FACTS ABOUT THE HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS

The Harlem Globetrotters played their first game on Jan. 7, 1927 in Hinckley, Illinois.

1. They were originally called the Savoy Big Five. They played before dances in the Savoy Ballroom in Chicago.  Some players broke away in a pay dispute and formed the Globe Trotters.  A Jewish businessman named Abe Saperstein took over the team and renamed it the New York Harlem Globe Trotters to give the impression that the team was coming to play games in the Midwest from New York City.  The team did not play a game in Harlem until 1968.
2. Saperstein, the son of a tailor, sewed the famous red, white, and blue uniforms. He was the team owner, coach, manager, publicist, and sometimes was a substitute player.
3. For the first couple of decades, the team was an option for very good African-American basketball players since the professional basketball leagues were whites only. The original Globetrotters were Walter “Toots” Wright, Byron “Fats” Long, Willis “Kid” Oliver, Al “Runt” Pullins, and Andy Washington (who apparently could not afford a nickname).  They were paid $75 per game.
4. The team barnstormed, playing against other all-black teams. They were 101-16 in their first season.  They went on to be one of the best all-black teams in the country.  In 1948, they shocked the Minneapolis Lakers of the newly formed NBA.  This contributed to the NBA ending the color barrier in 1950.  Unfortunately, this meant the NBA became a competitor for black players.  In 1950, Globetrotter Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton became the first black in the NBA.  Other famous NBA stars who started with the Globetrotters included Wilt Chamberlain and Connie Hawkins.  Chamberlain played for $50,000 instead of playing his senior year at Kansas University. 
5. They did not start their showmanship and silliness until the late 1930’s and only if they had a big lead. This gradually took over as their act.  In 1953, Saperstein signed up the Washington Generals as their foil.  Instead of playing local teams, they now toured and played the Generals each night.  The Generals went on to lose over 16,000 games and went down in history as the best losers in history.  They did win one game.  On Jan. 5, 1971, the Globetrotters lost track of the score and a General hit a buzzer-beater.  That never happened again.
6. Over the years, the team played in 124 countries before over 120 million fans. It played over 26,000 games.  It played before the Pope.  During the Cold War, it played in the Soviet Union and the players shook hands with Nikita Khrushchev.  Wilt Chamberlain was with the team at the time.
7. The team’s popularity peaked in the 1970’s, but then dropped off after the retirement of perennial stars (and national celebrities) Meadowlark Lemon and Curley Neal.
8. The first female Globetrotter was Lynette Woodard.
9. Three future Baseball Hall of Famers played with the Globetrotters – Bob Gibson, Ferguson Jenkins, and Lou Brock.
10. The Globetrotters appeared in two movies, two animated childrens’ cartoons, and Gilligan’s Island. They were given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1982.
11. They entered the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. Abe Saperstein is the shortest person enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/harlem-globetrotters-play-their-first-game

https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-harlem-globetrotters

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem_Globetrotters