With a .99989 winning percentage in their last 8,830 games, what's next for the Harlem Globetrotters?
Probably another long winning streak.The Globetrotters had their 8,829-game winning streak snapped Tuesday night in Vienna in a 91-85 loss against a team led by NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who scored 34 points in a competitive, unscripted contest.
It was the Globetrotters' first loss since Jan. 15, 1971, when they were beaten 100-99 by the New Jersey Reds.
The Globetrotters are touring Europe and are facing Abdul-Jabbar's team in an 11-game series. They won the first two games of the tour - 91-90 in Zurich, Switzerland, on Friday and 58-52 in Halle, Germany, on Saturday.
"The guys are really upset about the loss," Globetrotter Reggie "Regulator" Phillips said. "After being part of the team for over 300 straight wins, it is a strange feeling to lose a game. But I give credit to Kareem's team."
The usually slapstick Globetrotters used a few gags in the first two games of their European tour, then played a "straight, competitive game" Tuesday night, team spokesman Joyce Szymanski said.