Harlem Globetrotters Celebrate 100 Years of Basketball History

As the Harlem Globetrotters mark their 100th anniversary, the legendary basketball team reaches a historic milestone achieved by very few sports organizations. The Harlem Globetrotters have spent a full century redefining the game of basketball, combining elite athletic talent, comedy, and showmanship into a truly global phenomenon. This centennial celebration goes beyond basketball history, highlighting a powerful cultural impact, decades of innovation, and a lasting legacy that transformed basketball into worldwide entertainment.

Long before sports franchises talked about brand extensions, the Globetrotters were already a multimedia phenomenon. Their influence on television and animation helped cement them as cultural icons, not just a basketball team. In 1970, they made history with Harlem Globetrotters, the first Saturday morning cartoon to feature a predominantly African American cast. Legendary performers such as Scatman Crothers and Eddie “Rochester” Anderson lent their voices, bringing humor, warmth, and personality to animated versions of the players. The team continued to appear across pop culture, showing up on The New Scooby-Doo Movies in 1972, starring as caped heroes in The Super Globetrotters in 1979, and even landing in the surreal 1981 made-for-TV special The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island. For a generation of kids, they were as familiar as any cartoon character.

On the court, the Harlem Globetrotters became world famous as an exhibition basketball team that blended elite athletic skill with comedy, timing, and theatrical performance. Over nearly 100 years, they have played more than 26,000 games in 124 countries and territories, turning basketball into a universal language of entertainment. As a child, I never questioned how they managed to defeat every hometown team they faced. It simply felt inevitable. Only later does the truth become clear. Since 1952, the Globetrotters have traveled with their own rivals, most notably the Washington Generals, formerly known as the New York Nationals, a team created specifically to lose. When you are young, you do not think about outcomes being scripted. You just cheer. That illusion cracked for many fans when the Washington Generals famously defeated the Globetrotters in 1971, one of the most talked-about upsets in sports entertainment history.

The longevity of the Harlem Globetrotters is staggering. Nearly a century after their formation, they are still filling arenas and spreading joy. That kind of staying power speaks to their ability to evolve while staying true to their roots. The story begins in 1926, when promoter Abe Saperstein organized a basketball team made up of five elite athletes who had played for Wendell Phillips High School in Chicago. Known as the Savoy Big Five, they played at the Savoy Ballroom, where basketball and showmanship were already closely linked. As their popularity grew, the team changed its name to the Chicago Globetrotters in 1928. In 1930, they became the New York Harlem Globetrotters. Although they were based in Chicago, Saperstein chose the Harlem name to signal clearly that the players were Black, at a time when race defined opportunity in professional sports.

In 1940, they won the World Professional Basketball Tournament, a major achievement that challenged perceptions of Black athletes. When the National Basketball Association was formed in 1946, the Globetrotters were excluded because the league did not allow Black players. That exclusion only amplified their impact. In 1948, the Globetrotters defeated the Minneapolis Lakers, widely regarded as the best professional basketball team in the country. Two years later, in 1950, the NBA began drafting Black players, including three members of the Harlem Globetrotters. The team itself was never invited to join the league, which pushed them fully into their role as an exhibition team. In 1951, they played in Berlin before their largest crowd ever, an estimated 75,000 fans, underscoring their global appeal.

The Harlem Globetrotters have also built an impressive legacy of records and performances. They hold 21 Guinness World Records, including most behind-the-back three-pointers made in one minute. Player Thunder Law alone holds 11 world records, while Bull Bullard became famous for making a basket from a helicopter hovering 210 feet above the ground. The team has featured players of striking physical contrasts, from the shortest member, 5-foot-2 Jonte “Too Tall” Hall, to the tallest, 7-foot-8 Paul “Tiny” Sturgess. No Globetrotters game would feel complete without their signature theme song, the whistled version of “Sweet Georgia Brown” by Brother Bones and His Shadows, adopted in 1952 and instantly recognizable around the world.

After nearly 100 years, the Harlem Globetrotters remain a rare sports institution that combines history, social impact, and pure entertainment. They have brought laughter and excitement to millions, proving that basketball can be both a competitive art form and a shared celebration.