Benedict College Athletics

Kris Bruton did not play organized basketball before enrolling at Benedict College, where he impressed men's head basketball coach Willie Washington during pickup games and was offered a spot on the team. Bruton's basketball career skyrocketed, as he went on to earn NAIA First Team All-America honors and win the 1994 College Slam Dunk Contest as a college senior.

He was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1994, but various injuries derailed his NBA career. He continued to play professionally in the CBA, as well as Europe and Japan. He returned home to play for Greenville in the NBA Developmental League, during which time one of his coaches, Milton Barnes (who was a former Globetrotters coach) recommended he give the Globetrotters a shot, and he signed a contract with the team in 2001.

Bruton played his first game with the Globetrotters in December 2001 where his unique jumping abilities made him an early crowd favorite. During a tour of the Bahamas, Bruton and several other Globetrotters attempted to break the world record for highest slam dunk. While eyewitnesses allege that he successfully completed a dunk at 12 feet, 1 inch, thus breaking the record, on-site judges declared it an illegal dunk.