Editor’s note: This story was originally published on Jan, 7, 2025.
A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
On Jan. 7, 1927, the Harlem Globetrotters played their first game in Hinckley, Illinois.
Now, 28,000 games and nearly a hundred years later, the Globetrotters are still going strong.
Per team history, Abe Saperstein founded the traveling team in 1926. They were initially known as the Savoy Big Five, after the famous Savoy Ballroom in Chicago, where they held their first performances. The original team members were all African Americans from the South Side of Chicago, and they didn’t play in Harlem until four decades after the team’s formation.
The Globetrotters are all about the show, from their warmup routine set to the song “Sweet Georgia Brown” to the crowd gags and trick shots, dunks and winning every night in more than 115 countries all over the world. Well, almost.
In fact, Tuesday is National Harlem Globetrotters Day.
About 300 spectators watched that first game. According to historical accounts, the Globetrotters first played in Utah in 1934, winning a game at a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse in Ogden.
The Globetrotters have made stops throughout Utah through the years — including Feb. 10, when they will be at the Delta Center.
Who are your favorite Globetrotters? Meadowlark Lemon? Curly Neal? My favorite Globetrotters memory is my father taking me to a game at the old Salt Palace in the early 1970s.
Here are some stories from Deseret News archives about the Globetrotters, their history and their future:
“No joke — Globetrotters beat Lakers”
“Want to be a Harlem Globetrotter? It takes more than trick dribbling and ball spinning”
“Let the basketball fun begin — Globetrotters bring show to S.L.”
“Harlem Globetrotters’ familiar antics are a tradition that shouldn’t change”
“Taking a spin with a trusty Globetrotter”
