The Harlem Globetrotters, an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater, and
comedy, are celebrating their 90th anniversary of being an organization. Over the years the
Globetrotters have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 122 countries and territories.
Hundreds of kids, parents and fans sporting red, white and blue packed Samford’s Pete Hanna Center on Sunday, March 6.
Fans gathered to watch Hacksaw, Big Easy, Scooter, Too Tall, Hawk, Titan, Torch, Moose, Flip, and Hawk perform alley-oop dunks, attempt half-court shots and entertain the crowd.
At Globetrotters’ games, it’s not about the end result or the stats sheet. Number of fouls and individual player’s points are not tracked. Instead, the focus is on family fun and entertainment.
For example, some families who sit courtside will often be brought onto the floor to dance with Big Easy and interact with other players. Scooter taught a young boy how to spin the ball on his finger.
The crowd has fun because they get to watch the players enjoy themselves.
“Right now I’m living out my dream of playing basketball and traveling the world,” said Hacksaw Hall during a speech to the fans.
Following the game, players were available to sign autographs on the court.
The Globetrotters will play one more game at Samford tonight (March 7) at 7 p.m.
More on the Harlem Globetrotters:
The team’s signature song is Brother Bones’s whistled version of “Sweet Georgia Brown”, and their mascot is named Globie. The team plays over 450 live events worldwide each year. Today, there are at least three different Harlem Globetrotters teams touring the U.S.
Fun fact: At 5-2, Too Tall is the shortest player in Globetrotter history.
For more on the team, tickets, camps and news, visit harlemglobetrotters.com.
