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NBA Teams

Basketball’s Favorite Team - The Harlem Globetrotters

The Harlem Globetrotters, in their current “incarnation”, are mostly an entertainment and exhibition basketball team rather than a competitive one. They are known for their showmanship and comic abilities, as well as their talent. The team originated in 1928 in Chicago, created by Abe Saperstein, though the name “Harlem” was used due to its connotations as a leading African-American community.

Since its creation, the Globetrotters have toured over 100 countries and participated in over 20,000 exhibition games. Originally the Giles Post of the Negro American Legion League, they turned professional in 1927, changing the name to the Savoy Big Five, later in the year becoming the Globetrotters. Initially, they were serious competitors and beat the Minneapolis Lakers (considered the best in the sport) twice in a row in 1948 and 1949. When Chuck Cooper became the first black player drafted by an NBA team in 1950, however, the Globetrotters began to have trouble attracting and keeping top players.

Gradually, they began working comedy into their games and became more well known for their antics and entertainment than the competitive sport of basketball. Tricks of coordination, handling of multiple balls, passing or juggling between players, balancing and spinning routines, and awe-inspiring shots are all part of the daily showmanship of the Harlem Globetrotters. Players that have had a stint with these performers include Wilt Chamberlain, Reece “Goose” Tatum, and Hall of Famers Bob Gibson, Fergie Jenkins, and Lou Brock.

The team has signed on to several television show appearances in the past, due to being controlled by Metromedia through the 1970’s and 1980’s. They appeared in variety shows and specials, as well as being “drawn” into several Hanna-Barbera cartoons (favorites on Scooby Doo). After a period of decline, the team was bought by former member Mannie Jackson in 1993, bringing the team to a revival. In the year 2000, the Globetrotters made a trip to the Vatican, performing for the Pontiff and naming Pope John Paul II an honorary member of the team.

The team itself was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002 and continues to tour today, playing several exhibition games against college teams and pick up teams (like Magic Johnson’s All Stars), mostly to dispel the criticism that they do not play “real” basketball.

Players

• Scottie Orphan
• Shaquille O'Neal
• Wilt Chamberlain