Harlem Globetrotters Turn 75

H I N C K L E Y, Ill., Jan. 7 -- To celebrate their 75th Anniversary the Harlem Globetrotters did what they love to do most — entertain.

The Harlem Globetrotters played before a sold-out crowd today in the same town that hosted their very first game: Hickley, Illinois.

“I think it’s great to be part of just such a rich history and to be able to be a part of an organization that has been around for so long,” said Orlando Antigua, one of the Harlem Globetrotters.

The team, originally called the Savoy 5, got its start in Chicago in 1929.

The name was changed a year later to the Harlem Globetrotters — a marketing strategy so that audiences knew the players were African American. They became one of the very first all black basketball teams and helped break down racial barriers.

“They invented and perfected moves like the slam dunk and behind-the-back passes long before the NBA,” said Mannie Jackson, owner and chairman of the Globetrotters.

Many players became basketball legends like Wilt Chamberlain, Marques Haynes and Meadowlark Lemon.

“Everything the NBA is doing today, they got it from us,” said Lemon, known as the Clown Prince of Basketball.

Nationwide, the Globetrotters play in more than 300 cities each year, most of which don’t have an NBA team of their own. The team gives those basketball fans a chance to see a top flight team, says Jackson.

And their success continues to grow. Now there are four teams travelling worldwide and entertaining fans.

Laughter is a priority and family entertainment is taken seriously.

“I tell them first we have integrity, we are skilled entertainers, we are charismatic and fun,” said Tex Harrison, a former player and now head coach to the court. “We are the best, we are the Harlem Globetrotters!”

That has helped make them into what they are today — ambassadors of the court and an American institution.