The NBA scoffs, but the Harlem Globetrotters will use a newly created 4-point line when they perform their brand of basketball at least four time in the Southland in February.
Debuting this season, the unofficial 4-point line will be 30 feet from the basket – or 6 feet, 3 inches beyond the top of the NBA’s current 3-point line, according to the longtime performing team.
The Globetrotters tip off their 2017 World Tour on Dec. 26, 2016. They’ll be at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Feb. 12, at Saddleback College Gym in Mission Viejo on Feb. 13 and at the Staples Center in Los Angeles twice on Feb. 19 — at 12:30 a.m. and 5:45 p.m.
No 4-point line exists in the sport, but Salon noted a debate about it amid Stephen Curry’s skills at shooting threes:
“Please, no,” begged Warriors coach Steve Kerr when asked recently about the hypothetical 4-pointer, adding that it “sounds insane.” Reggie Miller, a prolific long-range shooter for his day, told the New Yorker that the 4-point shot would make the game a “laughingstock.”
Portland point guard Damian Lillard, however, told Dan Patrick he would absolutely favor a 4-point-line, the current 3-pointer posing too modest a challenge for this generation of players: “You’ve got so many guys shooting it so easy!”
Larry Bird, too, was sanguine about the idea; he likes the way the 3 has opened up the game and given chances to smaller players who’d be helpless in the mosh pit down low. “Maybe five or ten years down the road, fours are what everybody will be shooting. The game evolves,” he told the New Yorker.
The 2017 Globetrotter roster includes Big Easy Lofton, Ant Atkinson, Hi-Lite Bruton, Thunder Law, Bull Bullard and Cheese Chisholm – plus female stars TNT Lister and Ace Jackson.
Games showcase ball handling wizardry, dunks, trick shots, hilarious comedy and fan interaction. After the game, Globetrotter stars will sign autographs and take photos with fans.
Ticket prices range widely. Information on group and scout tickets can also be found at harlemglobetrotters.com.
For the past 90 years, the Globetrotters have showcased their talents in 122 countries and territories on six continents. Sponsored by Baden Sports, Harlem Globetrotters International Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Herschend Enterprises.