By Jon Waterhouse

For the AJC

The Harlem Globetrotters, those whimsical wizards of basketball, had their pop culture heyday in the 1970s and early ’80s.

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Harlem Globetrotters Herb "Moo Moo" Evans is helping to rekindle interest in the Harlem Globetrotters.

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But according to Herb “Moo Moo” Evans, a 27-year-old forward for the team, those days may be coming back. As the Globetrotters continue to tour, their red, white and blue jerseys are beaming brighter on the entertainment landscape. Evans’ teammates “Big Easy” Lofton and “Flight Time” Lang were on CBS’ “The Amazing Race.” And Evans’ personal appearances, such as his recent ball-handling ballyhoo at the Georgia Aquarium, help bring awareness to the 84-year-old brand.

Q: You’re no stranger to publicity stunts. What’s been your craziest?

A: At Newport Aquarium in Cincinnati, I actually got into the aquarium and swam with the sharks. ... There was a mako shark in there, a midsize one. I didn’t actually see it until I YouTubed myself. It swam right behind me.

Q: Back in the day, you couldn’t hardly turn on the TV without seeing the Globetrotters. Will that happen again?

A: We have a lot of things in the works. Whenever somebody calls us out, we try to get on TV just like Curly [Neal], Meadowlark [Lemon] and those guys who were out there all the time. So we’re working on a cartoon and our own TV show. We’re trying to get on TV constantly. It’s kind of at a blueprint point right now, but we’re taking baby steps. ... Hopefully they won’t get tired of us because we’re going to be on TV all the time having fun and making people smile.

Q: The Globetrotters experience is more entertaining exhibition than competition. It must take an immense amount of precision.

A: It takes a lot of chemistry with the team. We’ve been around each other for a long time and have a great bond with each other. It takes a lot of practice, and we practice every day before the game. It takes a lot of dedication, hard work and focus because you’ve got to know where you need to be. Once we start playing basketball, it’s just regular basketball. ... It’s always about sacrificing something. We have to forget about being tired and that long bus ride. We know we have to put smiles, not only on the kids’ faces, but also on the faces of the adults who brought them.

Event preview

Harlem Globetrotters

1 p.m. Saturday. $25-$158. Philips Arena, 1 Philips Drive, Atlanta. 7:30 p.m.
 Gwinnett Arena, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com .