WILMINGTON, N.C. - The legendary Harlem Globetrotters, an American basketball tradition since 1927, are bringing their 2009 “Spinning the Globe” World Tour to the Port City in mid-March.

      The Globetrotters are making their second appearance at UNC Wilmington's Trask Coliseum on Friday, March 20, 2009. The basketball goodwill ambassadors have played more than 25,000 games, entertaining everyone from Presidents to Popes.

      Sponsored by Campbell Soup Company, Spalding, and America's Best Contacts and Eyeglasses, the Globetrotters will take the court at 7 p.m. General admission seats are $24 each and courtside seating is available for $64 at the Trask Coliseum box office and tickets.com. All tickets include a $2 handling fee. Ticket information can also be found at www.harlemglobetrotters.com, along with information on group and scout tickets.

      There are 25 players on the official roster of the Globetrotters. Many of the entertainers come from small schools, but Eugene “Wildkat” Edgerson played in two NCAA Final Fours at Arizona. The roster is divided into two squads that perform as many as 400 shows between them, home and abroad.

      Fans will be captivated by the Globetrotters' basketball wizardry, hilarious antics and fan interaction, all presented by some of the world's greatest athletes and entertainers. The roster includes the reigning Clown Prince of Basketball, “Big Easy” Lofton, dribbling sensation “Flight Time” Lang, the gravity-defying “Hi Rise” Brown, ball handling extraordinaire “Handles” Franklin, fan favorite “General” Grant, and 7-foot-3 “Skyscraper” Alleyne, the second-tallest Globetrotter in history and the second-tallest professional basketball player currently playing in the United States. 

      Now in their 83^rd consecutive season of touring the world, the Globetrotters have played in 120 countries on six continents, delighting more than 128 million fans and crossing barriers between cultures, societies and people from all walks of life. The Globetrotters are one of only six teams inducted into the James Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. 

      One of the most beloved Globetrotters of all-time, Meadowlark Lemon, grew up in Wilmington and was inducted into the inaugural class of the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.