Photo: World's Tallest Hoops Player - 7' 8"

The world’s tallest professional basketball player, Paul “Tiny” Sturgess, will add 7-feet 8-inches to the Philadelphia skyline when he and the Harlem Globetrotters play five games in the Philadelphia Region between Friday, March 9 and Sunday, March 11.

Facts and figures about 7-8 Tiny Sturgess:

- Tiny was officially recognized on Nov. 17, 2011, by Guinness World Records as the World's Tallest Professional Basketball Player

- Born and raised in Loughborough, England

- Wears a size 20 shoe

- Grew a foot between the ages of 16 & 17

- Father is 6-9 and mother is only 5-5

- Excellent soccer player (or football as he would call it)

- Loves to play golf with his custom-made clubs and crushes 360-yard drives

- Played college basketball at Mountain State University in West Virginia (class of 2011)

- Helped Mountain State to two regional championships

- Made the dean’s list in college three times

- Enjoys swimming

- Wants to be a physiotherapist after his basketball career

On the heels of signing one of the most spectacular rookie classes in team history, which includes Sturgess, the Harlem Globetrotters will bring their 2012 World Tour to the Greater Philadelphia Region as they take to courts at the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University on Friday, March 9 at 7p.m., the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, NJ, on Saturday, March 10 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday, March 11 at 1 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Tickets to see the world’s most famous basketball team at the Wells Fargo Center are on sale now exclusively through ComcastTIX on line at ComcastTIX.com, by phone at 1-800-298-4200 or in person at the Wells Fargo Center box office.

Tiny will team up with Jonte “Too Tall” Hall, the shortest Globetrotter ever at 5-2. Other rookies on the Globetrotters include the top three finishers from the 2011 College Slam Dunk Contest. They join Globetrotter veterans such as Flight Time Lang – a two-time competitor on “The Amazing Race” and the team’s showman Special K Daley.

Sponsored by Howard Johnson Hotels, Greyhound Lines, Spalding, and Russell Athletic, the Original Harlem Globetrotters will celebrate their 86th consecutive year in 2012, continuing a world famous tradition of ball handling wizardry, basketball artistry and one-of-a-kind family entertainment that continues to thrill fans of all ages.Throughout their history, the Globetrotters have showcased their iconic talents in 120 countries and territories on six continents, often breaking down cultural and societal barriers while providing fans with their first-ever basketball experience. Proud inductees of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the Globetrotters have entertained hundreds of millions of fans—among them popes, kings, queens, and presidents—over more than eight thrilling decades. For the latest news and information about the Harlem Globetrotters, and to purchase tickets and team merchandise, visit the Globetrotters’ official Web site: www.harlemglobetrotters.com.

Comcast-Spectacor (comcast-spectacor.com) is the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment company which owns the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL), the home arena for both the Flyers and the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, the Wells Fargo Center, and four Flyers Skate Zone community ice skating and hockey rinks. In addition, Comcast-Spectacor is also the principal owner of Global Spectrum, the fastest growing firm in the public assembly management field with more than 100 facilities throughout the United States and Canada; Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage service provider; New Era Tickets, a ticketing and marketing company for public assembly facilities; Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company; FanOne, a digital fan marketing company; and Paciolan, the leading provider of venue enablement, ticketing, fundraising and marketing technology solutions.