Is there still a team of Harlem Globetrotters today? Curly Neal, Sweet Lou, Tex Lemon, and Curly Jackson are just a few of the most famous players. But are any of the original Globetrotters alive? Read on to learn more about them and their history. This article will also touch on the careers of the surviving Globetrotters.
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Tex Jackson
If you want to know about the history of basketball, then you have to know that Tex Jackson is one of the original Globetrotters. The legendary basketball team was founded in 1932. Many of its members are still alive today. In fact, the last Globetrotters team was played at the New York Stock Exchange. Jackson toured for over two decades, winning the championship twice. He was a showman, and he was famous for his half-court, behind-the-back shot. Though he never played college basketball, he excelled on the gridiron at Savannah State University. Today, Jackson lives in Buford, Ga., where he is working on his second book.
In 2014, the Globetrotters honored Tex Jackson with the Legends Ring, and they gave it to him at a memorial service in New Orleans. The Legends Ring is the only award given to a former Globetrotter. A Legends Ring is given to the player who has done the most for the team. This ring represents their commitment to the sport, and it is a reminder of their dedication to its legacy.
Curly Neal
The Harlem Globetrotters were a legendary basketball team that starred Fred ‘Curly’ Neal. Neal was a brilliant ball handler and a charismatic performer. His dribbling style and unique style of dribbling circles around his opponents were legendary. He and his teammates also had a fun-loving personality and became part of the world’s pop culture.
After a successful career with the Globetrotters, Neal began appearing in television commercials. He even had his own cartoon series, which included episodes of ‘Scooby-Doo.’ Neal played basketball at Greensboro High School and led Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte to the national title. He averaged nearly twenty-three points a game as a senior. The Globetrotters, along with his former coach Roy Williams, were inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
Tex Lemon
Did you ever watch the “Harlem Globetrotters” television variety series? Well, you’ve heard of them, but do you know the history behind the team? If so, you’re in luck. Several original Globetrotters have been reincarnated, including J.C. Gipson, who made his debut with the team in 1952. Despite his lack of college experience, Gipson became one of the team’s most popular players.
Some of the original Globetrotters have been around for a long time. James “Twiggy” Sanders is the most famous. He was the 27th Legend in the team’s history. He joined the ranks of other famous Showmen including Reece “Goose” Tatum, Hubert “Geese” Ausbie, Sweet Lou Dunbar, and others.
Sweet Lou
The Harlem Globetrotters were a famous team that played basketball in the late 1950s. Many people remember the legendary Red and White uniform worn by J.C. Gipson. The team’s star, however, had no college experience. Before he joined the Globetrotters, Gipson played one season of high school at Thomas Jefferson High School in Los Angeles. He was selected as the city’s “Prep Player of the Year” and turned down numerous offers to attend college.
The Globetrotters were popular enough to be on television as well. A second animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera in 1979 featured the original team’s new members, who morphed into superheroes and took on villains. Their portable lockers resembled a basketball and they were armed with a basketball-shaped medallion. The Globetrotters would first take on villains using their comic-book heroics, but almost always settled their disputes with a game of basketball.
Dr. John “Jumpin’ Johnny” Kline
Born and raised in Detroit, Dr. John “Jumpin’ Johnny” Kline was a high-leaping basketball player with the Harlem Globetrotters from 1953 to 1959. He struggled with drug addiction following his playing career, but returned to school to earn his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees. In his later years, Kline became an advocate for black basketball players and was named a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
A new documentary about Kline will premiere at Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre on Thursday, April 13. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Admission is free, and there will be an authentic Globetrotter memorabilia raffle. Afterwards, the film will be followed by a panel discussion with filmmakers and family members.
Billy Ray Hobley
The Harlem Globetrotters are famous for their fake water-in-bucket trick and all-entertainment style. In the early 1950s, they toured Europe and defeated the Minneapolis Lakers. The group was so popular that it even had a theme song: “Sweet Georgia Brown.”
The Globetrotters started in 1927 as a team based in Chicago. They went on to defeat the Minneapolis Lakers twice. The next decade saw the Globetrotters add comic routines to their basketball games. These featured dribbling, spinning balls on fingertips, trick shots, and more. The routines were set to the whistled version of “Sweet Georgia Brown” by Brother Bones.
