Zeus McClurkin brings flair to Harlem Globetrotters

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Why does Julian “Zeus” McClurkin so enjoy playing for the Harlem Globetrotters?

“They pay you to be nice,” he says.

On Dec. 29, the Globetrotters play two games at the Schottenstein Center, an arena not 20 minutes from where McClurkin was born.

“I can’t wait,” he says. “It’s the best city in the world.”

McClurkin grew up on the southeast side of Columbus, near Independence High School, which he eventually attended.

He failed to make his school’s basketball team from seventh through 10th grade. However, as a testament to his perseverance, McClurkin stuck with it, and eventually made the team in his final two years at Independence.

After attending Tiffin University, he walked on at North Carolina A&T State University before playing internationally in Paraguay. He returned to the U.S. shortly thereafter.

A teammate from college then told him of an opportunity to play for the Washington Generals, the longtime opponent of the Globetrotters and usual victim of the team’s unique brand of basketball.

After facing the Globetrotters for a while, McClurkin says, the team “probably got tired of me dunking on them every game.” He was invited to a mini-camp the Globetrotters were hosting, and was signed to the team after that.

The Globetrotters have seemingly been a perfect fit for McClurkin’s large and inviting personality.

While coaches in high school and college would get angry with him for being too nice on the court and only wanting to smile and dunk, that sort of behavior is encouraged by the Globetrotters.

“Basketball is more about expressing yourself on the court,” McClurkin says about playing for the Globetrotters. “I’ll talk to the crowd and say things like, ‘You guys like that?’ (or) ‘Are you not entertained?’”

McClurkin, who got the nickname “Zeus” from his teammates because of his thunderous dunks, expressed his love for dunking last November when he set the Guinness World Record for most dunks in a minute with 15. He had to run behind the free throw line between each dunk, something that is difficult for an athlete with asthma to do.

McClurkin appreciates being part of a historic team that has helped popularize basketball around the globe, and that has helped bring skills such as passing and dribbling to the forefront internationally while providing a one-of-a-kind and interactive fan experience.

But his main motivation for sticking with the crew is simple.

“I can just be who I am,” he says.

Zachary Konno is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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