, Minnesota, Atlanta, Boston, Washington and, most recently, the Brooklyn Nets (formerly the New Jersey Nets). Doc Rivers, who coached Collins during his time with the Boston Celtics, said of Collins: “He’s the best. He literally is one of the best guys I’ve ever had in the locker room, player or coach.” In his 13 years in the league, Collins’ teams earned 10 trips to the playoffs including 2 NBA Finals appearances.

After the 2012-13 NBA season concluded, Collins publicly came out as gay in a cover story for Sports Illustrated, becoming the first male active player in any of the four major American professional sports to announce that he is gay. President Obama expressed his gratitude to Collins for his courageous announcement and said he “couldn’t be prouder” of Collins, recognizing this as a point of progress for the LGBT community, and one more step in America’s goal to treat everyone fairly and with respect. Collins has traveled the country with the mission of empowering people to live their lives as their true selves, and has become an active member of numerous charities, foundations and organizations. In 2013, GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, honored Collins with the Courage Award at the GLSEN Respect Awards. In 2014, Logo TV honored Collins with its inaugural Trailblazer Award. Also in 2014, the Matthew Shepard Foundation honored Collins with its Making a Difference Award at its annual Honors Gala.

In April 2014, Collins was featured on the cover of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World.” He served on the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition, which works to motivate Americans to adopt a healthy lifestyle via physical activity and nutrition. Collins resides in Los Angeles, California.

William “Bull” Bullard

Harlem Globetrotters Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2024  –  Fiji

Bull Bullard has continued to stand out as an outstanding guard since joining the Harlem Globetrotters in 2008. Prior to joining the team, he played basketball in college at Texas A&M- Corpus Christi. During his senior year at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, he appeared in 23 games and made 12 starts and participated in the NCAA College Slam Dunk Contest coming in second place!

On the Globetrotters’ court, he is known for his amazing dunking skills and has even broken records by making a trick shot from a helicopter 210 feet in the air.

Besides his impressive athleticism, Bull shines as a Harlem Globetrotter because of his passion for helping others and making people smile. In his own words, Bull acknowledges “I’m a very selfless person and I want to see everyone uplifted. If I can make that happen, I will, because where there’s a ‘WILL’, there’s a way.” Will is a fierce advocate for mental health and started his own anti-bullying campaign called “A SAD KID SAYS, DATS IT!” to bring awareness to bullying and its different forms to recognize how bullying impacts mental health.

Career Highlights and Awards:

2005 USCAA 2nd Team All American

2006 Richland College All League (Honorable Mention)

2008 NCAA college slam dunk contest (2nd) place

2008 New York Jets Rookie Camp

2016 Received Harlem Globetrotters “Culture” Award

2019 Received Harlem Globetrotters “Brand Excellence” Award

2018 Set Guinness World Record for longest “Backflip shot” at 58 ft 1.25in (still stands)

Career History:

Texas A&M Corpus Christi: 2006-2008

Harlem Globetrotters: 2008-Present

Fun Facts:

Bull is a very big sports card collector! His favorite sport to collect is basketball with his favorite players to collect being Anthony Edwards, Stephen Curry and Lebron James!

Amy Burnett

Wheelchair Badminton

Served as envoy

  • 2024  –  Brunei

Amy Burnett, a trailblazer in the world of adaptive sports, shines as the first female wheelchair athlete in the United States to achieve international recognition in Para badminton, proudly representing Team USA. Amy’s journey began with resilience and determination after a life-altering accident in 1996, propelling her to break barriers and advocate fervently for adaptive sports and disability rights. Notably, she blazed trails as the inaugural Para Athlete Director and Representative for USA Badminton, amplifying her impact on a global scale. Amy played a pivotal role in advancing female inclusion within the sport, spearheading efforts to add females to the Badminton World Federation’s Para Athlete Commission. Her leadership resulted in her election as one of the first three females to serve on the commission, a testament to her commitment to gender equality in sports governance.

A graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington, Amy’s dedication to inclusivity extends beyond athletics, evidenced by her role as a board member for the Permobil Foundation and the United Spinal Association’s Tennessee Chapter. An adventurer at heart, Amy traverses the nation in her RV, sharing her message of empowerment and advocacy. Her achievements mark significant milestones for female inclusion, as she is the first female wheelchair athlete to accomplish numerous feats, including becoming a certified Level 1 coach through the Badminton World Federation. Amy’s multifaceted talents, including her musical pursuits, enrich her journey of resilience and determination, inspiring individuals of all abilities to embrace their full potential.

Howard Bach

Badminton

Served as envoy

  • 2024  –  Brunei

Howard was born in Vietnam and emigrated to the U.S. at the age of three, when his father, Sencam Bach, introduced the sport to him at a local YMCA in San Francisco. It was there that over the next 11 years, Howard Bach would be coached by his father in badminton. At the age of 16, he decided to dedicate himself to the sport of badminton full time and moved to Colorado Springs to the Olympic Training Center.

Howard competed and represented the United States of America in three Olympics (Athens, Beijing, London) and officially retired in 2013. One of his greatest badminton achievements was wining the 2005 World Badminton Championship in the event of Men’s Doubles with partner Tony Gunawan. Howard is currently a Co-owner at Synergy Badminton Club located in Menlo Park and Fremont, California. His future aspirations are developing grassroots for the sport of badminton, giving back to local communities and creating more Champions from the Bay Area!

Crystal Langhorne

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2023  –  Indonesia

Crystal Langhorne is the Director of Force4Change, the Seattle Storm’s social justice platform. Crystal’s passion for social justice is the driving force that helps her create impact in the community. Prior to working at the Storm’s front office, Crystal was a player in the WNBA for 13 years and won two championships with Seattle. She also won a NCAA championship with the University of Maryland women’s basketball team. She holds a degree in Communication from UMD and her DEI certification from Cornell University.

Amy Griffin

Soccer

Served as envoy

  • 2023  –  Brunei

Amy Allmann Griffin has included soccer as a big part of her life and given back to the game whenever the opportunity arises, including being a member of the inaugural World Championship team in 1991. Following her playing career, Griffin was one of the first 20 women to earn her USSF “A” coaching license and began a career of coaching. Griffin started the program at the University of New Mexico in 1992, and then moved to Seattle as an Associate Head Coach at the University of Washington for 24 years.

Cherelle “Torch” George

Harlem Globetrotters Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2023  –  Malaysia
  • 2024  –  Fiji

Widely heralded as the “Queen Of The Crossover” and owner of some of the best handles on earth, Torch George brings the fire every time she steps onto the court with her razor-sharp shooting skills and ankle-breaking dribbling moves.

In 2018, Torch made Globetrotter history when she became the first of the team’s female stars to own her own Guinness world record title. In celebration of Guinness’ annual world record day, Torch set the record for the most basketball under the leg tumbles in one minute (female), with 32.

The 5 foot 3-inch guard attended Iowa Western Community College (IWCC), where she led the Reivers to a 26-5 record her sophomore year while averaging 25.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 4.3 steals per game. She finished her sophomore year with four single-game records and was later inducted into IWCC’s Hall of Fame in 2019. After a brief stint at Purdue University, she transferred to Oklahoma City University, where she earned a degree in kinesiology.

Torch’s on-court success has led to her off-court development as an entrepreneur and inspiration, with the recent launch of her “Hood to History” clothing line. This successful apparel line aims to show young people how to dominate without a ball in their hands. With an eye on the future, she hopes to bring her fire to the sideline in a Division I coaching role.

Shane “Scooter” Christensen

Harlem Globetrotters Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2023  –  Malaysia

There’s family, and then there’s extended family. That’s how Globetrotters dribbling wizard Scooter Christensen describes his teammates. “I consider my teammates my brothers and sisters,” he says. Of course, like siblings do, the players fun-lovingly joke around with each other a lot. “My first year, we had a player that looked like Squidward Tentacles from SpongeBob SquarePants. Some guys put a picture of Squidward right on his seat on the bus. We were trying not to laugh, but as soon as he got on the bus, it was over.”

He was introduced to basketball at the age of five. He played soccer too, but when he started growing faster than most of the other kids, he started concentrating solely on basketball in eighth grade. After winning a state championship and team MVP honors in high school, Scooter went on to play at the University of Montana, leading the Grizzlies to the NCAA tournament in 2002. He is one of only three players in school history to lead the team in assists three straight seasons, and he is still second on the school’s all-time assist list.

Scooter has appeared on such popular TV shows as “The Bachelorette,” and GAC’s “Top 20 Countdown.” Being on camera in front of millions can be nerve-wracking for some, but Scooter says the craziest thing he has ever done is cliff diving.

Not only is Scooter one of the Globetrotters’ premier ball handlers, he also has a great set of pipes; he once won a karaoke contest in Montana. “I come from a singing family; we sang a lot in church.” He even sings on the bus now and then when the Globetrotters are traveling from city to city. He can also keep his teammates entertained with one of the nearly 1,000 movies he has in his collection.

Kellen Lovell

Surfing

Served as envoy

  • 2023  –  Papua New Guinea

Kellen Lovell is an adventure photographer, videographer and surfer who grew up in Hawaii. Wanting to combine his passion for the ocean with serving his country, he joined the US Coast Guard where he served in Alaska as a small boat crewman and certified rescue swimmer.

After the 2005 Indian Ocean tsunami, Kellen spent 2 years living and volunteering at a refugee camp in Thailand. While there he also volunteered for a number of non profit organizations and NGOs. He managed teams who were instrumental in rebuilding homes for tsunami victims.

Kellen attended San Diego State University where he studied cultural anthropology and archeology. While in college he served on the board of directors at the WindanSea Surf Club, one of the largest and most respected international 501c3 non profit surfing organizations which strives to “promote the sport of surfing and the positive image of surfers as athletes and good citizens, through the sponsorship of competitive surfing events and charitable community activities”.

Kellen currently lives in Hawaii and travels the world filming content for companies like Alison’s Adventures, Discovery Channel, Mastercard, Hewlett Packard, Western Digital, Adidas, Clif Bar and Hydroflask.

Alison Teal

Surfing

Served as envoy

  • 2023  –  Papua New Guinea

Alison Teal, Time Magazine’s Female Indiana Jones, is an explorer, author, surfer, conservationist and award wining filmmaker. She travels the world with her pink surfboard made from recycled trash on a quest to educate through entertainment and make waves of change in protecting the greatest treasure on earth – our world waters. Through her millions of social media followers and beyond, Alison’s passion is to inspire and entertain the kid – and explorer – in everyone.

Alison has worn many coconut hats directing, shooting, writing, editing, producing, hosting and acting for content on with DISCOVERY, NAT GEO, PARAMOUNT PICTURES, SONY PICTURES, and brand such as MASTERCARD, HAWAIIAN AIRLINES, KEEN, PATAGONIA, WD, CLIF BAR, RED BULL, LAR MER, and DISCOVERY+ and has been featured in all major press outlets from GMA, CNN, FOX, ELLEN, OPRAH, BBC, NBC, ABC, CBS, AL JAZEER, USA TODAY, LA & NY TIMES and TIME MAGAZINE. She was chosen by PARAMOUNT PICTURES and NICKELODEON to be the “real life explore like Dora” and the Indiana Jones by TIME MAGAZINE.

Alison was recently published by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not in her book Alison’s Adventures Your Password to the world distributed by Simon & Schuster and Penguin Random House. Her writing, films, and viral social content has been instrumental in changing multiple environmental laws including the cleanup of Trash Island.

Alison graduated Summa Cum Laude from USC film school and created her own family friendly film series “Alison’s Adventures” which she directs, producers, edits, and hosts. She has won international acclaim at film festivals across the world and spoke on stages from Ted Talks to Parliament and Economic World Forum.

Alison grew up in a hand built treehouse in Hawaii and was home schooled around the world by her adventure photographer parents – on the back of a camel, on Mt. Everest, or on a dugout canoe in the most exotic and dangerous places on earth. Through her books and films she aims to inspire the next generation of explorers and eco-warriors!