Pope Leo XIV met with the Harlem Globetrotters at St. Peter’s Square in The Vatican on April 8. While the group was there, they taught him one of their signature tricks.
A video captured the moment when one of the athletes spun the ball on his finger, then passed it off to Pope Leo. He helped the pope spin the red, white, and blue ball on his finger while a crowd watched. When the trick was complete, the crowd burst into cheers. Later on in the evening, the team presented him with a Harlem Globetrotters jersey.
The video quickly gained attention on social media. One comment said, “Is this the same pope from Chicago? Yeah, he knows ball.” Another added, “I think everyone likes the new Pope. I’m not even Catholic.”
This isn’t the first time the Globetrotters have met with a pope. In 2015, the late Pope Francis also spun a ball on his finger with the group. It has become a tradition for the team.
The Harlem Globetrotters were founded in 1926 on the South Side of Chicago. Pope Leo XIV is also from Chicago. He is known to be an avid sports fan, which the internet discovered when an image surfaced of him cheering on the Chicago White Sox during the 2005 World Series.
This isn’t the first time that Pope Leo has gone viral over a memorable moment. In September 2025, he jumped onto an all-white motorcycle outside of the Vatican after signing it for charity.
According to TMZ, this came after meeting with the “Jesus Bikers,” an organization of religious riders who traveled all the way from Germany to Rome to meet him. The bikers claimed that they had plans to sell the bike and donate the funds to Missio Austria Children's Aid project in Madagascar. The charity combats child labor and supports education and reforestation efforts.
