On a gorgeous afternoon in Washington, D.C., it is common to see runners and bikers traversing the Key Bridge from Arlington, Va., to Georgetown, but seeing a member of the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters doing the same definitely turned some heads.
Herbert "Flight Time" Lang dribbled his way from Rosslyn to Georgetown's Volta Park Monday to kick off "Globetrotter Week" in D.C., which continues throughout the week with school visits and goodwill appearances before culminating with three games this weekend, two at the Patriot Center (March 24 at 7:30 p.m. and March 25 at 2 p.m.) and one at the Verizon Center (March 24 at 1 p.m.).
Lang caught the attention of passers-by, mesmerizing them by spinning the Globetrotter's trademark red, white and blue ball on his finger (which he admitted he did not know how to do when he originally joined the team). He also made frequent stops to pose for pictures, which came naturally considering his past in front of the camera.
"I've made an appearance on quite a few reality shows," Lang said. "I made an appearance on an episode of Jillian's season of 'The Bachelorette.' I've appeared on 'Hell's Kitchen.' I was on 'Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?' I got all the questions right; I like to brag about that. I also did 'The Amazing Race' twice. I enjoy reality TV. That's the way that you get to really see how people are."
Lang took time from his busy filming schedule to promote the Globetrotters in D.C., using the Key Bridge as an appropriate metaphor.
"We're connecting [with the audience]," he said. "So here we are, crossing the bridge connecting Washington, D.C., and Virginia."
Of course, it takes a ton of talent to earn the privilege of slipping on the Globetrotters' iconic candy-striped shorts, but according to Lang, it is not as hard as it seems.
Sports
"It's all about playing basketball and developing and learning things from guys from the past as well as coming up with things on [your] own," he said. "Coming in, there's not really any agenda that you have to know tricks. You just have to be willing to learn."
With that being said, I will be right back...
Adam Vingan is co-founder and editor of Kings Of Leonsis, a Caps-centric blog, and is the Capitals Editor for SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter @Adam_KOL and e-mail your story ideas to adamvingan (at) gmail.com.
