The Harlem Globetrotters have a special request for the NBA. This week, the basketball team wrote an open letter asking to be part of the league. The letter referenced a time when the NBA allowed Black players into the league in the 1950s. The Globetrotters revealed the NBA “took” its players instead of bringing the team in the league as a franchise.
“People say it was that game in 1949 that sparked the integration of the NBA. Three years after Jackie Robinson broke the baseball color barrier, y’all finally allowed African American players to ball,” the letter reads. “But instead of just letting us in, you took our players. The first Black player to sign an NBA contract — Nat Sweetwater Clifton, a Harlem Globetrotter. The first Black man to play in an NBA game – Earl Lloyd, another Globetrotter.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
The letter says the players on the Globetrotters are “on par” with today’s NBA players and with rumors of the league expanding with new teams, the Globetrotters want to be one of the new teams.
“Based on what we’ve already proven, we can field a team of talent on par with the pros of today, and we want the chance to do that,” the letter continues. “As a world-renowned and legendary professional basketball team, we petition Commissioner Adam Silver, the NBA governors and the powers that be to grant The Original Harlem Globetrotters an NBA franchise. Not now, but right now!” Shortly after the letter was published, Jeff Munn, the Globetrotter’s general manager and executive vice president, issued a statement.
“As an organization whose storied history is already tight interwoven with that of the NBA, the Harlem Globetrotters are looking for a long-overdue seat at the table,” Munn said. Our players were instrumental in the integration of the league dating back to 1949. We stood proudly as our players were recruited by NBA teams.”
“Now, after years of attracting the best Black players, it’s time the NBA recognized our contribution to the game. With the league already considering an expansion, the time has come. The Harlem Globetrotters stand ready to negotiate for a franchise.” The Harlem Globetrotters were founded in 1926 and tour all over the world. They have played over 26,000 exhibition games, and NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain was a team member for the 1958-1959 season.
