Refugee children from Syria gathered at the Boys and Girls Club in London to watch basketball tricks, get autographs and take photos with a Harlem Globetrotter.
Anthony "Buckets" Blakes is a guard, number 15, for the Globetrotters and says he loved meeting the children and having the chance to give back.
"Maybe one day one of these kids will be a professional basketball player, they'll remember that I came here had fun with them, smiled, high fives and hugs and autographs and all that cool stuff, and they'll be able to present a positive message to other kids around the world," he says.
Blakes says he really enjoyed putting smiles on the kids' faces and introducing them to the game of basketball.
"It's fun because they make me laugh too, so it's kind of a trade off," says Blakes. "They're sitting there staring in awe, because some of the things that I did they never have seen before. So the looks on their faces kind of makes me smile and it inspires me to do it a little bit extra. I don't want to give them too much because they actually have tickets to the game, so they're going to see some more and they give me just as much positive energy as I give them."
For the kids who watched Blakes' tricks and are inspired to try out the sport themselves, Blakes says his advice is to be yourself.
"Be the best you, you could possibly be," he says. "It's tough to try to be someone else. A lot of kids around the world are influenced by what they see on television, what they read in books and in magazines, but we're all unique in our own way and as soon as you find out what's cool and what's unique about you, you'll reach your goals a lot faster."
After performing his tricks, Blakes was presented with a signed basketball from the children, a t-shirt from the Boys and Girls Club and a letter.
Mohammed Mustafa Al Hassan is a 9-year-old refugee who watched Blakes' tricks.
"It's so good," says Ban Abood, who translated for Mustafa Al Hassan.
Mustafa Al Hassan also says he wants to play basketball in the future and is looking forward to watching the game.
The Harlem Globetrotter will be performing at Budweiser Gardens for their 90th anniversary world tour on April 14.
**This story was written by Kayley Leon, a student in the Media, Theory, and Production program at Western University. Kayley is currently performing an internship with BlackburnNews.com**
