By Adam Roberts – 6/23/2021
Chalk this one under “Headlines I didn’t think I’d ever see”.
The Harlem Globetrotters — the legendary exhibition basketball team — are asking the NBA to let it become the league’s 31st franchise. In a letter to the league, the Globetrotters note there have been rumors that the league is considering expansion. Other cities under consideration for a new franchise are Seattle and Las Vegas.
I remember getting to see the Globetrotters when they came to Green Bay I think back in 2002. While this has a negative percentage of actually happening, if “Sweet Georgia Brown” played on loop during home Globetrotter blowout wins I would be thoroughly entertained. When they came to La Crosse a few years ago, I got to interview one of their athletes at the time, and I know especially for the young ones the Globetrotters act still holds up after all the years they’ve been around.
The Globetrotters were created almost a century ago, back in 1926. Former Globetrotter Nathaniel Sweetwater Clifton became the first Black player to sign a contract with the NBA in 1950.