Overview
- The Chicago-born pontiff, who welcomed the Harlem Globetrotters during his General Audience on Wednesday, tried the team’s fingertip ball spin with help from a player.
- Video shows the ball resting on his index finger for a few seconds before dropping, drawing cheers and smiles from the crowd in St. Peter’s Square.
- After the trick, he shook hands with players and held up a customized jersey bearing “Pope Leo XIV,” adding to the feel-good exchange.
- Coverage noted his long-standing sports fandom and Chicago roots, which helped the moment resonate with viewers beyond the Vatican.
- The visit fits a decades-long pattern of Globetrotters goodwill stops at the papacy, with meetings recorded since 1951 and an honorary nod to the team in 2015.