THE AMBASSADORS TO STREETBALL
IN THIS DAY AND AGE OF BASKETBALL, WE AS FANS HAVE BRANCHED OUT FROM THE PICK AND ROLL, MOTION OFFENSES AND THE TWO MAN OFFENSE OF THE NCAA'S AND NBA BASKETBALL. THE HOTTEST THING GOING FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS HAS BEEN STREETBALL. ORGANIZED BASKETBALL IS ALL ABOUT EXECUTION AND WINNING THE GAME. STREETBALL IS ALL ABOUT THE OOHS AND AAHS THAT COME FROM SHOWMANSHIP. IT'S TWO SEPARATE WORLDS FROM THE SAME SPORT. THE AND 1 MIX TAPE SQUAD BROUGHT THIS MOVEMENT ACROSS THE COUNTRY WITH THEIR TOUR AND THE REALITY SERIES ON ESPN CALLED STREETBALL. WITH HOT SAUCE, ESCALADE AND THE PROFESSOR DOMINATING THE HEADLINES WITH THEIR PLAY, THERE IS A SQUAD THAT HAS BEEN DOMINATING STREETBALL FOR ALMOST 80 YEARS. THEY WERE DOING THE TRICKS BEFORE THERE WAS AN AND 1 SQUAD. THIS SQUAD IS CALLED THE HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS.
FOR THE PAST 79 YEARS, THE HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS HAVE TRAVELED THE WORLD OVER ENTERTAINING FANS WITH A DIFFERENT BRAND OF BASKETBALL. THEY COMBINE DANCING, JOKES AND COMEDY SKITS AND MARRY IT ALL WITH EXCELLENT SKILL ON THE BASKETBALL COURT. BUT THEY ARE MORE THAN THAT, MUCH MORE. WHEN OWNER MANNIE JACKSON TOOK OVER IN THE EARLY NINETIES, HE BROKE THE TEAM INTO TWO SECTIONS; ONE THAT DOES THE COMEDY ACT AND ANOTHER THAT GOES AROUND THE NATION PLAYING COLLEGE TEAMS IN ALL STAR GAMES. NO MATTER WHAT TEAM HITS THE FLOOR, THIS ORGANIZATION IS ABOUT ONE THING, BEING POSITIVE ROLE MODELS AND BRINGING A SMILE TO ANYONE THAT SEES THEM IN PERSON OR ON TELEVISION.
THE TROTTERS ARE KNOWN AS THE CLOWN PRINCES OF BASKETBALL AND THE AMBASSADORS OF GOODWILL. BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT THEY ARE ALSO A SEGWAY TO THE NBA. MANY FORMER PLAYERS HAVE PLAYED IN THE NBA. ON THE OTHER HAND WHEN SOME NBA PLAYERS END THEIR CAREER, SOMETIMES THEY PLAY FOR THE HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS. FOR EVERYONE THAT KNOWS MEADOWLARK LEMON, DID YOU KNOW THAT WILT CHAMBERLAIN PLAYED FOR ONE YEAR BEFORE GOING TO THE NBA. FOR THE PEOPLE THAT KNOW OF CURLY NEAL, CONNIE "THE HAWK" HAWKINS PLAYED IN THE ABA AND THE NBA. IN FACT, FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ASK FOR MORE RECENT PLAYERS THAT ARE IN THE NBA, WHAT ABOUT DEVEAN GEORGE WHO'S A THREE TIME WORLD CHAMPION LOS ANGELES LAKERS. THE TEAM ALSO HAS SOMETHING FOR THE LADIES AS WELL. THEY WELCOMED THE FIRST LADY TO THE SQUAD IN 1985. HALL OF FAMER LYNETTE WOODARD PLAYED FROM 85-87 AND PARLAYED HER EXPERIENCE TO PLAYING PRO BALL OVERSEAS AND FINALLY PLA YING A COUPLE OF YEARS IN THE WNBA BEFORE RETIRING. SINCE WOODARD, SEVEN OTHER WOMEN HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY FOR THE GLOBETROTTERS SINCE.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, FOR ALL OF MY 31 YEARS ON THE EARTH, I HAD NEVER SEEN THE GLOBETROTTERS IN PERSON. I'VE SEEN THEM IN MOVIES, CARTOONS AND I'VE SEEN THEIR GAMES ON TELEVISION. THE NAMES HAVE CHANGED SINCE I WAS GROWING UP. THE NAMES I KNEW WERE MEADOWLARK LEMON, CURLY NEAL, AND MARQUES HAYNES. NOW THOSE NAMES HAVE CHANGED TO SPECIAL K, SHOWBIZ AND WILD THING. FOR THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE NEVER SEEN THEM IN PERSON (FOR THAT SHAME ON YOU), THEY PLAY A TEAM CALLED THE WASHINGTON NATIONALS. THEY WERE INCREDIBLE, THEY GAVE THE CROWD AN INCREDIBLE SHOW MAKING THE CROWD WITH THEIR ANTICS. THEY EVEN KEPT THE ATTENTION OF MY TWO SONS FOR THE ENTRE SHOW. SPECIAL K KEPT THE CROWD LAUGHING IN THE STANDS WITH HIS ANTICS ON THE FLOOR WHILE STILL TALLYING UP THYE POINTS. CURLEY JOHNSON SHOWING HIS DRIBBLING SKILLS SLIDING ALL OVER THE COURT. WE ALL KNOW ABOUT THE INFAMOUS WEAVE THAT LEADS TO A HIGH FLYING DUNK. THE GLOBETR OTTERS WENT ON FOR A 30 POINT VICTORY, BUT THE REAL WINNERS WAS THE KIDS IN THE STANDS AND THE BIGGEST 31 YEAR OLD KID IN THE STANDS WHO WATCHED THE HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS IN PERSON FOR THE FIRST TIME.
THESE GUYS HAVE CROSSED OVER THE GLOBE MANY TIMES OVER BUT NOW THEY HAVE A CLOTHING LINE BY PLATINUM FUBU. I CAN'T LIE, WITH MY FASCINATION FOR THROWBACK JERSEYS, I HAVE THREE OF THEM. I HAVE CURLY NEAL, MEADOWLARK LEMON AND MARQUES HAYNES. IF YOU LOOK AROUND IN RAP VIDEOS YOU SEE THE WARMUP JACKETS FLOATING AROUND. THE FLAVOR HAS NOT LEFT THE URBAN ROOTS OF HARLEM.
TO ALL THAT READ THIS ARTICLE, PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO TAKE YOUR KIDS TO THE THESE GUYS PLAY. THEY ARE FUNNY AND THEY ARE TALENTED. IF YOU THINK THEY ARE FULL OF THEMSELVES AND DON'T THINK ABOUT GIVING BACK. THEY DONATE MONEY TO VARIOUS CHARITIES. SO PLEASE SUPPORT THESE GUYS, THEY ARE A WELCOME AVENUE FROM THE ORGANIZED BASKETBALL THAT YOU SEE ON TELEVISION.
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