Did The Harlem Globetrotters Ever Play In The NBA?

The Harlem Globetrotters are one of the most iconic basketball teams in history. But did you know that they never actually played in the NBA? Learn more about the team’s storied history in this blog post.

The Harlem Globetrotters

The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. The team has been in existence for almost a century and has entertained millions of fans around the world. The Globetrotters have also been featured in a number of films and television shows.

History

The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 118 countries and territories.

The team was founded in 1926 by Abe Saperstein in Chicago, Illinois. The team initially featured only African-American players and was known as the Savoy Big Five. Throughout the years, the team has included players of various racial backgrounds. The Globetrotters peaked in popularity during the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1952, the Globetrotters played a series of exhibition games against the Minneapolis Lakers, then one of the NBA’s premier teams. The games were played under unusual rules that favored the Globetrotters’ style of play, such as allowing the team to score multiple points on a single basket. The Globetrotters won all but one of the games against the Lakers, including a victory in front of a then-record crowd of 18,498 at Chicago Stadium. However, NBA Commissioner Maurice Podoloff declared that those games did not count as official NBA contests.

The Globetrotters continued to play exhibition games against NBA teams throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In 1971, they defeated an All-Star team featuring Wilt Chamberlain that had been put together by Los Angeles Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke. In 1978, they defeated a Washington Bullets team featuring future Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes. In 1979, they defeated an Atlanta Hawks team featuring future Hall of Famers Dominique Wilkins and Moses Malone.

However, by this time, most NBA teams had stopped scheduling games against the Globetrotters due to their overwhelming dominance. As a result, the Globetrotters began to focus more on comedy and entertainment rather than serious competition. They have appeared on numerous television shows and films over the years, including “The White Shadow,” “Saturday Night Live,” “Sesame Street” and “Space Jam.”

Notable players

In the history of the Harlem Globetrotters, there have been many great players who have donned the uniform. Here are just a few of the most notable:

-Meadowlark Lemon was one of the most popular Globetrotters and is considered one of the greatest players in team history. He played with the team for 22 years and was a part of more than 16,000 games.

-Curly Neal was another great player for the Globetrotters. He played for 17 years and was known for his showmanship on the court.

– Freedie “The Gooch” Frasier is a member of the Harlem Globetrotters Hall of Fame. He played with the team for 10 years and is considered one of the best defensive players in team history.

The NBA

No, the Harlem Globetrotters have never played in the NBA. The Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that plays around the world, and they are not affiliated with the NBA. The Globetrotters did play against an NBA All-Star team in 1948, but that was an exhibition game and not an official NBA game.

History

The Globetrotters began as the premier attraction of the Chicago-based Savoy Big Five, one of the finest black professional basketball teams of the 1920s. The team barnstormed throughout the Midwest during the late 1920s, playing exhibition games against both white and black opponents. In 1928, nine players from the Savoy Big Five joined with three players from a second Chicago black professional team, the New York Renaissance Five (Renegades), to form a new team that came to be known as the First Harlem Globetrotters. The team’s first formal game took place on Jan. 7, 1927, before a crowd of 3,500 at Danville Integration Bowl in Danville, Illinois.

In 1941, Globe Trotters star Goose Tatum was suspended from playing with the team after punching a referee. Tatum then formed his own independent all-black barnstorming team called the American Bulldogs. During World War II, many other all-black teams were formed as well; they were often sponsored by factories or businesses who wanted to reward workers for their war production efforts.

Following the war’s end in 1945, several of these independent all-black teams began to play annually in an organized professional league known as the National Basketball League (NBL). Among these teams were: The New York Renaissance (Rens), The Cleveland Buckeyes, The Detroit Scorpions/Pros/Stars, The Chicago Crusader Pros and Cleveland Pipers. In 1948–49, three additional teams joined the NBL: The Indianapolis Olympians (founded by legendary player and coach John Wooden), Toledo Jeeps and Tri-Cities Blackhawks (now Atlanta Hawks).

Notable players

The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater, and comedy. The Globetrotters are known for their signature dribbling, shooting, and passing tricks. Founded in 1926, the team has played more than 20,000 exhibition games in 124 countries and territories.

While the Globetrotters were not part of the NBA, several notable players got their start with the team. Wilt Chamberlain, Connie “The Hawk” Hawkins, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor), and Meadowlark Lemon all played for the Globetrotters before going on to have successful NBA careers.

Comparison

Skill level

The Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater, and comedy. They are known for their ball handling wizardry, inch-perfect passing, and encounters with their opponents. The Globetrotters play more than 400 live events worldwide each year. Although the team’s primary focus is entertainment, they also compete against other exhibition teams and bounce back from losses with “humorous” tricks.

Popularity

The Globetrotters are one of the most famous basketball teams in the world. Although they are not part of the NBA, they are still one of the most popular basketball teams. The Globetrotters have been around for almost a century and have been entertaining crowds all over the world.

Conclusion

The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater, and comedy. The team has played more than 20,000 games in 122 countries and territories. They have also played in the NBA, albeit briefly and not very successfully.

In 1948, the Globetrotters played ten games against NBA teams. They lost all ten games by an average of almost 30 points per game. In 1951, they played three games against the Syracuse Nationals and won one game, making them the only team to ever defeat an NBA team.

The Globetrotters’ play in the NBA was not well-received by fans or critics. Some accused them of devaluing the game of basketball with their Comedy act. The Globetrotters’ stint in the NBA was short-lived, lasting just three years.