Globetrotters Unveil Four-Point Shot; Why Not The NBA?

Okay, LeBron's homecoming has come and gone. Is there any way to get us interested in basketball again? Starting this weekend, Harlem Globetrotter games will have a spot on the court from which any basket is worth four points. We love this.

The Globetrotters "have contributed more innovations to the game of basketball than any other team in history," according to the press release, and we're hard-pressed to argue. The ladder, the ball on a string, the bucket of confetti; all have since found their places in the college and pro games.

Maybe not. But this one's different. For their upcoming North American tour, the courts will have a four-point spot on each end, about 35 feet from the basket. For the final three minutes of each quarter, nail a shot from the spot, get the extra point. Here they are practicing it:

This is brilliant because it's one those ideas that literally everyone has thought of. Who hasn't been dicking around on the court and made a half-court shot, only to exclaim that it should be worth more. Who hasn't wished, at the end of a game, the down-by-four team could tie it up with a full-court heave, because goddamnit, if they make that, they deserve to keep playing?

Don't argue that the NBA would be resistant to change. James Naismith's original rules were two typewritten pages. Here's the NBA rulebook now, an unwieldy behemoth of a PDF. So let's get it done.

Also, an extra point if you call glass.