Sturgess was "drafted" by the
Harlem Globetrotters in August 2011 and is the tallest ever to play for the team, earning him the nickname "Tiny". He joined the team with fellow
rookie Jonte "Too Tall" Hall, who, at was shorter than Sturgess and was the shortest Globetrotters player ever at that time. Sturgess wears a
size 19 shoe. He was the second-tallest man in the UK until the death of actor and fellow basketball player
Neil Fingleton, who was tall, in 2017. Examinations as a teenager revealed that his growth is healthy rather than the result of a medical condition, and that his height is genetic. His biological father is and there are other tall members in his family, although his mother is and his younger sister is . Sturgess's height was average to slightly above average growing up and he didn't stand out. He was aged 14 when he started playing team basketball, but soon after a rapid growth spurt in the next two years took him to aged 16 playing at
Burleigh Community College, and when he graduated from high school at age 18. A growth spurt during the ages of 16 and 17 resulted in a of height added within a single year. Sturgess can hold the 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. On 4 November 2013, he was traded to the
Texas Legends where he played for the rest of the season. On 19 November 2014, he was signed by the
Cheshire Phoenix of the
British Basketball League. He later transferred back to the Harlem Globetrotters, this time being part of the arranged opposition. In the re-formed
Washington Generals, he adopted a mask as the villainous alter ego "Cager". Following the end of his basketball career in 2015, Sturgess became a motivational speaker, mostly for children of primary school age. == References ==