The Harlem Globetrotters, known as the “Magicians of Basketball,” showed off their thrilling moves Friday morning in Taguig City.

They are in the country to play three games against the Washington Generals at the Araneta Coliseum on Sunday and Monday.

Ten members of the world-renowned Trotters staged an exhibition show at the Signal Village Gym, much to the delight of the Taguig residents.

The event was organized by the US embassy in partnership with the City of Taguig.

US Ambassador Kristie Kenney told abs-cbnNEWS.com, “The Globetrotters were looking for ways to interact, to do some charity event.”

“This was our idea but actually they were thrilled with this,” added Kenney, who was present at the event.

The people at the gym were at the edge of their seats when the US Ambassador arrived. Some even requested to have a picture taken with her.

“I’m very excited to see them again,” said Kenney who first saw the Trotters when she was about 10. “They’re wonderful,” she added.

Globetrotters' tricks

Meantime, the excitement heightened when Coach Lou Dunbar and his players arrived. They were welcomed by screams and shrieks from the crowd as they made their way inside the gym.

The Trotters present were Shagari “Skyscraper” Alleyne, Jermaine “Hi-rise” Brown, Derek “General” Grant, William “Bull” Bullard, Anthony “Airport” Greenup, Herbert “Flightime” Lang, Nathaniel “Big Easy” Lofton, Keiron “Sweetpea” Shine, “Slick Willie” Shaw, and Christian “Handles” Franklin.

Dunbar addressed the crowd, “Are you ready to have some fun?” He then asked the crowd to clap with him until a hip-hop song was played. The Trotters went to their positions, tossed the ball and got the show started.

They introduced themselves one by one in their own cool way. "Handles" Franklin even said, “Mahal ko kayo.” He added, “Hindi, hindi, hindi… mahal namin kayo!”

They passed the basketball to one another, making it flip and roll over their body. They spun the ball on their index finger and did all sorts of ball tricks.

The Trotters were slick and smooth in their moves. In between tricks, they were getting jiggy with the music by shaking their booty or doing a break dance.

The dunks were the highlight of the brief exhibition. One dunked, held on the rim and even placed his feet on the board with his body upside down. Another held on the rim with one arm before dunking.

“Skyscraper” Alleyne, meantime, did not have to exert much effort. It seemed like he just tossed the ball in the ring when he dunked. He is 7’3’’.

After the exhibition, photo opportunities were granted to the children who were garbed in basketball uniforms. They are players of teams coming from Maharlika and Signal Villages.

Love for basketball

Kenney, known to be a sports enthusiast, commented on the Filipinos’ love for basketball.

“It’s crazy, isn’t it? Everyone loves basketball here—American basketball, Philippine basketball. It’s something we share,” she said.

“It’s very funny I was in the States last week and of course everybody’s NBA crazy. When I come back here, all my friends are NBA crazy and PBA crazy as well,” she related.

The first female US Ambassador to the Philippines concluded, “So it’s a wonderful link between both of our countries.”