Eric "Broadway" Jones profiled in new documentary; interviewed by Scranton, Pa. Times-Tribune

Photo by Jason Ardan/Times-Tribune

Scranton, Pa. Times-Tribune columnist Chris Kelly interviewed Eric "Broadway" Jones when the Wizard visiting the city in which he first started playing basketball:

Eric “Broadway” Jones left Scranton in the mid-’90s, a few years before I arrived. On Friday, the basketball wizard held court at his alma mater in the city that gave us both a shot at winning.

Eric was a standout at what was then Lackawanna Junior College, which gave him a platform to launch a career playing with the Harlem Globetrotters and Harlem Wizards. Now a part owner of the Wizards, he was in town Friday for a charity game vs. Scranton School District faculty.

Eric was born and raised in the South Bronx. I hail from the Pittsburgh area. In a phone interview Thursday, Eric and I shared our gratitude for the futures we found in Scranton.

Read more at the Scranton Times-Tribune

WINGO! WINGO! WINGO! Beloved Player and Friend Died Recently, but Will Not be Forgotten

The Harlem Wizards mourn and celebrate a friend and former Wizard Harthorne Wingo.

“My dad, who founded the Wizards, always said that Wingo would make it to the NBA,” said Todd Davis, Wizards President said. “He said he had this intangible desire on the court, a fire to give it his all and run, rebound and defend.”

Three years ago, in partnership with Wingo's former high school teammates led by Bill Metcalfe, the Wizards participated in "Wingo Week" in Tryon, North Carolina. The community expressed their joy and appreciation of  the small town fellow who beat the odds and made it to the big time.

"His intensity on the court was matched by his friendliness and joyousness off the court. If you met Wingo once, you would never forget the positive energy and authenticity he shared. He touched many hearts and he will be missed."

Davis and Metcalfe talked about continuing Wingo's tradition in yearly events in Tryon and seeking out families and organizations to raise funds for."

Read about Wingo in the New York Times

Read about Wingo in his hometown newspaper

Harlem Wizards Committed to Driving Equality, Fairness, and Justice for All

The Harlem Wizards’ players, staff and support personnel want to express their deep sympathy to the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. As an organization, it’s saddened to see the images of such heinous murders. This is very personal for the group as 90 percent of the players are people of color, and this could have been one of them or their family members.

In order for the players to have a platform to collectively share their thoughts and feelings, a Zoom conference call was organized to give Harlem Wizards’ players a voice and outlet to provide their perspective on these issues of inequality and injustice.

Reactions to these horrendous murders was anger, disappointment, resignation, pain, and sadness.  The common questions that emerged were: “How do we get past this?” “How can I make it safe for my kids?” “How can I feel completely comfortable and welcome in the USA?” “Will this ever change?”

King Arthur Lewis, Jr., the inspiration for the “Team of We” movement, shared that, “We have to have sustained perseverance, like the 381-day Birmingham bus boycott that ended busing segregation in Birmingham.  We can protest and demand equality, but our challenge is to stand up for these things that we believe in while coming from a place of love and inclusion.”

Todd Davis, CEO Harlem Wizards, said, “It was heartbreaking to hear the players’ experience of living a somewhat double life. Respected and beloved while in ‘Wizard’ mode, but subject to a different reality when the uniform is removed. What was gratifying was that the players shared their authentic experiences and came together.”

The key Zoom meeting takeaways included a desire to continue to bring people together through fun, inspiration and exciting trick-hoops, but also a shared hope to go beyond that and to be part of the healing and educational conversation about race relations and the challenges faced as a nation.

“We believe that through our travels around the USA that we have an opportunity and moral obligation to share our thoughts with the millions of students we see each year,” Davis says.

Eric Jones, the longest-tenured Wizard of 22 years and one of the player-coaches said, “As an organization we have entertained fans across the globe for the past 59 years and we have brought families and communities together through basketball. This is not just what we do, this is who we are. This commitment to educating and fostering connection and understanding is a natural next step for the organization, fostered by where we are right now in this national conversation.”

Dwayne “Swoop” Simpson, a 13-year Wizard and a player-coach said, “This is about fair treatment and justice for African-Americans, but it’s also about humanity and making the world a better place for all.”

 


MEDIA CONTACT:

Todd Davis
Harlem Wizards
td@harlemwizards.com
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Coronavirus Update from The Harlem Wizards

Dear Ticket Buyers/Fans,

Wizard games through the end of June are postponed.

Most of the games will be rescheduled for next school year. Your ticket is valid for the rescheduled event. We are working with all school & non-profit organizations hosting Wizard fundraisers to reschedule each event.

Some have already been rescheduled and the new date is listed on the calendar. We will be in touch with all ticket holders via email as each event's details become available.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at boxoffice@harlemwizards.com.

Thanks again for supporting your community and for being fans of what the Wizards do.

Todd Davis
Wizards President

School Zone Podcast With Eric "Broadway" Jones

Harlem Wizards with Eric Jones

Conestoga High School: Harlem Wizards dazzle in FLITE fundraiser And Help Raise $45,000

The “T/E FLITE Crew” played against the world famous performance team, the Harlem Wizards, for a fun night of trick hoops and alley-oops March 31 at Conestoga High School in Berwyn. With over 1,500 attendees, this entertaining community event raised over $45,000 to support FLITE-funded programs in our School District making this the most successful event ever.

Harlem Wizards Broadway and Swoop sharing their love for the Game

Celebrity Parents Magazine Meets King Arthur

king-arthur

Celebrity Parents magazine recently interviewed King Arthur about "his love of basketball, building a strong and loving foundation with his kids, and how sports can break down barriers."

You never know what you’re going to see, but you’re going to see everything basketball. You’re going to see dunking, shooting, crazy tricks. You’re going to see showmanship and phenomenal athletes and it’s up close, in-your-face entertainment. It’s very interactive, and anything can happen in a game. And then you have the wild card of who we’re playing against. It’s different every night, so we never know who we’re playing against. Sometimes we play against professional teams, or other times we’ll play against the mayor. We’ll play against the lunch lady or the teachers! And we never know ahead of time, which makes it more fun.

Read more at Celebrity Parents