Paul Sturgess (basketball)

Paul "Tiny" Sturgess was "drafted" by the Harlem Globetrotters in August 2011[3] and is the tallest ever to play for the team.[1][4] He joined the team with fellow rookie Jonte "Too Tall" Hall, who, at 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m) was 2.5 ft (76 cm) shorter than Sturgess, and who was at the time the shortest Globetrotters player ever.[5]

Sturgess wears a size 19 shoe.[6][7] He was the second-tallest man in Britain until the unexpected death of Neil Fingleton, who was 7 ft 7.56 in (2.33 m) tall, in 2017. Examinations as a teenager revealed that his growth is healthy and not the result of a medical condition, but rather he possesses familial tall stature—that is to say his height is genetic. His biological father is 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), and there are other tall members in his family although his mother is 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) and his younger sister is 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m).[8] He featured prominently in the 2007 ITV1 television documentary Supersize Kids: Britain's Tallest Teens when he was 19 and playing at Florida Institute of Technology.

Sturgess enjoys playing many other sports and before concentrating on basketball also played golf and football.[8] He started playing team basketball at age 14 when he was 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m), was 7 ft (2.1 m) aged 16 playing at Burleigh Community College, and was 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) when he graduated high school at age 18. A growth spurt during ages of 16 and 17 resulted in a 1 ft (30 cm) of height added within a single year. Sturgess can hold the 10 ft (3.0 m) high rim whilst standing. He declined offers to play professional basketball in Europe, preferring to pursue basketball in the US.

On 1 November 2013, Sturgess was selected by the Springfield Armor in the third round of the 2013 NBA Development League Draft.[9] On 4 November 2013, he was traded to the Texas Legends where he played for the rest of the season.[10]

On 19 November 2014 he was signed by Cheshire Phoenix of the British Basketball League.[11]

Later Sturgess transferred back to the Harlem Globetrotters act, this time being part of the arranged opposition.[12] In the re-formed Washington Generals Sturgess adopted a mask and the pseudonym of "Cager," adopting a villainous role.[13]

Immediately following his basketball career, he became a motivational speaker, mostly for primary school aged children.[14]

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