Harlem Globetrotters celebrate 100 years at Madison Square Garden

Legendary exhibition basketball team the Harlem Globetrotters returned to Madison Square Garden Sunday afternoon to kick off a massive 100th-anniversary tour that will travel to hundreds of arenas across the country.

The Globetrotters, founded in Chicago in 1926 as the Savoy Five before eventually relocating to Harlem in 1929, have become synonymous with skills, trick shots and entertainment over the past century, with their name often invoked to describe flashy pieces of skill in other sports.

The mythical days of the 1940s and ’50s may have faded – when the Globetrotters routinely beat all-white teams before the formation of the NBA and the integration of basketball – but a certain mystique still surrounds the now-100-year-old team.

Rooted in black culture, the Globetrotters’ victory over the all-white Minneapolis Lakers in 1948 helped to accelerate integration in basketball, while a number of prominent black athletes have made their name with the Globetrotters before joining the NBA, including Wilt Chamberlain and Nat “Saltwater” Clifton, who became the first black player to sign an NBA contract when he joined the New York Knicks in 1950.

Keith Dawkins, president of the Harlem Globetrotters, said the team provided an opportunity for black athletes at a time when they didn’t have an outlet to play professionally.

“We got the best of the best talent out of the black community in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s,” Dawkins said.

As the integrated NBA rose in prominence, the Globetrotters began pivoting more heavily toward a more entertainment-orientated form of basketball, with skills, trick shots and fan engagement becoming mainstays in Globetrotter events.

The team has played over 26,000 exhibition games as it prepares for its 100th birthday, the majority of which coming against the Washington Generals, created in the 1950s to become the Globetrotters’ primary opponents.

Sunday’s 100th anniversary celebration saw the latest installment of that rivalry, with the Globetrotters unsurprisingly winning out while displaying some of the tricks and fan interaction that has made the organization a cultural behemoth over the past century.

The Globetrotters have also significantly expanded their reach, welcoming their first female player in 1985 and welcoming a number of players from around the world. On Sunday, the Globetrotters and the Generals fielded two all-female teams for the first time in history.

“The Globetrotters have been instrumental in the black community, but they’ve also been there for all communities. That’s what really makes them special,” Dawkins said.

Dawkins also believes that the skills and thrills on display at countless Globetrotter events over past decades have inspired modern basketball players, even as the NBA dwarfed the organization in popularity.

“When you look at the sporting landscape the way it is today, whether it’s Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving and the way they are magical with their skills… that all started with the Globetrotters,” Dawkins said. “They were the first team to sign a woman athlete to a men’s basketball team. They integrated the sport.

“We globalized the sport,” he added. “We blended sports and entertainment, doing trick shots long before YouTube ever existed… the Globetrotters really revolutionized the sports entertainment landscape.”

Sunday’s exhibition match against the Generals, as with all Globetrotter events, featured a number of noticeable differences to a regular NBA game, notably the addition of a 4-point arc to encourage long-distance shooting and running commentary provided by the Globetrotters “showman,” who breaks the fourth wall by talking to the audience throughout.

Hammer, who acted as showman during the opening quarter on Sunday, broke the fourth wall at one point by venturing into the crowd and lifting a baby into the air in a recreation of the iconic opening scene from “The Lion King.”

“It’s not just about the game that’s going on,” Hammer said. “It’s about how we connect the families together.”

Hammer, who grew up in Brooklyn, has been with the organization for 17 years, traveling to over 70 countries, and said it is “special” to go from playing on public courts in New York to representing the iconic organization in the “Mecca” of basketball.

“I remember playing a lot of street basketball out there in the parks, just wishing one day I’d have a platform like this to be out here and represent the people that came before me,” Hammer said ahead of Sunday’s event.

Globetrotters events also feature the iconic “Magic Circle,” where players showcase their skills before the start of the exhibtion game, and “Instant Replay,” which sees players comedically re-enact moves in slow motion to allow the referee to “review” contentious decisions.

Moments before the Magic Circle. Photo via Harlem Globetrotters.

Zeus, who also represented the Globetrotters on Sunday, said fans are as likely to see a player eating a hot dog before draining a shot from the stands as they are to see regular basketball plays.

“You’re going to see high flying slam dunks, half-court trick shots and crowd participation that’s unrivaled in sports,” Zeus said on Sunday.

Globetrotter Baller Moss dunks during Sunday’s exhibition. Photo via Harlem Globetrotters.

“Sweet Lou” Dunbar, who has been involved with the Globetrotters for 49 years, said Globetrotters are “ambassadors of good will” and joked that the organization is “kinda like Santa Claus.”

“We go around the world. We come around like once a year. We put smiles on people’s faces. We create memories,” Dunbar said.

Dunbar’s son, “Sweet Lou II,” has been playing with the Globetrotters for the past nine years and said it is “amazing” to follow in his father’s footsteps, especially at a time when the organization is celebrating 100 years.

“It’s history. Not many organizations can say they’ve been around for 100 years,” Sweet Lou II said. “He (Dunbar) has been around for half that time.”