The papacy is a lifetime appointment, but if Pope Leo XIV is ever interested in a career change, he may have a future with the Harlem Globetrotters.
The 70-year-old pontiff left jaws dropped when he learned to spin a basketball on his finger with the help of Globetrotters players, who visited him in Vatican City on Wednesday, April 8.
Video shared by the Associated Press shows Pope Leo pulling off the trick with one of the Globetrotters’ signature red, white and blue basketballs. He earned a round of applause from onlookers as he shook the players’ hands with a wide smile.
Pope Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost, ascended to the papacy in May 2025 and has since made his sports fandom no secret. A native of Chicago, Illinois, he is the first pope ever to be born in the United States and is a known fan of the Windy City’s professional teams.
When Leo was named pope, a screenshot quickly emerged from the broadcast of Game 1 of the 2005 World Series, showing him in the stands, cheering on the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox ultimately swept the Houston Astros to win their first championship in 88 years.
His brother, John Prevost, made it clear to Chicago news station WGN9 that Leo “was never, ever a Cubs fan.”
The White Sox plan to honor their most famous fan on August 11 when they will give out pope-themed hats at their game against the Cincinnati Reds. Only fans sitting in certain sections, dubbed pews, will receive the hats, and attendees must have purchased tickets from the team directly.
Leo also graduated from Villanova University and roots for the school’s basketball teams.
On the basketball court, Leo’s rooting interests go beyond Villanova and the Chicago Bulls. Rev. Robert P. Hagan, senior associate athletic director and team chaplain for Villanova’s football and men’s basketball teams, said he emails and texts with the pope, who has enjoyed watching the New York Knicks — a team full of former Wildcats.
“We’ve had a lot of fun watching the Knicks because Jalen [Brunson] and Josh [Hart] and Donte [DiVincenzo] was there and now Mikal [Bridges] is there,” Hagan told The Athletic in 2025. “I think that Pope Leo will still keep an eye on the Nova Knicks. I think he’ll still keep an eye on the Wildcats, and I think he’ll be very proud of not just who they are but the way that they play with a certain spirit and unselfishness.”
