The world’s most entertaining basketball team is coming to Barrie and Toronto for their Fan Powered World Tour next month.
The Harlem Globetrotters will hit the court Wednesday, April 3 at the Barrie Molson Centre and Sunday, April 7 at Toronto's Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Globetrotters rookie star Champ Thompson, who stopped by the YMCA on Grove Street in Barrie to promote the upcoming basketball event, said she thinks this could be the best tour yet.
“We’re super-excited to be on this tour and hitting big cities and especially those smaller towns that allow us to have more fan interaction than ever,” Thompson said. “This really is a huge tour with some new faces and fun new tricks coming with us.”
One of the new faces is Thompson herself, who is starting her first season with the Globetrotters.
Thompson was a member of the Notre Dame University team that won the 2018 NCAA Division 1 Women’s Basketball Championship and, over the course of her collegiate career, amassed 1,300 points and 359 rebounds.
Between April 7 and May 24, the Globetrotters will play in 140 cities around the world.
The guard from Hawaii said she knew coming to the Globetrotters would be tough, but it is also very worth it.
“There is a lot of travel, so the name fits. We really do circle the globe,” Thompson told BarrieToday. “We’ve played in 123 countries and I get to see so much of the world. It can be tiring, but it's great time.
"My first day out of training camp, we flew out to Oakland to hang out with the Golden State Warriors and we had Steph Curry shooting with us, throwing some alley-oops to us and just having fun on the court," she added. "I keep thinking how cool it is that on my first day I was hanging on the court with NBA champions.”
The Globetrotters have starred on many TV specials, had their own cartoon and had cameos in movies, which has made them the stars in rooms full of athletes and actors.
Thompson says she loves the way the popular red, white and blue jersey is admired when it comes out.
“It is really cool to see how the other athletes and celebrities view the Globetrotters,” she said. “These are athletes at the top of their game showing respect to us for the high-level things we do with the basketball and it is fun for everyone to watch, fun for the kids and grown-ups, but also fun for us for sure.”
For tickets to the Fan Powered World Tour at the BMC, click here.
Full tour schedule
Sunday, March 31 at 2 p.m. – Ottawa – Canadian Tire Centre
Monday, April 1 at 7 p.m. – North Bay – Memorial Gardens
Tuesday, April 2 at 7 p.m. – Sudbury – Sudbury Arena
Wednesday, April 3 at 7 p.m. – Barrie – Barrie Molson Centre
Thursday, April 4 at 7 p.m. – Peterborough – Peterborough Memorial Centre
Friday, April 5 at 7 p.m. – Hamilton – First Ontario Centre
Saturday, April 6 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. (doubleheader) – Mississauga – Paramount Fine Foods Centre (formerly Hershey Centre)
Sunday, April 7 at 2 p.m. – Toronto – Coca-Cola Coliseum (formerly Ricoh Coliseum)
Wednesday, April 10 at 7 p.m. – Kitchener – Kitchener Memorial Auditorium
Thursday, April 11 at 7 p.m. – Kingston – Leon’s Centre
Friday, April 12 at 7 p.m. – St. Catharines – Meridian Centre
Saturday, April 13 at 2 p.m. – London – Budweiser Gardens
Sunday, April 14 at 2 p.m. – Oshawa – Tribute Communities Centre
Wednesday, April 17 at 7 p.m. – Sault Ste. Marie – GFL Memorial Gardens
