By Jonathan Forney
Special to the AFRO
The iconic starred and striped uniforms of the Harlem Globetrotters are almost as well-known as their trick shots and high-flying dunks. Founded in 1926, the organization played their first game under the Harlem Globetrotter name on Jan. 7, 1927. As the organization begins to celebrate 100 years, entertaining audiences around the world, their players reflect on the team’s impact.
Julian “Zeus” McClurkin, who serves the team as a six foot, eight inch forward, remembers the first time he saw the Globetrotters as a kid. McClurkin got his nickname for his thunderous dunks as a nod to the Greek god of thunder.
“I didn’t think it was a real team when I was a kid,” McClurkin said. “I thought they were superheroes.”
Despite having “Harlem” in its name, the team started in 1926 in Chicago. The name “Harlem” was included in the team’s title to capitalize on the excitement of the Harlem Renaissance, which was in full swing at the time of the team’s founding.
“The Globetrotters started in a time when Blacks weren’t allowed to play basketball in White-only leagues,” McClurkin said. “We used the popularity of the Harlem Renaissance to kind of springboard us into popular culture. That’s kept us around for the last 100 years.”
Since then, the team has played in 150 countries on 6 continents as global ambassadors of goodwill and sportsmanship.
“The Globetrotters brought this game all over the world at times when nobody even knew what basketball was,” McClurkin said. “This sport has brought people together who maybe never would’ve been together in the past.”
McClurkin would eventually play on the Washington Generals, a team known for losing to the Globetrotters, before joining the team himself. The Ohio native and historically Black college alum has been with the team for 16 years now.
“Eventually they got tired of me dunking on them and they signed me to a contract that next year,” McClurkin said.
As the team comes up on 100 years, the math to calculate its history gets easier. McClurkin calls being with the team for 16 percent of its existence is a “blessing.” Now, he wants to help inspire the next generation of talent, much like the veterans who brought him on years ago.
“I just try to pour back into the younger guys as they come in,” McClurkin said. “When I first came in, I remember people who had been on the team forever. They just poured back into the younger guys and taught them all the tricks.”
One such veteran, Coach “Sweet Lou” Dunbar has been involved with the organization— both as a player and now as a coach—for nearly half a decade. McClurkin values getting to learn from someone with such strong ties to the historic franchise.
“It’s an honor. He’s seen the team go through so many different phases,” McClurkin said. “I always love sitting around him and listening to his stories.”
As the Globetrotters kick off their centennial tour, McClurkin said the team’s track record on and off the court cannot go unnoticed.
“It’s amazing to see, as I get older, how we affect and impact culture,” McClurkin said. “Not just in the world, but in particular with the game of basketball.”
The Globetrotters invented the slam dunk, the three-man weave, the alley-oop and more.
“Basically, all the cool things you see in basketball today were all impacted by the Harlem Globetrotters,” McClurkin said.
The 100-year tour will take place between February and April in the states and from February to October internationally. Aside from the stop in D.C., the team will be in Baltimore on March 15.For those looking to catch the Globetrotters on tour, they can visit their website, harlemglobetrotters.com. There, fans can learn more about the team’s storied history, their dozens of world records, and more.