INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) —  The Harlem Globetrotters are headed back to Indianapolis ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

The team will take on long-time rivals the Washington Generals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday, January 18^th at 1 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased here.

On Wednesday, Harlem Globetrotters player Zeus McClurkin joined Daybreak to discuss the game and what fans can expect.

“You’re going to see high-flying slam dunks. You’re going to see half-court trick shots and crowd participation that’s really unrivaled in sports. You’ll see us go out into the crowd. We might bring somebody out and spin the ball on their finger. You look at us out there, we’re always having fun with the basketball, trying to recreate things with this sport. We’re innovators of the game. We invented the slam dunk, the ally-oop, the four-point line,” McClurkin said.

McClurkin is a five-time Guinness World Record holder, which includes the record for most slam dunks in one minute.  

“I actually made 16 dunks in one minute,” he explained.

The Harlem Globetrotters say they are the originators of basketball style; captured by their dynamic athleticism, unique skill and historical influence on the modern game of basketball. Since 1926, the Globetrotters. who are proud members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, have used their legendary global tour to showcase their iconic brand of basketball to tens of millions in over 124 countries and territories across six continents.

The timing of the Globetrotters’ visit to Indianapolis is not an accident. It’s a long running tradition that the Globetrotters play in Indianapolis on, or just before, MLK Day. The players bring that “Day of Service” MLK mentality with them for their visit, McClurkin says.

“The Globetrotters are known not just for what we do on the court, but also what we do off the court. Later on today, we’re getting a chance to go to the Peyton Manning Hospital. We’re going to see some kiddos there.

We have this program we do called ‘Smile Patrol.’ It’s where I just go into some of the rooms and try to put a smile on the kids’ faces who maybe aren’t having the greatest day that day, and just try to make them happy. But, you know, that’s what the Globetrotters have been known for, for almost 100 years now,” McClurkin said.

After the game in Indianapolis, players will stay to spend time with fans.

“This year we have this thing called the Fifth Quarter. That’s when you get an opportunity after the game to come down and see your favorite Harlem Globetrotter. My name is Zeus, by the way, and we’ll give you autographs. We’ll take pictures with you. It’s just our chance to kind of get up close and personal and give back to these fans that have given so much to us for the last 98 years,” McClurkin said.

McClurkin and the other Harlem Globetrotters are preparing for the team’s centennial in 2026, marking 100 years of bringing laughter, joy, and long-lasting memories to fans that transcend generations.