The Harlem Globetrotters are celebrating their 100-year anniversary with a world tour. February 4, the Globetrotters stop at the Toyota Center gave Tri-Cities fans a front-row seat to a century of basketball history, entertainment and heart.
Veteran player Alex “Moose” Weekes has been part of that legacy for 16 years. His journey to the Globetrotters started long before the nickname or the spotlight.
“I played in charity game against some former Globetrotters and NBA players,” Weekes said. “I got the game MVP, Sweet Lou Dunbar, who was the director of player personnel, we exchanged information, got an opportunity that I ran with 16 years later, here I am living a dream.”
Weekes’ nickname has become part of his on-court identity. “A moose is a large animal known for its temperament. Dare I say majestic,” he said. “I’m a large, powerful, angry dunker, but I still smile… my teammates used to say my hair looked like moose antlers above the rim when I was dunking.”
Reaching the Globetrotters’ 100th year is a milestone he says he’s proud to be part of. “When I started out, that was a goal of mine to make it to the 100th year,” Weekes said. “Not just being a part of the team… being a veteran player and a leader is just something that I take pride in.”
He credits the players before him for shaping that mindset. “They always told me, just leave it better than how you got it,” he said.
For Weekes, the anniversary tour isn’t just about basketball. “I think, look, the world really just needs the Globetrotters right now,” he said. “So we’re celebrating 100 years, and the party’s gonna keep on going right here tonight.”
That party was on full display in Kennewick, where fan interaction remains a hallmark of every Globetrotters stop. Weekes says seeing kids in the crowd is what makes it special.
“You see these kids with all these hopes and dreams and their eyes just wide, ready for the next thing,” he said. “Sometimes kids might have a little social anxiety, but you see them slowly, kind of come out their shell, and at the end of the game, they’re standing on their feet, the loudest kid in the whole arena.”
While the tricks and dunks look effortless, Weekes says there’s real work behind the scenes. “Aside from coming in as a globetrotter with basketball talent, you have to be able to pick up some of the Globetrotter magic,” he said. “Everybody kind of comes up with their own thing and takes something that has been done thousands of times and make it their own.”
After a century of smiles, skill, and showmanship, Weekes says the role of a Globetrotter goes far beyond the court. “Being a Harlem Globetrotter means that you are a goodwill ambassador,” he said. “Just knowing that something as small as a basketball can carry such a huge impact all across the globe.”
That impact was felt loud and clear during the team’s 100th-anniversary stop in Kennewick and the Globetrotters say the celebration is far from over.
