Sports Envoy
Sports Envoy Program

Sport: Harlem Globetrotters Basketball

Cherelle “Torch” George

Harlem Globetrotters Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2023  –  Malaysia

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 1 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.

Julian “Zeus” McClurkin

Harlem Globetrotters Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2019  –  Uzbekistan

Zeus McClurkin is a testament to not giving up or letting obstacles get in the way of achieving one’s dreams.

He was cut from every basketball team he tried out for from seventh grade through tenth grade, but he kept pushing and finally made his high school team his junior and senior seasons. He played his first couple of years of college ball at a Division II program, but the departure of the head coach left Zeus on the outside looking in. Undeterred, he enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University, and he made the basketball team as a walk-on, beating out 30 other hopefuls in the process. Zeus earned an undergraduate degree in business management at North Carolina A&T and then a master’s degree in marketing and communications from Franklin University, based in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

Zeus is also one of the most decorated athletes on the Globetrotters roster holding three Guinness World Records titles. Zeus has set the mark for most basketball slam dunks in one minute, with 16 (2017), most bounced three-pointers in one minute, with five (2017), and most behind-the-back three-pointers, with three baskets made (2018).

Zeus is known for his fun personality and crazy trick shots from places like Ohio State and the Mall of America, which have been featured on ESPN. Since joining the Globetrotters, he’s also transcended language barriers with appearances on popular Spanish-language television shows like Univision’s “Republica Deportiva,” and Telemundo’s “Un Nuevo Dia.”

He has accomplished all of this while dealing with exercise-induced asthma, a narrowing of the airways in the lungs that is triggered by strenuous exercise. To this day, Zeus carries an inhaler with him.

Zeus was introduced to basketball by his older brother, Robert, and cites his brother as the most influential person in his athletic career. “I fell in love with basketball because of my brother’s passion for the sport,” explains Zeus. “I wanted to be just like him, and to this day, I still can’t beat him one-on-one.”

An extremely versatile athlete, Zeus was on the swim team growing up and also played football, tennis, baseball, and soccer (“The best athletes in the world today are playing soccer,” he says). He also played volleyball and would have loved to have played professional beach volleyball and represent the U.S. in the Olympics.

Zeus has this piece of advice for young athletes: “Be coachable. Be the player that the coach never has to worry about and can depend on when called upon. I have played a lot of minutes over players that were more talented than me, simply because I was coachable and understood what the strategy and philosophy was for each team on which I played.”

Fatima “TNT” Lister

Harlem Globetrotters Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2019  –  Uzbekistan

Harlem Globetrotter TNT Lister joined a very elite group in the fall of 2011, becoming the first woman to don the red, white, and blue since 1993 – and her success opened the door for other female players to join the team in recent years.

TNT’s basketball journey started in the seventh grade. “I played my first basketball game at recess, and I fell in love with the game that day,” she says. She also excelled in volleyball and track and field during her teenage years – setting Colorado state records in both the long jump and triple jump – but she didn’t love those sports like she loved basketball. She was an all-conference selection in basketball in each of her four years in high school.

TNT began her college career at New Mexico before transferring to Temple, where she was lucky enough to be coached by Hall of Famer Dawn Staley. TNT says, “Coach Staley was not only a role model for me through her amazing basketball credentials, but she showed me balance – balance between being a player, taking care of family and giving back to the community. I admired her so much for her unique combination of kindness, toughness and ability to make the team feel like a family.”

The Globetrotters are like a family too, and TNT is honored to be a part of it. “Honestly, this means everything to me,” she says. “This team incorporates everything I love about basketball. Not only to play it, but to entertain, and to give back to the community. I’ve always dreamed of leaving a positive mark in basketball history, and this is the perfect opportunity to do so.”

When she thinks about 90-plus years of Globetrotters history, TNT says the player she would have enjoyed playing with most is the late Marques Haynes, because of how much she admires his dribbling skills.

When she’s not burning up the floor of all 50 states across the U.S. with her own ball handling – or shooting hoops with President Barack Obama, like she did during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll in 2012 – TNT likes to watch movies (Leonardo DiCaprio, Denzel Washington and Angela Bassett are her favorite actors), as well as skate and play pool, and she really loves to draw and paint. The Globetrotters star has brought her blistering basketball skills to shows like “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” “The Queen Latifah Show,” and “The Arsenio Hall Show.”

“The best part about being a female Globetrotter is being able to inspire girls and young women to follow their dreams,” says TNT. This holds especially true for her new daughter, Kali Rose. TNT went back to play for the world famous team only five months after having her baby. Adding, “I’m so proud to come back and do my thing and be able to tell my girl, ‘Hey, you can still chase your career when you become a mom.’”

“One of the most challenging parts of being a female Globetrotter is proving that you belong on the court with the men. I love a challenge, though,” she says. Ask any of her Globetrotter teammates, and they will tell you that TNT definitely belongs. The guys on the team embraced her from day one. “I walked in with two brothers, and now I have about 30,” says TNT with a smile.

Crissa “Ace” Jackson

Harlem Globetrotters Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2017  –  Estonia
  • 2017  –  Lithuania

In 2015, Former Point Loma women’s basketball player Crissa Jackson (2010-12) signed a contract to play for the Harlem Globetrotters. Hailing from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Crissa “Ace” Jackson was the 13th female player in the history of the Globetrotters, joining current female stars TNT Maddox and Sweet J Ekworomadu. Ace played her first two years of college ball at Savannah State University (Ga.), where she quickly grabbed the starting point guard job as a freshman and led the team in three-pointers and assists. She led the team in scoring and assists as a sophomore and was named to the NCAA Division I All-Independent All-American second team. The 5-4 standout guard then transferred to Point Loma Nazarene University for her final two seasons, leading the Sea Lions in points (15.4 ppg), three-pointers (1.4 3pg) and assists (4.3 apg) as a junior, and in three-pointers (1.5 3pg), assists (3.8 apg) and steals (2.7 spg) as a senior.

Corey “Thunder” Law

Harlem Globetrotters Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2018  –  Belgium
  • 2018  –  Germany

Thunder has been a record-breaking machine in his early career with the Globetrotters, currently owning four Guinness World Records titles. His most recent record was made in celebration of Guinness World Records Day on Nov. 9, 2017. On this day, Thunder earned the Guinness World Record title for the highest basketball shot made upwards at 50 feet 1 inch. Since becoming a Globetrotters’ star, he also set records for the farthest basketball shot made while sitting on the court at 58 feet 9.1 inches, the farthest basketball shot under-one-leg at 52 feet 5.1 inches and made the farthest basketball shot backward ever recorded by Guinness World Records at 82 feet 2 inches.

Thunder was a standout player at High Point University (N.C.), where he led the Panthers in field goal percentage as a senior and was third on the team in rebounding and blocks. Sporting a 44-inch vertical leap – he could already dunk when he was in the sixth grade – the muscular Law finished his career second on High Point’s all-time rebounding list.

He became a larger figure on the Globetrotters’ radar when he competed in the 2013 college slam dunk championship by beating out 15 other athletes to become the annual Dark Horse Dunker. He was selected by the Globetrotters in their seventh annual player draft in June 2013, beginning his journey to becoming a Globetrotter.

Bria “Swish” Young

Harlem Globetrotters Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2018  –  Belgium
  • 2018  –  Germany

Bria grew up in Philadelphia and was inspired by a local icon and former NBA star Allen Iverson. The former 76er had a tremendous influence on Bria’s playing style. “I’ve always wanted to have a crossover just like him,” she said.

However, it was Bria’s dad and uncle who first introduced her to the game of basketball. When she was a child she watched them compete in three-on-three street basketball tournaments around the city. Bria played her first game of organized basketball at the age of 7.

As a teenager, Bria suffered a knee injury which nearly threw her off her path of playing professionally one day. Bria attended Philadelphia University where she had a stellar four-year career. With the Rams she totaled 1,067 career points, was named the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) player of the year in 2016 as well as Defensive Player of the Year. She helped lead her team to a CACC championship her senior year and was named a DII WBCA All American.

At Philadelphia University, she earned a degree in psychology – an interest which stems from her passion for helping others. She is thrilled that she’ll be able to touch the lives of other people on an even grander scale via her basketball foundation as well as playing professional basketball around the world.

After graduation, Bria became the 14th female to play for the world famous Harlem Globetrotters. Bria is An Official USA Basketball Youth Development Licensed Coach. In 2018, Bria began an assistant coach for Saint Francis University’s women’s basketball team. She helped coach the team to a conference championship game appearance. In 2019, Bria became the head girls varsity basketball coach at New Foundations Charter School in her hometown of Philadelphia. She won her first championship as a head coach during her first year at NFCS.

It has always been a lifelong goal for Bria to give back to the community in which she grew up in. In July 2017 she started Bria Young Basketball Inc.

Anthony “Buckets” Blakes

Harlem Globetrotters Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2017  –  Lithuania
  • 2017  –  Estonia

Buckets Blakes was born and raised in Phoenix and still lives in the Valley of the Sun, and his first exposure to basketball was watching the Phoenix Suns at the age of five. To make his own hoop, he would cut a hole in the top of his dad’s hat, flip it over and shoot a tennis ball through it.

Years of practice from that point forward made him one of the most accurate shooters around (hence the name “Buckets”). He can fill it up in many different ways, like when he broke the Guinness World Records® record for the most basketball underhanded half-court shots in one minute, dropping six– one more than the previous record. He actually made those six shots in just 46 seconds.

On World Trick Shot Day (Dec.6, 2016), Buckets nailed the highest shot ever recorded in North America. From the top of the Tower of the Americas in San Antonio, Buckets made a 583-foot basketball shot to a hoop located below.

His parents are his heroes, because they always involved Buckets and his nine siblings in positive things. He made them proud by earning his bachelor’s degree in psychology in January of 2012 by taking online courses. Despite the demands of entertaining people all over the world year-round, Buckets made the Dean’s List three times while completing his courses.

One of his favorite childhood basketball memories was when he finally stole the basketball from his older cousin, who taught him how to dribble. “He was one of the best basketball players in the state, and he would never just give me the ball; I had to try and steal it every time, ”explains Buckets.“ When I finally stole it from him, my confidence soared, and my fate in the game of basketball was sealed.”

Buckets was not only an outstanding basketball player growing up, but he also lettered in track and football in high school. As his basketball talents grew, his high school coach, Michael Ellsworth, showed him that hard work pays off, both on and off the court.

He took that work ethic to Arizona Western College, and then to the University of Wyoming, where he was team captain and MVP his junior and senior seasons, leading the team in rebounding, assists and steals as a junior. As a senior, Buckets was one of only two Mountain West Conference players to finish in the top 15 in scoring, rebounding and assists.

Buckets enjoys working with and mentoring kids, so here lies the opportunities he’s had to present the Globetrotters’ various community outreach programs all over the world as an Ambassador of Goodwill™. He sees himself running his own gym someday and helping kids build character and self-esteem through sports mentoring. He encourages youngsters to, “Be the best ‘you’ that you can be, because it’s very difficult to try and be someone else.”