The Harlem Globetrotters will return to the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island on Feb. 21 to celebrate the organization’s 100th anniversary.
“Long Island, they have an identity. ‘Strong Island,’ they call themselves,” said Keith Dawkins, the president of the Globetrotters, to Long Island Press. “They have a rich sporting culture around hockey and other things. They view themselves as New Yorkers, and they fight amongst the boroughs.”
Similarly, the Harlem Globetrotters have an iconic identity — one that champions diversity, legacy and a fun-filled approach to basketball. The team has performed for over 148 million fans in 123 countries around the world.
The Globetrotters pride themselves on being able to bring the sport to communities that may not have professional basketball in their market, like Long Island. Dawkins said that sentiment was “everything” to him.
“To be able to have this iconic, professional, groundbreaking basketball team that’s going to bring joy, hope, possibilities and entertainment for the whole family — that’s really, really special to be able to do around the globe,” Dawkins said.
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The modern Harlem Globetrotters is an exhibition basketball team that travels around the world playing the Washington Generals every night. Their brand of basketball is special: the Globetrotters combine athleticism, showmanship and comedy, as opposed to straight gameplay.
The team was founded before professional basketball was racially integrated, and their 1948 victory over the all-white Minneapolis Lakers showed that African-Americans could excel at the highest level. The Globetrotters continue to champion diversity now — in their games, women and men share the court.
Long Island has an impressive basketball history in its own right: it’s the home of Julius “Dr. J” Erving, an ABA and NBA great from East Meadow who helped bridge the gap between the two leagues. Erving is the only player ever to win an MVP award in both leagues, and he’s widely acknowledged as one of the game’s all-time best at dunking — a high-flying spectacle known very well by the Globetrotters.
Erving played for the then-New York Nets from 1973 to 1976, when they were based on Long Island. The Nets played at the same arena the Harlem Globetrotters will occupy on Saturday. When the ABA merged with the NBA, the Nets moved to New Jersey and now reside in Brooklyn.
“We’re also just tapping into that fanbase that loves basketball, that probably are sad that their team left,” said Brawley “Cheese” Chisholm, a Globetrotters player, to Long Island Press. “We bring that special basketball back to Long Island.”
Brooklyn native Chisolm has been playing with the Globetrotters since 2010, and he said that one of the highlights of going to smaller markets is showing new fans what the organization represents.
“Going to these places that don’t have professional teams, we also bring a sense of diversity,” Chisholm said. “We’re showing the world that diversity is important.”
