Caught a cool Biography the other night on TV. Hadn't thought about the Harlem Globetrotters in years... I can remember going to see them as a kid at The Forum in L.A. about a bazillion years ago. I remember just plain freaking out! They were so funny, f*cking with the refs and the Washington Generals. Of course I watched the Globetrotters cartoons Saturday mornings too! They have been a cultural phenomenon for for more than eight decades and continue to play today.
The Globetrotters were actually founded on the southside of Chicago at the end of the 1920s by Abe Saperstein. The team was initially a 'serious team' which barnstormed all over the U.S., exposing tons of folks to basketball, which was then a distant third to Baseball and Football. They literally played in thousands of games. For a lot of rural America, it was their first encounter with African Americans.
By the 1940s, the team was nationally known, and in 1948 and 1949 they defeated the then NBA champions, Minnesota Lakers, in front of sold out crowds at Chicago stadium. Shortly thereafter, the NBA owners wisely decided to admit Black players into the league.
The evolved over the years and included unforgettable stars like Curly Neal, Meadowlark Lemon, Reese "Goose" Tatum, Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton AND Wilt Chamberlain. The guys were hilarious, but they could ball, too! Still can! Chicago baseball hall of famers Fergie Jenkins and Lou Brock even played a couple games with the Globetrotters.
You can probably still catch the documentary on cable.
WILT
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