Harlem Globetrotters have big plans for bullied Macon boy
Adam Flowers is getting another salute — this time from the Harlem Globetrotters.
The 9-year-old, who drew national attention last month when The Telegraph reported that he'd been bullied because of his old tennis shoes, has been invited to sit on the Globetrotters' bench during the team's game in Macon Tuesday night.
The Bibb County sheriff's deputies who learned of Adam's plight and bought him a new pair of sneakers also will be recognized with an honorary tip as well as tickets to the game, according to a statement from the team.
"The actions of the Bibb County deputies truly embody the spirit of the Harlem Globetrotters," Globetrotters star Big Easy Lofton said in a statement. "We commend these incredible individuals for doing what they thought was right, and 'assisting' Adam and his family by extending themselves beyond their role as police officers."
Adam, his brothers and grandmother will get seats on the Globetrotters' bench, and Adam will get to try on another pair of new shoes on the Macon Coliseum basketball court during a break in the third quarter of the game.
A sneaker collector from Pennsylvania, a retired Detroit Lions football player and a married couple in Massachusetts who shared similar experiences of being bullied were among the dozens inspired to give to Adam and his family after the story was published in The Telegraph.
"(Adam's) got two or three pairs of shoes now," his grandmother, Carolyn Taylor, said Monday afternoon. "He's so excited about those, but the ones from the (sheriff's office), though, those are his favorite. I can tell you that. I have to make him take them off."
The story made national television Friday night when ABC World News aired a short segment about the gift from deputies.
When Taylor got a call from a Harlem Globetrotters representative over the weekend, "I think I was even more excited than I was when someone called me from ABC," Taylor said Monday afternoon. "I can't tell you how this has been so awesome. I just sit in awe, thinking."
Adam and his brothers have no idea what's in store for them, said Taylor, who plans to surprise the boys just before the 7 p.m. game.
"It's like dominoes. Everything is going on," Taylor said of the outpouring of positive reactions to her grandson's story. "I'm excited he'll get to do some things that maybe he just dreamed about, you know?"
To contact writer Laura Corley, call 744-4334 and follow her on Twitter @Lauraecor.
This story was originally published March 7, 2016 at 6:11 PM with the headline "Harlem Globetrotters have big plans for bullied Macon boy ."