Saperstein, Abe

Saperstein, (Abraham M.) Abe

(1902–66) basketball promoter; born in London, England. He came to the U.S.A. as a boy, and while coaching a boys' basketball team at Welles Park, Ill., he was invited to coach a Negro American Legion team; when this team lost its sponsorship, he kept it together himself, rechristened it the Harlem Globetrotters, had his tailor-father make new uniforms, and arranged for their first game in Hinckley, Ill., in January 1927. In the early years the team toured only in the Midwest and West, and, with Saperstein as owner, promoter, coach, and even occasionally—at 5' 3"—as substitute player, they played straight basketball. He coached the team to win the 1940 world professional title and the International Cup in 1943 and 1944, and by 1950 the team was beating some of the best college and professional teams and making tours around the world. With the rise in popularity of college and pro basketball, the Globetrotters gradually provided more of an entertainment than true games, but Saperstein—who was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970—was recognized as having made a special contribution to the game with his team's mixture of comic routines, spectacular plays and shots, and interaction with fans.