Yonkers native Maxwell Pearce. known as “Hops Pearce” when he’s playing for the Harlem Globetrotters, is also an award winning mixed media artist, and Goodwill ambassador who challenges how we perceive humanity in and out of sports.
Maxwell Pearce joined SportsJam with Doug Doyle to talk about his emotional story of becoming a game-changer both on and off the court.
The 6-foot Pearce, who played for Purchase College in New York, caught the attention of the Globetrotters after winning the 2018 Dark Horse Dunk Competition during Final Four Weekend. He has a 48-inch vertical! In 2018, Maxwell participated in the NCAA College Slam Dunk Competition where he represented Purchase College. At the event, Pearce threw down some of the most prolific dunks – one of which included a one-handed self-alley-oop slam dunk while filming himself with a cell phone camera.
Maxwell grew up idolizing NBA greats like Vince Carter and Nate Robinson. As a kid, he recalls watching videos of Carter’s slam dunks on the internet and then going outside to attempt them himself.
Pearce is the first NCAA Division III Basketball player to be fully featured in TWO video games (NBA2k and NBA Live).
Where did this ability to jump come from?
"First I was given a passion and fixation on dunking the basketball. That was enough to get me to put in a lot of work to increase my vertical. I think that work was accelerated by the gift of being able to jump pretty high, but I was always a short and skinny kid. All of my middle school career I always felt less than because a lot of my teammates were bigger, faster and stronger and I wasn't able to play above the rim at that time. So, to know have that above the rim element to my game, it's definitely gratifying."
During a live TV interview in Alabama in 2020, two news anchors threw fruit at him, including a banana while he was displaying some tricks. The station eventually offered an apology to Pearce. But after the basketball star spoke out, he received extreme backlash ranging from “shut up and dribble” to death threats.
"It was a really awful experience. I think what I learned most from is that the most powerful thing you can do respond rather than react. Response is calculated. It's intentional. A reaction is instinctive and it's not as well thought out. My response to that was to create a collection of art that highlights other athletes who use their platform to speak out against injustice. That was essentially the birth of my professional art career.
Pearce notably creates his artwork out of shoelaces and sports equipment. He has worked with HBCU schools, the NFL, NBA, Reebok, Players Tribune, and more.
Family has played a key role in the development of Maxwell Pearce.
"I want to say I started creating artwork in the third grade. For a while it took a backseat to sports. My parents put me into a lot of sports. I played a little bit of tennis. I played basketball obviously. I played baseball, football and ran cross country. Between practice for those sports and making sure I took care of my schoolwork, it was always challenging to give the time I wante dto to art. My grandmother's influence comes in because at one point I was a terrible student academically, not behaviorally, because I was really shy. I just didn't see the value in applying myself when I was in middle school. My grandmother is a former educator for like 40 years. I've been really lucky to have her as a resource. She lived across the street from each. She's largely responsible for my transformation as a student."
Pearce made the Dean’s List on numerous occasions as well as multiple honor roll lists throughout his collegiate career.
The Globetrotters will celebrate their 100th anniversary next year.
Pearce understands he's part of a wonderful and groundbreaking legacy.
"It means a lot to me because the Harlem Globetrotters are responsible for so many important advancements within the game of basketball. We're responsible for integrating the NBA in 1951. We had the first woman, Lynette Woodard, to play on a professional basketball team in 1985. On a more consistent level, wherever we play we're able to produce a smile and a laugh on people watching us, whether we speak the same language or not, which is really cool."
The next local stops on the Harlem Globetrotters' World Tour include Madison Square Garden in New York City on February 22, Core Insurance Center in Trenton on February 28 and Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on March 2. You can check out the full schedule and roster here.
You can SEE the entire SportsJam interview with Maxwell Pearce here.
