They call her the "Leggless Wonder" -- truly, that nickname is emblazoned across the back of her Harlem Globetrotters jersey -- but, you can now also call 10-year-old Lilly Biagini a Texan. And, as of yesterday, she's a Texan who shoots two-pointers thanks to a technique she picked up from Harlem Globetrotter Julian "Zeus" McClurkin.
McClurkin visited Biagini at her new school in Arlington to mark the one year anniversary of the Tubbs Fire, a disastrous wildfire that ravaged more than 3,500 homes and businesses in Northern California in 2017. Among the destruction was Biagini's former family home and most of her belongings, including her prosthetic legs.
With new blades, Biagini has continued an active lifestyle. Not long after the fire, she met McClurkin at her old school in California, and she was invited to join the Globetrotters on the court during a game in Oakland. Here in Texas, she welcomed McClurkin to her new school and they worked on her next objective: Making a shot on a 10-foot-goal.
It's something Biagini hadn't done before. Her prosthetics make it difficult to shoot a traditional jump-shot. Luckily, McClurkin knew just the trick.
The 6'8" forward holds the Guinness World Record for most bounced 3-pointers (five) in one minute. [He also holds the record for most basketball slam dunks (16) in one minute by an individual. That means no assists. He had to run back to the free shot line before every shot.]
McClurkin coached Biagini to use the bounce shot technique that helped him set the world record. He told her, "I've got faith in you."
Her face says the rest:
"Lilly and her mom will rejoin the Globetrotters on the bench when they bring games to the Dallas area over Thanksgiving Weekend," the statement says.
You can catch the Globetrotters' trick shots, slam dunks, boisterous ballin' and other exciting showmanship on Nov. 23 at Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco and Nov. 24 and 25 at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Need more feel-good vibes?
Check out our #TheFeels hub for more happy stories about North Texans living their best lives.