Basketball's most prolific innovators push sport forward once again; game-changing 4-pointer to make its mark at RBC Center in Raleigh on March 5

(RALEIGH, N.C.) – The Harlem Globetrotters, who have contributed more innovations to the game of basketball than any other team in history, have implemented the first-ever 4-point shot as part of all of its games on the team’s 2011 “4 Times the Fun” North American tour, the team’s record 85th season of touring.

The Globetrotters will debut the 4-pointer to a national audience on Sunday, December 5, at 7:30 p.m. EST, when ESPN2 telecasts the Globetrotters’ game against the Washington Generals from the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

This game-changing innovation will be on display when the Globetrotters take on the Washington Generals at RBC Center for a doubleheader on March 5, 2011 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets, starting at $17.00, are on sale at www.harlemglobetrotters.com, at www.ticketmaster.com, the RBC Center box office, or by phone at 800-745-3000. Information on group and scout tickets can also be found at www.harlemglobetrotters.com.

“The Globetrotters have been at the forefront of basketball’s evolution throughout the sport’s history,” said Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider. “From the alley-oop to the slam dunk to the behind-the-back pass, the Globetrotters have long brought innovations to basketball that are now staples of the game, and we’re confident the 4-point shot will change the game of basketball going forward.”

Throughout the 2011 North American tour, which will travel to 220 cities in 46 U.S. States and six Canadian provinces between December 26 and April 17, every Globetrotters game will now feature two designated 4-point shooting spots on each side of midcourt, each located 35 feet from the basket (the spots are 12 feet beyond the NBA’s official 3-point line). The 4-point option is expected to further open up the playing floor for the Globetrotters as well as their opponents, the Generals, and is expected to generate even more high-scoring action and competitive play.

“Bring it,” said Washington Generals President Red Klotz, whose team has not beaten the Globetrotters since January 1971, when Klotz himself sank a game-winning shot in Martin, TN. “Long-range marksmanship is a Generals trademark, and we’ve already installed several new plays to take advantage of the 4-pointer. If anything, this only makes us stronger.

“I only wish they had this shot when I was playing,” said Globetrotter Legend Curly Neal, one of only five Globetrotters in history to have his jersey number retired. “I could have lit up that scoreboard all night long.”

Sponsored by Campbell Soup Company, Howard Johnson Hotels, America’s Best Contacts and Eyeglasses, Greyhound Lines and Spalding, the Original Harlem Globetrotters continue a world famous tradition of ball handling wizardry, basketball artistry and one-of-a-kind family entertainment that continues to thrill fans of all ages.

Throughout their history, the Globetrotters have showcased their iconic talents in 120 countries and territories on six continents, often breaking down cultural and societal barriers while providing fans with their first-ever basketball experience. Proud inductees of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the Globetrotters have entertained hundreds of millions of fans—among them popes, kings, queens, and presidents—over more than eight thrilling decades.