15 Facts About The Harlem Globetrotters

1. In 1948, The Harlem Globetrotters earned a new measure of respect by beating the Minneapolis Lakers of the newly established National Basketball Association.

2. The Harlem Globetrotters won 101 out of 117 games that first season and introduced many Midwestern audiences to a game they had not seen played before.

3. The Harlem Globetrotters were the creation of Abe Saperstein of Chicago, who took over coaching duties for a team of African-American players originally known as the Savoy Big Five.

4. In 1948, The Harlem Globetrotters shocked the basketball world by defeating the Minneapolis Lakers, champions of the all-white National Basketball League, the precursor to the National Basketball Association.

5. In 1959, The Harlem Globetrotters played nine games in Moscow after Saperstein received an invitation from Vasily Gricorevich, the director of Lenin Central Stadium.

6. In 1952, The Harlem Globetrotters invited Louis "Red" Klotz to create a team to accompany them on their tours.

7. The Harlem Globetrotters began as the Savoy Big Five, one of the premier attractions of the Savoy Ballroom opened in January 1928, a basketball team of African-American players that played exhibitions before dances.

8. In 1948, The Harlem Globetrotters shocked the basketball world by defeating the Minneapolis Lakers, champions of the all-white National Basketball League, the precursor to the National Basketball Association.

9. The Harlem Globetrotters have partnered with GoNoodle in a campaign to get kids moving and active, and this was something they mentioned as they brought kids out to participate in the various games and activities.

10. In 1959, The Harlem Globetrotters played nine games in Moscow after Saperstein received an invitation from Vasily Gricorevich, the director of Lenin Central Stadium.

11. In 1952, The Harlem Globetrotters invited Louis "Red" Klotz to create a team to accompany them on their tours.

12. The Harlem Globetrotters gradually worked comic routines into their act—a direction the team has credited to Reece "Goose" Tatum, who joined in 1941—and eventually became known more for entertainment than sports.

13. The Harlem Globetrotters were perennial participants in the World Professional Basketball Tournament, winning it in 1940.

14. The Harlem Globetrotters began as the Savoy Big Five, one of the premier attractions of the Savoy Ballroom opened in January 1928, a basketball team of African-American players that played exhibitions before dances.

15. The Harlem Globetrotters originated on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, in the 1920s, where all the original players were raised.