Sports
Remembering Wilt Chamberlain’s 1 year with the Globetrotters: A ‘childhood dream’
(Editor’s note: This week, in honor of Black History Month, The Athletic will highlight the Harlem Globetrotters and their contributions to basketball, vision for entertainment and overall commitment to goodwill. This series will conclude on Sunday, Feb. 16.)
Sonny Hill recalls a time when he and his childhood friend, Wilt Chamberlain, would go to the movies to watch newsreels where the Harlem Globetrotters often appeared. Seeing players like Reece “Goose” Tatum and Marques Haynes, two of the franchise’s top showmen during that time, resonated with Chamberlain and sparked an ambition.
The Globetrotters’ mission of breaking down racial barriers and stereotypes grabbed Chamberlain’s attention. But the concept of entertainment was something that stuck with Chamberlain until he died on Oct. 12, 1999.
Chamberlain played 14 seasons in the NBA, but the one season before he became a face of the league, he was a face of the Globetrotters.
“Playing with the Globetrotters was Wilt’s childhood dream,” Hill, a Philadelphia Sports Hall of Famer and current sports radio personality, told The Athletic, “and he was able to fulfill it.”
Chamberlain did not have the lengthy tenure other Globetrotters had. He played the one full season, 1958-59, and sparingly during some NBA offseasons and post-retirement. But Chamberlain didn’t need much time to set a bar for the future of both the Globetrotters and the NBA, becoming a basketball and societal icon who bridged two entities.
“When Wilt and I grew up together, the Globetrotters were the team that we wanted to identify with,” Hill said. “So, upon seeing them, when he got older, he wanted to play for the Globetrotters.”
Chamberlain, in an interview on “MSG’s Vault,” said playing with the Globetrotters first rather than starting his career in the NBA was all about “the roots.”
“The days with the Harlem Globetrotters were some of the most pleasant ones of my life,” he said. “They were fun. They were a chance to see the world, learn and meet people. Also, let it be known that it was the Harlem Globetrotters that helped the NBA really get started. They are so powerful right now and at the apex of popularity, but back years gone by, they weren’t doing so well. Guys like the Globetrotters came in and helped to bring people to the stands to watch NBA teams.”
Remembered by many for his 100-point scoring outing against the New York Knicks in Hershey, Pa., in 1962, Chamberlain led the NBA in scoring for seven consecutive seasons and was the NBA rebounding leader for 11 of his 14 seasons. He also won two league championships and was a four-time league MVP.
Chamberlain is one of the game’s most dominant athletes of all time, but his stint with the Globetrotters was an opportunity to showcase his skills as an entertainer. He began his professional career with the Globetrotters in 1958 as part of a sold-out world tour in Moscow following his collegiate career at the University of Kansas. He spent three years in Lawrence, Kan., intertwining basketball with a coveted track and field career. In addition to averaging 29.6 points and 18.9 rebounds per game on the court, he also was a three-time Big Eight Conference champion in the high jump.
The Globetrotters gave Chamberlain a chance to become even more of a versatile individual once he left Kansas. The Globetrotters perform their famous Magic Circle as a warmup to the tune of “Sweet Georgia Brown” before every game. Chamberlain fit in well and honed his art of showmanship by participating in one of the Globetrotters’ most important routines as a rookie.
“When I say he was in that circle … you can’t be in that circle and not be able to (perform),” Hill said. “That’s how good he was. That’s how agile he was, how knowledgeable he was. That’s how quick he could learn what was going on.”
Hill also noted that the franchise assisted with Chamberlain the basketball player thinking outside of the box. A 7-foot-1, 275-pounder was expected to play center in those days. The Globetrotters, however, had other ideas.
“With the Globetrotters, he didn’t play inside,” Hill said. “He played mostly on the outside.”
Abe Saperstein, founder and owner of the Globetrotters, was known as a masterful promoter with a business-savvy mind built for sports entertainment. He saw the immediate potential that Chamberlain could bring to the team. Adding the dominant 7-footer was considered a financial risk to some, but Saperstein paid a substantial amount in the $50,000 range for Chamberlain to wear a Globetrotters uniform, according to Hill. The average median income of families in 1958 was $5,100.
“Abe Saperstein saw the opportunity for Wilt to be with the Globetrotters and for them to make even more money, because Wilt had been seen as this phenomenal basketball player since he was in high school,” Hill said.
The NBA didn’t integrate until 1950, when Earl Lloyd, Chuck Cooper and Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton made history. The league grappled with increasing its favorability. Chamberlain’s popularity coming out of college naturally sparked conversation for the Globetrotters. He was a hit on and off the court. In addition to being a must-watch player, he also had matured into a must-watch television sensation, making regular appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
“He would talk about how phenomenal he was as a basketball player (on the show),” Hill said. “He had developed to the point that people knew who he was, and he was somebody that people wanted to identify with.”
The Globetrotters already had won over millions of fans by popularizing the slam dunk, fast break and their legendary in-game weave, but the franchise’s fan base, now consisting of more than 148 million people in 123 countries and territories, saw an uptick then when the 7-footer wore the uniform. Chamberlain played alongside legends like Meadowlark Lemon and Charles “Tex” Harrison, and he helped pave the way for a few future legends, including Louis “Sweet Lou” Dunbar, Fred “Curly” Neal and Hubert “Geese” Ausbie.
Meadowlark Lemon on Wilt Chamberlain’s shoulders during a Harlem Globetrotters game.#HarlemGlobetrotters pic.twitter.com/Nvp9J40UTs
— Bubble Gum Comics (@VinSportsNutz) July 28, 2023
Chamberlain’s one successful year with the Globetrotters turned the heads of NBA executives, making way for Eddie Gottlieb of the Philadelphia Warriors to draft him in 1959.
“When Wilt came into the league, Wilt actually built the NBA,” Hill said. “The foundation of the NBA was really built off Wilt. The ratings went up, the fan base went up, the coverage went up, the notoriety went up. Everything went up because people knew who Wilt Chamberlain was, and that gave the NBA an international person that people could identify with.”
But even after making his NBA debut, Chamberlain stayed true to his roots, playing for the Globetrotters in summers during their European tours. He was an unstoppable force in the NBA, but the daily grind was exhausting. Chamberlain playing with the Globetrotters during the offseason reminded him of how to enjoy a game that didn’t feel like work.
“Wilt set the precedent,” said Dunbar, the team’s director of player personnel and coach who played with the franchise 27 seasons and has been affiliated with the team in some capacity for 48 years. “Guys could have played anywhere in the world, but Wilt said those were the best years of his life, playing with the Harlem Globetrotters, because that becomes your family.
“He did go to the league and set all those records, but Wilt was a dominating factor (with the Globetrotters).”
Dunbar thought so highly of Chamberlain that he chose No. 13 as his jersey number in junior high school. He said he “thought Wilt could do no wrong” when he first started watching the game. As a 6-foot-9 big, Dunbar modeled his game after Chamberlain’s. It resulted in Dunbar having a decorated career at the University of Houston, where he became an All-American and later was inducted into the University of Houston Athletics Hall of Honor in 2008. Dunbar also was a fourth-round NBA Draft pick of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1975.
“I wasn’t as tall as Wilt, but growing up, I was the tallest kid around, so (Chamberlain’s game) etched my mind,” Dunbar said. “Wilt was strong. He was just a true athlete. I loved to see the man play.
“I watched him when he was in Philadelphia, and I watched him when he went to the Lakers. I watched him all the way until he quit playing the game.”
Dunbar still remembers the first time he met Chamberlain. The two, along with Harrison, met in Hawaii. Although a majority of Chamberlain’s time was spent catching up with Harrison, who was Chamberlain’s roommate with the Globetrotters, Dunbar was in awe of Chamberlain’s presence, calling it an “absolute honor” to meet the Hall of Famer.
“Tex used to talk about him all the time, about how (Chamberlain) could do everything,” Dunbar said.
Wilt Chamberlain of the Harlem Globetrotters. pic.twitter.com/FhQQaDDDUX
— Paul Knepper (@paulieknep) October 29, 2023
Chamberlain’s basketball resume will lead with all of his NBA accomplishments, but stepping away from the league to work with the Globetrotters gave Chamberlain a certain freedom of expression. His No. 13 Globetrotters jersey was retired on March 9, 2000, at his high school in Philadelphia. The storied college career and multiple pro accolades, however, played just a small part of who Chamberlain was.
He really was about the fun nature of the game. And that fun was enhanced and supported by the Globetrotters.
Hill said the Globetrotters made Chamberlain feel comfortable, similar to that young boy who used to watch the Globetrotters on newsreels.
“Wilt’s feeling was that he was free. He could just be himself,” Hill said. “He could inclusive to what the Globetrotters were known for. The entertainment, the ballhandling, that all made him feel free.”
(Illustration: Kelsea Petersen / The Athletic; photos: TPLP / Getty Images)
Sports
Packers’ head-coaching situation thrust into spotlight after playoff loss
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The Green Bay Packers’ playoff exit on Saturday immediately put added focus on what the organization will do with head coach Matt LaFleur.
The NFL coaching cycle has been the wildest in recent memory, with veteran coaches like John Harbaugh and Pete Carroll being shown the door. Packers fans seemingly put LaFleur on the hot seat following their crushing defeat to the Chicago Bears.
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur reacts during the wild-card playoff game against the Bears Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Sunday that the Packers will have a major decision to make.
“The Green Bay Packers and their new president, Ed Policy, have a significant decision to make here in the coming days – and that is whether to extend Matt LaFleur’s contract. He’s currently got one year remaining, or to move on from him,” Schefter said. “If they moved on from him, he would automatically go near the top of coaches available and shakeup this current head-coaching cycle yet again.”
Schefter added that Harbaugh could be one of the names that would interest the Packers’ organization.
BEARS’ BEN JOHNSON GIVES FIERY MESSAGE TO TEAM AFTER PLAYOFF WIN: ‘F— THE PACKERS!’
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur talks after the playoff game, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
“Notice how we said this belongs to the Packers’ president, Ed Policy. Well, the Packers’ former president from the back in the day was a man by the name of Bob Harlan,” Schefter explained. “Bob Harlan’s son, Brian Harlan, represents John Harbaugh. John Harbaugh is a Midwestern guy, who has a home in the Upper Peninsula, and a lot of people around the league have been wondering if the Packers decide to go in a different direction, if all of a sudden the Green Bay Packers might fall to the top of John Harbaugh’s list as the top available choice for him.
“This has been a wild, crazy coaching cycle, and we may be just scratching the surface.”
Green Bay Packers’ Matthew Golden celebrates his touchdown against the Bears Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
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Green Bay finished 9-7-1 this season. LaFleur is 76-40-1 as the Packers’ head coach with a 3-6 record in the playoffs.
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Sports
Crossroads students begin push to make pickleball a varsity sport
For brothers Boone and Ford Casady, pickleball is more than just a game, it is a passion. The 16-year-old twins are among the top junior players on the planet, but more important to them than trophies and medals is a desire to spread the fastest-growing sport in America to high schools and colleges.
Their vision, combined with the persistence of fellow Crossroads sophomores Samantha Leeds and Hannah Carey, has birthed the L.A. High School Pickleball League, the first of its kind in California. The first match will be Jan. 24 at the Santa Monica Pickleball Center.
Teams from Crossroads, Brentwood, Windward, Palisades, Notre Dame and Santa Monica Pacifica Christian will participate, and possibly several more.
Matches will be biweekly with all schools competing at the same shared location. The match format is loosely based on high school tennis with three doubles lines, one singles line and “friendlies” — ensuring that beginners, alternates and developing players all get playing time. The season culminates with semifinals and a league championship.
“My brother and I grew up playing competitive tennis and baseball,” Boone said. “We’d been playing tennis since we were about 3 and in eighth grade we moved to Barcelona to train at the Emilio Sánchez Academy for tennis. We were first introduced to pickleball earlier while we were in Mexico playing with friends and we immediately fell in love with it. We entered our first tournament in Palm Springs and realized we’d found something special.
“We noticed that so many juniors were training and competing individually but there wasn’t a school-based structure like you have in other varsity sports. We decided to change that. We wanted girls to be involved from the start — it was important to us that the league be coed and inclusive to reflect how competitive girls pickleball already is. We’re also co-founders of the Crossroads Pickleball Club along with Samantha and Hannah and we’re working to grow participation on campus and across L.A.”
The four founders of the L.A. High School Pickleball League play mixed doubles.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Unlike most youth sports initiatives, the league was not created by adults or administrators, it was built entirely by students. Over the last two years they have coordinated with the Southern Section for recognition and guidance, worked with Crossroads administrators to establish pickleball as a school-sanctioned varsity sport, organized early intramural and inter-school tournaments, built communication networks among local high schools and helped other schools begin turning their club teams into varsity programs.
“In high school sports, students usually join a system that already exists,” Leeds said. “With pickleball, we had to build the system ourselves.”
Boone defeated Ford to earn the No. 1 seed at the 2024 Junior PPA National Championships, but they met again for the gold medal and this time Ford won. They also took the gold in doubles and finished No. 1 and No. 2 in the country in the 14s division.
At the 2025 Junior PPA National Championships, the brothers took silver and bronze in the Boys U16 singles and partnered for silver in doubles. They were also presented the Community Assist Award to acknowledge their initiative in starting the Los Angeles High School Pickleball League. They are straight-A students and play shortstop and third base on the varsity baseball team.
So far, their toughest competition in pickleball has been each other.
“Boone and I practice together all the time and we play against each other constantly,” Ford said. “Boone knows the part of my game to attack and I know what to do against him so we always have great matches. No matter who wins, we hug it out at the end.”
The siblings played in their first pro event of the year Saturday — the Masters Tournament in Palm Springs.
Leeds and Carey were introduced to pickleball in eighth grade.
“I remember leaving PE after playing pickleball, heading to soccer practice and honestly feeling kind of bored,” Leeds recalled. “All I wanted to do was keep playing pickleball.”
“Samantha and I got randomly paired to do pickleball in PE,” said Carey, who lost her home in the Palisades fire. “Most kids would sit out, look bored, or try to skip but as the pickleball nets went up our peers were engaged, exhilarated and connecting over their love of pickleball. So Samantha and I started making petitions to create a league.”
The girls, then 13, had a meeting with Anthony Locke, head of school at Crossroads, and made a pitch deck. Using her skills as a filmmaker Leeds created a short sizzle video to help show what pickleball could look like as a real school sport.
“We were told that forming school-based teams and leagues is a necessary first step towards eventual CIF recognition,” she said. “I created a Varsity Team Starter Kit, outlining the steps we used to establish pickleball as a school-sanctioned varsity sport. Leaders at other schools are actively using it to establish their own teams.”
Added Carey: “We connected with Boone and Ford, which was such an honor considering their talent and passion for the sport. We decided to join forces and use our resources together to further our process of creating a league.”
The inaugural season runs from January to March but beginning in the 2026-27 school year the plan is to move to the traditional winter sports window, November through January.
“Pickleball has the potential to become a true varsity sport at both the high school and college levels,” Boone said. “We’re so excited to help push it forward.”
Sports
US figure skating power couple makes history with record breaking seventh national championship
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U.S. figure skating stars Madison Chock and Evan Bates made history on Saturday with their record-setting seventh U.S. Figure Skating title in their final competition before the Milan Cortina Olympics.
The three-time reigning world champions, performing a flamenco-style dance to a version of the Rolling Stones hit “Paint It Black” from the dystopian sci-fi Western show “Westworld,” produced a season-best free skate and finished with 228.87 points.
“The feeling that we got from the audience today was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before,” Chock said.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates of United States perform during ISU World Figure Skating Championships – Boston, at TD Garden, on March 28, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Jurij Kodrun – International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Images)
They’ll be the heavy favorites to win gold next month in Italy.
“I felt so much love and joy,” Chock continued, “and I’m so grateful for this moment.”
U.S. Figure Skating will announce its selections on Sunday.
Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik were second with 213.65 points and Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko were third with 206.95, making those two pairs the likely choices to join Chock and Bates on the American squad for the upcoming Winter Games.
The men’s medals also were to be decided on Saturday, though two-time world champion Ilia Malinin had built such a lead after his short program that the self-styled “Quad God” would have to stumble mightily to miss out on a fourth consecutive title.
The U.S. also has qualified the maximum of three men’s spots for the Winter Games, and competition is tight between second-place Tomoko Hiwatashi, fan favorite Jason Brown, Andrew Torgashev and Maxim Naumov to round out the nationals podium.
The last time Chock and Bates competed in the Olympics in 2022 in Beijing, they watched their gold initially go to an opponent who was later disqualified for doping violations.
Chock and Bates initially had to settle for team silver with their American teammates on the podium at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Team Russia and Kamila Valieva, who was 15 at the time, stood above them with their gold medals.
It wasn’t until the end of January 2024, when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) found Valieva guilty of an anti-doping rule violation, when Chock, Bates and the U.S. were declared the rightful 2022 gold medalists.
UN URGES COUNTRIES TO HONOR TRUCE DURING WINTER OLYMPICS, NOT DENY VISAS TO ANY NATION’S ATHLETES
Madison Chock and Evan Bates compete in championship ice dance at the U.S. figure skating championships Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned substance, during an anti-doping test at the Russian Figure Skating Championships in December 2021. She was suspended for four years and stripped of all competitive results since that date.
Chock and Bates spoke about what their message to Valieva would be today during an interview at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee media summit in October.
“It’s hard to, I think, imagine what a 15-year-old has gone through and under that kind of situation,” Bates said. “And I know how stressful it is, being an elite athlete as an adult, as a 36-year-old. And I think that grace should be given to humans across the board. And we can never really know the full situation, at least from our point of view. … I genuinely don’t know what I would say to her.”
Chock added, “I would just wish her well like as I would. I think life is short. And, at the end of the day, we’re all human just going through our own human experience together. And regardless of what someone has or hasn’t done and how it has affected you, I think it’s important to remember we’re humans as a collective, and we’re all here for this, our one moment on earth, at the same time. And I just wish people to have healthy, happy lives, full of people that love them.”
Chock and Bates had to wait more than two years after the initial Olympics to get their rightful gold medals, and they were finally presented with them during a ceremony at the Paris Olympics last summer.
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Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the USA perform in the Gala Exhibition during the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final Nagoya at IG Arena on December 07, 2025 in Nagoya, Japan. (Atsushi Tomura – International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Images)
Chock, Bates and teammates Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Zachary Donohue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierim and Vincent Zhou were given a specialized gold medal ceremony to receive the medals in front of more than 13,000 fans.
Chock and Bates became the first ice dancers to win three consecutive world championships in nearly three decades in March when they defeated Canadian rivals Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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