Senate Resolution No. 1909

BY: Senator COMRIE

COMMEMORATING the 100th Anniversary of the Harlem
Globetrotters

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to honor and pay
tribute to those organizations and institutions whose commitment and
talents have contributed to the entertainment and cultural enrichment of
their community and the entire State of New York; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Harlem Globetrotters; and

WHEREAS, In 1926, a basketball team of Black American players known
as the Savoy Big Five, formed at the Giles American Legion Post 87, on
the South Side of Chicago, Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Starting in January 1928, the Savoy Big Five played
exhibitions before dances to prop up the Savoy Ballroom's cratering
attendance numbers; and

WHEREAS, Several players left the Savoy Big Five in a dispute and
that autumn, those players, along with new coach, manager and promoter
Abe Saperstein, formed a team called the "Globe Trotters" and toured
southern Illinois that spring; and

WHEREAS, By 1929, Abe Saperstein was touring Illinois and Iowa with
his basketball team called the "New York Harlem Globe Trotters";
Saperstein selected the name "Harlem" because it was then considered the
center of Black American culture; and

WHEREAS, The Harlem Globetrotters were perennial participants in the
World Professional Basketball Tournament and won their first World
Basketball Championship in 1940, defeating the Chicago Bruins; and

WHEREAS, In 1948 and 1949, the Harlem Globetrotters stunned the
world by twice defeating the World Champion Minneapolis Lakers of the
National Basketball Association (NBA); and

WHEREAS, In 1950, Harlem Globetrotter Chuck Cooper became the first
black player to be drafted in the NBA by Boston, and his teammate Nat
"Sweetwater" Clifton became the first black player to sign an NBA
contract when the New York Knicks purchased his contract from the
Globetrotters; and

WHEREAS, The Harlem Globetrotters eventually became known more for
entertainment than sports, incorporating comedic routines and acts that
often feature incredible coordination and skillful handling of one or
more basketballs, such as passing or juggling balls between players,
balancing or spinning balls on their fingertips, and making unusually
difficult shots; and

WHEREAS, In 1959, The Harlem Globetrotters received an invitation
from Vasily Grigoryevich, the director of Lenin Central Stadium, and

they played nine games in Moscow, Russia; the team, which included
future NBA Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain, was welcomed enthusiastically
by spectators and authorities, and they met Premier Nikita Khrushchev;
and

WHEREAS, In 1985, Olympic Gold Medalist Lynette Woodard joined the
Harlem Globetrotters, becoming the first female to ever play on a men's
pro basketball team; and

WHEREAS, Over the years, the team has changed ownership multiple
times; in 1976, the New York City-based company, Metromedia, announced
that it would acquire the Harlem Globetrotters from Globetrotter
Communications, then in 1986, the team was sold to the Minneapolis-based
International Broadcasting Corporation, which in turn sold the Harlem
Globetrotters to former Globetrotters player Mannie Jackson in 1993; and

WHEREAS, In 2005, Shamrock Holdings purchased an 80% stake in the
Harlem Globetrotters, then in 2013, Herschend Family Entertainment
acquired the team and remains its owner today; and

WHEREAS, In June 2021, the Harlem Globetrotters filed a petition to
join the National Basketball Association (NBA) as an expansion
franchise; and

WHEREAS, Over its 100-year history, close to 750 men and women have
played for the Harlem Globetrotters and the team continues to bring its
entertainment to millions of fans around the world with 400+ games a
year in 25+ countries; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Harlem Globetrotters,
recognizing the significance of the role they continue to play in the
life of the community of the State of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the Harlem Globetrotters.