Harlem Globetrotters performing at the HEB Center in Cedar Park, Texas on February 5, 2023. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)
The Harlem Globetrotters 2023 World Tour is like never before! Your favorite Globetrotter stars are bringing out their amazing basketball skill, outrageous athleticism and a non-stop laugh out loud good time. Join the Globetrotters as they go head-to-head against the Washington Generals who will stop at nothing to try and defeat the world’s winningest team!
The World-Famous Harlem Globetrotters, The originators of basketball style, captured by dynamic athletes with unmatched skills and influencers of today’s game. The team has showcased their iconic brand of basketball in over 124 countries and territories across six continents since 1926. Proud inductees into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, their mission continues to advance the game of basketball and deliver exciting and interactive entertainment to the world. If you have ever seen a jump shot, slam dunk or a half-court hook shot, you have witnessed the creative moves made famous by the Globetrotters.
The Harlem Globetrotters are worldwide icons, synonymous with family entertainment and great basketball skills. The Globetrotters represent 90-plus years of breaking down barriers, acts of goodwill and a commitment to fans that goes beyond the game.
Abe Saperstein founded the team in 1926, and they played their first road game in Hinckley, Illinois, on Jan. 7, 1927. Since then, the Globetrotters have entertained more than 148 million fans in 123 countries and territories worldwide, introducing many to the sport of basketball. The team are pioneers in popularizing the slam dunk, the fast break, the forward and point guard positions, and the figure-eight weave. In 2010, the Globetrotters also introduced the first-ever 4-point shot, a shot located 30 feet from the basket – almost 7 feet beyond the NBA’s three-point arc.
In 1940, the Globetrotters won their first World Basketball Championship, defeating the Chicago Bruins. In 1948 and 1949, the Globetrotters stunned the world by twice defeating the World Champion Minneapolis Lakers of the NBA. The Globetrotters were socially influential and quickly became recognized as the world’s best basketball team, showing that African-Americans could excel on a professional level.
The victories over the Lakers accelerated the integration of the NBA, as Globetrotter Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton became the first African-American player to sign an NBA contract when he joined the famed New York Knicks in 1950. The Globetrotters also embarked on their first-ever international tour in 1950, played before their largest crowd ever – 75,000 – at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium in 1951 and finished the decade with their first-ever trip to the Soviet Union in 1959.
The legendary Wilt Chamberlain was part of that historic Soviet Union tour, as the Hall of Famer played a full season with the Globetrotters in 1958-59. After starting his NBA career, he still played parts of several other seasons with the Globetrotters, joining the team when he could between NBA seasons. Chamberlain said that some of the most pleasant days of his life were playing for the Harlem Globetrotters.
Following their 1951 trip to Berlin, the Globetrotters picked up the moniker Ambassadors of Goodwill from a letter written by the U.S. State Department to Abe Saperstein, which named the team “ambassadors of extraordinary goodwill.” Since then, the Globetrotters have earned the accolades of many world leaders, including special acknowledgment from Presidents Eisenhower and Ford for their ability to serve mankind around the world.
The Globetrotters continued to enjoy immense popularity in the ‘70s and ‘80s. The Harlem Globetrotters cartoon show on CBS earned some of the highest ratings in the history of Saturday morning television, and the team also had their own live action Saturday morning variety show, The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine, while appearing numerous times on the popular and long-running ABC's Wide World of Sports. In 1985, Olympic Gold Medalist Lynette Woodard joined the Globetrotters, becoming the first female to ever play on a men’s pro basketball team and helping to blaze a path for the WNBA.
Former Globetrotters player Mannie Jackson purchased the team in 1993, becoming the first African-American to own a major international sports and entertainment organization. He tripled the team’s revenue in three years and quadrupled its size in five. The team was also active in philanthropic efforts, with charitable contributions totaling more than $11 million under Jackson’s guidance.
Globetrotter Michael "Wild Thing" Wilson set a world record in 2000 by dunking on a 12-foot hoop at Final Four Weekend… a record that stands to this day, and one of 21 world records currently held by Globetrotters players.
The team cemented their standing as one of the world’s most influential basketball teams in 2002, receiving the sport's highest honor with induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Overall, there have been 13 people with ties to the Harlem Globetrotters inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
On Oct.1, 2013, the Globetrotters were purchased by Herschend Family Entertainment, the largest family-owned themed attractions company in the U.S., marking an expansion for the company into new media, audiences and markets.
Today, the Globetrotters continue to bring their entertainment to millions of fans around the world with more than 400 live events each year. Each Globetrotters game features some of the best athletes on the planet, unmatched fan interaction, incredible ball handling wizardly, the famous HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 4 POINTS® SHOT, rim-rattling dunks, and side-splitting comedy.
In all, close to 750 men and women have played for the world famous team, a team which has entertained popes, kings, queens, and presidents around the globe.
Off the court, the organization continues to evolve the company beyond its vibrant live event business by increasing alliances with global partners, developing a full line of licensed products, executing a multi-media strategy to gain worldwide saliency and continuing the brand’s legacy of deep social involvement in local communities.
Great time at the Globetrotters! I took my 8-yr old son to watch the Harlem Globetrotters. He’s not a basketball player and we don’t really watch much basketball. The game/show was fantastic! The players are extremely talented basketball players and my son was very impressed by all the dunks and tricky passes. The teams put so much effort into entertaining the crowd, which is a very refreshing thing to experience nowadays.They continue across the United States, Canada, and Europe with the last stop at the Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida on April 27, 2023.
They had the whole arena laughing, clapping, cheering and chanting the whole time. After the game, all the players stayed on the court so fans could come down for free and meet them for autographs. My son was thrilled to talk to them, and I can’t believe the amount of patience the players had with the crowd! Overall, I'd highly recommend the Harlem Globetrotters to any family looking for a fun and positive experience, even if you don’t consider yourself a basketball fan at all!
Slam dunk. We had such a fun evening. Lots of laughs and cheers! It was great to be able to get autographs from so many on the team members. Five stars. Nice family entertainment. Thank you!
It was so much fun! We brought our two grandsons to the game and they loved it!
Best time ever. We had courtside seats and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had! We truly enjoyed the interaction with the team! My five year old daughter truly enjoyed every second of the time there and getting to meet and get autographs from the team was the highlight of the night!
We had a great family night out. Right in the front row. My son who isn’t a huge basketball fan had the time of his life. He ask when their next game was and if he could go.
Absolutely awesome! Family had a great evening filled with laughter and basketball! Will definitely go back! Kids got basketballs and signatures from almost all the players after the game! What a great experience! Amazing show! Loved the crowd interaction as well! Very entertaining!
Wow! What a great evening. What a great experience. Took my basketball loving grandson and together we now have a fantastic memory for when he grows up.
Harlem Globetrotters
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Photos by Ralph Arvesen
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