Editor’s note:
This week, in honor of Black History Month, The Athletic will highlight the Harlem Globetrotters and their contributions to basketball, vision for entertainment, and overall commitment to goodwill. This series will conclude on Sunday, Feb. 16.
Sonny Hill recalls a time when he and his childhood friend, Wilt Chamberlain, would go to the movies to watch newsreels where the Harlem Globetrotters often appeared. Seeing players like Reece “Goose” Tatum and Marques Haynes, two of the franchise’s top showmen during that time, resonated with Chamberlain and sparked an ambition.
The Globetrotters’ mission of breaking down racial barriers and stereotypes grabbed Chamberlain’s attention. But the concept of entertainment was something that stuck with Chamberlain until he died on Oct. 12, 1999.
Chamberlain played 14 seasons in the NBA, but the one season before he became a face of the league, he was a face of the Globetrotters.
“Playing with the Globetrotters was Wilt’s childhood dream,” Hill, a Philadelphia Sports Hall of Famer and current sports radio personality, told The Athletic, “and he was able to fulfill it.”