Vintage American Images: The Harlem Globe Trotters played their first road game

Today This happened in the past—January 7, 1927

The Harlem Globe Trotters played their first road game

Globetrotters early years with manager and promoter Abe Saperstein. Unknown date.

Before October 31, 1950, the NBA was all white. There were no Michael Jordon's or Wilt Chamberlain's dunking the ball in professional basketball. Earl Lloyd became the first black player to enter the court for the Washington Capitols in October 1950.

If you want to see African Americans playing the game you had to see team's like the Globetrotters who were called an exhibition team

A 6-foot-6, 220-pound forward, Earl Lloyd (11) played in the N.B.A. for nine seasons. Associated Press

The Globetrotters were formed in Chicago, not New York, and the team played in the Negro American Legion League as the Giles Post, not a great name. In 1927 the name was changed to the Savoy Five, maybe a little better but still not a great name.

Later that year, the team was purchased by promoter Abe Saperstein, a white Jewish immigrant, and renamed them once again, this time to “Saperstein’s New York Globetrotters”; he thought the term "Globetrotters" gave the team international flair as world travelers. In reality, the team traveled to games in his Model T Ford.

Ironically, Saperstein, a short Jewish guy, also played on the team and wore a uniform under his suit in case he needed to come into the game; initially there were only five players.

Beginning in the 1930's, Harlem, had a renaissance and the name "Harlem" became cool. So being the promoter he was, Saperstein changed the team's name to the "Harlem Globetrotters" where it remains today, and finally the team had a cool name. Saperstein admired New York so much that he rented an office in the Empire State Building just so the team could have a New York address.

It was not until 1968 the Globetrotters actually played in Harlem.

Harlem Globetrotters (1940)

In breaking a reverse color barrier of sorts, Bob Karstens from Dubuque, Iowa became the first white player under contract with the team.

Bob Karstension

One other interesting fact. The Globetrotters were not always that fun loving goofing around comic basketball entertainment that we have come to know. In the beginning, and for decades, the Globetrotters played serious basketball, they were outstanding athletes.

Here are some more interesting facts on the team from NBA.com:

Globetrotters made their Detroit debut on Thanksgiving 1932. It was the first time the team had played in a major city.
Clowning around on the court did not begin until 1939. With the Globetrotters leading the game 112-5, the players began to amuse the crowd with their antics. Saperstein gave the team permission to add more clowning around…but only when the game was safely in hand.
They played in the original “Game of the Century?” On February 20, 1948, the Globetrotters defeated George Mikan’s World Champion Minneapolis Lakers 61-59 on Ermer Robinson’s last second shot. The Globetrotters also defeated the Lakers in 1949.
On August 21, they played in front of 75,000 in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. The game was highlighted by a 15-minute standing ovation when 1936 Olympian Jesse Owens was announced as a special guest of the team. Later that year, the team played in front of Pope Pius XII and only Pope Pius XII at his summer home in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.
The Globetrotters have played in and won more games than any other professional sports team. The club has played in over 22,500 games. Coincidentally, they have never lost to the New York Generals in over 8,000 games, that you probably already knew.