How to Go
What: Harlem Globetrotters
Where: Nutter Center, 3640 Colonel Glenn Highway, Dayton
When: Dec. 31, 2 p.m.
Cost: $26-$106
More Info: 937-775-3498 or www.nuttercenter.com
How to Go
What: Harlem Globetrotters
Where: U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway St., Cincinnati
When: Dec. 30, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Cost: $26-$116
More Info: 513-421-4111 or visit www.usbankarena.com
In 2005, a promising young basketball player from New Orleans named Nathaniel Lofton had a basketball scholarship to Southeastern Louisiana University, and was seemingly on his way to a career in NBA basketball.
By 2006, Lofton was the latest addition to the Harlem Globetrotters, with the nickname, “Big Easy,” to commemorate his hometown.
What happened?
First, Lofton suffered a MCL knee injury, then Hurricane Katrina hit. Lofton put 13 of his family and friends in the back of his father’s pickup truck and pushed it out of the flood waters after the levees broke. They (and the truck, which the family still possesses) made it to Houston, where the Harlem Globetrotters happened to be holding a charity benefit. They offered Lofton an audition.
“Something great came out of something terrible,” Lofton said. “What I went through is something I’ll never forget, and I hope nobody else has to go through the same thing. What people saw on TV was maybe three percent of what actually happened.”
The Harlem Globetrotters appear at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati for shows at 2 and 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 30. They also make their 15th straight New Year’s Eve appearance in Dayton with a 2 p.m. performance Wednesday, Dec. 31 at the Ervin J. Nutter Center.
Recent attendees have come to recognize “Big Easy” Lofton as the team’s “showman,” otherwise known as the man with the microphone who comically clashes with referees and interacts with the fans.
“One of the coaches suggested I do it after watching me play around, doing my thing,” he said. “It’s not something I expected, but I’ve worked hard to be good at it.”
Lofton’s outgoing personality led to a further public profile boost when he appeared on CBS’s “The Amazing Race” three times with his Globetrotter teammate, Herbert “Flight Time” Lang.
“It’s one of the few reality shows that’s real,” he said. “Everything you see is what happened. Nobody pressured us to act a certain way. When we travel around the world, people in front of the Eiffel Tower would ask us if we would appear again, and we would do it just because of those reactions.”
Like many entertainment acts that long predate the digital age, Lofton is aware of the importance of keeping the Globetrotter jokes and physical feats fresh.
“Because players are so much bigger, stronger, and faster now, we can do things that players couldn’t do 15 years ago,” the 6-foot-9, 250-pound Lofton said. “We have guys swinging on the rim and dunking with the ball between their legs, or doing six or seven backflips after making a dunk. It’s amazing.”
Much has been written about the “formula” that practically guarantees a Globetrotters victory every time, whether against the storied Washington Generals or another opponent. While a portion of the game consists of straight-up basketball, the majority consists of bits and tricks where the rules are suspended and the Generals gamely play along.
“We’re professionals,” Lofton said. “Any team can win on a given day. We’re playing basketball, and no matter how many tricks you see, the ball has to go through the hoop.”
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