We end tonight with the Harlem Globetrotters, who for 100 years have been sharing the game of basketball all around the world. In tonight’s Weekend Journal, we caught up with them on the court in Philadelphia to find out what makes this organization so special.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
At a Harlem Globetrotters basketball game, a unique cast of players bring a style and a performance you won’t see anywhere else. Forty-year-old Jahmani “Hotshot” Swanson, at 4-foot-5, is known for being able to jump more than 3½ feet off the ground.
“That’s why they call me Michael Jordan of little people.”
[AIR HORN BLARING]
JERICKA DUNCAN: Donte “Hammer” Harrison has been on the team for 17 years. As the master of ceremonies, he is mic’d the entire game—always engaging with fans.
“This is my moment.”
“Hold on. I’m taking a selfie. Say cheese.”
“My dad took me when I was their age, so I wanted to take them as well.”
“I like the flips and the tricks.”
“It brings all the communities together, all races together.”
JERICKA DUNCAN: The Harlem Globetrotters started as a place for Black Americans to showcase their talent at a time when leagues and stadiums were segregated.
“We look back on our past. We originated in 1926. That was a time where Blacks wasn’t even allowed to play basketball.”
JERICKA DUNCAN: At the games today, some of the greats from the past are remembered, from Frederick “Curly” Neal to “Sweet” Lou Dunbar and Wilt Chamberlain, who went on to dominate in the NBA. And you can’t forget about the women. Lynette Woodard made history in 1985 when she became the first female in the country to join a professional men’s basketball team. Arysia Ace Porter says if not for Woodard, she wouldn’t be here.
“She carried that torch. And we can do anything that men can do, maybe a little better.”
JERICKA DUNCAN: With that said, I gave being a Globetrotter a try.
“Oh! Oh!”
JERICKA DUNCAN: My first big test—make a shot from behind.
“Really?”
“I tried several times.”
“Well, a little too much.”
“Lord, please help me.”
But then my prayer was answered. I made the shot.
“Did it go in?”
[SQUEALING]
After a century of tricks and laughs, the Harlem Globetrotters are still proving that sometimes the real wins are the ones that bring everyone together.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
I think I’m going to stick to my day job.